|  | Springtime Events and Updates |  | We are so excited for May and all it brings — warm sunny days and lovely flowers thanks to April’s showers.
Special thanks to the Community Beautification Program for their terrific spring cleaning at the Stewart Park Entrance Garden and Mayor Stewart Flagpole Garden this past week! Their efforts throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County are most appreciated!
May 4th is “I Love My Park Day” and hundreds of parks throughout New York State will be celebrating. Of course, we are, too! We will be working with volunteers on tidying up our Stewart Park gardens this Saturday morning from 10am - 12pm, and at gardens and trailheads along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail throughout the month. |  | We'll prepare the park for summer by cleaning up garden beds, planting new landscaping, raking the playground, mulching, trimming lakeside vegetation and more. Dress for the weather and bring your gloves, rakes, clippers and other gardening tools. While registration is not required, it’s really appreciated, as it helps Parks & Trails NY track participation and get funding! More info and registration | I Love My Park Day is the perfect time to once again thank the Ithaca Garden Club for their leadership in planting 130,000 spring flowering bulbs along the Waterfront Trail in Cass and Stewart Parks, with the assistance of Dr. Bill Miller, a professor in Cornell's Horticulture Department, and City Forester Jeanne Grace. Daff-A-Daze brings a splash of color when we need it most! |  | | Friends of Stewart Park warmly extends congratulations to the incomparable Rob Lilly on his retirement from the City of Ithaca. |  | Rob has worked for the City for 35 years and has been the maintenance manager for Stewart Park for the last ten. | A jack-of-all-trades, Rob not only maintains park amenities -- from benches to playground equipment to the Carousel -- but he also builds things for the park, including most recently, a new floating dock/kayak launch for the lagoon. We will miss him terribly and are eternally grateful for all his help and dedication to Stewart Park and all the revitalization happening there. | City Forester Jeanne Grace says, “In the 10 years Rob has been assigned to Stewart Park, his imaginative problem solving skills, inspiring energy, work ethic, team attitude and dedication to serving the public has brought the park to the highest level of quality. He will be truly missed on the Parks and Forestry team but we wish him the absolute best in the adventures that lay ahead of him!” |
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| We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. CONGRATULATIONS ROB! | |  | Frank Muller, FSP Landscape Gardener and avid photographer/naturalist, will be leading our first BioBlitz event on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, Saturday, June 8.
To get started, you can download the iNaturalist App from the iPhone App Store or the Google Play Store on Android devices.
iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiveristy information to help each other learn about nature. The free iNaturalist App helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation. By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research-quality data for local scientists working to better understand and protect nature in your region.
A BioBlitz is a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time-period. They are a way for naturalists, scientists, and curious members of the public to meet in person in the great outdoors and, are a lot of fun! There are several tutorials to get you started with iNaturalist at https://www.inaturalist.org.
FSP’s Frank Muller will be available to guide you or answer questions from 10am-1pm on the west side of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail - trail near the bird garden and dragon boat launch in Cass Park. | |  | Over 30 people joined our first virtual event of 2024, with Brandon Hoak talking about the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway Project, which aims to connect local gardens, parks, trails and landscapes to improve habitat corridors for pollinators in the county. You can now view the program on YouTube. Find it here or click on the picture above. | | MORE PARK AND TRAIL NEWS | | | BETTER TOGETHER EVENT Come join in an uplifting day of FREE activities for all ages, designed to help you prioritize your mental health every day. Participate in mindful movement, dance, live music, street performances, workshops, indulge in free food offerings and much more. Saturday, May 11 in Stewart Park 11AM-3PM.
Let's make mental health a collective priority, because we are truly "Better Together." Check the website for more event details at: www.bettertogetherithaca.org |
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| | | PARK CONSTRUCTION The new playground bathroom is progressing quickly, and the old Splash Pad has been demolished to make way for the new one! Thanks to Edger Enterprises, Inc. and their subcontractors for their excellent work.
The project is on schedule to open by the July 4th holiday weekend which is also Stewart Park’s 103rd anniversary. |
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| | | FSP’S FRANK MULLER NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY Frank Muller, who does Park and Trail maintenance, is not only a great gardener, but also a talented photographer.
Frank has been studying nature through a camera lens for over 50 years. He's found photography to be the ideal way to share his love and reverence for the natural world. He hopes viewers will be inspired to spend more time exploring nature and deepening their own connection to it.
You can check out his exhibit, along with nature inspired quilts by Magdalen Lindeberg, during Ithaca Gallery Night, May 3, 2024 from 5-8pm at the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca Art Parlor. 306 N. Aurora St., Ithaca. |
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| | | WHARTON STUDIO & CAFE EXHIBIT On Wednesday, April 17th, Wharton Studio Museum hosted a short and sweet early morning reception to celebrate the launch of their new exhibit TAKE TWO: Revitalizing the Historic Wharton Studio. There were remarks by Randy Marcus from Bousquet Holstein, PLLC, the exhibit's Presenting Sponsor; by FSP's Rick Manning and by WSM's executive director Diana Riesman, guests explored the exhibit which includes an installation by the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection, and everyone left with a Montreal bagel in hand! Wharton Studio Museum thanks Bousquet Holstein, PLLC for their generous support and also thanks Tompkins Community Bank as Collaborating Sponsor. Do stop by the Tompkins Center for History & Culture to see the exhibit! |
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| | | SPONSOR THE CAROUSEL Did you know you can provide thousands of free Carousel rides while supporting Friends of Stewart Park with a tax-deductible gift?
As a Carousel Sponsor, your organization or business will be recognized with:
*Your name and/or logo featured on a prominent sign at the Carousel.
*Acknowledgements through social media such as Facebook, Instagram and the FSP newsletter.
*As many as 2,500 smiles daily from children who appreciate your gift!
Click here to learn more! |
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| | | ITHACA REGGAE FEST
The 6th Annual Ithaca Reggae Fest returns to historic Stewart Park June 21-22, 2024! A conscious celebration to protect and celebrate Cayuga Lake and Ithaca's legendary reggae history, join us for a beautiful weekend on filled with reggae music, yoga, water, skateboarding, art, dance, delicious food & beverages and so much more. LEARN MORE |
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| | | LYME DISEASE SURVEY
The Tompkins County Lyme Disease Prevention Social Media Team is seeking community feedback related to the current level of Lyme disease awareness within our community. Please consider taking their 5-6 minute survey.
Find the Survey at https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1XGCY1xlYZqhtB4 |
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