Bringing May Flowers - and updates!

May 5, 2021

Bulbs along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail in Stewart Park were donated by Cornell Bulb Research Program's Professor Bill Miller, who is testing different cultivars for long term hardiness and ability to survive in turf.

STEWART PARK REVITALIZATION

The Cascadilla Boathouse

Excited to let you know the Cascadilla Boathouse will have a full exterior restoration this year, managed by Historic Ithaca and the City of Ithaca. The general contractor and team are Bouley Associates of Auburn with Verdigris Construction/Julie Kitson Construction Management, a local women-owned business. Bero Associates are the architects leading the project with Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects. Restoration work is expected to start later this month on this iconic Shingle-Style building built in 1896.

The work is paid for with an Environmental Protection Fund grant of $367K from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, awarded to Historic Ithaca in partnership with the City of Ithaca, Friends of Stewart Park and Wharton Studio Museum. The repairs include: wood shingle siding, veranda, west elevation foundation, decking, windows and doors, and creating an accessible restroom entrance.

Stay tuned for updates through Historic Ithaca and Friends of Stewart Park!

All Season Bathrooms

Friends of Stewart Park and the Wharton Studio Museum have raised more than $120,000 to renovate and winterize the park's main restrooms located in the Wharton Studio Building. This project is supported by the Tompkins County Tourism Program, Triad Foundation and many generous private donors and represents the first phase in the development of the Wharton Studio Museum and Park Center. Restroom renovations are on track to be completed in late May or early June, and we are so excited to finally have year-round accessible restrooms in Stewart Park!

CLEANER & GREENER PARKS & TRAILS

Saturday was Parks and Trails New York "I Love My Park Day." FSP welcomed a crew of around 10 eager volunteers who helped mulch on the playground and at flowerbeds along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail! We were especially impressed with the National Junior Honor Society students who worked as hard as the adults. A huge thanks to Laura, Violet, Rosie, Jim, Katherine, Sam, Diana, Wendy, Sophie, Shaine, Lee-Yam, and Ella!

Thanks to staff members of Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects who recently cleaned up on Inlet Island! From left to right: Claire Fisher, Jonathan Peet, Ryan Wright, Bryan Denig, and Lauren Butts.

Thank you to the stellar Ithaca Dragon Boat Club which volunteered yet again in Cass Park cleaning up the Miller Birch Grove just north of the Cass Park Rink, along the west edge of the parking area (formerly the runway for the old County Airport).

From left to right: Spencer Hill, Deborah Diehl, Liz Norton, Siv Somchanhmavong, Surya Saha, Jorj Buchholz, Paul Norton, Lisa Strayer, Kate Duffy, Christopher Strayer, Paula Loskamp, Amy Kuo.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Note the new date!
Learn more and Register

In-person event with limited space!
Learn more and Register

See details on these events more we're planning at friendsofstewartpark.org/events!

MORE PARK & TRAIL NEWS

VIDEOS
Centennial Series on YouTube
Did you miss the Boys & Girls in the Boat, The Many Lives of Stewart Park or Birds of Stewart Park? Or, did you catch them but want to share the event with someone else? Great news! These free virtual centennial events and other FSP videos are available for free on the FSP YouTube channel.

CENTENNIAL CHALLENGE

Join the Mayor Stewart Challenge and help match Mayor Stewart's 1921 $150,000 gift to the park! Then, let everyone know about the Mayor Stewart Centennial Challenge! You can do that in-person, on Facebook Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or in your front yard!

ROLLERS WELCOME

The Ithaca League of Women Rollers welcome all skaters to join them Tuesdays evenings to skate on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. They meet at the Cass Park Rink parking lot at 6PM every Tuesday and roll out from there.

If you'd like to learn more, follow the on Instagram or Facebook.

THANKS TO OUR CENTENNIAL SPONSORS FOR
MAKING THIS YEAR'S FESTIVITIES A REALITY

Free virtual event next Wed, April 28 plus volunteer appreciations!

April 21, 2021

A few of the over 50 volunteers from last weekends Stewart Park Lakefront Cleanup posed for a quick pic.

It may be snowing outside,
but FSP is just warming up with the spring events and volunteer appreciations highlighted below!

Free Virtual Event Next Wednesday, April 28!

For over 125 years, crews have rowed sweep and scull on Cayuga Lake. From the early days of the 20th century when 50,000 people would line the shores of Cayuga Lake to watch America’s then favorite sport, to rowing’s present and future,

FSP invites you to explore how and why rowing reigns in Ithaca

The third virtual program in our Centennial Series, The Boys and Girls in the Boat: Ithaca’s Amazing History of Competitive Rowing, featuring captivating photos and lively discussion with some of Ithaca's biggest rowing champions.

FSP is pleased to welcome distinguished presenters:

Drew Tennant, Cornell and Cascadilla Boat Club Rowing Coach
Bruce Fabens, former President of the Cascadilla Boat Club
Becky Robinson, Ithaca College's Women's Rowing Head Coach
Caryn Davies, Olympic double gold & silver medalist
Andrew Byrnes, Olympic gold & silver medalist

This event will include a short feature on the upcoming restoration of the Cascadilla Boathouse, the first building erected the park -- possibly the oldest continuously operating boathouse in the nation. The Boathouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.

FSP will be giving away several books on rowing and rowing history

during the event, including “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown. Anyone attending will be eligible to win a book!

We Love Our Volunteers!

The last month has been full of Volunteer Cleanups in Stewart Park and along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail! This past weekend over 50 people braved breezy and cool conditions to help clean Stewart Park. Thanks to our partners in cleanup, Zero-Waste Ithaca, for participating and helping promote the event. A shout-out to the Finger Lakes Cycling Club which cleaned the waterfront near Farmers Market, and to Trail Adopter Carol Mallison who cleaned her section of the CWT.

A hearty THANK YOU to all these incredible volunteers!

Volunteers in Stewart Park trudged through the mucky shoreline.

Hannah Mahany and Maggie Mowrer, with Zero-Waste Ithaca.

Sara Bloxsom, Nancy Wells, Steven Powell, Ted Caldwell, Neil Weinberg, Marne Einarson, and Margaret Johnson, cleaning up the Cayuga Waterfront Trail by the Farmers Market on behalf of the Finger Lakes Cycling Club. Not pictured, organizer Doug Dylla.

Centennial Challenge and You!

It's been over a year since the pandemic hit, and in that time Stewart Park has provided you with safe outdoor spaces to recreate, relax, and commune with nature — just as it has for the last 100 years.

We know many of you are looking at how your stimulus money can be used locally for maximum impact in the community. We encourage you to consider giving back by making a gift to Stewart Park in this, its Centennial year.

Stewart Park has given you 100.
We invite you to give 100 back to Stewart Park.

Join your community in the Mayor Stewart Centennial Challenge. Together we'll keep Stewart Park beautiful for its next 100 years.

Give back today

More Upcoming Events

Learn more

More Park & Trail News

VIDEOS
Centennial Series on YouTube

Did you miss the last virtual presentation in our Centennial Series- The Many Lives of Stewart Park: Past & Present? Want to share with someone else? This, The Birds of Stewart Park, and more for free on the FSP YouTube channel.

CENTENNIAL EVENTS
Updated Calendar

Friends of Stewart Park is celebrating the park's Centennial all year long with
a number of virtual and safe in-person events. We've recently made some
updates and scaled back some events to ensure everyone's safety. Learn
more on the Centennial Events Page of our website.

These events and exhibits are made possible in part by our Centennial
Sponsors: Tompkins Trust Company; Hancock Estabrook, LLP; La Tourelle;
Parkitects; and Taitem Engineering.

LAWN SIGNS

Let everyone know about the Mayor Stewart Centennial Challenge! You can do that in-person, on Facebook Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or in your front yard!

If you live downtown or in another in a well-trafficked, lower MPH neighborhood, and would like to support the Centennial Challenge with a yard sign, let us know! email or calling 607-319-4766.

STEWARTPARK100
Use the hashtag to celebrate Stewart Park!

2021 is a special year. As you capture all your favorite moments, we invite you to share your love for Stewart Park and let everyone know about the centennial by tagging your social media pics with the hashtag #Stewartpark100!

Photo by Dimitri Ponirakis on Instagram @cortical2digital