James, K, Bob pruned, cleared debris and weeds. Park’s Manager Flores interns (Victorio and Jade) and their crew of volunteers mulched and bagged and weeded South of Delancey SDR Park! Great day.

How Can I Improve My Park?

Citizen’s for NYC sent out:

Allow NYC’s food businesses to give their scraps to community compost sites, that help build neighborhoods through support for locally grown food and other green projects.

“…Faux geological deposits are likely on the way to the head of Sara D. Roosevelt Park. A new public art proposal called “Uplift” would have two replica tectonic plates installed at the top of the Houston-facing steps…”

Community Board 3 will weigh in on the matter at its Parks subcommittee meeting on July 10.

CitiBike interviewed a few people including an MKGardener…

Station Stakeout: Rivington and Chrystie

“The Lower East Side has long been home to vibrant and unique people and places, and now it’s also home to a large number of Citi Bike’s ubiquitous blue bikes! With stations dotted across the area, from the Bowery to the East River, residents and tourists alike can be found pedaling through the lively streets of the LES. We headed out to the Rivington St & Chrystie St station to see who we’d meet…”

A lovely write up in the Lo-Down:

M’Finda Kalunga Dedicates Elizabeth Hubbard Scent Garden…

And go to the M’Finda Kalunga website for more pictures of the Juneteenth celebration!

Check it out.

The Elizabeth Hubbard Memorial Garden

Elizabeth’s dancing feet took her from her hometown’s Dance Theater of Harlem – to the corps de ballet at Radio City Music Hall – and to Ballet Hispanico. Along the way she danced herself into the waiting arms of her beloved husband Joe.

Later in life, her feet paused as she taught young ballerinas at Marie Wildey School of Dance. She also became the respected Co-Chair of the M’Finda Kalunga Garden and co-founder of the Roosevelt Park Community Coalition. And in this Park and Garden you would find those dancing feet walking her cherished Roo.

While we pay tribute to Elizabeth’s memory we also commit this garden to the sightless and seeing impaired in our community. We intend it to be a garden that will be truly accessible to everyone. Whether by touch or by scent or by sight: a welcoming oasis to everyone.

It is being created in the spirit that Elizabeth guided us with: she was soft-spoken but fierce in the face of wrong, she had unshakable integrity, frankness, humor, thoughtfulness, generosity and grit.

And it will take a lot of grit. It will need the care and advice of those who it seeks to serve, the sightless and their allies, as well as the steady labor of the already dedicated team of volunteers.

We dedicate The Elizabeth Hubbard Memorial Garden with love in her honor.

Beautiful day today.

Today we dedicated the front Garden to Elizabeth Hubbard. We thank everyone who came out to celebrate and honor her.

Afterwards we had a lovely Juneteenth organized and led by our very own Debra Glass. We had readings and Maya Angelou poetry and a history lesson.

We had guests from the LightHouse and VISIONS (Thank you Lee Brozgold).

We thank Gigi Li, Chair of CB3, for dedicating Elizabeth’s Memorial Garden and Bob Humber (Elizabeth Hubbard Memorial Garden Coordinator) and Kim Fong (Executive Director of the BRC Senior Center) for accepting the plaque that Parks Department generously created.

Terese Flores (Park Manager), Ismael Rivera, Helen Yanolatos, Steve Simon, Geraldine Riddick, and Commissioner Castro.

Bob Humber’s crew: James, Kate, Jose, Lanzo, Carol, Jenifer, Jin Xiu and AAFE volunteers, Citizen’s for NYC and their volunteers.

AND Ted Glass for all manner of help: Signage, Website….etc.

Jenifer did it again!

Deutsche Bank volunteers, Citizen’s Committee staff,  and Garden members planted, watered, and mulched trees for the empty tree pits in the park, weeded the park side areas, completely revamped the chicken coop flooring with fresh dirt and hay, dug out trenches behind the compost piles, picked up trash, moved tons of manure, mulch and dirt into the front scent garden for the blind, oiled sheers and other equipment AND had time to eat pizza and enjoy the beautiful day.

These crews worked hard and didn’t leave until the job was finished (shout out to the chicken crew, and the wheelbarrow brigade bringing manure and dirt to the gardens and the compost pile folks!)