Accomplishments of Friends | matthiasbaldwinpark

Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park Accomplishments

What do the Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park do? The lists below describe the big ticket items that have been done or are ongoing. In addition, and probably this is our main accomplishment, we fight entropy! We help preserve and maintain the Park through actions that occur often behind the scenes. For examples, see Friends Fighting Entropy article here.

Also, check out media coverage here.

Recent Accomplishments (the last 12 months):

Obtained pedestrian way-finder signs for the park, placed at 19th and Vine Streets and at 19th and Callowhill Streets, October 2024.
Hosted sixth annual Howl-o-ween Doggie Parade on October 26, 2024.
Applied for and received Arbnet Certification as a Level I Arboretum on August 7, 2024
Hosted a Movie Night featuring Back to the Future in August 2024.
Hosted Parks on Tap in May and August 2024
Two new park signs were placed in June 2024, one each in the northeast and the northwest corners of the Park. The Friends paid for these signs at a cost of $17,000.

Past Accomplishments:

Hosted our annual Howl-o-ween dog parade on 10/28/2023 in conjunction with a children's Story Walk featuring the book May I Pet Your Dog?
Hosted a Story Walk with the book The Night Before Summer Vacation in June, 2023
Hosted Parks on Tap in May and again in August 2023
Paid $5,400 for more infill planting in the raised beds in June 2023.
Welcomed over 100 dogs and 300 human guests for our fourth Howl-o-ween Costumed Dog Parade on October 29, 2022
Invited families with children to stop at sixteen stations throughout the Park to read May I Pet Your Dog? at our autumn Story Walk over two weekends in October, 2022
Hosted Parks on Tap September 21-25, 2022
Hosted Movie Night in the Park on August 25, 2022 (WALL-E)
Applied for and received a plaque designating the park as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. The plaque was placed on the south fence in the southeast section on June 8, 2022.
Filed a grant application to receive a bald cypress tree for the wet north central edge of the park. This was planted June 7, 2022
Hosted a successful children's Story Walk in June and August with the book Caps for Sale
Cut back 13 years worth of dead clematis vines on the fence along the south side of the Park in November of 2021; fertilized them with organic fertilizer April 2022
Installed a Little Free Library in the northwest corner of the park in April, 2022. Grab or give a book!
Formed a Gardening Committee February 2022 to plan, plant, and maintain annuals in barren beds

Celebrated a new high in number of members/donors, at 200 on December 31, 2021.
Sponsored a new street tree in a new tree pit on 19th Street near the historical marker. The crabapple was planted by the Tree Tenders from Pennsylvania Horticultural Society on November 20, 2021, and will be nurtured by the Friends.
Monthly park cleanups (second Saturday at 10 am) including spring and fall Love Your Park events (May and November 2021)
Invited families with children to stop at sixteen stations throughout the Park to read May I Pet Your Dog? at our autumn Story Walk on October 29-31, 2021
Welcomed over 100 dogs and 300 human guests for our third Howl-o-ween Costumed Dog Parade on October 30, 2021
Although not a Friends event, we welcomed the Philly Naked Bike Ride on August 28, 2021 at the finish line in Matthias Baldwin Park.
Hosted Movie Night in the Park on August 26, 2021 (A League of their Own)
Added almost $4,000 worth of plantings in the landscaped beds in August 2021
You don't exist unless you are on Wikipedia, which as of July 2021 we are. See here.
The tree identification tags were placed on the trees in June 2021, as mapped here.
Stop sign installed at the northwest corner of 19th and Hamilton Streets on May 20, 2021, after request by the Friends. The pedestrian signs and crosswalk painting had been done in 2019 per Friends' request. The curb cuts are pending.
Held our second neighborhood scavenger hunt May 15, 2021
Held our first Story Walk in the Park April 23 to May 2, 2021.
Celebrated reaching a new high in membership households: 117 members in the Friends group as of November 2020. This is 100 more than just four years ago.
Recovered stolen center arms on all 27 benches in the Park, cleaned the benches, and replaced the center arms using theft-resistant hardware; September through November 2020

Paid $3600 for new plantings in the landscaped beds in August 2020
In July 2020, the City informed the Friends group that the financial responsibility for maintaining the irrigation system fell no longer to the City, but to the Friends. The initial expense for immediately needed repairs was $1,200.
June 12, 2020: The Friends group President commented in an Inquirer article about the defacing of the Baldwin statue at City Hall
Petitioned for and take responsibility for care of five new trees along 19th Street, April 2020

Celebrated the 224th birthday of Matthias Baldwin 12/5/19 after monthly meeting
Helped celebrate the dedication of the new Baldwin Locomotive Works mural 11/14/19
Hosted our second annual Howloween Dog Costume Parade, October 26, 2019
Hosted Movie Night in the Park, August 29, 2019 (Hugo)
Crosswalks across 19th Street advocated by Friends: completed August 2019
Purchased and replaced 19 of 21 trash can liners in the Park and meticulously removed all trash and food from under the steel containers in August 2019
Paid $6,000 for new plantings in the landscaped beds in August 2019
Nearly complete tree identification, July 2019, posted to website
Hosted very successful Parks on Tap June 26-30, 2019
Hosted Paint the Mural Day June 1, 2019
Free neighborhood Scavenger Hunt May 18, 2019
A very successful April 2019 membership drive doubled our membership
Matthias Baldwin birthday celebration December 6, 2018
Howl-o-ween 2018 on October 28: costumed dog parade
Successfully lobbied for crosswalk signs at 19th and Hamilton Streets, September 2018
Hosted "Parks on Tap" on June 6 – 10, 2018 and Friends of Baldwin Park picnic
Updated the Park brochure to include the website and membership form
Hosted a very successful and popular “Parks on Tap” on June 7 – 11, 2017
Installed a Doggie Bag Dispenser (2017)
Contacted the Department of Health to control the rodent problem in the park (2017)
Installed pamphlet dispensers for Baldwin Park brochure (2017)
Submitted signed petitions to city for installation of Stop Sign, crosswalk and curb cuts at corner of 19th & Hamilton Streets (2016)
Hosted Matthias Baldwin Park Rededication Ceremony May 19, 2016
Worked with Parks & Recreation on obtaining new benches, lighting and wall repair from the North X Northwest developers, Forest City Development and M&T Bank (2016)

Past Major Milestones:

Applied for and received Arbnet Certification as a Level I Arboretum on August 7, 2024
Applied for and received a plaque designating the park as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. The plaque was placed on the south fence in the southeast section on June 8, 2022.
Installed a Little Free Library in the northwest corner of the park in April, 2022.
200 member/donors on December 31, 2021
Reach the century mark in total members for the first time: total of 100 in August 2020
2018 Established Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park website
2012 Established Facebook Page for the Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park
2010 Lobbied City Hall to change park name to Matthias Baldwin Park (first person account of ceremony here)
2009 Obtained Pennsylvania Historic Marker for Matthias Baldwin Locomotive Works
2007 Established the Friends of Franklin Town Park