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The Daily Plant : Friday, May 18, 2001

SUMMERSTAGE ANNOUNCES ITS 16TH SEASON

A star-studded gathering of celebrities and Parkies just announced the program for the 16th season of Central Park SummerStage, free performances in Central Park. Since SummerStage was founded in 1986, it's blossomed into an international arts festival. This summer, artists from 29 countries will entertain anyone willing to wait in line and tap their feet to performances from bluegrass music to Cowboy poetry. In its 16 years, SummerStage has welcomed 5 million children and adults from all neighborhoods to Central Park's Rumsey Playfield.

Central Park SummerStage captures the best of New York: priceless performances for a steal, international art concentrated in one great space, people of all backgrounds united in their love of art, New York, and Central Park. With an updated website, www.summerstage.org, Central Park SummerStage offers fans the advantages of high technology: complete and up-to-date information on the festival.

This season's highlights will include: benefit concerts featuring Ani DiFranco, Erykah Badu, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, and Lyle Lovett, and free concerts by the Cowboy Junkies, Ricky Skaggs, Manu Chao, the New York Grand Opera, Ishmael Reed, Living Color, Asian Dub Foundation, and Propellerheads.

For more information, please visit the SummerStage website www.summerstage.com or call 360-2756.

BOOKWORMS CRAWLED OUT OF THE WOODWORK IN QUEENS

Over 1700 children, ages 4-7, from Queens School District 27 were treated to a day of storytelling at the first Read-a-thon in Forest Park. To reinforce the importance of reading, each child received a free book and goodie bag filled with bookmarks, pencils, and other surprises. The Read-a-thon was a free event hosted by Parks and the Forest Park Trust, Inc.

The program offered entertainment for the entire family. Gordon (Roscoe Orman) from Sesame Street provided a special performance at the Bandshell, and the Cookie Monster made a guest appearance too. Other storytellers included star of Boston Public, Fyvush Finkel, former lead singer of the Shangri-las, Cheryl Ann Allen, opera singer Catherine Thorpe, and Native American performer Dawn Eagle. Volunteers and eight librarians from the Queens Borough Library were on hand to spin tales.

By Jocelyn (J-Line) Aframe

GREAT NEW YORK WRITERS AT THE MERCHANT'S HOUSE MUSEUM

This Monday, May 21st, you can hear readings of Edith Wharton short stories at the Merchant's House Museum (29 East Fourth Street, Manhattan) from 6 to 8 p.m. The two nights will kick off the 2001 "Great New York Writers in Great New York Places" series, which is sponsored by Parks, the Historic House Trust, Merchant's House Museum, the Library of America, and The Glenlivet. Please watch for announcements of future installments focusing on American Sea Writers, Tennessee Williams and Dawn Powell.

Space may be limited, please call ahead to (212) 360-1378 to RSVP or request tickets.

By Karen (Jamaica Bay) Chia

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN PLANT
(Friday, May 20, 1988)

HARBOR PARK RECEIVES $246,679 IN STATE GRANTS

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic preservation has awarded $246,679 in State Local Assistance grants to Harbor Park, the city's State Urban Cultural Park. The funds will allow Parks to create interpretive programming to link its Harbor Park sites, which include Battery Park and South Street Seaport in Manhattan, Liberty and Ellis Islands, Snug Harbor on Staten Island and Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn.

"These grants are the first fruits of more than eight years of planning and thinking about an Urban Cultural Park for New York City," said Harbor Park Director Karen Tsao. "With the grants we'll be able to create programs and literature to teach New Yorkers about the fascinating history of immigration and maritime trade in our harbor."

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"If the music doesn't say it, how can the words say it for the music?"

John Coltrane (1926-1967)

Know Before You Go

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