Up The Creek: The Frankford Underground Railroad Light Parade
Date and time
An art workshop and lantern light parade to honor the Underground Railroad in Frankford
About this event
FREE - lanterns, materials, and hot drinks provided.
Light Parade
6:30pm
Open to all
1 mile walk starting at Garsed Center.
Join us for a community light parade retracing Frankford’s Underground Railroad history. Lanterns are provided or bring your own lights or noisemakers - if it glows, it goes!
Lantern Workshop
5-6:30pm
Register via this eventbrite page
Adults and children are invited to come decorate a lantern before the parade.
For enslaved Africans, Philadelphia was the threshold of freedom, and the nearby Delaware River was an important escape route. While most commercial ship traffic on the Delaware River traveled downstream, the Underground Railroad flowed in reverse. Walk with Ken and discover why Frankford’s location was the best kept open secret for freedom seekers.
COVID Guidelines
All participants must be masked throughout the event. Registration for the workshop is capped at 25 people to enable social distancing indoors.
History Preview
To learn more about freedom seekers and the Delaware River, tune into Ken’s history preview online: "Freedom on the Delaware River: The Maritime Underground Railroad." riverfrontnorth.org/lantern
About the artist
Ken Johnston is a Philadelphia-based walking artist, who responds to the call of social change and history by walking to put the Movement back in Civil Rights. During the past two years, Ken has retraced the footsteps of Harriet Tubman between Underground Railroad communities from Maryland to New York City. He uses lanterns to shine light on issues and bring communities together.
