Central Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, February 12, 2002

NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY IN CENTRAL PARK: WINTER FESTIVAL 2002

On Saturday, February 9, the East Meadow of Central Park was transformed into a Vermont Village for Winter Festival 2002. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., an estimated 8,000 children and adults enjoyed a range of activities on the warm and sunny day. This second-annual event was a huge success, as seen by the smiles on the children’s faces.

The event’s planners were determined that the event, having been postponed from its original date of January 12 due to warm weather, would occur as scheduled. Snow-making machines were brought down from Bromley and Killington, Vermont to turn the East Meadow into a winter wonderland, but snow was not in the forecast. Because temperatures have to be below 28 degrees for the machines to make snow, only water was blown on the East Meadow on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. The 40- and 50-degree weather of the days leading up to Winter Festival 2002 soured hopes of snow but Parks still managed to deliver a great day.

On Thursday a press conference was held, attended by Commissioner Adrian Benepe, students from P.S. 72 in Manhattan, and huskies from Vermont. After addressing the crowd on that rainy Thursday morning, Commissioner Benepe took a spin around the East Meadow on a Parks golf cart being pulled by a team of huskies. On their first trip to the Big Apple, the dogs were a bit nervous, according to their owner. But when it was their moment in the spotlight, they pulled Benepe around the East Meadow with speed and confidence.

Saturday’s Vermont Village offered children and adults a variety of activities. They were able to rent snowshoes; play basketball, golf, and practice flyfishing; make pinecone birdfeeders; get their faces painted; learn about Vermont agriculture; sample Southern Vermont's specialties; take nature tours conducted by the Urban Park Rangers; do karaoke; and take a chance on a raffle with great prizes. The weather was perfect for these outdoor activities and the East Meadow was abuzz with delighted children.

Word was spreading the morning of the event that a "special guest" would be attending. The lucky group of New Yorkers at the festival around noon on Saturday were pleasantly surprised when the special guest arrived…Mayor Bloomberg. The Mayor and Commissioner Benepe welcomed the crowd to the second-annual Winter Festival, thanking corporate sponsors and encouraging fun. Mayor Bloomberg looked as excited as the audience as front of him to be at the festival.

Helping to plan this successful event were Marketing Analysts for Marketing and Special Events Lauren Brignone, Alexandra Orloff, and Dave Kovall; M.J. Furman, Citywide Special Events Coordinator; Misa Numano, Citywide Special Events Coordinator; Kate Mini, Urban Park Ranger Special Events Coordinator; Katie Langhammer, Director of Recreation; and Jonathon Ells, Analyst for Central Recreation. Many thanks to them for putting together a great event for New Yorkers.

(Tuesday, February 21, 1989)

Gossip columnists, take heed. The quickest route to stardom may not be through the Stanislavsky School of acting, but via New York City’s Summer Games.

That’s where four teenagers from Queens got their "big break." The girls-Sequana Wallace, Mecca Brunson, Yattee Brown, and Shawn Stainback- comprise the "Sorrentino Sensations," a double dutch team that got its start under the direction of Community Assistant Stanley Brown in the Sorrentino Recreation Center in Queens. Today the "Sensations" are being whisked from New York City to the Smothers Brothers Show in Hollywood.

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.
The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Abraham Lincoln
(February 12, 1809-1865)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center