Van Cortlandt Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, February 24, 2006

Exercise Your Brain This Weekend

Whether you’re looking to learn about animal habitats or celebrate the last weekend of Black History Month, the answer lies in your local park. Read on for suggestions or visit www.nyc.gov/parks for more.

Bronx
Join the Rangers as they search for wintry animal life this Saturday, February 25 in Van Cortlandt Park. Learn the survival techniques these creatures use to survive the harshest season when you join this free event. Meet at the Van Cortlandt Nature Center at 10:00 a.m. to start exploring.

Brooklyn
Examine the lives of early African-American residents at Brooklyn’s Colonial farms: the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum and Weeksville’s Hunterfly Road Houses. Or, take part in a panel discussion on African-American history at the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. The lecture, a collaboration with the Weeksville Heritage Center, is part of a lecture series focusing on Brooklyn’s Afro-Caribbean and Irish diaspora. This educational event is free and takes place at 5816 Clarendon Road.

Manhattan
View the vibrant paintings and sculptures of Caribbean artists Carlton Murrell and Alfred Weekes this weekend at the "Caribbean Connections" exhibit at the Morris-Jumel Mansion. These artists evoke the warmth and color of the islands while suggesting connections between the Mansion’s history (Stephen Jumel was originally from Haiti) and the modern Washington Heights community. The exhibit will be on view through this weekend, during normal museum hours (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.). Morris-Jumel Mansion is located in Roger Morris Park at 65 Jumel Terrace.

Queens
How well do you know your city’s history? Put that knowledge to the test this Saturday when you take part in New York City Trivia in Forest Park. Find out how much you really know about New York City’s past, and get the chance to win prizes. This free event will take place at the Forest Park Visitors Center at Forest Park Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard at 12:00 p.m.

Staten Island
See breathtaking images of the natural world when you stop by the Blue Heron Nature Center this Sunday to see the latest Focus On Nature exhibit. This exhibit features the stunning work of photographer Sandra Mechanic, whose nature stills capture a variety of life forms, including butterflies, honeybees, birds, and flowers. This free exhibit is located at the Blue Heron Nature Center at 222 Poillon Avenue.

"The river is famous to the fish.
The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close to your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors."

Naomi Shihab Nye
(born 1952)