2010 - Yoga in the Park - Forest Park

Dear readers, As many of you remember we started a free Yoga in the Park program last year which was very successful and highly and regularly attended from Spring to Fall 2009. Now that Spring is upon us we want to get the program started again and we are looking for local businesses that would like to fully or partially sponsor the program. Please contact me at kewgardensblog@gmail.com if you are interested or have any ideas.

Best,

KJ

Nice Shot of Forest Park in the Times

East Coast Confronts Storm’s Aftermath

Kirsten Luce for The New York Times

Forest Park in Queens. More Photos »

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: February 11, 2010

See the entire article HERE. 

10/23/2009 03:57 PM

Residents Upset With Late-Night Trysts In Forest Park

By: Ruschell Boone

A group of Richmond Hill residents is fighting back against what they say is becoming the common use of Forest Park for late-night trysts. NY1’s Ruschell Boone filed the following report.

Jorge Martinez says that while taking his six-year-old daughter for a walk through Forest Park it is normal to come across condom wrappers amongst the flowers and trees. He says over the years, this kind of trash has become part of the landscape.

Read the entire story HERE. 

Yoga in the Park - Fall Update

A letter from out Yoga in the Park Instructor Gillian: 

Dear Yogi's,

 

What a beautiful summer! So many amazing Saturday morning yoga sessions in the park. The mornings are now getting cooler so it's about time we started moving indoors to the studio. This week is forecasted to get quite chilly so I'm thinking from Saturday onwards we will retreat to the living yoga sanctuary. Yoga is best practiced in the warmth as the risk of injury is high when the muscles are not warmed up. The studio is located at 117-20 Queens blvd, Cross street 78th ave, above the Bank of America

 

The evenings are also getting chilly and dark early. From this Wednesday onwards the 6:00-7:00pm class will be held indoors - www.mylivingyoga.com

 

After a generous summer of funding from the TD bank (Big shout to Mandy), the classes will no longer be free. The Kew Gardens Center for Recreation and the Arts have kindly offered to partially fund the Saturday class until the 31st of October. So, for the next 5 weeks the class will cost $3, thereafter $8. Due to Studio expenses in the cooler weather the Wednesday night 6:00-7:00pm will also be priced at $8.

 

I'd like to thank Kevin from the Kew Gardens blog for making this all happen!

 

I wish everyone a great week.

 

Warm regards

Gillian

The Forest Park Preservation Society

Forest Park is one of the largest parks in New York City and the third largest park in Queens. It is an extraordinary urban forest consisting of 583 acres surrounded by five ethnically diverse neighborhoods, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, and Glendale.

 

The goal of the Forest Park Preservation Society is to work with and engage the community to support the work of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in the overall preservation, maintenance, and improvement of Forest Park.

Currently the FPPS is soliciting and accepting applications for members of the upcoming FPPS Board of Directors as well as corporate and private sponsors. Interested parties should send a letter of interest to info@forestparkpreservation.org.

 

The FPPS is also looking for initial volunteers and donations for help with web site development, advertising and fundraising, events, etc.

www.forestparkpreservation.org

Yoga in the Park - Now Wednesdays and Saturdays

Hey park yogi's

Our Yoga in the Park program has been extended to two days a week! The new Yoga in the Park class starts today, Wednesday August the 26th!!!!

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm  : same location under the tree :)

Suggested donation of just $8 per person

Bring your friends and get some great yoga and relaxation in after a hard day's work! 

Queens Symphony Orchestra Concert in the Park - 7/26

Breezy Big Band Summer

featuring the Barbara Merjan Trio

QSO’s free concerts in Queens parks and various community-based locations have become a tradition for over a decade. Our summer parks themes range from Broadway favorites and classic film soundtracks, to jazz standards and patriotic tunes. Bring a blanket, a basket of goodies and enjoy the sounds of the only professional orchestra in the borough.

Sunday, July 26, 2009 – 5 PM
Forest Park Bandshell (Woodhaven)
(Directions to Forest Park can be found on the home page of our website,www.queenssymphony.org, under the header ABOUT QSO.)

In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Hugh P. Kirwan Performing Arts Center at Christ the King High School in Middle Village. Information regarding this location will be posted at the Forest Park Bandshell and on the QSO Office voicemail no later than 2 hours prior to the concert. If you have any questions, please contact the QSO Office  by phone or email. 

(the concert is being repeated at St. Johns on Wednesday the 29th at 7 on the Great Lawn)

Events in Forest Park This Week - 7/14 - 7/17

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Harlem Hoopsters

7:00 p.m.
Location: Dry Harbor Playground basketball courts
Category: Athletic Events, Kids

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Crazy Music, Crazy World Radio Night

7:30 p.m.
Location: George Seuffert Bandshell
Category: Cultural, The Arts

Free Basketball Clinic

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Myrtle Avenue & 80th Street
Category: Athletic Events, Kids

Free Karate Clinic

3:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.
Location: Oak Ridge (One Forest Park)
Category: Athletic Events, Kids

Free Skateboarding Clinic

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Forest Park Skate Park (Woodhaven Boulevard & Forest Park Drive)
Category: Accessibility, Kids

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Dancing Under the Stars

6:00 p.m.
Location: Dry Harbor Playground, Forest Park
Category: Cultural, Education, The Arts

Friday, July 17, 2009

Free Basketball Clinic

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Myrtle Avenue & 80th Street
Category: Athletic Events, Kids

Free Skateboarding Clinic

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Forest Park Skate Park (Woodhaven Boulevard & Forest Park Drive)
Category: Accessibility, Kids

Free Yoga in the Park - Every Saturday Morning from 10 - 11 am

For those of you who have not joined us at the new Kew Gardens Free Yoga in the Park class, maybe you got lost on the way? Here is a panorama of pics that show exactly where we meet in Sobelsohn park, the most northern tip of Forest Park, in Kew Gardens between Park Lane and Union tpk behind the baseball diamond under the big tree.  There will not be Yoga this coming Saturday July 4th. For rain days we will be hosting the classes at Living Yoga Studio on Queens Blvd. Contact number is 631-365-4822. 

Hunt for Gigantic Chicken Mushrooms in Forest Park with naturalist/author "Wildman" Steve Brill [photos available from "Wildman"] At 11:45 AM Saturday, Independence Day, July 4, naturalist/author "Wildman" Steve Brill will lead one of his world-famous Wild Food and Ecology Tours of Forest Park. Forest Park's woodlands, cultivated areas, and thickets make it a great place for early summer foraging, and a great place to celebrate Independence Day. The early summer berries are spectacular here. People can't get enough red, white, or pink mulberries, no matter how many branches we shake over a drop cloth. The black raspberries that grace the thickets provide another special treat. And if the weather conditions have been favorable, a sweet cherry tree will provide fruit much tastier than any cherries you can buy. We'll also be finding daylily flowers in bloom. This Asian delicacy, sold in Chinatown as "golden needles," has a sweet, pungent flavor, wonderful in salads and soups, or stuffed. Wild herbs and vegetables abound in partially sunny areas in the woods and in thickets. We'll be hunting for burdock root, greenbrier, sweet cicely, wood sorrel, field garlic, jewelweed, Asiatic dayflower, lady's thumb, mullein, black birch, and sassafras. If it has rained beforehand, we may also find gigantic chicken mushrooms, brittle russulas, prized chanterelles, and misshapen Berkeley's polypores, as well as prized bolete mushrooms. The 4-hour walking tour of Forest Park begins at 11:45 AM, on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, at the stone wall at Union Turnpike and Park Lane, near the Parks Dept.'s Overlook building. The suggested donation is $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12. (Bring exact change). Nobody is ever turned away due to lack of funds. To attend, call (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours beforehand and reserve a place. For the 2008 tour calendar and additional info, visit http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com, ### Contact: "Wildman" Steve Brill, (914) 835-2153, wildman@wildmanstevebrill.com, http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com

Free Yoga in the Park - Every Saturday Morning from 10 - 11 am

For those of you who have not joined us at the new Kew Gardens Free Yoga in the Park class, maybe you got lost on the way? Here is a panorama of pics that show exactly where we meet in Sobelsohn park, the most northern tip of Forest Park, in Kew Gardens between Park Lane and Union tpk behind the baseball diamond under the big tree. 

Historic Forest Park Carousel won't be open on Memorial Day - NY Daily News

BYLISA L. COLANGELO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, May 21st 2009, 4:00 AM

Farriella for News

Project manager Evan George (l.) and assistant architect Christopher Farnum (r.) show potential bidders Forest Park Carousel at Woodhaven Blvd. and Myrtle Ave.

For the first time in almost two decades, the historic Forest Park Carousel will be shuttered on Memorial Day weekend.

The unofficial start of summer has customarily also served as opening day for the 49 hand-carved horses, lions, tigers, deer and chariots.

Parks Department officials said they are still working to find a concessionaire to run the rare carousel, which dates to 1903.

Read the entire story HERE. 

New Forest Park Hiker's Group!

Hi Hikers,

Our new Meetup hiking group, Kew Gardens Hiking, is up and running, so you can now join at http://www.meetup.com/Kew-Gardens-Hiking/

Please note: Our new meeting place is now the bench area in Wallenberg Square at the corner of Metro and Park Lane South. If you need to plug in a street address for mapquest or hopstop, we're using the building address across the street.

As of this week, I will no longer be sending out an email on Thursdays. Please rsvp directly on the group's page.

Spread the word! Let's get our new group going!

Thanks, 
Lixandra 

Free Yoga in the Park - Forest Park - 5/30 - 9/12

For all those who have been following our planning and creation of a Yoga in the Park program in Forest Park we have excellent news. After much planning and coordinating with sponsors, the Parks Department, Yoga Instructors and our local Kew Gardens Council for Recreation and the Arts we can finally announce that we have a Free Yoga in the Park program in place! Our Yoga instructor will be Gillian from Living Yoga in Forest Hills. We will be having the free 1 hour sessions every Saturday morning starting on May 30, 2009 going until September 12, 2009 from 10:00 - 11:00 am (weather permitting) in Forest Park at Sobelsohn Park which is between Park Lane and Union Tpk in Kew Gardens. This spot is very open and beautiful providing tree cover for very hot days and open field for normal days. As well it is very centrally located within short walking distance from all of Kew Gardens and Forest Hills. All ages and skill levels are welcome (minors must bring a parent or guardian) Bring your own mats or towels. An official event page in being created on the NYC Parks Dept. website and I will post that link when it is done. 

Yoga in the Park
Saturday, May 30, 2009 through Saturday September 12, 2009
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Free yoga every Saturday morning from May 30, 2009 through September 12, 2009 (weather permitting).  An instructor will lead you through hatha yoga exercises in a peaceful setting in Forest Park at Sobelsohn Park. For all ages and levels (Minors must bring a parent or guardian) Bring you own mats or towels. Sponsored Living Yoga and The Kew Gardens Council for Recreation and the Arts.

Location
Forest Park
Sobelsohn Park - Park Lane and Union Tpk. in Kew Gardens
Queens

Cost:
Free

Contact Number
(718) 261- 9642

Categories
Athletic Events

View Larger Map

Forest Park's Historic Carousel Closed!

I was riding my bike through Forest Park by the Carousel this weekend and realized that it is not open and does not look like it is preparing to do so anytime soon. Looks like the company running it decided to let the lease run out and not renew. What a real shame. This beautiful piece of history, that has been down on its luck in the past needing maintenance and repairs, now sitting silently for no one to enjoy. I really hope a good operator/vendor can see the value in operating it and the snack stand and get it back up and running for the summer. There were at least 200 people in the adjacent part of the park barbecuing and enjoying the weather this weekend. Even if it was just opened on the weekends I am sure there will be no lack of interest/patronage. 

See story from Daily News here:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/queens/2009/04/06/2009-04-06_another_turn_at_carousel_parks_dept_sear.html

NYC Parks Department Information on the Historical carousel: 

http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12049

More images of the Carousel from the Bridge and Tunnel Club: 

http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/queens/forestpark/carousel/index.htm

Yoga In The Park

Many of the parks in NYC have free weekly outdoor yoga classes. We have been wanting this to come to Forest Park for a long time now but it hasn't so we have gathered all of the information from other parks department offices that do it and we are considering taking some time to get a program set up. We are thinking to have it on Saturday mornings from 10am - 11am in Sobelsohn Park (in Forest Park between Park Lane and Union tpk.) from May to August. It would be free for all and people would just need to bring their own mats or towels. If you are interested in this please let me know so we can begin to get an estimated number of attendees to work with for permits, sponsorships, etc.  Also if you are a business and you are interested in sponsorship please email us. Thanks!