Friends of the Wissahickon will celebrate 20 years of free ice cream and community connection on Wednesday, Aug. 19, when the nonprofit hosts its annual Ice Cream Social at Historic Rittenhouse Town, 211 Lincoln Drive.

The free event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. and will spotlight a milestone for the 2,000-acre park: the debut of its first All Person's Trail at the Harvey Street entrance, along with new sidewalks and a public art installation.

For Whitemarsh, Plymouth and Whitpain residents who hike or bike the Wissahickon's 50-plus miles of trails, the improvements represent the latest chapter in FOW's Germantown Neighborhood Connection Project, a multi-year effort to make the Harvey Street section more accessible and better connected to the broader trail network, according to the Times Herald.

Bredenbeck's Bakery will again scoop ice cream and nondairy treats. Music, games and interactive exhibits round out the afternoon, with partners including the Wissahickon Environmental Center, Let's Go Outdoors, Playful Learning, the Philadelphia Planning Commission, Joseph E. Coleman Library and Weavers Way Co-op.

Univest Financial, which is presenting the event, marks its own 150th anniversary this year. The regional bank has been a longtime FOW supporter.

FOW executive director Sara Stevenson, who took the helm in January after more than 15 years leading public gardens and conservation nonprofits, described her family's relationship with the park in an Aug. 6 Weavers Way Co-op article: "The trailhead is my favorite because it drops us straight into the park, like jumping into the middle of a favorite novel. We pick up where we left off and already know the characters."

The nonprofit, founded in 1924, counts more than 3,000 members and partners with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the Philadelphia Water Department on trail maintenance, watershed education and park safety. A $3.5 million capital project completed in 2024 added a pedestrian bridge, observation deck and stream restoration at Valley Green Run, according to Billy Penn.

How to attend

The Ice Cream Social is free. Registration is requested at FOW.org so organizers can notify attendees of weather cancellations.

Germantown-area residents can join a group walk departing Weavers Way Germantown, 328 Chelten Ave., at 3:30 p.m. The roughly one-mile walk includes light refreshments and a preview of the Harvey Street entrance improvements before arriving at the social.