News — Friends of Stewart Park

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Let's Celebrate! Summer Events & More!

Let's Celebrate! There's so much happening in Stewart Park!
June 8, 2021
Let's Celebrate!
Discover all the upcoming events, openings, volunteer opportunities, and exhibits FSP has in store in celebration of Stewart Park's Centennial.
FREE EVENT THIS WEDNESDAY
The first Stewart Park Revitalization Plan was completed in 2009 and one of its key recommendations was the formation of an organization that would lead the park revitalization effort in terms of project planning and fundraising, in partnership with the City of Ithaca. And so Friends of Stewart Park came to be in 2011! Twelve key revitalization projects were identified and we would like to report on what has been accomplished, what we are now working on, and what remains to be done. 

And we would like to hear from you! FSP, with the City of Ithaca and Wharton Studio Museum, invite you to an important Public Meeting this Wednesday night so we can hear what you think.  What do you love about Stewart Park, what do you think can be improved, and what new features should be considered?  Join us!
Register Now
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED JUNE 14-18
Join Friends of Stewart Park in sprucing up the park the week of June 14-18! We'll be painting benches, assembling picnic tables and working on other special projects to ensure the park looks its best for its 100th Birthday! FSP has Monday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 16 sprucing up events planned from 4pm-8pm, and can make arrangements for other nights if we have enough interested volunteers. Click the link to let us know when you can help!
I'd Like to Volunteer
MUSICIANS WANTED
FSP is looking for musicians and dance troupes to share their talent during Watermusic, Stewart Park's annual event where musicians and dancers perform in Stewart Park along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. Most acts will need to be unamplified, or lightly amped with battery powered equipment. Watermusic will be Sunday July 11 from 2-5. Interested? Email Rick. 
CAROUSEL LOVE
This past Saturday, June 5, Friends of Stewart Park hosted a free carousel day! This was incredibly popular -- the city tells us we gave 2,237 free carousel rides!  

You, too, can make a child's day! FSP is looking for carousel sponsors for more free days like this. It’s just $350 to sponsor the carousel for a day. If you or your business would like to sponsor a day if free rides, contact FSP!
UPCOMING EVENTS
FSP has planned a summer full of wonderful events in the park. Below are just a few of the big ones coming up. Click each event for more details, or head to www.stewartpark.org/events to see all the fun free events in Stewart Park this summer! 
SHIRTS ON SALE NOW
Show your love for Stewart Park with your own Centennial T-Shirt. These extra soft unisex shirts are so cozy you could sleep in them, but look so good you’ll want to wear them for a night on the town (or a day in the park!) Proceeds support Friends of Stewart Park!
ALL SEASON BATHROOMS OPENING SOON
Stewart Park's first ever all-season accessible bathrooms are on track to open June 17th. Thanks to the teams at McPherson Builders and Taitem Engineering. FSP and Wharton Studio Museum will be hosting a ribbon cutting at noon that day to commemorate the occasion!  
ELAYNE'S LENDING LIBRARY
FSP is in the final stages of preparing Elayne's Lending Library to open in late June. In addition to a new signage and paint, the library will be filled with new and gently used books. Here's a sampling of some of the ones we've purchased to ensure the library has a diverse and inclusive selection of books.

Each will include a sticker honoring Elayne Nicholas and her legacy.
STEWART PARK EXHIBIT IN TCHC
Stewart Park is the focus of an exhibit opening later this week in the Atrium Tower in the Tompkins Center for History and Culture in downtown Ithaca!  FSP's installation tells the history of the park through pictures, and features numerous revitalization projects of the last ten years, as well as those yet to come.

This Stewart Park Centennial exhibit is made possible by Tompkins Trust Company. FSP thanks Sally Grubb, a member of the FSP Project Leadership Committee, for her help in creating the exhibit.
MORE PARK & TRAIL NEWS
GIVING IS GORGES

Ithaca's annual giving event, Giving Is Gorges, is Wednesday, June 23 This year, Friends of Stewart Park is focusing Giving is Gorges on the work it does for the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. If you'd like to support the work FSP is doing on the trail, visit the FSP Giving is Gorges Page. 
FLRC CHALLENGE

If you're looking for motivation for your outdoor adventures in 2021, thanks to the Finger Lakes Runners Club, you can win a medal if you run or walk all ten courses of the FLRC Challenge—including the Waterfront Trail. It’s a huge community-wide game—local runners, including families have already logged over 5000 miles—and it’s open all year!
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!

THANKS TO OUR CENTENNIAL SPONSORS FOR
MAKING THIS YEAR'S FESTIVITIES A REALITY
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Summer in Stewart Park - Carousel Rides, Music, Special Events & More!

Summer in Stewart Park - Carousel Rides, Music, Special Events & More!
May 28, 2021
June is here and Stewart Park is ready to let summer begin! FSP is excited to be hosting fun and engaging in-person Centennial events in the park all summer long! Read on to discover all the fun we have in store, and ways you can help!
PUBLIC MEETING
Friends of Stewart Park and its partners in park revitalization, Wharton Studio Museum and the City of Ithaca, welcome your input as we update the Stewart Park Revitalization Plan! The SPRP is a vision and roadmap for the park's next ten years, as well as the next 100! FSP, WSM and the City want to know what you love about the park, what you want to see improved in the park. Join us Wednesday, June 9 at 7pm for this important virtual public meeting about Stewart Park's future. At the meeting, we'll review the 2011 Revitalization Plan, what has happened since then & what's still to come-- and ask for your input.    
Register Now
STEWART PARK EXHIBIT IN TCHC
Stewart Park is the focus of a new upcoming exhibit in the Atrium Tower in the Tompkins Center for History and Culture in downtown Ithaca. Set to open June 8th, FSP's multimedia installation tells the history of the park through images, and features numerous revitalization projects of the last ten years, as well as those yet to come. This Stewart Park Centennial exhibit is made possible by Tompkins Trust Company. 
SIGHTS OF STEWART PARK
The historic Stewart Park Carousel is now open for the season! The Carousel runs 11am-7pm, Tuesday-Sunday, as well as on holidays that fall on a Monday. While 2021 marks Stewart Park's centennial, it also marks the carousel's 70th birthday. Friends of Stewart Park will be hosting a free virtual presentation about this 1951 Herschell Company metal carousel on August 25 as part of its Centennial Zoom Series. More details to come!

In celebration of the park's centennial, FSP is providing FREE carousel rides on Saturday, June 5. It's just $350 to sponsor the carousel for a day. If you or your business would like to provide a day of free carousel rides for the community, email Rick. 
The splash pad is also open for the season!  The sprinklers run approximately 11-7 daily, weather dependent. Last year, a curb cut was made to make the area more accessible. Fingers crossed that we'll have the bigger, better, interactive new splash pad in place for next year! 
Restoration work on the Cascadilla Boathouse is in full swing. Thanks to Historic Ithaca, the City of Ithaca, Bouley Associates of Auburn with Verdigris Construction/Julie Kitson Construction Management, Bero Associates, and Trowbridge Wolf Michaels Landscape Architects for their work on this project!
Special thanks to the Community Beautification Program coordinators Eileen Sheehan and Jeanine Willis for mulching and weeding the entry garden and the memorial flagpole garden. 
FUN RUNNERS CHALLENGE
If you're looking for motivation for your outdoor adventures in 2021, thanks to the Finger Lakes Runners Club, you can win a medal if you run or walk all ten courses of the FLRC Challenge—including the Waterfront Trail. An online leaderboard displays your progress and competition standings for all ages and abilities, and weekly recaps call out notable achievements. It’s a huge community-wide game—local runners have already logged over 5000 miles—and it’s open all year!

Families can run together in the free, age-appropriate, and non-competitive FLRC Kids Challenge, a partnership between FLRC and the Ithaca Youth Bureau that encourages kids to meet milestones of 25, 50, 75, and 100 miles before October 31st, 2021. Join hundreds of other Ithacans in the FLRC Challenge and FLRC Kids Challenge!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Find details on these events, as well as more exciting in-person and virtual events we're planning at friendsofstewartpark.org/events! We expect to have even more events added in the next week. Stay tuned!
SHIRTS ON SALE NOW
Show your love for Stewart Park with your own Centennial T-Shirt. These extra soft unisex shirts are so cozy you could sleep in them, but look so good you’ll want to wear them for a night on the town (or a day in the park!) Proceeds support Friends of Stewart Park!
Order Now
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Join Friends of Stewart Park in sprucing up the park- evenings the week of June 14-18! We'll be painting benches, assembling picnic tables and other special projects to make the ensure the park looks its best for its 100th Birthday! Click the link to be added to the Volunteer List (we'll send more details soon). 
I'd Like to Volunteer
MORE PARK & TRAIL NEWS
BATHROOMS

Friends of Stewart Park, Wharton Studio Museum and the City of Ithaca have an exciting update!  Stewart Park's first ever ALL SEASON accessible bathrooms are set to open by the end of June! Thanks to the teams at McPherson Builders and Taitum Engineering. They won't *rest* until will have these *rooms!*
CENTENNIAL SERIES

Friends of Stewart Park Centennial Series will run on PEGASYS Public Access TV Channel 13
Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays at 1pm, Fridays at 7am, beginning June 2. Catch The Boys & Girls in the Boat, The Many Lives of Stewart Park or Birds of Stewart Park and new virtual programs as they are available. You can also access them 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
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