Winter in the people's park

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We have exciting 2021 activities in store plus pics from the Park and Trail.

December 15, 2020 Winter is on the way, but Stewart Park and the Waterfront Trail are still providing a valuable service to our community-- providing you with a safe outdoor spaces for recreation, relaxation, and rendezvous. In this issue, we bring you recent pictures from the Park and Trail, and news for 2021! On July 4th, 1921, the City of Ithaca celebrated Independence Day with the opening of Stewart Park -- Ithaca’s first public waterfront park.  Friends of Stewart, with its partners Wharton Studio Museum and the City of Ithaca, will celebrate Stewart Park’s Centennial in 2021 with a variety of entertaining, engaging, and informative events and exhibits. And, of course, FSP and the City’s 2021 revitalization projects will be in full-swing, including the exterior restoration of the historic Cascadilla Boathouse and construction of new all-season accessible bathrooms in the historic Wharton Studio building. Stay tuned for more centennial celebration details! THE PEOPLE'S PARK  Artist Gerry Monaghan says he loves to create in Stewart Park. The smooth black surface of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail makes for an excellent canvas for his chalk drawing, and the wind blowing through the willows brings his dynamic toothpick sculptures to life. Park visitors love to see his whimsical and interactive creations. Read more about Gerry's art.   The Cayuga Waterfront Trail is a great place for Skateboarding. This stretch of Stewart Park is always especially free of debris even as chilly winds drop twigs and leaves in other locations.   The roofs of the new School Age Playground peek out from the the other side of the berm.  ALONG THE WATERFRONT TRAIL The Cass Park Ice Skating season is in full swing.  for COVID safety, only 40 skaters will be allowed per session, with only a few walk-in spots available for each. It's highly recommended to pre-register for your spot. You can do this on the Cass Park Rink website. The website is also loaded with everything else you need to know for skating, including dates & times, COVID-19 protocols, prices and rental information. The Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility is located along the CWT near the Ithaca Farmers Market. This facility can treat up to 13.1 million gallons of wastewater every day, collecting and treating used water from homes and businesses before sending it back into Cayuga Lake. In partnership with Ithaca Murals, local artist Norma Gutierrez created a four-panel mural for this site, depicting our local cyclical water system. Read more about the new mural and the water cycle here. Newer benches along the Waterfront Trail have poured concrete all around, with space on one side for better accessibility. The flat surfacing makes it easier for anyone to sit and enjoy these views, even if you use a walker, wheelchair, or stroller!  Accessibly has been a priority for Friends of Stewart Park from day one! MORE PARK & TRAIL NEWS SAVE THE DATE Birds of Stewart Park with Dr. Steven Kress  February 24, 2021, 7pm Join FSP for for the first event in our Centennial series, as guest Dr. Stephen Kress, author and ornithologist, introduces some of the more than 100 bird species that frequent Stewart Park. Steve is well known in the Ithaca community and beyond as an entertaining teacher who uses stunningly beautiful photographs and audio recordings to enliven his presentations. Stewart Park is among the best birding spots in the Finger Lakes because of its diverse habitats that include lake, ponds, forests, brushy areas, and grassy fields. This online program, for beginning and avid bird enthusiasts, explains why Stewart Park is such a popular destination for both birders and birds. WE'RE HONORED FSP Receives Pride of Ownership Award for Inclusive Playground. Thank you to the City of Ithaca, the Rotary Club of Ithaca and the Pride of Ownership Committee for this wonderful recognition Friends of Stewart Park would like to thank the design team, project partners, all the staff and build volunteers, New York State, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, the Park Foundation and hundreds of other large and small donors. This Susan Blumenthal Pride of Ownership Award means a lot.  COLLECTING MEMORIES Send FSP your Stewart Park Pics and Stories Did you skate on the lagoon in Stewart Park? Or maybe pet a deer in the zoo? Perhaps you swam out to the raft in Cayuga Lake? FSP is celebrating Stewart Park's 100th anniversary in 2021 and we'd love you to share your memories with us! Send us stories and pictures so we can share them for the Centennial! We'd especially love to find more pictures from 1921-1980.  Send to memories@friendsofstewartpark.org   Friends of Stewart Park is a non-profit organization with a mission to enhance, revitalize and maintain Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, in partnership with the City of Ithaca and park stakeholders, for the enjoyment of Ithaca residents and visitors to our community. SUPPORT FRIENDS OF STEWART PARK Copyright © 2020 Friends of Stewart Park, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you were subscribed to the joint newsletter  for Friends of Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail.  Visit us on the web: www.friendsofstewartpark.org Our address is: 120 Brindley St. Suite 4, Ithaca, NY 14850 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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Pride of Ownership Award

December 7, 2020

Dear Friends,

Last week, Friends of Stewart Park received a Susan Blumenthal Pride of Ownership Award from the Rotary Club and City of Ithaca for the Stewart Park Inclusive Playground.

Thank you for helping to make this playground a reality. FSP shares award committee's belief that beautiful, high-quality building and landscape projects matter, and we are thankful for the recognition. We believe our partnership with Wharton Studio Museum and the City of Ithaca, as well as with so many of you who support the work we do to enhance Stewart Park and the Waterfront Trail, has many tangible benefits for our community and all who live here.

I’m pleased the award has now been named in honor of Susan Blumenthal who created the Pride of Ownership Awards with the first ones presented in 1998. A long-time Common Council member, Susan has a passion for planning and design and was instrumental in the City's financial support of a 2000 Cayuga Waterfront Trail Feasibility Study, which included preparation of a NYS grant application for the first phase of the project in Cass Park in 2003. Early in the trail design process, Susan was very involved in the development and review of designs for benches, bike racks, engraved stepping stones, signage and the trail route. So please thank Susan on your next walk or bike ride along Ithaca's beautiful waterfront.

Be safe and stay active as the winter solstice approaches.

Rick

Support Friends of Stewart Park

PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP AWARD

Thank you to the City of Ithaca, the Rotary Club of Ithaca and the Pride of Ownership Committee for this award.

Friends of Stewart Park would like to thank the design team, project partners, all the staff and build volunteers, New York State, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, the Park Foundation and hundreds of other large and small donors. This Susan Blumenthal Pride of Ownership Award means a lot.

Read More

This playground is amazing....
it's very well planned...
and very, very fun.

-Anonymous Park Visitor, August 28, 2020

Congratulations to all the other winners! We are especially proud to mention the Waterfront Trail at Allan H. Treman State Park, given awarded to New York State Parks - Region 4, Fred Bonn regional director. Peter Fry was the Landscape Architect for this trail, which is a segment of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail.

GIVING TUESDAY THANK YOU

You embraced the spirit of Giving Tuesday and raised over $3,000 for Stewart Park revitalization! Thanks to this generosity, FSP can continue to enhance the award winning playground with sandplay kits, pollinator plants, refurbished benches, accessible pathways and picnic tables. Your generosity inspired and empowers FSP to transform Stewart Park, one project at a time, into a more inviting and beloved lakefront destination. Thank you!

MORE PARK & TRAIL NEWS

MEMORIAL
Honoring Playground Champion Elayne Nicholas in the Park

Elayne Nicholas, the heart and soul of FSP's Playground Campaign, passed away in November. Elayne united us all  behind a vision for a beautiful and accessible playground in Stewart Park where ALL children could play side by side. 

Near the playground, Elayne's Lending Library will be dedicated in her memory, honoring her passion for children and books, and her insatiable love of learning. If you'd like to make a gift in honor of Elayne Nicholas, you can do so here.

SAFETY
New signs on the Trail

With COVID cases are rising, FSP has added new safety signage along the Waterfront Trail -- visual reminders on how to keep yourself and others safe while enjoying our parks and trails. Wearing a mask and maintaining your distance is the least we can do make this special place safe and comfortable to all, including the most vulnerable in our community.

CULTURE AND ARTS
WSM presents new film series

Wharton Studio Museum, with the Finger Lakes Film Trail is proud to present Race Films/Race Matters: Starting Conversations About Race in America, an upcoming online series featuring five important race films; corresponding video presentations about each film by scholars from Cornell University, Ithaca College, University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill, the George Eastman Museum, and Ithaca High School; and  other resource materials, with the aim of encouraging necessary conversations about race, racial tension and race discrimination in America today.

 Visit FLFT on Facebook or at whartonstudiomuseum.org for more information. 

CAYUGA WATERFRONT TRAIL
FSP launches new Trail website

FSP has launched the new Cayuga Waterfront Trail website! Found at www.cayugawaterfronttrail.net and on the FSP site at www.friendsofstewartpark.org, the new Trail site is full of beautiful pictures, updated maps, and useful information. We will continue to develop the new site over the next few months, and welcome your feedback.

FSP is pleased to work with the City of Ithaca to help support and enhance the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, which was initially developed through an initiative of the Chamber of Commerce. If you have come across places on the Trail that could use a little TLC, or if you'd like to volunteer to help keep our Trail clean and beautiful, email Rick!

COLLECTING MEMORIES
Send FSP your Stewart Park Pics

Do you have pictures of your family at Stewart Park over the years? Help FSP celebrate the park's 100th anniversary by sharing them with us! We'd especially love to find more pictures from 1921-1980.

Send to memories@friendsofstewartpark.org

Thanks!