All About Party for the Park

September 15, 2023

We hope you can join Join Friends of Stewart Park and Wharton Studio Museum next week, Saturday, September 23, for our 8th annual Party for the Park fundraiser!

This year, we are celebrating a "groundbreaking" year in Stewart Park! The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places this past May; we’re debuting new signage about the Erie Canal and an new park maps; and upcoming is the literal groundbreaking for the new Splash Pad and Seasonal Accessible Bathroom, as well as the Addition to the Picnic Pavilion which helps pave the way for the Wharton Studio & Café. All party proceeds go toward park revitalization.

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All About the Party

FOOD AND DRINK:

Light fare food by Chef Jack Cesari & Company, a fun groundbreaking-themed dessert and local wine, cider and beer.

MUSIC

The Dave Davies Trio has been entertaining listeners and dancers for over 25 years with their infectious mixture of swing, blues and original songs. Featuring the accomplished playing of Harry Aceto on bass and Eric Aceto on his custom made violins, they are sure to entertain and inspire their listeners with rhythm and warmth wherever they go.

RAFFLE:

We’re celebrating arts and culture of Ithaca with our raffle this year -- featuring two prizes! A raffle prize that includes tickets to Cinemapolis and Ithaca College Theatre, some Wharton Studio Museum and Friends of Stewart Park swag, and a second raffle prize of a beautiful framed photograph of the willows in Stewart Park by the incomparable Dede Hatch. Raffle tickets will be available the night of the party!

FSP Stewartship Awards 2023

HONOREES:

Ithaca Rotary Club - Community Volunteers

Rob Lilly - City of Ithaca Department of Works

Liz Khlomann - Ithaca Youth Bureau

Jim D'Alterio - Ithaca Youth Bureau

Each year at Party for the Park, Friends of Stewart Park and Wharton Studio Museum give out Stewartship Awards, which recognize our dedicated partners and volunteers who make important contributions to the ongoing revitalization of Stewart Park and to Ithaca’s parks and waterfront as a whole.

Congratulations to this year's Honorees!

THANK YOU!

Party for the Park is made possible by these Sponsors:

Bero Architecture

Bousquet Holstein PLLC
Play By Design
City Harbor
Coughlin and Gerhart LLP

Iron Design

Fingerlakes Wealth Management

La Tourelle Hotel and Spa
The Plantsmen Nursery
Visions Federal Credit Union

Thank you to our food and drink Sponsors:

Lucky Hare Brewing Company

Lakewood Vineyards

Personal Best Brewing

Red Feet Wine Market & Spirit Provisions

If you cannot join us, kindly consider making a gift towards the event.

Like and Share the event on Facebook.

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Party for the Park, Volunteer Days, News Features & More

September 8, 2023

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While it's hard to believe, kids are back in school and we are headed into fall in spite of these very hot days. This September, we hope you will join us for volunteer opportunities on the 12th or 17th, and for Party for the Park on the 23rd. September also marks five years since our Inclusive Playground Community Build, a wonderful week-long endeavor with the involvement of over 900 volunteers!

Join Friends of Stewart Park and Wharton Studio Museum for our 8th annual Party for the Park fundraiser!

We are celebrating a "groundbreaking" theme in Stewart Park this year! Many big changes are underway: the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places this past spring; we’re debuting new signage about the Erie Canal; and upcoming is the literal groundbreaking for the new Splash Pad and seasonal restroom, as well as the Addition to the Picnic Pavilion which helps pave the way for the Wharton Studio & Café.

There will be music the Dave Davies Trio, food by Chef Jack Cesari & Company, dessert and local wine, cider and beer. There will be a raffle and we’re giving out a few awards. Hope you can make it!

If you cannot join us, kindly consider making a gift towards the event. Like and Share the event on Facebook.

Learn More & Buy Tickets

Thank you to this year’s Party for the Park Sponsors:
Bero Architecture, Bousquet Holstein PLLC, City Harbor, Coughlin and Gerhart LLP, Fingerlakes Wealth Management, Iron Design, La Tourelle Hotel and Spa, The Plantsmen Nursery, Visions Federal Credit Union

We are so grateful for all volunteers! They help make Stewart Park the incredible place we all love, and have fun doing it! We’ve organized two volunteer opportunities coming up in the next week. Hope you can come out and help FSP prepare the park for fall!

Accessible Pathway Finishing: Tuesday Sept. 12, 10 AM-12 PM - Join Rotary volunteers in finishing the new accessible pathway on the playground. Meet by the Carousel.

Stewart Park Fall Cleanup: Sunday, September 17, 10 AM-12 PM - Join Cornell Hillel and others for our annual fall cleanup event in Stewart Park. Tasks include: Trimming lakeshore vegetation; adding fibar surfacing to the playground; shoveling, sweeping and raking the sand play area, and litter and brush cleanup, as well as and Picnic Pavilion cleanup. Like and share the event on Facebook.

More details: FSP has tools available, but you can also bring your own gloves, hand loppers, pruners and hedge trimmers, wheelbarrows, pitchforks, yard rakes and iron rakes, depending on the type of work you'd like to do! Wear boots or sturdy shoes. Meet in the parking lot between the Picnic Pavilion and Wharton Studio building to sign-in and get directions.

If the weather is bad, we'll reschedule much of the work, but pavilion cleanup is rain or shine.

Thank you to the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement at Cornell for their writeup about our summer Park and Trail Community Liaison, Yuxin Zou, and the work she did with Friends of Stewart Park.

Yuxin says: “Friends of Stewart Park helps to maintain and revitalize Stewart Park and the Waterfront Trail. My work primarily involved surveying visitors to gather information on how they heard about the park, the reason for coming to the park, the amenities they use, what they like, and areas for improvement. From conducting surveys, I was able to interact and connect with the Ithaca community and also people from many parts of the world.

Read the whole article here.

Thank you to Krystal Cole and Spectrum News 1 Central New York/S Tier for their feature on the work we've been doing in Stewart Park!

Five years ago this month, 900 volunteers over the course of a week raised the first phase of the Inclusive Playground in an incredible Community Build!

The build took place from September 11th through the 16th, 2018. Lucas Raley, who came to FSP through Cornell Work Study, oversaw the build, along with FSP Executive Director Rick Manning and Steve Lauzen, then of Play By Design. Steve is now an FSP Board Member and very engaged in the planning for the new Splash Pad.

This engaging pre-school section includes play structures -- a trolley, steamboat and movie studio -- that reflect Stewart Park’s past. There's an a sand play area with boardwalk', whimsical huts and rainbow bridges that provide flexible imaginative play options, and features like wide paths and low steps that make the structures accessible for all.

Were you a part of the community build? If so, love to hear about your experience and see your pictures! THANK YOU for your help!

More Park and Trail News

Do you have extra children's books hanging around? Elayne's Lending Library in Stewart Park could really use more! FSP is thrilled to to see so many readers visiting the park, but we can't keep up with the demand!

We especially need books for kids under 10. Hope you'll consider dropping some on the library shelves next time you are in the park!