Thank you to our volunteers, supporters and partners.

November 17, 2023

Dear Friends,

As Thanksgiving approaches, Friends of Stewart Park thanks you - our volunteers, supporters and partners - for all you do to maintain and enhance Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. While FSP is focused on our two priority projects - preparing to build the Splash Pad and Accessible Bathrooms and planning for the Wharton Studio & Café - we continue to work on the little things that make a big difference. These include facilitating the fundraising, fabricationand installation of park gliders, trail benches and new interpretive and wayfinding signs.

We are so pleased that our partners at the City and Town of Ithaca are also working to create safer and more comfortable connections from the Cayuga Waterfront Trail to other regional trails, schools and adjacent neighborhoods. The City has recently installed an impressive pedestrian bridge spanning the Flood Channel from the Floral Avenue Trail to Cecil Malone Drive. And the Town of Ithaca has begun developing plans for much needed trail connections between Ithaca High School, Boynton Middle School and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, near the Youth Bureau. These significant public infrastructure projects are time consuming and expensive, but once done are well worth the wait.

Read on and wishing you all a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. After dinner on Thursday, enjoy a walk on the Waterfront Trail!

Trail Maintenance Matters!

Nearly every week throughout the spring, summer and fall, FSP staff and volunteers blow the Ithaca Farmers Market Trailhead. That’s because on Saturday mornings the trailhead is jammed with market visitors enjoying pitas, burritos, coffee, cider donuts and more. We blow the bricks and surrounding trails, and keep the edge vegetation pruned so you can enjoy the views of the Inlet.

Have you heard of the Friends of Stewart Park Adopt-A-Trail program? Trail Adopters choose a section of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail to care for. Doug Dylla and a few of his Finger Lakes Cycling Club pals have adopted the trail spur from the Farmers Market to 3rd street. Thank you to Doug for coming out on Friday, October 27 to work on his adopted section. Along with FSP’s Landscape Gardener Frank Muller, Doug cleared leaves and debris making the trail cleaner and safer for everyone to enjoy.

If you might like to become a Trail Adopter, email Rick Manning at rick@friendsofstewartpark.org for more info!

Two New CWT Benches Installed!

FSP recently installed two custom-designed benches along the trail, one in Stewart Park and one in Cass. The benches are placed to the side of a large concrete slab to provide space for wheelchairs, strollers, or other mobility aids to be placed adjacent to the bench. Special thanks to bench sponsors Carol Mallison and Vaidehi Pidaparti for their generous contributions. Along with these benches, two new gliders have gone in at Stewart Park. Thank you again to Jamie and Tammy Tedeschi, Todd and Erika Goodyear and Charlene Temple for these swing-benches.

Black Diamond Trail Bridge Appears!

An impressive new pedestrian bridge is in the works linking the west end of Cecil A. Malone Drive to the Floral Avenue Trail. The trail spans the Flood Channel to maintain the integrity of the Olympic-size rowing course. Once completed the trail will be an excellent pedestrian and bike connection from West Hill to Wegman’s and the adjacent commercial district. It also represents the first step in the southern extension of the Black Diamond Trail which will connect to Buttermilk Falls and Robert H. Treman State Parks and to the Gateway Trail and South Hill Recreationway. Special thanks to Tim Logue, City Engineer, for bringing this project to fruition.

Photo credit Ari Kissiloff, 14850.com. See many more bridge pictures and videos posted on the Facebook Group, Black Diamond Trail, Ithaca to Taughannock

Making Safer School to Trail Connections

On November 15, planners and engineers from Barton & Loguidice shared preliminary concepts with a small but passionate group of bicyclists and trail advocates for a bicycle safety corridor for NYS Route 34 between Boynton Middle School and the Ithaca Youth Bureau.

This feasibility study will help the Town of Ithaca’s Planning Department determine how to improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists looking to access the Waterfront Trail, Ithaca Youth Bureau and Stewart Park from the schools and adjacent neighborhoods.

For more information on the project, visit this website.

Frank’s Art & Photography Show

FSP is so grateful to have Landscape Gardener Frank Muller on our staff to help take care of our trailheads, overlooks and special gardens in Stewart Park and along the Waterfront Trail. Frank is also a passionate naturalist and talented photographer, taking many of his pictures while out on the Cayuga Waterfront Trail and in Stewart Park, including the one at the top of this enews. Currently, Frank’s photos are on display at Greenstar. Find them in the cafe near the windows. They’ll be up through the end of December. You can also follow Frank’s Photography on Instagram and Facebook.

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New Gliders & Signs, Ribbon Cutting, Silent Movie Month & More

October 5, 2023

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New in Stewart Park: Signs and Gliders!

It was a busy week in Stewart Park, with the installation of two new gliders, a new illustrative park map and a new Erie Canal Interpretive Panel! Both signs were conceived of by Friends of Stewart Park, designed by Todd Edmonds of Iron Design, and made possible with a grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. Thank you to the folks at ECNHC!

Thank you so much to the generous donors who have made the gliding bench swings possible. Jamie and Tammy Tedeschi and Todd and Erika Goodyear have donated a swing bench in honor of Tammy and Erika’s parents Elmer and Gerda Medgyaszay. The second swing has been donated by Charlene Temple in honor of her parents Alice and Frank.

Charlene, Tammy and Erika all expressed their wishes to help others create their own lovely memories in Stewart Park.

Ribbon Cutting and Tour

Rain or shine, Friends of Stewart Park, Wharton Studio Museum and Historic Ithaca invite you to a ribbon cutting and park tour this Saturday, October 7 at 10 AM. We know it looks like it will be raining (a lot!) but grab your umbrella, dress for the weather and help us celebrate the installation of a new Erie Canalway interpretive sign in Stewart Park.

RSVP FOR RIBBON CUTTING & TOUR

Party for the Park

Thank you again to everyone who came out for or donated to Party for the Park, Friends of Stewart Park and Wharton Studio Museum’s 8th annual fundraiser! All proceeds from the event support park revitalization!

FSP and WSM presented the 2023 Stewartship Awards to Ithaca Sunrise Rotary, Rob Lilly of the City of Ithaca’s Department of Works, Jim D'Alterio of the Ithaca Youth Bureau, and Liz Khlomann of the Ithaca Youth Bureau.

Thanks again to Dede Hatch, Buffalo Street Books, Cinemapolis, Ithaca College Theatre and Liquid State Brewing for donating items for our raffle prizes; The incomparable Scott Wiggins and John Parmelee for everything bar related;

Plenty of Posies for the cheerful flowers; Mayor Laura Lewis and Assemblymember Anna Kelles for their remarks; and Dave Davies, Harry Aceto and Eric Aceto for the lively music.

The 8th Annual Party for the Park was made possible by these Generous 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, Parkitects, Play by Design, Visions Federal Credit Union

Beverage Sponsors: Lucky Hare Brewing Company; Lakewood Vineyards; Personal Best Brewing; Ports of New York; Red Feet Wine Market & Spirit Provisions; South Hill Cider; Treleaven Wines & Wegmans.

From Wharton Studio Museum:

Join our Stewart Park revitalization partner Wharton Studio Museum for a month-long celebration of silent films and local movie history, featuring screenings with live music, an Anna May Wong film series, WSM's new exhibit at the Tompkins Center of History and Culture, the debut of the Silent City Film Festival at Deep Dive, and more! WSM thanks all its Silent Movie Month collaborating partners for their participation!

For all Silent Movie Month details visit the Wharton Studio Museum Website.

Thank you!

There is nothing better than seeing the water when walking along or relaxing on the Waterfront Trail! Thank you Cass Park Trail adopters - the Ithaca Dragon Boat Club - for helping us trim the fast growing vegetation along Inlet edge in Cass Park! Jorj Buchholz, Paula Loskamp, Elaina McCartney, Jennifer Harris, Ethan Jones, Amy Somchanhmavong, and Leslie Vincent all came out to help on a beautiful fall evening last week!

Thank yous and Trail news