Most people in Fox Chase know Fox Chase Farm as the place their kids visited on a school trip, or the open fields they drive past on Pine Road without ever pulling in. For Saturday, September 19, the farm had scheduled two different events for the same afternoon.
The first was Ag Innovation Day, a free, walk-up celebration of agriculture scheduled for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with hands-on activities, farm animals, a local farm market, artisan vendors, food, and equipment demonstrations. The second was the 2nd Annual Rooster Run/Walk, listed as requiring registration and a payment step, with proceeds supporting agricultural education programming for School District of Philadelphia students. The inaugural race the previous year had its own Saturday at the end of September. This year, the farm had scheduled it alongside its marquee open house, putting the two events that used to be on different weekends on the same field, with one parking situation and one afternoon.
What the September 19 Schedule Required
The Ag Innovation Day listing described a free, walk-up event with no ticket or sign-up required.
The Rooster Run/Walk had a separate registration process with two steps: complete a registration form, then submit payment through a separate link. Skipping either step meant you weren't actually registered.
A quick way to recap the September 19 schedule:
- Ag Innovation Day: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free, no registration, walk-up entry at 8500 Pine Road
- Rooster Run/Walk: same address, same date, required advance registration and payment through the farm's own forms
- Money from the run: was designated for agricultural education programming for School District of Philadelphia students, not a general farm fund
Beyond the event details, the farm’s connection to nearby trails offers another way to experience the area.
The Trail Most Residents Still Drive Around
Fox Chase Farm sits inside a much bigger piece of green space than its own fields, and since July 2024 there's been an easier way to reach it without a car. The city opened the Fox Chase Lorimer Trail that summer, a shared-use walking and biking path roughly 0.45 miles long that starts near the Rhawn Street and Elberon Avenue intersection, close to SEPTA's Fox Chase Station, and connects directly into the Pennypack Trail at the Philadelphia and Montgomery County line.
That half-mile link matters more than its length suggests. On the Philadelphia side, the Pennypack Trail runs roughly 10.2 miles from Pine Road down to the Delaware River. On the Montgomery County side, the trail runs 6.2 miles from Rockledge Park up to the county line at County Line Road, passing through Lorimer Park, which sits directly next to Fox Chase Farm. For years the two halves were connected only by a gravel path through Lorimer Park itself. Now there's a paved, ADA-compliant option that starts within walking distance of the regional rail station, which meant a resident could have taken the train to Fox Chase, walked the connector trail to the farm, spent the afternoon at Ag Innovation Day, and continued walking north into Lorimer Park or south back toward the station, all without moving a car.
If you've been driving to Lorimer Park for a trail walk because you assumed that was the only access point near Fox Chase, this connector is worth trying instead.
What's Already Being Planned for October
The farm is already building toward its next event. Bat Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, and the farm is currently recruiting local artisans, makers, musicians, and educational organizations to help run it. The specific ask is for vendors and groups with a connection to bats, wildlife, conservation, nature, agriculture, or farm-based education, which means this is less a spectator event and more an open call for neighbors who want to actually help build the day rather than just show up to it.
If you make things, teach things, or run a small nature or conservation-adjacent operation in the area, this is the kind of local event that's still shaping its lineup, and applying now means you're part of what October looks like rather than reading about it afterward.
Fueling the Day
A farm afternoon in Fox Chase usually ends with food, and the neighborhood has two spots worth knowing if you don't already.
Chubby's Fox Chase Deli, at 537 Hoffnagle Street, has been running as a mom-and-pop hoagie shop since 2010. It's a grab-and-go counter with no seating, open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends until 6 p.m. Regulars point to the Turkey Italiana, turkey breast with sharp provolone, roasted red peppers, and garlic mayo on a seeded Liscio's roll, as the sandwich worth building a stop around.
For a sit-down option near the farm, Fox Chase Tavern at 427 Rhawn Street took over the space that used to be McNally's on Rhawn. It's owned by Kevin and Jen Bove, who also run Squire Tavern in Somerton. The tavern has built a reputation around cheesesteaks and a full bar menu, with happy hour deals that have included five-dollar cheesesteaks and live music on weekends, making it a reasonable landing spot when a day on a farm field needs to end somewhere with a beer list.
Putting the Day Together
Fox Chase Farm has spent the last few years building toward something bigger than a single open house. The farm's September 19 schedule had multiple draws on the same Saturday; the trail connection offers another way to reach the farm, and the farm was recruiting neighbors to help run the next event. For September 19, the useful distinction was that Ag Innovation Day was free and walk-up, while the Rooster Run/Walk required a form and payment.
If you're weighing what a weekend actually looks like in a neighborhood like this, that's usually a better read on daily life here than any listing description can give you. Hernan Alvarado Jr lives and works this part of Northeast Philadelphia and keeps track of what's actually happening on the ground, not just what shows up in a search result. If you're curious about Fox Chase beyond the September 19 farm events, or thinking about what it would mean to call this neighborhood home, Let's Connect.
