IvyRidge Green volunteer two hours every other Tuesday night in the spring and summer at different locations.

UPDATE: Here is a map [PDF] of the work site, with driving direction.

On January 17th, join volunteers from Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties on the Schuylkill River Trail — your work will help complete the trail and connect the two counties.

Meet by the Tow Path Bridge (behind the Manayunk Brewery, pictured above) at 9:00 am and to work on removing brush, vines and debris from the waterfront area.

Brian O’Neill, who is helping to build this part of the trail as he redevelops the old Connelly building as apartments, is providing dumpsters. The Pennsylvania Branch of the Great American Clean Up is providing refreshments (coffee, donuts and lunch), gloves and Port o Pots.

Parking will be available by the Tow Path Bridge. People driving should enter the site through the Lower Merion School District Bus Depot at the end of Righters Ferry Road. Signs will be posted directing people to the work site.

Questions? Call Chris Kingsley (610) 812-8931. See you out there!

…and thanks to the folks at Destination Schuylkill River for noticing.

Great work on the pocket park at Canton and Leverington Streets — ready for some planting next year! — and thanks to Annie and Marlene for the “trash tour” or the actually very lovely Germany Hill. If you haven’t seen it, you owe yourself a walk.

Winter is a great time to clear vines, so we’ll be back out for MLK Day. Keep your eyes on the events calendar, and we’ll see you out there!

Volunteer a couple of hours this Saturday, November 13th, for Fairmount’s “Love Your Park” Day.

Meet 9am at the pocket park here, at the intersection of Canton and Wright Streets. We’ll rake out the area, tend the hostas we planted this spring, and add a set of mums for some late fall color.

From there, we’ll move to Germany Hill — which looks spectacularly better since last season — and we’ll get a head start on pushing back next year’s vines and prepping the corner of Smick and Fountain Streets for planting.

See you out there!

From Blaise Syrnick, who — with Annie Scott — masterminded the effort:

Yahoooo! — Congratulations everyone!

Fountain Street Steps won Third Place in The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Small Community Flower category of their 2010 City Garden Contest.

We should be very proud of ourselves; it took a lot of hard work from all of us to get this award. Each one of you played a huge part in achieving this award.

I would like to thank each and every one of you again for all your time, hard work and dedication to our Fountain Street Steps.

Please pass on this good news to all and my gratitude to the many others who I might not be sending this email to… Once again thank you and congratulations to all!

Blaise Syrnick

A really hot “Give Two on Tuesday” clean-up at the Fountain Street Steps. The date July 6th was 2010’s first summer day over 100 degrees. And yes we did get distribute that big pile of compost..

Ivy Ridgers — this Tuesday (8/3) we’re venturing out of the neighborhood to the Schuylkill Center with our friends Tom and Rich. We did this last year and it was a blast.

So let’s meet at Union Jack’s at 6pm and ride up to the Schuylkill Center from there. We’ll work from 6:30 until the gas runs out, and have refreshments afterward. RSVP if you need us to save you a seat.

If you want to meet us there, that’s fine:

• Schuylkill Center Website
• 8480 Hagys Mill Road

There’s LOTS to tell about the Trail, about the Fountain Street Steps and the rest of our work in Ivy Ridge. Come on out and let’s trade stories — it’s always good to see you all.

WHAT: “Two on Tuesday” at the Schuylkill Center
WHERE: Meet at Union Jack’s, 6pm for a ride
RSVP to: Chris, 610.812.8931

Looking Good – Chris, Amy, Makayla, and Sue take a break during our April 2010 clean-up.

Check that field preparation! Blaise Syrnick and Annie Scott flagged every single plant they needed volunteers to protect while they weeded. No kidding.

Ivy Ridge Green kicked off its spring season today with the Mayor’s 3rd annual cleanup, “Keep Up the Sweep Up.”

Big thanks to the several dozen volunteers who joined us, to City Year, to the great folks in the City Streets & Sanitation Departments who supported the effort. And thanks to all of the project partners, of whom there are too many to name at this point — you know who you are.

We tackled projects spread out over nearly a mile today, working all the way from the Manayunk Bridge — where volunteers hung a sign, discouraging dumping and vandalism to SEPTA’s fencing — to the banks of Germany Hill. But the main action was along the Fountain Street Steps & the Tow Path where volunteers hauled debris and weeded in preparation for Philly “Spring Into Your Park” day in May.

Join us then: Saturday, May 8th. Check back here for details in a couple of weeks.

• Fountain Street Steps
• Germany Hill
• Ivy Ridge Trail
• Tow Path

Meet: 9am at the Fountain Street Steps (Umbria and Fountain Street, across from Union Jack’s).

This is a great annual event, and we can’t wait to see you all. Kids, pets welcome, give Chris a call if you have any questions:

610.812.8931

See you out there!

P.S. – Want to pass out fliers to let your neighbors know about the event? Download one here: [PDF]. Thanks!