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Vol. 2, No. 28
Friday, October 13, 2000
[Home]
Sunday, October 15th is our big celebration day at Wellington Park. It's the date of the Second Annual Wellington Parkfest. It will be held from 1 to 4 PM at the park. At 2 PM we will be having a special ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the new play area with Mayor David Cohen and our aldermen in attendance. So what is a Parkfest? It's kind of like a giant block party for the neighborhood. Come and meet your neighbors.
Last year we had over a hundred people show up and many new friendships were made. The weather is looking pretty nice for Sunday, sunny and perhaps 70 degrees! Not bad for the middle of October.
Things are coming together for the Parkfest. Ann Dorfman posted fliers around the neighborhood and local volunteers put them in mailboxes on all the streets immediately surrounding the park. Maria Plati of the city had several signboards made up which are reminders at some key intersections. Unfortunately, the Newton Tab failed to run our notice this week but it was in last week.
Many of you are bringing desserts to share. Apples or chips or other snacks would be welcome as well. Please don't bring items that potentially could spoil. Of course, we will have ice cream (since it is a party and Wellington Park is 70 years old this year!). Jane Quinn has already got the hotdogs, rolls, and mustard. Now is there anyone out there who likes to grill and would volunteer to watch over the grill (we may have use of one but the grill person could bring their own). The Kelley's have donated plates, cups, napkins, dishes, plasticware, etc. We will have popcorn from West Newton Cinema again. We are hoping that Star Market will be donating soda for the event again (as they so generously did for our build and last year's Parkfest). Some coolers with ice have been offered (Sue McInerney) and we may again have a lemonade supply from Subway of West Newton.
We will have a registration table at the Parkfest. We would like that to be your first stop so you can pick up a nametag for everyone in your family. We would like you to put your name and your street. After all, we are trying to get people to know each other. Any volunteers to help take care of the registration table? We may have a door prize drawing for those who register. You can have a chance to make sure you or your friends are on our list correctly.
It would be helpful if people could bring some picnic or card tables and portable chairs or benches. We don't have too much seating at the park yet. It would be nice for folks to sit around and chat. In addition we will have various activities for both children and adults. Ruth Comstock has volunteered to run a variety of children's games and events (such as balloon tosses). Burger King of Waltham has donated lots of Kid's Meal coupons ($1 off) to use. We may also have other small prizes to give out. Does anyone have a talent for facepainting? On the basketball court, we may have a foul shooting contest. We will also have a volleyball net set up at the park for your enjoyment? We welcome anyone who takes pictures or video of the event.
How would you like to have a designer pumpkin this year? At least for the first hour, Michael Myers (Myers Mask Design, 508-754-2122, www.myersmaskdesign.com) will be custom designing pumpkin faces. BYOP (Bring your own pumpkin). Mike paints the designs on most of the hockey goalie masks and helmets used by professional teams and local college teams.
And lest we forget, there is a NEW playstructure to play upon!
We are also trying to compile a list of any volunteers who helped with any aspect of our park improvements over the past year (planning meetings, Newton Serves, cleanup day, the Playground Build, spreading gravel or Fibar, etc.) We have names of many who did sign in at the build but we suspect many did not sign the list This list will be used to make up a permanent acknowledgement plaque to be put in the playground. Sure, the print may be small, but we do want to include everyone who was involved. There will be a clipboard at the registration table for this purpose. Put your name (and your children's names) the way you would like them to appear. Any donors to the Wellington Park Fund will also be acknowledged in this manner.
It's a nice opportunity to meet your neighbors, friends, the Mayor, local aldermen, and perhaps even a state legislator or two.
Come early and enjoy the day and pick up your name tag. At 2 PM we will have a ceremony and a few short speeches to give a little background on the park activities over the last year. Mayor David Cohen will preside over a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new play structure. Then, we will be taking a big group picture around the play structure of all attendees after the ribbon cutting. Fun, games, and food will continue until 4 PM. Any other inspirations you have? The most important thing is just to come and meet your neighbors. Bring a friend. So come on down - you're all invited!
From the report of the Newton Playground Commission (1930)
"The past year has been a very busy one for the Playground Department since it was called upon by the City Government to function in a number of affairs incidental to the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the City of Newton.Most gratifying progress was made by the addition of approximately forty-two acres of playground areas. Inasmuch as this is one of the important phases of wise city planning, the year 1930 was a banner year in this respect.
Although most of this land was bought from the tax levy, we must gratefully acknowledge a gift of a one and one-half acre playground made by J. Frank Wellington of Somerville, the deed of which was recorded May 7, 1930. This property is located in West Newton off Henshaw Place. These premises were conveyed upon the express condition that the same shall be improved, dedicated, and forever used by the City as and for a public park and playground, and for no other purpose. This splendid gift will prove a great relief in the near future for this section which is rapidly being developed, and will give the little children a playground which they can reach without crossing main streets."
Thanks to Jane and Don Quinn and the staff of the Jackson Homestead for researching this information.
Our garden committee has become quite active lately. Jenni and crew have planted some of the iris plants donated by Lena Fried from her yard at the Henshaw entrance and near the water fountain. Please be careful not to step in those areas or let dogs or balls enter the garden areas. The 250 bulbs purchased from the Newton Pride Bulb Sale are ready to be planted. In addition, Jane Quinn has donated 100 tulip bulbs and Ann Dorfman another 20 daffodil bulbs. A special hose connection near the water fountain is hopefully in the near future. It would have a special key for use by the Garden Committee. This will help with the bulb watering as well as our maintenance of the lovely new sugar maples donated by Phil Mastroianni Corp.
Jana Tolisano found a very useful tool, (demonstrated last weekend on the "Victory Garden") called a "bulb & plant auger" that attaches to a drill and digs perfect holes for bulb planting with little effort (about $24.95). Apparently, the tool works very well for the task at hand. and cuts through compacted, rooty soil. It would be a big help planting all those bulbs in the Park! The committee would like to purchase one but they are in short supply in the area. Any volunteers to drive to a Home Depot in West Roxbury, Somerville, or Norwood to pick one up for Wellington Park?
The Garden Committee will be getting together at the Parkfest at around 3:30 PM at the picnic table. If you would like to join them, please stop by then or sign up on the Garden Committee clipboard at the Parkfest. You could also send email to garden@wellingtonpark.org or call Jana at 244-8150. The current members of the Wellington Garden Committee are: Linda Angelucci (Kilburn Road), Deedee Antonelli (South Gate Park), Eileen Katin, (South Gate Park), Janet Kuklinski (Henshaw Terrace), Don Lawson (Lindbergh Avenue), Amanda Lewis (Kilburn Road), Jennie Luciano (Lindbergh Avenue), Joan & Janet Mahoney (Lindbergh Avenue), Jane & Don Quinn (Princess Road), Jana Tolisano & Bill Cheney (River Street).
In other landscaping news at the park, the brush along the north fence and in the northwest corner was cleared out this week. In the future, this area will be kept mowed. The northwest corner is another very nice potential garden spot.
True to his word, Phil Mastroianni, local landscaper (PO Box 600377, Newtonville, MA 02460, (36 Border Street), 617-527-8445), put in the new sugar maples along the edge of the play structure this week. They should eventually provide some amount of shade to the play structure in the morning sun. In case you were wondering, street trees usually run several hundred dollars apiece. Our deepest gratitude to Phil for this very generous donation. Phil has done other tree work for the city, having done many of the trees at the Webster Common and also the recent trees in front of the Newton Community Service Center on Waltham Street. Check out Phil's webpage at www.wellingtonpark.org/mastroianni.htm (to be active shortly).
We are very grateful to Fleet Bank for their very generous recent $1000 donation to the Wellington Park Fund. We wish to especially thank Jane Faccenda, the branch manager at the 235 Needham Street Fleet Branch (near Marshall's and Filene's) for naming the Wellington Park Fund as one of their grant recipients. So if you head over to do some shopping on Needham Street, stop in and say thanks to Jane. Thanks must also go to Michael Reza, the branch manager at our local West Newton branch for his assistance in arranging for this wonderful grant.
Thanks also to other recent donors, Leonard Gentile and the Buttons and Bows Playgroup (run by Diane McCarthy). With all these donations, the Wellington Park Fund is now in the black with an incredible $5885. We are awaiting the bill to come in for the play structure and swings. The grant from the city of $12,500 is in process and should be completed shortly. We are still tallying expenses from the build, but with Fleet's generosity, we can probably afford to order at least a new park bench in the near future.
We will have a large poster at the Parkfest listing all citizen and business donors.
It has been suggested that some people may be interested in forming a dog committee to compare notes, discuss dog related issues, organize poop patrols, etc. If you would be interested in being on such a committee or perhaps even leading it, let us know and we will try to put folks together. Your email should go to dogs@wellingtonpark.org. Please check out the "Canine Corner" section of our website. Thanks!
Buttons & Bows Playgroup - Located on Henshaw Place, Fall openings for children 18 months and up, open Mon.-Fri. 8:45 AM to 12:45 PM, warm, comfortable atmosphere, snack and lunch included, have pre-school teaching certificate, Lic # 186283. Please call Diane at (617) 332-4422.
Entertainment Books are available from the NCSC office (492 Waltham Street). They are priced at $20. To get one see Diane at NCSC.
Check out the NCSC website at www.ncscinc.com for a listing of the many, many upcoming programs and presentations at Newton Community Service Centers. Check out new playgroups, child care and adult day care options, basketball lessons, and an interesting "dangers of the internet" seminar. NCSC is our non-profit sponsoring organization. Come say hello to their executive director, Tony Bibbo, at the Parkfest.
The Wellington News email edition is the fastest and easiest way for our organization to keep in touch with you. Just send an email to WellingtonPark@aol.com or call (617) 969-6222 and leave a message. Or if you wish to be removed from the list let us know the same way. And of course, check out our web site http://www.wellingtonpark.org. Back issues of Wellington News are available online. If you are not wired, just read our high tech cork bulletin board at the park.
Hope to see you at the Parkfest!!!!! Come on down.