Monday, October 31, 2011

Fall at Brown Street Park


Fitness

Workout at the park for free! Our extraordinary community partner, the East Side/Mt.Hope YMCA offers free fitness classes at the Brown Street Park. You do not have to be a Y member to participate. Hybrid fitness classes are happening now on Mondays at 5:30 PM and Fridays at 7:30 AM. The Monday hybrid fitness class includes free child care for children ages 2 +.

Adult and Family yoga classes are being added to the fitness schedule.
Monday Morning Meditation is happening Mondays at 7:30 AM.

CrossFit Providence teaches its Bootcamp workout at the park throughout the summer and Jon Montalbano is teaching Parkour every Saturday.

Story Hour

Wednesdays at 4:00, starting June 22. It’s that time again! Brown Street Park welcomes all to join the Athenaeum Story and Craft Hour in the cool of the afternoon. Meet Lindsay under the trees for lively stories and simple craft activities every Wednesday through the summer. If the weather looks poor please call Lindsay at 421-6970



Halloween Party

Monday, October 31st, from 4p – 5:30pm. Angels and devils, villains and superheroes -- all are welcome at the 5th annual Fiends of Brown Street Park Children’s Halloween Party and Parade.



Kids can join in on the ghoulish games, creepy crafts and demented decorating projects, while filling up on pizza and healthy snacks. At 5p, jump in as one of our favorite marching bands honks, blasts and bangs their way along a neighborhood parade route. Consider it a wholesome warm-up to the night’s main event.

Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark if you have scary skills you’d like to volunteer.

Sponsored by “Fiends” of Brown Street Park, Mt Hope YMCA, Crossfit Providence and Whole Foods University Heights, and Providence Atheneaum.


Free, but donations are always nice!

Friday, October 28, 2011

October Update - Halloween Party Info!! (Volunteers needed)

5th Annual "Fiends" of BSP Halloween Party and Parade!!
Angels and devils, villains and superheroes -- all are welcome at the 5th annual Fiends of Brown Street Park Children’s Halloween Party and Parade, Monday, October 31st, from 4p – 5:30p. Kids can join in on the ghoulish games, creepy crafts and demented decorating projects, while filling up on pizza and healthy snacks. At 5p, jump in as WHAT CHEER BRIGADE, blasts and bangs their way along a neighborhood parade route. Consider it a wholesome warm-up to the night’s main event. Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org if you have scary skills you’d like to volunteer.
Sponsored by “Fiends” of Brown Street Park, Mt Hope YMCA, Wheeler School, Providence Parks Department, Providence Athenaeum, Crossfit Providence, Whole Foods University Heights, and so many helpful friends of BSP.

Hey Providence, It's You're Birthday! 
Join Mayor Angel Taveras At Providence's 375th Birthday Party.  Over the past 6 months, Providence has celebrated 375 years of a rich, quirky history with story, song, dance and just about everything in between. We're coming together for one last hurrah on November 22nd to wish Providence a Happy Birthday in a truly unique way. Join Mayor Angel Taveras at the Providence Performing Arts Center for this Birthday Party, featuring performances by Deer Tick, Area 401, the 'Mericans and the Barr Brothers, a birthday cake competition, a food truck face-off, multi-cultural performances and a fantastic photo booth where you and your friends can create your own memories of this once-in-a lifetime experience!http://www.ppacri.org/events/detail/providence-375-birthday-bash

Help another great Providence Park
Vote for the Accessible Playground Project in Fox Point! The CLOROX Power a Bright Future Program!

Dear FBSP,
You can help Cabral Park in Fox Point win $50,000 for the Accessible Playground Project at Cabral Park by voting in a competition sponsored by Clorox.com. The nomination with the highest total number of vote’s wins. Winners will be announced in January 2012. Please vote once a day from October 24 – December 9 (you must be 13 yrs).
Vote by text: clorox5409 to 44144
Or, vote online at:
http://www.powerabrightfuture.com/gallery/detail/?nid=1506[TIP -- You have to register before you can start voting online. It is easiest to register if you login to Clorox with your Facebook account details.]
Please vote once a day through 12/9!
Thank you for your help!
Kate Wodehouse

THANK YOU
So much to be thank ful for at BSP.....to all who came to help with our October Fall Cleanup
to amy Dickenson for Coming from Kaboom in DC to visit and video Brown Street Park, To Cat Sutton and Christy Claussen at the YMCA for outstanding fitness classes, to Brad Marsters for being there for Meditation every Monday morning, to Jonathan Montalbano for his excellent Parkour class, and to all of you that come to relax, play and experience BSP whenever you can.

Fitness classes still going on
FREE Saturday Parkour in the Park 11AM (note time change)
Local gymnast and Parkour enthusiast Jon Montalbano is leading FREE Parkour classes . Even if you're not ready to try Parkour, Jonathan is fun to watch!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Annual Halloween Party and Parade! Monday, October 31st, from 4p – 5:30p

Angels and devils, villains and superheroes -- all are welcome at the

5th annual Fiends of Brown Street Park Children’s Halloween Party and Parade

Monday, October 31st, from 4p – 5:30p. Kids can join in on the ghoulish games, creepy crafts and demented decorating projects, while filling up on pizza and healthy snacks. At 5p, jump in as one of our favorite marching bands honks, blasts and bangs their way along a neighborhood parade route. Consider it a wholesome warm-up to the night’s main event.

 Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark if you have scary skills you’d like to volunteer.



Sponsored by “Fiends” of Brown Street Park, Mt Hope YMCA, Crossfit Providence and Whole Foods University Heights, and Providence Atheneaum.

Visit www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org for more details.

Free, but donations are always nice!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Summer at Brown Street Park

Fitness

Workout at the park for free! Our extraordinary community partner, the East Side/Mt.Hope YMCA offers free fitness classes at the Brown Street Park. You do not have to be a Y member to participate. Hybrid fitness classes are happening now on Mondays at 5:30 PM and Fridays at 7:30 AM. The Monday hybrid fitness class includes free child care for children ages 2 +.

Adult and Family yoga classes are being added to the fitness schedule.
Monday Morning Meditation is happening Mondays at 7:30 AM.

CrossFit Providence teaches its Bootcamp workout at the park throughout the summer and Jon Montalbano is teaching Parkour every Saturday.

Story Hour

Wednesdays at 4:00, starting June 22. It’s that time again! Brown Street Park welcomes all to join the Athenaeum Story and Craft Hour in the cool of the afternoon. Meet Lindsay under the trees for lively stories and simple craft activities every Wednesday through the summer. If the weather looks poor please call Lindsay at 421-6970

Concert Series

Our “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Concert series kicks off on July 6! Mark your calendar for the following dates:
The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year.

Monday, July 18, 2011

July Update: FBSP CONCERT, FUN BUS, and more

JULY...FREE Concerts, FUNBUS, FITNESS CLASSES AND MORE


Join us for the 4th Annual Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative Summer Concert Series on Wednesdays at 5:30:
  • July 20 Tevellus
  • August 3 AS220 Criss Cross Orchestra
  • August 17 Infusion Experience 
The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year. We are also grateful to Brown University for their support.

The City of Providence Department of Parks and Recreation


FUN BUS will be at Brown Street Park
The Big Fun Bus with inflatable obstacle course will be at Brown Street Park Thursday, July 21st noon-4pm & Wednesday, August 10th noon-4pm. The bus comes with a crew who do face painting, arts/crafts, field games, jump ropes, hula hoop, friendly competition games, table games, obstacle course.
The “Mini” Fun Bus comes w/everything except the inflatable obstacle course and will visit Brown Street Park on Mon, July 25th noon-4pm & Mon, August 15th noon-4pm.

Athenaeum Story Hours Story Hour


It’s that time again! Brown Street Park welcomes all to join the Athenaeum Story and Craft Hour in the cool of the afternoon. FREE. Meet me under the trees for lively stories and simple craft activities every Wednesday at 4:00 through the summer. If the weather looks poor please call Lindsay at 421-6970

Theater at Brown Street Park 


All Children’s Theater, ACT will be touring an audience-participation play at Brown Street Park, “Beauty & the Beast”, appropriate for ages 5-12, August 5th at 1:00pm Please check the website for details of this FREE performance.

FREE Summer Fitness Classes

The East Side/Mt.Hope YMCA
You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to take these classes! If you have any questions about whether a Y class is happening, you can call the front desk at 521-0155

FREE Hybrid Training with Y Coach Cat
Mondays 5:30-6:30pm with Childwatch
Endurance building workout with a stretching finish for all fitness levels. Bring water, sweat towel, and motivation to get stronger, faster, better. Bring your kids! A YMCA certified staff member will watch them while you enjoy the class!

FREE Y Yoga Thursday mornings at 7:30~Beginning July 7th
Through stretching, use of breath, holding asanas (postures), meditation and practicing body awareness you will release stress and increase flexibility and range of motion. Strengthens body and mind. Modifications for poses are provided so beginner to advanced may attend class.

FREE Y Family Yoga Thursdays 5:30-6:30pm Family Yoga ~Beginning July 7th
Perfect for parents with children of all ages (no pre-crawlers). Incorporates yoga poses with movement, music and song.

FREE Hybrid Training with Y Coach Cat Fridays 7:15-8:15am (note time change)
Endurance building workout with a stretching finish for all fitness levels. Bring water, sweat towel, and motivation to get stronger, faster, better.

FREE Y Adult Yoga Sundays 6-7pm ~Beginning July 10th
Through stretching, use of breath, holding asanas (postures), meditation and practicing body awareness you will release stress and increase flexibility and range of motion. Strengthens body and mind. Modifications for poses are provided so beginner to advanced may attend class.

OTHER GREAT FITNESS CLASSES:
FREE Saturday Parkour in the Park 10AM
Local gymnast and Parkour enthusiast Jon Montalbano is leading FREE Parkour classes . Even if you're not ready to try Parkour, Jonathan is fun to watch!

FREE Monday Morning Meditation at 7:30 am (minimum age 18).
Wear comfy clothing. Weather permitting, there will be two 20-minute silent sittings with 5 minutes of walking in between sitting.

*CrossFit Providence is leading their bootcamp program on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays at both 6AM and 6PM. *There is a charge for CrossFit classes after the first class. Visitwww.crossfitprovidence.com for details including price.

Please contact wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org
to find out how you can donate or get involved in Brown Street Park.

Monday, June 20, 2011

FBSP June NEWS fitness, concerts, story hours and more

Summer Fitness Schedule
Outdoor exercise classes are underway! Click here for the schedule to see what's happening including the following and more:

The East Side/Mt.Hope YMCA offers hybrid training classes on Mondays at 5:30 PM and Friday mornings at 7:30 AM. Hybrid training is an all body workout including aerobic and strength building exercises. Both classes are free and include free child care for children ages 2+. You do not need to be a member of the YMCA to take these classes! The Y will be offering adult and family yoga classes soon; check the schedule for start dates.

East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA Cancellation Policy: If there is a 70% chance of rain forecast, classes will be cancelled at the park. Afternoon classes will be cancelled by noon of that day. Morning classes will be cancelled by 8PM of the prior day. If you have any questions about whether a Y class is happening, you can call the front desk at 521-0155. If outdoor classes are cancelled, you are welcome to take a class at the YMCA facility on Hope Street. Indoor classes are offered at different times, however, and do not include free childcare.
We are also excited to introduce a Monday Morning Meditation led by Brad Marston at 7:30 am beginning June 13 (minimum age 18). Wear comfy clothing. Weather permitting, there will be two 20-minute silent sittings with 5 minutes of walking in between sitting .http://web.me.com/bradmarston/Morning_Meditation

East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA Cancellation Policy: If there is a 70% chance of rain forecast, classes will be cancelled at the park. Afternoon classes will be cancelled by noon of that day. Morning classes will be cancelled by 8PM of the prior day. If you have any questions about whether a Y class is happening, you can call the front desk at 521-0155. If outdoor classes are cancelled, you are welcome to take a class at the YMCA facility on Hope Street. Indoor classes are offered at different times, however, and do not include free childcare.

CrossFit Providence is leading their bootcamp program on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays at both 6AM and 6PM. Visit the link for details including price.

Finally, local gymnast and parkour enthusiast Jon Montalbano is leading parkour classes on Saturdays at 10AM. Even if you're not ready to try parkour, Jonathan is fun to watch!

Please send your questions and feedback to our Fitness Coordinator Kara Kelley at fitness@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org

4th Annual The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series Schedule
Join us for the 4th Annual The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series on Wednesdays at 5:30
  • July 6, Double Decker Dance Band
  • July 20, Tevellus
  • August 3, AS220 Criss Cross Orchestra
  • August 17, Infusion Experience
The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year.

Story Hour in the Park 
Wednesdays at 4:00, starting June 22.  It’s that time again! Brown Street Park welcomes all to join the Athenaeum Story and Craft Hour in the cool of the afternoon. Meet Lindsay under the trees for lively stories and simple craft activities every Wednesday through the summer. If the weather looks poor please call Lindsay at 421-6970

Theater at Brown Street Park
All Children’s Theater, ACT will be touring an audience-participation play at Brown Street Park, “Beauty & the Beast”, appropriate for ages 5-12, the week of August 2. Please check the website for details of this free performance

Infusion Experience - Playing @ Brown Street Park, 5:30 Wed. August 17, 2011

Infusion Experience plays original music with a flamenco Afro-Cuban flair. It is the combination of our diverse backgrounds which creates something powerful and emotional.


The rhythmic nature of the band produces a hypnotic feel that levitates people from their seats, while the strong and attentive groove draws them to the dance floor. Since the founding of the band in 1999, we have tried to keep our music fresh and interesting while always expanding the boundaries of our sound. This is the Infusion Experience.

The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year.

AS220 Criss Cross Orchestra - Playing @ Brown Street Park, 5:30 Wed. August 3, 2011

"Criss Cross" is worldwide, polyrhythmic music that combines traditional native African, American, Caribbean, Cuban, Latin American and European musical styles, and includes the tonality, improvisations, and other musical dynamics found in Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, and Hip Hop.




The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year.

Tevellus - Playing @ Brown Street Park, 5:30 Wed. July 20, 2011

More than your average group, the performance experience becomes a blend of the ancient and futuristic. Tevellus has been constructing a fusion of styles including Middle Eastern, Indian, Funk, Jam, and Jazz - blending up drum Layers from all traditions into a construct of unique, fiery music. 



Accompanied by the dance of the captivating Ms Fury, Tevellus takes the audience on a journey of exploration into soundscapes of the worlds cultures and brings them into new spirit. 

Originally formed in 2005 as an acoustic guitar and electronic percussion duo, Tevellus has grown to a full-size troupe, including baglama saz, tabla, sitar, drums, electric guitar, bass, cello, keyboard, various percussion and guest reed and string players. The Tevellus debut was released in 2009, "Blue Star" the bands second album releases spring 2011- both on the band's own Sign 11 label.

The “Celebrate Providence!” Neighborhood Performing Arts Series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, Angel Taveras, Mayor, the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and the Department of Parks & Recreation. Healthy snacks and beverages from our featured sponsor, Whole Foods University Heights will be available for a small donation. The Food Truck from RISD, Rosie’s will be curbside at all of our concerts this year.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Y Hybrid training is cancelled for 5/16 due to weather. Anyone who was planning on attending is welcome to take a class at the Y facility on Hope St. Visit their website or call 521-0155 for more info.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The 4th Annual Friends of Brown Street Park Spring Clean up!

We got rained out last Saturday, but we still need to wake the gardens up for spring. Please join us on Saturday, April 30, from 11:00-1:00 for a major park cleanup. We’ll have snacks and water and lots of park projects that need your help. Please email meg@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org if you would like to lead a team of mulchers, planters, etc. This day is about getting down and dirty and prepping our garden beds for spring. Over the last three years the beds of perennials and shrubs have grown and spread and they need taming, dividing and transplanting. If you can, please bring: shovels, rakes, trowels, buckets for transplanting, native perennials you'd like to donate, wheelbarrowsto help spread mulch, pitchforks to help spread mulch....small native shrubs you'd like to donate (check with Meg first on the type) meg@friendsofbrownstreepark.org. Be sure to mark your tools with masking tape! And let Meg know if you'd like to be a team captain. Check the Website for updates.

Web Volunteer Needed
We have been falling a bit behind on our FBSP website postings. We need a volunteer to spend a couple hours a month updating the FBSP website. If you can help, please email wendy wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org. We will even show you how to do it if you don't have experience. If you do, even better!

2nd Annual Friends of Brown Street Park Fitness Expo
Saturday, May 14 from 2-5. rain date, Saturday May, 21. Come sample the fitness classes that will be held at the park this summer and try something new! Featuring our fitness partners: East Side/ Mt Hope YMCA, Crossfit Providence, Elyse Rotondo's OM Kids Yoga, Brown Street Park ring swingers, Parkour and more. Sample classes for kids, adults, and family.
Crossfit Providence will be having adult and kids classes from 2-3 PM.
Between 3-4 PM, the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA will be offering short workout sessions demonstrating a variety of workouts including TRX and Kettlebells.
Jonathan Montalbano, a local gymnast who has been practicing Parkour for the past 8 years, will also be demonstrating this energy-efficient means of transversing one's environment.
There will also be demonstrations of the stationary and traveling rings at the park.
We'll be wrapping things up from 4-5 PM with yoga classes for adults and kids.

See what the Brown Street Park will be offering this summer and give us feedback to help us finalize the summer fitness schedule. For a full schedule of the day’s events, information and updates, check the FBSP website. Free. Sponsored by Whole Foods University Heights

Our Spring Line-up of children, adults/teen and family classes is now available on the FBSP website.

Summer Concert Series and a Call for Volunteers
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting our 4th Annual Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative summer concert series in July and August brought to you by the Mayor, Angel Taveres, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism and the Department of Parks and Recreation. While the four concert dates have not yet been finalized, volunteers to staff the concerts are needed! Approximately 3-4 volunteers per event are needed to help set-up our fundraising snack table (thanks to our generous sponsor Whole Foods University Heights), staff the table during the two-hour event, and then break-down the table. 30-minute to 60-minute shifts per person are appreciated. This is a great opportunity to enjoy great music, give back to the community, and meet your hungry neighbors! Please email David concerts@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org if you can help.

Community Garden Prep
April 30th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Community Garden members come and roll up your sleeves for mulch distribution over paths, compost piles maintenance, general clean up.Please bring your own tools.
For information on this year’s Community Garden membership and activities, please check the FBSP website.

Thank you Brenda Shannon
The Board of FBSP would like to thank Brenda Shannon for four years of outstanding service to our community. Brenda played an integral role in bringing all of the events, classes and programs we all enjoy to BSP. We will miss her greatly. We are, however, excited that Brenda is using her extensive list of talents to help our community grow through the Providence Children’s Film Festival.

New Signs
Thanks to our Friends, Molly Regan at Logica Design and Rebecca Zub and Jim Larkin at Graphic Innovations, each entrance to the park has it's own new sign. Signage for the community garden will be coming soon.

Ice Skating Update
Brown Street Park wasn’t been totally at rest this winter; for the first time we put together a skating rink for everyone to enjoy. The bad news is that we got a late start in the season and there were technical challenges and not enough sustained cold weather to allow skating. The good news is that we learned a lot about putting a rink together and have a tremendous corps of volunteers who will be ready to install the rink in the winter 2011-12 skating season. We want to thank the Park Penguin Sponsors who generously supported construction of the rink, they are listed on the BSP website.

More Thanks
We are grateful to all the partners and friends who did so much other stuff behind the scenes this winter: Bartlett Trees for taking care of all of our trees after a brutal winter, Wastehaulers for keeping us clean and green, The Department of Parks and recreation, A-Z Auto shop in North Kingstown and Brown University for snow removal, and the fabulous corps of volunteers led by Mike Paradiso and Pedro Dal Bo for attempting our ice rink.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Earth Day 2011 @ Brown Street Park 4/23/2011

Come one, come all, this year's Earth Day celebration is about getting down and dirty and prepping the garden beds for spring! The fun on Saturday April 23, 2011 starts at 2:30 and continues until 4:00 PM. (Sunday April 24 will be the rain date.)

Over the last three years the beds of perennials and shrubs have grown and spread and they need taming, dividing and transplanting.

Please come help help "wake" Brown Street Park up for warmer weather.

The following is a list of things to bring (if you have them, there will be lots of extra tools available as well):
  • Shovels 
  • Rakes 
  • Trowels 
  • Buckets for transplanting 
  • Native perennials you'd like to donate 
  • Wheelbarrows to help spread mulch 
  • Pitchforks to help spread mulch
Small native shrubs you'd like to donate. Please contact Meg if you have any you can bring via email at meg@friendsofbrownstreepark.org

Also be sure to mark your tools (masking tape works great)!

Please also let us know if you'd like to be a team captain for bed mulching, perennial dividing, perennial plantings, and drip-line irrigation system maintenance.

2011 Brown Street Park Fitness Expo

The annual Fitness Expo will be happening on Saturday, May 14 from 2-5 PM (rain date 5/21). Come and sample some of the fitness classes for adults and kids which will be held at the park over the summer and give us your feedback before we finalize the summer schedule. Here's what's happening at the Expo:

2-3 PM: Crossfit Providence will be holding adult and kids' classes
3-4 PM: The East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA will be offering short workout sessions including TRX and Kettlebells.
4-5 PM Family Yoga

We'll also have free runner Jonathan Montalbano demonstrating parkour which he'll be teaching at the park this summer.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

April 2011 FBSP News Byte

4th Annual Friends of Brown Street Park Earthday Celebration and Clean up

Saturday, April 23rd from 2:30-4:30 featuring Joe’s Backyard Band. We will have snacks sponsored by our friends at Whole Foods University Heights and lots of things for the kids to do with our friends from the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA. Come one, come all, this year's Earth Day celebration is about getting down and dirty and prepping our garden beds for spring. Over the last three years the beds of perennials and shrubs have grown and spread and they need taming, dividing and transplanting. If you can, please bring: shovels, rakes, trowels, buckets for transplanting, native perennials you'd like to donate, wheelbarrowsto help spread mulch, pitchforks to help spread mulch....small native shrubs you'd like to donate (check with Meg first on the type) meg@friendsofbrownstreepark.org. Be sure to mark your tools with masking tape! And let Meg know if you'd like to be a team captain. Check the Website for updates.

2nd Annual Friends of Brown Street Park Fitness Expo
Saturday, May 14 from 2-5. rain date, Saturday May, 21. Come sample the fitness classes that will be held at the park this summer and try something new! Featuring our fitness partners: East Side/ Mt Hope YMCA, Crossfit Providence, Elyse Rotondo's OM Kids Yoga, Brown Street Park ring swingers, Parkour and more. Sample classes for kids, adults, and family.
Crossfit Providence will be having adult and kids classes from 2-3 PM.
Between 3-4 PM, the East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA will be offering short workout sessions demonstrating a variety of workouts including TRX and Kettlebells.
Jonathan Montalbano, a local gymnast who has been practicing Parkour for the past 8 years, will also be demonstrating this energy-efficient means of transversing one's environment.
There will also be demonstrations of the stationary and traveling rings at the park.
We'll be wrapping things up from 4-5 PM with yoga classes for adults and kids.

See what the Brown Street Park will be offering this summer and give us feedback to help us finalize the summer fitness schedule. For a full schedule of the day’s events, information and updates, check the FBSP website. Free. Sponsored by Whole Foods University Heights

Our Spring Line-up of children, adults/teen and family classes is now available on the FBSP website.

Summer Concert Series and a Call for Volunteers
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting our 4th Annual Providence Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative summer concert series in July and August brought to you by the Mayor, Angel Taveres, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism and the Department of Parks and Recreation. While the four concert dates have not yet been finalized, volunteers to staff the concerts are needed! Approximately 3-4 volunteers per event are needed to help set-up our fundraising snack table (thanks to our generous sponsor Whole Foods University Heights), staff the table during the two-hour event, and then break-down the table. 30-minute to 60-minute shifts per person are appreciated. This is a great opportunity to enjoy great music, give back to the community, and meet your hungry neighbors! Please email David concerts@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org if you can help.

Community Garden Prep
April 30th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Community Garden members come and roll up your sleeves for mulch distribution over paths, compost piles maintenance, general clean up.Please bring your own tools.
For information on this year’s Community Garden membership and activities, please check the FBSP website.

Thank you Brenda Shannon
The Board of FBSP would like to thank Brenda Shannon for four years of outstanding service to our community. Brenda played an integral role in bringing all of the events, classes and programs we all enjoy to BSP. We will miss her greatly. We are, however, excited that Brenda is using her extensive list of talents to help our community grow through the Providence Children’s Film Festival.

New Signs
Thanks to our Friends, Molly Regan at Logica Design and Rebecca Zub and Jim Larkin at Graphic Innovations, each entrance to the park has it's own new sign. Signage for the community garden will be coming soon.

Ice Skating Update
Brown Street Park wasn’t been totally at rest this winter; for the first time we put together a skating rink for everyone to enjoy. The bad news is that we got a late start in the season and there were technical challenges and not enough sustained cold weather to allow skating. The good news is that we learned a lot about putting a rink together and have a tremendous corps of volunteers who will be ready to install the rink in the winter 2011-12 skating season. We want to thank the Park Penguin Sponsors who generously supported construction of the rink, they are listed on the BSP website.

More Thanks
We are grateful to all the partners and friends who did so much other stuff behind the scenes this winter: Bartlett Trees for taking care of all of our trees after a brutal winter, Wastehaulers for keeping us clean and green, The Department of Parks and recreation, A-Z Auto shop in North Kingstown and Brown University for snow removal, and the fabulous corps of volunteers led by Mike Paradiso and Pedro Dal Bo for attempting our ice rink.

Welcome Gardeners!

Hello All,
Happy entrance into Spring and welcome to another growing season with the BSP Community Garden!


***** FIRST WORK DAY OF THE SEASON *****
April 30th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm
Come and roll up your sleeves for mulch distribution
over paths, compost piles maintenance, general clean up.
Please bring your own tools.


A few things to share:

1. There is a team effort leading the garden this season. HOORAY, and thank you.
Nicole – membership and payments
Willis – Web-site/blog
Willis and Rebecca – administrative tasks/coordination, contact people and outreach
Kate and Eamon – finances & BSP Board members and liaisons

2. This is our new format for Community Garden group communication, using a google group (bspcg@googlegroups.com). We have updated the membership list to reflect the new season's community -- let us know if you are receiving emails but don't want to be.... If you have something to share with the whole garden group, please use this google group.

3. There is polypropylene available in the garden for covering early spring plantings. (It was used for the skating rink.) If any gardeners would like to recycle the rink plastic to protect their plants/start early you are welcome to it.

4. April 23rd  will be  Brown Street Park Day come and join in the fun!

5. April 30th, the following Saturday, 10:00 to 2:00 will be the first work day for the Community Garden – come and roll up your sleeves for mulch distribution over paths, compost piles maintenance, general clean up, other tasks? Please bring your own tools.

6. Reminder! The Community Garden is organic – no chemical fertilizers, etc.

7. Organic kitchen waste from members may go in compost. MUST not include ANY fat or protein. If in doubt….leave it out!

7. Please share your ideas for what to grow in your beds – success stories from last year and lessons learned the hard way! Remember that vine plants and things that grow very large may end up encroaching on your neighbors’ beds. Plan carefully!

See you all soon!
Willis

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #3

Brown Street Park wasn’t been totally at rest this winter; for the first time we put together a skating rink for everyone to enjoy. The bad news is that we got a late start in the season and there were technical challenges and not enough sustained cold weather to allow skating.  The good news is that we learned a lot about putting a rink together and have a tremendous corps of volunteers who will be ready to install the rink in the winter 2011-12 skating season.

 We want to thank all the following Park Penguin Sponsors who generously supported construction of the rink!

The Emperor Penguins $300-500
  • The Abby Stranahan and David Ward Family
  • Jim Larkin and Graphic Innovations for our signage
  • A+ Automotive Repair and Snow removal
  • Site Specific, LLC
The King Penguins $50-100
  • Polly Walker
  • Maria Goncalves and Joe Miller Family
  • Patricia Bacon and Family
  • The Pedro Dal Bo and Anna Aizer Family
  • Leah and Rob Murphy
The Adelie Penguins $10-30
  • Elyse Rotundo
  • Kate Bowden
  • Sheila Craig
  • Justin Boyan and Amy Greenwald
  • Rachel Atlas and Family
  • Jen Carpenter
  • Julia Bush
  • Barbara Weindling
  • Kimberly Worrell
  • Kate Lohman
  • Joe and Stacy Paradise
  • Sandra & Jeff Smith
  • Kara Kelly and Family
  • Rachel Atlas and Venditta Family

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #2

We are so thrilled with all the Penguin Sponsors (see website www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org) that have contributed to the Brown Street Park Ice Skating Rink as well as our tireless corps of volunteers (Pedro Dal Bo, Mike Paradiso, Herman Vandenburgh, Matthew Hruska, Peter Crump and Jim Intinarelli From Site Specific, Sheila Craig, John Doerr, Brad Miller, Allen Copp, Lt Picozzi and the North Main Street Fire Station crew and the Providence Parks Department).


This has been a very difficult winter to start an ice rink, but we keep trying. The good news is that the rink materials have been purchased or donated, and we have learned a lot about making skateable ice in Rhode Island. Therefore, an install in November 2011 will be a relatively simple one. 80% of our work this year (every weekend since January 14 when we were given approval to install the rink), has been dedicated to snow removal or prepping the ground to make it level. Our attempts last week to fill the rink during a period of below freezing weather (we need 5 consecutive nights) was thwarted by monstrous winds that rendered our waterproof membrane unsealable. We are waiting to try again with some new technology (super sticky marine tape) as soon as temperatures plummet. Stay tuned.
Thanks for your patience, Wendy and Friends of Brown Street Park

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #1





Dear Penguin Team,

Okay..so it is not going to get as cold as we need on Sunday to freeze the water…but the frame is in and the next steps are relatively simple… put the liner in and then water, a few layers at a time with the Fire Department. The risk of putting the liner in without a quick freeze is that the liner is exposed and can be damaged by dogs, or anything else running on it. So the plan of the moment is to put the liner in Tuesday (if the weather permits) and hopefully be skating by Wednesday night (before the next storm..ekes). So thanks for your patience, and your flexibility. I will keep you posted on what time we will be out there on Tuesday (should take less than a couple of hours). Thanks, 

Wendy

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

OM Kids Yoga Center is opening in Pawtucket

AX165_756A_9.JPG

Elyse Rotondo massages the feet of her charges during her children's yoga class at the Brown Street Park in Providence last summer.


One of the coolest stories we covered last summer was the opening of the Brown Street Park, a magical place in Providence with unusual exercise equipment, interesting art and a beautiful community vegetable garden. Bob Thayer, the photographer on the story, returned to the park many times, always finding something new to photograph.

One of the most memorable events that day was a children's yoga class, led by Elyse Rotondo. The best part was when she had the kids do the warrior pose. Elyse played Beach Boys music and told the kids to pretend they were surfing. Every now and then, she would say, "Wipe-out!" and the kids would tumble to the grass.

Saturday, Jan. 8, Elyse is having a free open house at OMKids Yoga Center, her new business in the Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main Street in Pawtucket, also the site of the Wintertime Farmer's Market. The open house is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Watching the kids with Elyse is so much fun.

Article by Tom Mead, Providence Journal. Bob Thayer photo.

WINTER FBSP NEWS UPDATE! ICE SKATING AT BROWN STREET PARK


WINTER FBSP NEWS UPDATE! ICE SKATING AT BROWN STREET PARK

We thought it was going to be a quiet winter at Brown Street Park, but we just received the okay from the Providence Parks Department to build a temporary Outdoor Ice Skating Rink (near the community garden). We are so excited to have sledding and skating at BSP. We need your help. We are asking families that like the idea to help sponsor therink in the range of $10.00-$20.00 (If you haven't made a tax deductible donation to FBSP lately, please consider making one for this rink). We also need volunteers to help build the rink on an afternoon to be scheduled, volunteer to maintain, and to remove in early March.

Let Wendy know what you can do wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org by Monday, January 17 as we would like to have the rink built and operational by January 23rd.
  • Donate (please let us know what amount you would like to contribute)
  • Help build (requires one afternoon to lay the frame and lay the waterproof membrane
  • Maintain (we need volunteers to clear the ice after sno or use our homemade Zamboni to clear the ice when it gets choppy)
  • Remove the Rink in early March (A couple of hours to remove adn store until next winter

2023 Fiends of Brown Street Park - Halloween Party + Parade

  The beloved Brown Street Park Halloween Party and Parade is back again this year! The spook-tacular festivities begin in the park starting...