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July 2015 Newsletter
Welcome to Playful Summer 2015!
Summer in the parks is packed with PLAY, RELAXATION and EXPLORATION!
After reading all about our exciting playful summer in the parks highlighted below, we'd like to invite you to try something new in your neighborhood park or any park near where you live and/or work—for example, search for missing unicorn art, take a fitness class, play in or watch Mayor Elorza's Midnight Summer Basketball League and treat a child you know to a free and nutritious lunch at any of our Summer Lunch Meals' Open Sites in 33 of our parks or recreation areas.
There's even more play, more relaxation and more exploration to be found. Come visit our parks and have a truly playful summer!
Helene Miller, Officer of Play
Acting Director
Partnership for Providence Parks
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Partnership News
General Street Park Outdoor Classroom
This summer, General Street Park will have a new feature for educators and performers to enjoy! On Tuesday, June 23rd, the Partnership held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate a new outdoor classroom and thank the students who worked so hard to make it happen. This spring, a team of young designers from the MET School worked with design educators from DownCity Design to design and build a new outdoor classroom and performance space for the park that will be available for use by all who visit. We would like to thank the City of Providence for funding this project through the Community Development Block Grant Program.
The Partnership for Providence Parks is making General Street Park a model of what a Providence park can be, no matter where it is located in the city. This outdoor classroom will be a place for all to “play, relax, and explore.â€
Unicorns in Residence: Providence, Receives Superlative Award
As you may have noticed, unicorns are taking over Providence! We are pleased to announce that our Unicorns in Residence program has garnered the attention of Providence Monthly, who awarded our team the “Best Sense of Adventure†award in their superlative issue! Our write-up in Providence Monthly can be found here. Like the unicorns, our parks have a "great sense of adventure."
Unicorn art can now be found in a variety of places including the Providence Public Library and Burnside Park, and our exhibit at the John Hay Library, Unicorn Found: Science, Literature and the Arts, can be viewed until July 31st.
Residents of Providence decorated their own “Missing Unicorn†posters at the Providence International Art Festival, and these posters were later used when the Partnership entered our first float in the Providence PrideFest Illuminated Night Parade, accompanied by a life-size unicorn!
Don’t worry if you’ve missed out so far; expect our unicorn to make an appearance at Providence Color Run on September 27th, 2015!
Playtime is Serious Business at Pop-Up Play Day 2015
The air was filled with laughter, live music, and lots of bubbles at Roger Williams Park on Saturday, June 20 during Pop-Up Play Day 2015. The event, presented by the Partnership plus Providence PlayCorps, Providence Children’s Museum, Providence’s Department of Parks + Recreation and Healthy Communities Office, and East Side/Mt. Hope YMCA, kicked off the fourth year of Playful Providence, a citywide celebration of play. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Play, after all, is a very serious business – even grownups think so! Research shows that play, besides just being fun, is one of the most important parts of being a kid. Read More.
PlayCorps 2015
After a successful pilot in 2014, Providence PlayCorps expands this summer! An innovative collaboration between the Partnership for Providence Parks, Providence Children’s Museum, and the City of Providence’s Healthy Communities Office and Department of Parks + Recreation, PlayCorps activates low-income neighborhood parks across the city with free play, art and creative exploration in conjunction with the free federal summer meals program. From July 6 to August 21, weekdays from 11 AM to 2 PM, PlayCorps will be a consistent playful presence in parks across Providence; click here for a listing of parks and for more information. For updates and activity announcements, follow PlayCorps on Facebook and Twitter.
PlayCorps is funded by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the City of Providence’s Department of Parks + Recreation, Healthy Communities Office, and Health Equity Zone grant through the Rhode Island Department of Health.
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Summer Meals Program
The Summer Food Service Program, run by the Rhode Island Department of Education’s Child Nutrition Program funds primarily lunches and breakfasts and, in some cases, suppers or snacks for children in needy areas when school is not in session during the summer. In Rhode Island, the program provides an average of over 300,000 meals during the summer.
These meals are provided to children at no cost.
Sponsorship is limited to public or private nonprofit school food authorities, state or local governments, public or private nonprofit colleges or universities that are operating the National Youth Sports Program, public or private nonprofit residential summer camps, and private nonprofit organizations that operate special summer programs.
Click here for a complete list of sites in Providence, and throughout Rhode Island
Fitness in the Parks
We are pleased to announce that the Fitness in the Parks 2015 schedule is now online at www.fitnessintheparks.wix.com/providence. More classes are on their way so keep checking our website for updates! We launched our program on June 22nd and are so excited to see folks out in our parks getting fit and healthy. To stay informed of all the activities like us on Facebook (FitnessintheParksProvidence) and follow us on Twitter @ParksFitness.
We encourage feedback—please let us know what you would like to see and experience, how you enjoyed your fitness class, and anything else fitness related at fitness@providenceparks.org.
Coming soon, we are partnering with the Healthy Communities Office and their summer Healthy Kids Zone events, Wednesdays at 10 am for a fun Zumba and/or cardio-sport fitness class.
Passport to Adventure!
The Partnership for Providence Parks is participating in a "Passport to Adventure" program this summer, hosted by the Providence Public Library. This program aims to encourage children and families to take part in activities around the City. At each event or location, children will get a stamp or sticker in their "passport" to celebrate their involvement in Providence. The passport will encourage children and their families to visit the many PlayCorps sites to enjoy play, art and exploration of our local parks, enjoy free, healthy lunches through the Federal Summer Meals Program, and engage in programs hosted by the Providence Parks Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership. Passports will be available at many partner sites, including the Providence Public Library and at the Children's Museum, and will be available for download online. Learn more at the Providence Public Library website, as the passport will go "live" soon!
Art as Infrastructure for Coastal Resilience and Education: Friends of India Point Park (FIPP)
This summer a team of artists and scientists will be applying for a three-year pilot project to install nine sculptural forms at the cove with the sunken boat in India Point Park. These modular forms will be designed to improve the settlement of marine organisms, stabilize the coastline, and establish conditions conducive to the reestablishment of salt marsh vegetation that existed there before the sea wall was built.
Although FIPP Co-Chairs were initially skeptical about the installation of man-made structures to the shoreline—having spent 15 years protecting the Park's natural environment—after reviewing their proposals, meeting the organizers, and hearing the great respect for public opinion and concerns, the FIPP decided to support this project. FIPP will continue to play a role in all elements of the project to ensure best practices are utilized and will evaluate the impacts, both social and environmental as the project progresses.
For more information about the project click here.
Questions, comments or requests to be included in future updates regarding this project, please contact the FIPP at info@friendsofindiapointpark.org.
Smaller Sights and Sounds
The Smaller Sights and Sounds program, now in its third year, helps bring neighborhood parks to life by engaging the community with artful, healthful play activities. This year, the participating parks are Peace and Plenty Park, Viscolosi Park, Gladys Potter Park, Paterson Park, Blackstone Park, and the Camden Avenue Park. The series will open on July 6, with a 7pm performance by the RI Philharmonic Jazz Alumni at the peaceful Blackstone Park. Upcoming events will include interactive theater activities with the award-winning Wilbury Theatre Group, drumming workshops, sing-and-dance-alongs, and more! Smaller Sights and Sounds is made possible by the Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative (NPAI), a partnership between Mayor Jorge Elorza, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, the Department of Public Works, and the Partnership for Providence Parks. Click here for a schedule of events. So pack your picnic basket, bring a blanket and join us for one of these wonderful sights and sounds.
Summer Story Hours in the Park
This summer seven parks will be participating in Summer story Hour to inspire play, imagination and exploration in the parks. Click here for a detailed list of times, locations and contacts.
Paddle into the Past: Native American History and Archaeology
Before Roger Williams settled Providence in 1636, the lands paralleling the Woonasquatucket and Seekonk Rivers were occupied by the Narragansett Indian peoples and their ancestors. Rhode Island archaeologist Jay Waller will attempt to erase Providence's present-day landmarks from our minds as he discusses more than 10,000 years of Native American occupation of Providence and the state. Click here to learn more about the paddle opportunities and a schedule of events.
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DID YOU KNOW...
In the effort to make Providence a healthy community, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza will go for a run, jog or walk in the park every Sunday at 9:00 AM, and everyone is invited! Mayor Elorza will begin his jog at the Museum of Natural History in Roger Williams Park. No registration is required and all ages and abilities are welcome to join.
Mayor Elorza Midnight Summer Basketball League is open to anyone to join. Games will be held on Tuesday and Thursday nights starting at 9 PM. The cost is $25 per player. To register, visit General Street Park at 11 West Drive, Providence, RI 02904. Click here to download a flyer.
You can plan your own way to play, relax and explore, by Clicking here for a complete schedule of summer events in the parks.
Also, parks, playgrounds and recreational areas in Providence are now tobacco free. So, if you see someone smoking in your park, feel free to remind them that all Providence Parks are tobacco free.
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