Central Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, March 19, 2004

PARKS CAPADES COME TO WOLLMAN RINK

On the last clear, blue day before the winter winds blew buckets of snow onto New York City, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe hosted the third annual Parks & Recreation Citywide Skating Party. Parkies from all five boroughs gathered with friends and family at Central Park’s Wollman Rink on Monday, March 15 to ice skate and enjoy delicious food with good friends in magical surroundings.

The party lasted from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. In the midst of the skating, Commissioner Benepe took a moment to welcome everyone to Wollman Rink. He said that the event was a small way for him to express his gratitude to Parkies for their hard work during the year. Classical and jazz music, some of it hand-picked by the Commissioner, accompanied the skating. And, when the revelers needed a breather, they could choose from a spread of treats donated by Claudine Revere, Owner of Relish Caterers. There was free hot chocolate with whipped cream, soft jumbo pretzels, and fountain soda. A mere dollar could also get you chicken soup, hot dogs, hand-dipped caramel apples, cotton candy or popcorn.

Nearly 400 people filled Wollman Rink on Monday. April Allen, Director of Special Events for Wollman Rink, donated the space for the party, which was ably organized by Assistant Commissioner for Citywide Services Jack T. Linn and his staff. Anna Carey, an event coordinator for Citywide Services, commented, "I think that by almost any measure, the evening was a success. The weather could not have been more beautiful, the refreshments were delicious, Parkies attended from all five boroughs, and not too many people fell on the ice." Rumor has it that a good time was had by all.

Written by Dana Rubinstein

Quotation for the Day

The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
Had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white.

Every pine and fir and hemlock
Wore ermine too dear for an earl,
And the poorest twig on the elm-tree
Was ridged inch deep with pearl.

James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)
From the poem, "The First Snowfall"

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center