"Pints for the Park" To Support Linwood Park

Hi there—first, I would like to introduce myself since this is my first time blogging EVER, not just for Patch.  Sure, I am opinionated and tend to rant and be a big blowhard offline a lot, but this will be my first carefully contrived online "rant." 

My name is Kate Galer, I haved lived in Ardmore for 11 years as of this past Memorial Day.  Three kids, cats, boyfriend, nice neighbors, etc.  Overly involved like many people are around here, but my main interests are related to environmental issues, education and social equity. 

This week,  I want to start by writing about a fundraiser this Saturday June 9th from 6 to 9 p.m. at on Lancaster Ave.  It is "Pints for the Park," a fundraiser for the design and construction of a tree platform at at the corner of Linwood and Athens in Ardmore.  

If you don't know about this 1.1 acre gem of a park,  just a few short years ago it was a parking lot.  Through wonderful timing, the township was able to buy it with County Open Space Funds (that you, the voters, voted to allocate years ago) and turn it into a park. Because of the location of the park, the construction costs were able to be paid for by HUD.

The thing is, they did the hardscaping and the really cool ribbon of a sitting wall, but there was no money left for plants.  That was great fun (sarcasm here) the first few months after it opened in May of 2010 when people just complained about how ugly it was. One passerby in a car even yelling out the window while volunteers were working, "Your park sucks!"

Well, the volunteers persevered and didn't listen to that jerk and realized there were only a few negative voices (they just happened to be the loudest as usual around here) and kept planting, and raising money, and weeding, and having movie nights, and meeting at the park, and just generally built Linwood and a park community up from scratch.

Volunteers raised money for seven benches donated by local businesses and individuals. Ardmore graphic designer Amy Rees and Penn Valley resident Chris Milani designed and made the park sign pro bono. Take a look at it, it is a work of art.  The list goes on and on, and now Linwood is a unique, high quality, garden and park for all.

But, we don't rest. Part of the original Phase Two of the design called for a tree platform for the back corner of the Park.  The tree platform was voted at one of Linwood Park's events as the thing people most wanted to see in the Park next.

While we think the 7-year-olds stuffed the ballot boxes, we like the 7-year-old vote and are fulfilling their wishes.

So, this is where the drinking comes in. This Saturday, June 9th, the Friends of Linwood Park are holding a fundraiser at Brownie's to make money to start the procees of designing the tree platform.  If we can get a great design, we can ask people and organizations to help build it.

As fitting of Linwood, a top quality design and construction is all that will do. It needs to look good, work well, last a long time, and be money well spent by you.

So, this is why the Friends need you to come out on Saturday eve.  The $30 price includes open bar for beer and wine, dinner and dessert (by Pillsbury bake-off winner Christina Verrelli), music , and fun. 

Why should you come? Brownie's is a local business. Brownie's has been excellent and so helpful to the Friends.  We are getting local businesses to contribute for raffles. People that live in Ardmore and use the park can walk to the event. With all the talk over the past I don't know how many years about "revitalizing" Ardmore and using local businesses it seems like precisely the type of event everyone should go to. Collaboration between residents and businesses to help raise money for a township property. No brainer.

Go to www.friendsoflinwoodpark.org to sign up and pay via credit card or PayPal, or tickets are available night of at the door.

Thanks and see you in the park!