Summer Review 2019
LET’S GET SOCIAL. Table of Contents
c
President’s Welcome................................................................................3
21st Annual Little Friends Festival ............................................................4
Friends of Rittenhouse Square Little Friends of Rittenhouse Square Young Friends of Rittenhouse Square
Young Friends Ball on the Square ............................................................ 6 Ball on the Square: Patron Party ............................................................ 8 Ball on the Square....................................................................................10
f
Ball on the Square: Committee.............................................................16
Furry Friends Spotlight: Meet Ben ...........................................................17
@littlefriendsofrittenhouse @rittenhouse_youngfriends
Little Friends Summer on the Square ..................................................18 Upcoming Events .....................................................................................19
Donate Your Time The Friends are always looking for volunteers who can donate their time and energy to help Rittenhouse Square. Throughout the year, there are a vey of different project that we could use extra help in the office. From general administrative work to helping organize community events – a few hours of your time could make a huge difference. We are also always looking for extra event staff! Please contact 267-586-5675 or info@friendsofrittenhouse.org to let us know if you are able to help.
# Hashtags #rittenhousesquare #rittenhousepark
Like us # us, us.
Calling all Volunteers Dear Friends: This year's Ball on the Square and Soiree on the Square were truly magical nights. Under the tent, we danced through the night, re-connecting with our neighbors, friends and familiar faces. We can't thank you enough for your support and generosity.
There will be a number of park clean up days and volunteer opportunites throughout the remaineder of the summer, as well as, this Fall. We need help planting flowers, cleaning up litter in the park, working community events on weekends, landscaping, and variety of other tasks. If you are interested in personally helping PRESERVE, PROTECT, and BEAUTIFY The Square, please sign up to be on our volunteer list. See link here to fill out volunteer form: http://friendsofrittenhouse.org/membershi p/become-a-volunteer/
This year, we raised more than ever before, allowing us to continue to preserve, protect and beautify our beloved Rittenhouse Square. Thank you to our committees, event chairs, and employees, for their tireless efforts that directly impacted the overwhelming success of our June State of the Square events. As summer approaches its end, we now begin to look into the various capital improvement projects that our organization will take on thanks to your generosity. We have ambitious goals for the remainder of the year and into 2020. From designing and replacing the park benches to repairing and repaving large areas of damaged walkway, we are incredibly grateful to the many donors that help us achieve our mission. Thank you again, and I look forward to sharing the results of these exciting projects with all of you. Sincerely,
Bart Blatstein President, Friends of Rittenhouse Square
In upcoming weeks, the Friends will be working to replace damaged and deteriorated sidewalks and pathways around the Square, as well as add additional dog bag dispensers to the Park to help cut back on the amount of litter. The Friends are currently in discussions with well-renowned landscape architect Laurie Olin to design and build new park benches. A full update will be presented at the Membership meeting on November 13th. A current membership is required to attend the meeting. See link here to become a member: http://friendsofrittenhouse.org/about/join -donate/
Our Mission The mission of the Friends of Rittenhouse Square is to Preserve, Protect and Beautify Rittenhouse Square. Rittenhouse Square is part of the Fairmount Park System, operated in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
Over 700 Little Friends gathered in Rittenhouse Square to enjoy another exciting festival of fun on June 19th. Local food shops provided a plethora of food and drink options, while a wide selection of activities and entertainment including a fantastic DJ, face painters, balloon tiers, obstacle courses, rides, a football and basketball toss, goat selfie station and information stands. Thank you to all of those who helped organize the event and devoted their time and energy to the Little Friends Festival, as well as the businesses that provided sponsorships and refreshments. Our sincerest thanks to our hard-working and tireless festival co-chairs, Susanna Brown, Paige Jaffe, Arielle Kerstein, Jessica Oliff, Margaux Pelegrin, Jennifer Toll Schulman, and Sarah Bernstein Solomon. We look forward to next year’s Festival with great anticipation!
Soirée on The Square The Soirée on The Square sold out a staggering 680 tickets for the Friday evening event in Rittenhouse Square. Highlights included specialty cocktails, delectable hors d’oeuvres, entertainment by CTO Tribeca, guest appearance by Ron "Jaws" Jaworski, along with notable dance performances by Beat Dancesport Academy. The success of this year’s soirée can be credited to our Young Friends Ball Committee and Co-Chairs, Ashlee Fuglio and Andrew Yaffe, who worked diligently to secure sponsors, sell tickets, and made it one of the premier events of the season. We would like to give a special thank you to our sponsors who helped make the 2019 Soirée on The Square one to never forget!
Thank you to our 2019 Sponsors: alkemy X Allan Domb Ample Wines Apartment List Beam Suntory Louis P. Bucky, MD Dentists on the Square City Block Team Cross Medical Group DFTI Boutique Griffin Hair Restoration Genesis of Cherry Hill Glenmede
JP Morgan Maxwell Realty Company McLaren Movement Mortgage Pando Abstract PMC Property Group PNC Power Home Remodeling Raymond James SF Design Co. Shop Sixty Five Tiffany & Minh UBS
This year’s Ball on the Square Patron Party, a special evening for sponsors and patron level ticket purchasers, was held on May 21 and hosted by Glenmede and The Rittenhouse Hotel. Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres throughout the evening. The silent auction gave guests an opportunity to bid on spa packages, the ultimate Flyers package, Chef’s table at Prime Rib, Private shopping events, a signed Carson Wentz jersey, and more! The night really got exciting when the live auction began. Dozen’s of bids were were made for the opportunity for a “Day as an Extra” on an AMC TV series and the Saks New York Fashion Week experience. The evening raised additiona funds towards the beautification and preservation of the Square. THANK YOU TO OUR PATRON PARTY AUCTION DONORS: Aether restaurant LaCroix Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts LAGOS Barnes Foundation Nicole Miller Blue Mercury Paul LeBreque Salon Body + Beauty Lab Philadelphia Eagles Boyds Philadelphia Film Office Casta Diva Philadelphia Film Society Children's Boutique Philadelphia Museum of Art Chef Hope Cohen Philadelphia Sixers Stephen Colbert Philly POPS Comcast-Spectator Philly Smiles Constellation Culinary Group Prime Rib Cook Rescue Spa Craiger Drake Designs RL Cake Design Cross Medical Group The Rock School of Ballet Henry A Davidsen, Master Tailors Rouge Deme Saks Fifth Avenue Egan Day Scarpetta Endeavor Athletic Shop Sixty Five Evantine Skirt Fitler Club Sonseta Hotel Flyers Charitites Starr Restaurant Group Govberg Sue's Art Class Hermosa Concierge CosMedics Theory Joan Shepp Townhome Jewelry Mayor Jim Kenney Volver Kimmel Center Zahav Knit Wit Zarett Rehab & Fitness
On the evening of Thursday, June 20, 2019, the Friends celebrated the Annual Ball on The Square. The funds raised from the Ball will be instrumental in funding the on-going care needed to maintain the beauty and preservation of Rittenhouse Square. The 2019 co-chairs, Hilarie Morgan and Noele Wein, did an amazing job raising sponsorship funds! The Evantine Design team led by Brian Kappra created an eye catching black and white aesthetic for the evening. Guest arrived dressed in an optical array of black and white attire. Guests enjoyed a menu from Constellation Culinary Group which included Maine lobster salad, seared salmon accompanied by couscous and vegetables, complimented by a pleathora of miniture desserts: raspberry pistachio opera cake, dulce sea salt tarts, mini lemon bundt cake, and petit chocolate pots de crÊme. Attendees danced all night under the balloon sculpture adroning the guardhouse, to the sounds of the Eddie Bruce Band. Mark your calendars for next year’s Ball on The Square on Thursday, June 19, 2020. Make sure to renew your membership by March to receive your mailed invitation. Let us know if you would like to hear more about the 2020 sponsorship opportunities.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019
Ball on The Square Committee
The Furry Friends of Rittenhouse Square are the pet members of The Friends. Your pet can join at www.friendsofrittenhouse.org or by calling 267-586-5675. In each edition of the newsletter, one of our Furry Friend members will be featured. If you would like to have your pet considered for inclusion join today or if they are already a Furry Friend, email us at info@friendsofrittenhouse.org
Upcoming Events: Fall 2019
Aug 26
Furry Friends: National Dog Day
Sept 13 - 15
Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show
Oct 11 - 13
Rittenhouse Square Craft Show
Nov 9
LOVE Your Park Volunteer Day
Nov 13
Membership Meeting
Dec 3
Holiday Lighting (Rain date December 4)
LOVE Your Park Day
Volunteers are needed for the 2019 Fall Love Your Park Day on Saturday, November 9, to help plant daffodil and tulip bulbs in the park. Work starts at 9:00am by the Gardener’s Cottage and continues until 12:00pm (or when work is complete). Groups are welcome; please make sure children arrive with adequate supervision. If you would like to help, please contact info@friendsofrittenhouse.org to sign-up. This event is weather permitting and may be cancelled due to rain or extreme temperatures. For more information about Friends of Rittenhouse Square, please visit: www.friendsofrittenhouse.org
Follow us on Facebook for Event Updates
Follow the ‘Friends of Rittenhouse Square’, ‘Young Friends of Rittenhouse Square’ and/or the ‘Little Friends of Rittenhouse Square’ for all of your timely Rittenhouse Square Park news. Stay up to date on volunteer opportunites, event updates, park happenings, and park clean ups.
Sponsorship Opportunities The Friends of Rittenhouse Square are always looking for neighborhood residents and businesses to help us in our fundraising efforts. If you are interested in sponsoring an upcoming event please contact john@friendsofrittenhouse.org to learn more about sponsorship benefits.
For more information about Friends of Rittenhouse, please visit www.friendsofrittenhouse.org