Winter 2014 - Thornden Park Association

The Leaf
Page 1
A Publication of the Thornden Park Association, Syracuse NY
Dec 2014
Volume 1, Issue 2
Letter from the Co-Presidents
Inside this issue:
Park News
2
Bulldogs Football
4
Susan Hardoby Tribute
5
Contact Us
6
Welcome to the Winter issue of the Thornden Park Newsletter.
Fall just flew by and Board of the Thornden Park Association
has been busy organizing into subcommittees to carry out projects to maintain, improve, and increase use of Thornden Park.
The Thornden Park Association was quite visible at the
Westcott Street Cultural Fair, sharing space with the Rose Society and Ron Bell, from Shakespeare In-The-Park. Thanks to
everyone who dropped by to say hello and who purchased a
raffle ticket for the lovely Weeping Beech Bench,
created by John Noviasky. Thornden Park Association was able to raise $700 through with this raffle
sale. The money will be used for Thornden Park
Projects. The winning ticket for the Weeping
Beech Bench was drawn by MaryBeth from the
Rose Society and the lucky winner was Susannah
Park. Congratulations Susannah!
Currently, TPA has been busy writing grants to
submit for UNSAAC and TNT funds; planning Chili
Bowl Fest; discussing projects to improve and upgrade the Park, and generating new ideas to bring more people into Thornden Park.
You can help us. Become a member. Email us your ideas or
suggestions for increasing activities in Thornden Park.
Support Chili Bowl Fest!
Mark your Calendar: Chili Bowl Fest - February 22, 2015 –
12-3PM
Happy Winter - Think Snow!
Sondra Roth
Park News
Page 2
Late Summer Volunteer Weeding & Maintenance
F
rom June until August, neighborhood residents volunteered almost 300 hours of their time and expertise to maintain gardens in Thornden Park. Sometimes
we met early in the morning, before dusk, on weekends
and weekdays. Much of our time was spent weeding up
at the Lily Pond, which has become a popular site for
wedding ceremonies and photographs. In addition we
have worked at the flower beds at the Madison entrance
to the park, the flower beds around the Carriage House,
the Lilac Grove and we helped the Syracuse Rose Society
keep up with the vigorous weeds in the E. M. Mills Memorial Rose garden. We are grateful to a number of
groups who increased our numbers two-fold: SUNY
ESF’s honorary fraternity Sigma Alpha Lambda, Syracuse University's bridge program, SummerStart, children from our own Discovery Camp and ESF freshmen
participating in their Saturday of Service. Thornden
Park would not be the gem it is without everyone’s
help. Please consider joining us next summer, if only
for an hour or two. Every hour spent in the gardens
makes a difference. To be notified of future work sessions please email Miranda@twcny.rr.com.
DOG-GONE IT! NO -- DOG-COME IT !!!
T
he Post-Standard named Thornden Park one of just eleven best dog walking
locales in Onondaga County in its "Dog-FriendlyCNY" section in November:
"The Park with the pretty Rose Garden has paved roads
and green spaces that populate its 76 acres"
And, if all goes well, we'll have a dog-friendly drinking fountain in by this coming summer!
Westcott Street Fair Review
I
n spite of the threatening weather, there were a lot of people stopping by the booth during the afternoon, joining the TPA, offering to help with our various projects and sharing their experiences and memories of the park.
“Things did not go as well at the Thornden Park Table in the late afternoon as they did earlier in the day. I
was sitting in a chair to the left of one of the canopy supports co-manning the table when a huge gust of wind
came through, knocking me and my chair down onto the sidewalk. The chair broke, but I didn't -- though it
was a painful walk after up to the Erwin Parking Lot where my car was! Someone helped me up. We decided
to close down the table after this happened. Lots of people were so helpful in addition to the person who
helped me up: The Rose Society ladies, Richard Park, and the other TPA board members on duty: Sondra
Roth and Tim Rice. “
- Judy Oplinger
Park News
Page 3
Taste of Westcott Review
T
he Thornden Park Association reached out to its student neighbors on a Thursday evening in late August at the annual Taste of
Westcott event, hosted by Syracuse University’s Office of Off-Campus and Commmuter Services at the Erwin First United Methodist
Church on Euclid Avenue.Alongside such neighborhood organizations as the Southeast University Neighborhood Association
(SEUNA), TPA board members Kiva VanDerGeest and Matt Oja met dozens of Syracuse University and SUNY ESF students, soliciting potential park volunteers and educating neighbors about the park and the organization.As a result of its participation in the event, TPA succeeded in distributing hundreds of informational pamphlets, reaching a significant number of park neighbors.
Eat Chili
Beat Duke!
T
2014 Chili Fest
he 2015 Thornden Park Chili Bowl Festival will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, from
noon to 3 in the Thornden Park Field House. Falling less than a week before the huge rivalry
basketball game between Syracuse and Duke, the theme of this year's event will be a Beat Duke
Pep Rally. We hope to see you there!
Thornden Park’s Lilac Grove
A
s we turn our attention once more to the Lilac Grove, in the hope
of restoring the area and caring for our aging plantings, it seems fitting to
be reminded of the grove’s history. Maps indicate that the original lilac
grove in Thornden was located along the slope on the eastern boundary of
the park. It is said that Thornden’s lilacs once rivaled Rochester’s Lilac Festival and records show that the Parks Department first planted 1,000
French Lilac shrubs in the area in 1930. Today this area is woodland.
In 1984 when Thornden Park Association volunteers surveyed the remnants of a smaller Lilac Grove located near the Azalea Walk (across from
the pool) they found old and gangly lilacs, choked by maple trees. The few
flowers these lilacs produced could hardly be seen. Perhaps not with the
same focus or energy as other landscape restoration projects, the Lilac
Grove received our attention for a few years. Old limbs were pruned, maple seedlings removed and in 1994 we mulched around each
shrub to protect new lilac plantings from the rigors of lawnmowers. Arbor Day plantings in this grove included in 1989 three shrubs
planted in honor of Stanley Monro, Post Standard Gardening columnist and in 1990 the Syracuse Garden Club generously donated
eleven new bushes. To add early spring color to the area in 1991 Kappa Sigma fraternity brothers from Syracuse University helped
association members plant a bushel of daffodils around the lilacs.
As volunteers were working on the Lilac grove, an elderly resident of the area came to join them. For a number of years this woman
had volunteered at the Lily Pond but now she had cancer. Living on South Beech Street, near the entrance to the park, she walked
daily into Thornden, when her health permitted. While she sat and watched the volunteers work, she overheard them talking about a
good-sized maple, sitting in the center of the Lilac Grove. The maple had to go, if the Lilacs were going to thrive. The elderly woman
emotionally protested. “Please, Please do not cut down that beautiful tree. Please wait until I die.” The tree is still there.
For many years volunteers ignored this area, but in August 2014 we spent an afternoon surveying the area. That huge maple remains
in the center of the lilacs, and other trees nearby have grown considerably. Our plan is to hire an arborist to “limb up” the trees near
the lilacs, which will provide more light. The area also needs to be mowed and weed growth removed. The Thornden Park Association is considering applying for a grant to restore this area once more and add more lilacs to the area. It has also initiated discussions
with faculty members of SUNY-ESF to enlist their pruning expertise and help.
Bulldogs News
F
Page 4
TPA Congratulates both the Bulldogs and
Midget Cheerleaders on their Success!
all is winding down and the snow is falling. This time
of year also marks the period when youth football
holds its playoff and championship games. The Thornden Park
Pop Warner Football Organization once again is privileged
enough to be home to another championship team and stands
well poised for future success. The Bulldogs, as they are affectionately known, began decades ago in Sherman Park. Generations of young men and women have participated over the
years in both football and cheerleading. Many of them find
themselves coming back as adults to volunteer as coaches or
administrators. The organization over the years has experienced a massive amount of success, both on and off the field,
producing both Superbowl winners and college graduates. At
the heart of this success is the relentless work of several volunteers who work tirelessly to be coaches, councilors, advocates, confidants and sometimes parents to over 300 children
annually. The organization, like most other youth sports
teams, is 100% non-profit and runs on volunteers, participation fees, and fundraising. However, there are unique challenges given the demographic of the children we serve.
The Thornden Park Bulldogs serve children within a boundary from LeMoyne College beyond Syracuse University down into the northern
most part of what is commonly referred to as the South side of the city. Within that zone is a large variety of class, privilege, and education
that makes up for the distinctive culture that is the Thornden Park Bulldogs. While we have children who are in abject need and for whom
sports are a way to disengage from the monotony that is their lives, we also have coaches, lawyers, and college professors who are committed to serve and mentor these children towards the realization of their greater potential.
The TPA Board is working closely
One manifestation of that help can be seen in the growth of our tutuoring program offered by
with the Bulldogs to secure
Prof. Cavin Robinson who coaches for our Junior Pee Wees. Prof. Robinson received funding
from LeMoyne College to pay LeMoyne students to tutor children that we serve, free of cost. For
grants from various community
all the good that the program does in its attempts to be a refuge for our children, funding is alsources.
ways a pressing issue.
As youth contact sports are constantly under fire for the degree that we protect the health and well being of our participants, we a Thornden
Park strive to ensure that we suit our participants in the best equipment that we possibly can which results in a large regular cost of operation. We find ourselves replacing old and outdated helments and shoulder pads on an annual basis which consumes the lion’s share of our
annual budget. We also find ourselves in watershed years where large quantities of equipment have to be replaced because of the wear and
tear of old equipment. Here at the end of the 2014 season, we are in one of those watershed years. We are currently in need of a large
number of shoulder pads and helmets to ensure that our children next year will be as safe as we can possibly make them. We hope to overcome this hurdle not only with the support and initiative of our parents and players, but also with the care, concern, and backing of our community as well. We deeply value our great relationship with the Thornden Park Association and further appreciate both your well wishes and
consistent support. The best support that we can hope for is financial support. Those who are interested in supporting the Thornden Park
Pop Warner Football Association and would like to get involved through donating funds or fundraising for our association can contact Earl
Darisaw, President of Thornden Park Bulldogs Association at 315-383-3693, or Jyvonna Chambers, Chair of CNY Pop Warner scholastics program at 315-516-3260. As this season winds down, we look forward to next year, forging stronger community ties as we strive to represent
the best of what our park and neighborhood has to offer. - Cavin Robinson, PhD
A
lso on Nov 9th, the TP Bulldogs Midget Cheerleaders competed in an Eastern Region Competition in Trenton, NJ. The Bulldog Ladies placed 2nd and are headed to Disney World in Orlando, FL. The squad has 12 girls, 20 coaches and is in desperate
need of funds to get to Orlando. This is the first time for the Bulldog Cheerleaders. We need your support to make this a success. Thanks!
The Plan is to leave on Dec 10th, compete on Dec 13th and return home on Dec 13th. Please help make this a success. If you
would like to contribute to their costs, please contact any of Bulldog representatives listed above.
In Loving Memory
Page 5
W
e are sad to report that Susan Hardoby, founding Thornden Park Association member,
died on September 28, 2014 in Syracuse. She and her husband, Bill, were part of the
original group of residents, living close to the park, who formed the association in 1983. In the early years, meeting in each other’s homes, Bill and Susan steered the Traffic and Safety Committee
which resulted in the one way driving pattern around the park. For over 30 years Susan particularly enjoyed presenting our historical slide show to many civic organizations. Susan also wrote the
text for Uncommon Ground, our 1996 video chronicling the work of volunteers in Thornden Park.
Her family, friends and neighbors will miss Susan’s laughter, energy, activism, wisdom and strength.
“Susan devoted herself to many park activities. She not only put in her time, effort, and
talent, but also was a driving force behind many creative initiatives that led TPA to spread its
program to a much wider range of possibilities…”
- Tim Rice
Contact Us
Page 6
Become a Member:
There’s a number of ways to get synched up with us.
Website:: http://www.thorndenpark.org/
Email: miranda@twcny.rr.com
Physical Mailing Address:
PO Box 6604
Syracuse, NY 13217
Facebook: https://facebook.com/Thornden
Twitter: Coming Soon!
The Thornden Park Association has faithfully cared for the park for
the past 30+ years. Help us assure consisten and loving care of the
Park for the next 30 years by becoming a member of the Thornden
Park Association.
Joining is easy. Just send us your name, address, phone, email, and a
$10 check (annual membership fee) to:
Thornden Park Association
PO Box 6604
Syracuse, NY 13217
Also Please let us know if you are interested in any of the following:
 I would like to help with the garden tours next year
 I would like to help with the chili fest next year
 I am interested in volunteering for gardening and planting projects
 I am interested in helping with grant writing.
I
n 2002, The Thornden Park Association received a grant to write, design, publish and distribute a brochure that was titled: A Brief History of Thornden Park, A Walking Tour and Guidebook. This document highlights the major features in Thornden Park, and provides information
about its rich history. The Thornden Park Association commissioned artist, Roger DeMuth, to create a map for this brochure. Later the map was reproduced in large format and placed at the E.
M. Mills Rose Garden and at the Pool House. Signed copies of this map are available for $10. If
you are interested in purchasing please contact Miranda Hine miranda@twcny.rr.com.
**These maps will also be available for purchase at the Chili Festival.