Activities include Bird walks, Paddles, Farm days & more

As a celebration of our glorious watershed, the Delaware River Festival continues through this weekend. The 23 environmental centers that make up the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River are hosting family-friendly events as a part of their River Days festivities.

Here’s how you can be a part of the festivities this weekend.

This weekend’s Delaware River events

The Delaware River Festival continues through the weekend

October 2-3 Various locations in Philadelphia region and South New Jersey

Info at delawareriverfest.org

Several environmental educational organizations have come together to plan virtual and in-person events at multiple locations on both sides of the Delaware, throughout South Jersey and in Philadelphia. Presented by the Center for Aquatic Sciences, Independence Seaport Museum,Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Natural Lands Trust, Camden County Environmental Center, and many other partners.

Virtual Events:

Saturday, Oct. 2

Bilingual Bird Walk at the Discovery Center/ Paseo bilingüe con aves en The Discovery Center

8:00 – 9:30 a.m. 

Discovery Center (3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia)

Come see the amazing variety of bird species at the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir on a walk led by a local ornithologist Keith Russell. Experts and novice birders both welcome. Join us as we watch, listen, and learn about the species that call our Reservoir home. A Spanish translator will be available. 

Chester Pennsylvania Festival Fun

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Subaru Park Plaza (Chester, Pennsylvania)

Join us for family fun and watershed learning along the Delaware River Waterfront beside Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Try your hand at water quality testing, take a tour of the stadium to learn how the turf is sustainably managed, and visit the nearby community garden. There will be crafts, music, pizza, and more fun for the whole family! Hosted by the City of Chester and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Paddle Party

10:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Pyne Point Park (6th and Erie Street, Camden, NJ 08103)

Sign up for one of three paddles as we take our kayaks out to explore the back channel of the Delaware River. Great experience for new kayakers! Spanish translators will be available for the first paddle at 10:30am **Preregistration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/169516860493 Hosted by the Center for Aquatic Sciences. Note: The Sunday, October 3^rd event is at capacity

Sunday, October 3

Sunday Fun Day at The Farm at Awbury Arboretum

1:00 – 4:00 p.m. 

6336 Ardleigh St., Philadelphia  19138

Join us at the Farm at Awbury Arboretum for an afternoon of family fun and wellness. Meet goats, take a tour of the farm, and learn about the importance of water for individual and environmental wellness. 

Hosts: The Farm at Awbury Arboretum, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Philadelphia Water Department

Celebrate the Schuylkill River

Saturday, October 2, 11:00 AM

The Discovery Center (3401 Reservoir Drive, Phila)

The Fairmount Water Works was flooded by the rising Schuylkill River in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, but our neighbor, The Discovery Center, is hosting our River Days event. Friends, families and neighbors are invited enjoy hands-on activities and a live performance of the Cultural Heritage Fund Group, comprised of citizens of the Nanticoke Lenni Lenape tribe. Performance presented by the Lenapehoking~Watershed, a place for water, art and culture.

Activities include:
– Plant Identification Walking Tour
– Swim Pony Card Game Introduction
– Indigenous Art Project
– 1:00 PM Lenape Performance/Presentation (dancers, drumming, call-and response)

Space is limited, so be sure to secure a space for you and your family today:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/171281747317

Watershed Walks

Saturday, October 2, 1:00 PM

Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 

Did you know that the Delaware River Watershed covers over 12,000 miles and provides drinking water to over 15 million people? Learn about the importance of our watershed with a self-guided one-mile plus walk along our trails. Stop at stations along the trails for hands-on activities, water-related crafts, and more. Discover what macroinvertebrates (aquatic insects) can tell us about the health of a stream, explore different ways we can help to minimize pollution in our waterways, perform water quality tests, and learn about the wildlife that call our watershed home. See the center’s environmental art, including al Mudhif traditional Iraqi structure built of native phragmites, conceived and constructed by artists Yaroub Al-Obaidi and Sarah Kavage as part of the Lenape~Hoking Watershed project.

Fall Festival & Concert

Saturday, October 2, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM Concert begins at 3 PM

Tacony Creek Park at the big field between Rising Sun and Olney Avenues, Philadelphia, PA

Event is FREE and open to the public. Info here. Register: taconycreekparkfallfest.eventbrite.com

Enjoy family-friendly nature games, arts & crafts, giveaways and lots more to celebrate our local creek, park and trail. Discover the ‘aquasphere’ with the Aqua Marooned! card game and take home a free deck to play! An outdoor music concert begins at 3:00 PM, featuring original compositions inspired by Tacony Creek Park from the album “Tacony Creek Suite” by Professor Randy J. Gibson. This event is a Co-Production of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership and Olney Culture Lab of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia and made possible by the Alliance for Watershed Education, Councilwoman Cherelle Parker’s Office, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Jazz Foundation of America, Joseph Roberts Foundation, Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture & Creative Economy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Philadelphia Water Department, and William Penn Foundation.

Saturday, October 9, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Farnham Park, 1648 Baird Blvd, Camden, NJ

Autumn is a great time to search for birds in your backyard, community and local park. Join a bilingual expert birder on a walk through Farnham Park along the Cooper River, searching for and learning about birds found in the region. Binoculars will be provided for participants to borrow. Spanish and English bird guides will also be available.

Rediscovering the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir

Saturday, October 9, 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM

Discovery Center, 3401 Reservoir Dr., Philadelphia, PA 

Strawberry Mansion residents will take part in our community science initiative, cultivating freshwater mussel nursery. Guests will learn about the importance of the watershed health, and how mussels contribute to that health. Then participants may also have the opportunity to canoe on the reservoir.

5^thAnnual Cobbs Creek Rubber Duck Races

Saturday, October 9, 10:00 am

Cobbs Creek Environmental Center, 63^rd & Catherine Sts., Philadelphia, PA

Fun for the whole family. No age limit to enter. Cash Prizes! Ducks cost $2 each; no limit! Socially distanced—Masks required Register in advance on Facebook: or call 215-685-1900

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher