PUBLIC ACCESS

Exploring the Pumpkin Patch at Parks’ Great Halloween Party at Bethesda Terrace in

34 arks that are frequent- ly used attract more park users, are safer, and improve a neigh- borhood’s quality of Plife. With this simple premise, Parks finds new and innovative ways for people to take advantage of the city’s green spaces. From the largest concerts to weekly “Learn To” instruction, New Yorkers visited more parks in greater numbers than ever before.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

entral Park hosted sev- eral major events this year. On August 15, 1999, His Holiness Cthe Dalai Lama gave a free pub- lic talk before 40,000 people, and on September 14, Sheryl Crow, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks and the Dixie Chicks performed on the East Meadow before The Dalai Lama 25,000 people. in Central Park

More than 50,000 New Yorkers The citywide pool openings in attended Newmark Real 1998 and 1999 were major occa- Estate’s Great Halloween Party sions . In 1998, Commissioner in Central Park, enjoying Stern and hundreds of neighbor- Broadway performances, chil- hood kids “unwrapped” Thomas dren’s theater, arts and crafts, cos- Jefferson Pool to give the “gift of tume making, face painting, free swimming” to all. The inline skate rentals and shows, Independence Day bash featured and the Dress Your Pet for Howl- 3,600 feet of red, white, and blue O-Ween contest. Bethesda bunting, streamers, a 14-piece Fountain was transformed into a salsa band, and a summer barbe- pumpkin patch with 7,500 pump- cue, featuring a 378 lb. apple pie. kins, free for the picking. In 1999, the pool opening moved downtown to the Hamilton Fish Billed by CNN as the world’s Recreation Center, featuring live largest Easter celebration, atten- music, and a barbecue for 1,000 dance topped 50,000 at the people. Central Park Infogrames Entertainment Easter The Citywide Beach Volleyball Eggstravaganza in 1999. The Tournament continued to grow Easter Eggstravaganza features in 1998 and 1999, becoming the egg dying, an Easter egg hunt, an largest free amateur competition egg roll, arts and crafts, and on the East Coast. Each Broadway and children’s theatre year, more than 140 teams of performances. doubles and quads played in

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1. Bert and Ernie at the Great Halloween Party in Central Park 2. Bethesda Fountain 2 transformed into the city’s largest pumpkin patch 4 3. Hiding in the egg patch at the Easter Eggstravaganza in Central Park 4. Giant carved pumpkin at the Great Halloween Party

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37 eral women’s teams) competed for the citywide title and a chance to ride up Fifth Avenue on a float in the Columbus Day Parade.

On August 6, 1998, Parks and Rollerblade inaugurated a new program - Rock ‘N’ Rollerblade, a free, open-air roller disco party. Nearly 5,000 the people rolled into Union Square Kids lace up five boroughs.The winners com- Park to enjoy disco music, live their skates for peted at Coney Island in the performances and free Rock ‘N’ Rollerblade finals. The volleyball tournament Rollerblade in-line skate rentals. at Union Square Park, was sponsored by Magnacare in In 1999, Parks and Rollerblade 1998 and by Lipton Brisk Iced brought the event to a different Tea in 1999. borough each Thursday evening in August. In 1998, Ciao-TV, and in 1999, Nutella partnered with Parks to RECREATION produce the Fourth and Fifth Annual Citywide Bocce Over 10,300 children participated Tournament. Four-man bocce in tournaments in FY98 and teams (and for the first time, sev- FY99. In 1999, Parks hosted city-

38 Birmingham, Alabama. Over 2,000 children participated in the games, representing 14 cities in eight sports.

Playground Associates provide structured recreational activities for children in neighborhood parks and playgrounds citywide. In Summer 1998, 242 Playground Associates were deployed to more than 200 sites in all five boroughs. Thanks to additional “Spring Citywide Volleytball Spruce-Up” funding received Tournament from the Council, 153 additional at Coney Island Playground Associates were hired Beach, in 1998. In FY99, Parks deployed 280 Playground Associates to wide tournaments for more than 230 sites in all five basketball, roller hockey, golf, boroughs. Playground Associate board games, and soccer. sites are supported by visits from From January through April, eight mobile recreation vans, more than 1,700 boys and girls which travel citywide, providing participated in the Nike Metro equipment and instruction for Swoosh basketball league at eight activities including in-line skating, recreation centers, which hosted baseball, and miniature golf. In 32 teams. In March 1998, Parks 1998, Rollerblade donated two hosted Junior Knicks League at new vans, including staffing and 11 centers citywide in partnership equipment. with Nike and the Junior Knicks League, and 1,320 children partic- RECREATION CENTERS ipated. In April 1998, Parks creat- AND FREE INSTRUCTION ed an intramural soccer league at eight recreation centers citywide. In FY99, Parks served more than In summer 1999, Parks created an 33,000 children in Learn-to clin- intramural basketball league at ics, including in-line skating, soc- Playground Associate sites city- cer, golf, baseball, tennis, and wide. In June 1999, Parks hosted swimming. Last summer, over a roller hockey tournament fea- 2,700 kids participated in Youth turing 23 teams and 345 children Baseball Clinics and Derek from throughout the city. In Jeter’s Turn 2 Clinics, funded Summer 1998 and 1999 Parks by the City Parks Foundation and competed in the 32nd and 33rd Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation. Annual United States Youth The clinics ran for six weeks in Games in Houston, Texas and each borough in July and August.

39 Since the first computer resource center opened in April 1997 at the Al Smith Recreation Center in lower Manhattan, six additional centers opened at St. Mary’s in , St. John’s and Brownsville in Brooklyn, Jackie Robinson in Manhattan, Lost Battalion Hall in , and Cromwell in . This program, funded partially by CPF and with donations of equipment from Sony and Microsoft, provides people of all ages with free access and instruc- Right: tion to state of the art computers. Chelsea Park Each center has computers Soccer Fest 1999 equipped with educational, recre- ational, and business oriented software for children and adults. Thanks to EarthLink all centers FY97. This increase is due in part will have free Internet access. to the reopening of Metropolitan Pool and Jackie Robinson Recreation Center after major renovations. In addition, new pro- gramming, major tournaments, and the opening of five computer resource centers in FY 98 boost- ed attendance.

In the last five years, Parks has completed renovations at 14 cen- ters including, Al Smith, Carmine, Asser Levy, E. 54th St., Jackie Robinson, Hansborough, and J. Hood Wright in Manhattan; St. James in the Bronx; Lost Battalion and Sorrentino in Queens; Metropolitan Pool, Brownsville, and Red Hook in Brooklyn; and Cromwell in Staten Derek Jeter’s Island. Turn 2 Clinic Attendance at recreation centers in , Queens citywide increased to 2.7 million in FY99 from 1.7 million in

40 PARKS LIBRARY resource for patrons ranging from school groups to university stu- On October 20, 1999, New York dents, professionals and senior City received an unprecedented citizens. Open Monday through academic and community Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the resource when the Parks Library Parks Library is located in Room was opened by Mayor Giuliani. 240 of the Arsenal, at 64th Street Featuring books about nature, and 5th Avenue in Central Park. sports and recreation, landscape architecture, urban ecology, history and politics, a vast collection of Parks-produced books, documents, and pam- phlets, and the Robert F. Wagner Copies of this and all other Jr. collection, the Parks Library is Parks Reports can be found free and open to the public. The in the Parks Library. library hosts special events, and serves as the headquarters for Parks historical signs initiative. Sponsored by Borders Books, the Parks Library is an excellent

The first ever Parks Library at the Arsenal Building, Central Park

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