Help Spruce Up MacDonald Park This Saturday!

...it really needs it!

Some good progress was made recently in helping get the park “back in shape”. The work will continue Saturday June 5, 10:00-1:00. Rain or Shine

If you can, please help with some weeding, cleaning, soil cultivation, tree maintenance, watering, and mulching. 

What is Going On With MacDonald Park?

 As I mentioned in the previous post, I visited MacDonald Park this morning for the first time in like a year. Below is what I found. The amount of litter was revolting. What in fuck is going on here?

Volunteers Needed To Help Spruce Up MacDonald Park

Saturday, June 15
10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

Help out for an hour or two if you can. Rain or shine. 

More information on Facebook: Friends of MacDonald Park

MacDonald Park Family Concert on June 1st

There will be music, games, arts and crafts, and a stilt walker!

Work Begins On New Forest Hills Building

I noticed they have begun doing work on the site of this future development across from MacDonald Park. Last I heard it is supposed to be an office building with some retail space as well, and parking.

Call for Volunteers for Mulch and Plant Event This Saturday!

Friends of MacDonald Park is sponsoring a Mulch and Plant Day on Saturday, October 13^th, 9:30-12:00. We need more volunteers to help apply mulch around nearly 100 of the trees that were planted in 2011. These trees replaced those that were destroyed by the 2010 Macroburst.

We will also be planting seasonal plants throughout the park.

If you can spare an hour or two, it would be greatly appreciated.

As always, we provide gloves, tools, and refreshments.

Students receive Community Service Credit too!

Email smelnick718@gmail.com with any questions. Those interested can just show up at the park tomorrow at 9:30. 

A Call for Volunteers at MacDonald Park

This Saturday, June 16 at 10 a.m. - -

Volunteers will be landscaping and replanting the Yellowstone Blvd entrance of MacDonald Park for a brand new and inviting look.

We need at least 50 people to help accomplish this project**.  Just 2  or 3 hours of well-spent community effort will do it!

We start at 10:00 and should be done by 1:00. Help out for as long as you can.

Tools, gloves, and water will be provided.

We hope you can assist us.  Please pass this along to friends and neighbors.

Email Steve with any questions at: smelnick718@gmail.com

**This project is sponsored by Councilmember Koslowitz through the NYC Council’s Parks Equity Initiative, in partnership with Partnerships for Parks and City Parks Foundation.

Volunteers Needed! MacDonald Park Spring Cleanup

After several postponements due to Old Man Winter hanging on way past his welcome, they are finally going to do the cleanup and planting bed preparation this Saturday, April 14, 10:00-12:30.

There are no other dates available in April that they can do this.

Tools and gloves provided.

There is no snow on the horizon and temps will be in the balmy 70s.

We are looking to make some nice improvements to the park this year with our $10,000 NYC Council grant.

Defend Democracy on June 11th at MacDonald Park

With Russian interference in our Democracy this past election now an undisputed fact, it is more important than ever that we pressure our public officials to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the United States strengthens our defenses and, hopefully, exacts a fuller revenge against the oligarchy that despotically controls today's Russia.

Please join us at MacDonald Park in Forest Hills on June 11th from 2-5 p.m. as Queens Stands up for Democracy.

More details here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/205429209976677/?ti=icl 

 Let us come together for liberty and our democracy in this uncertain time. Our Constitution, the rule of law, and the truth are too important to be taken for granted. No person is above the law. This is our opportunity to stand up for American values.

 "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
 -- Abraham Lincoln

MacDonald Park in Springtime

Just some pics I shot the other day while hanging out in our increasingly pretty local park. As I tweeted at the time I took these, you can almost forget you're sitting right next to 12 lanes of traffic the park has become so beautiful. Thanks to all the dedicated people—including a large number of dedicated local volunteers, by the way—who continue to improve this small but vital piece of public parkland smack dab in the middle of Forest Hills.

Rally for Women's Rights March 26th MacDonald Park in Forest Hills

Food Trucks at MacDonald Park

So here I was thinking I came up with such a great idea - to park all the new food trucks that have been coming to Forest Hills around MacDonald Park and put that space to some better use. And then Sunday I stumble upon a Street Fair right there at the Park. Since when did they start having these around MacDonald Park instead of Austin Street anyway, and where was this even publicized? I didn't hear a word about it.

Anyway, this is exactly how I imagined the food trucks would look parked on those side streets near the Park and then people can eat in the park, putting it to some more varied use aside from only chess games and a meeting place for senior citizens!

Imagine this park, that is infrequently used by most residents because of its location, and its poorly-planned design, suddenly becoming a haven for all the delicious different food trucks that have been scattered elsewhere around the neighborhood? They could be located there all the time so people would know where to find them.

Since so many of the landlords on Austin Street—many of whom don't even live here, according to the 516 area codes I always see—continue to hold out with audacious rents that local businesses just aren't willing to pay, why continue to punish the residents of our neighborhood? There have been some storefronts that have been empty on Austin Street for several years!  Let's open this park to more food vendor options. It will give these landlords some real competition and maybe make them more likely to work with a young entrepreneur who wants to open a business in our neighborhood.

God knows, the lines at the new Empanadas truck that just started doing business in Forest Hills shows there is an enormous under-served demand for inexpensive yet delicious food in our neighborhood! When you couple that with the obscenity of all those empty small storefronts on Austin, especially down near Ascan, it makes one so frustrated about all the missed opportunity for this neighborhood when it comes to exciting new businesses that could be flourishing here.

Picture of the Day -- And a Need for Volunteers

Thanks to Steve for the photo... and he also sent along this item:

Volunteer Day at MacDonald Park Nov 14th—Farewell to 2015

The final Volunteer Cleanup Day for 2015 is this Saturday, Nov 14^th from 10:00-12:30. We need help planting new shrubs, raking leaves, pruning, and cleaning.  If you could spare just one hour or two, that would be great...  As always, gloves, tools, and refreshments will be provided. And students receive Community Service credit. 

MacDonald Park Cleanup Dates

Open to anyone who wants to help clean up our park:

As usual, all supplies and gloves will be provided and credit for community service will be given to students. 

Thanks for your continued support in helping make MacDonald Park a great part of our community. 

September 19th,   Saturday 10:00-1:00

October 17th,    Saturday 10:00-1:00

November 14th,  Saturday 10:00-1:00

Is MacDonald Park Being Put to the Best Use?

As the only real public park area in central Forest Hills, I wonder, is MacDonald Park being put to the best use? I'm wondering what you all feel about this park (if you even know that it exists, that is)? Visit it and its users seems to be overwhelmingly comprised of senior citizens. Where are all the new, younger residents in the neighborhood? How come they make little use of this park?

Given that it is the only public park area that most of us have easy walking-distance access to, I really wonder if we can do something better with at least some of the space to make it more attractive and exciting for the younger residents coming into the neighborhood?

What about a Community Garden, for example? We don't seem to have one like the other boroughs do. Or how about redesigning the space to make it just more engaging and attractive, with walkways through more exotic flowers and plants, instead of just the open concrete spaces we now have there?

The point is, MacDonald Park seems to be serving the needs of only a thin slice of the population of Forest Hills. Maybe it's about time its uses were reconsidered and it was opened up to some fresh ideas? It would be nice to have a more entertaining public park space for everyone to use within easy walking distance, especially with the weather being so mild for the most part this summer.

It's My Park Day - Tomorrow!

It's My Park at MacDonald Park

Saturday, May 9, 2015

10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

This It's My Park season, volunteer with Friends of MacDonald Park to help clean, rake, weed, paint and generally spruce up MacDonald Park in Forest Hills. We'll also be planting near the entrance gardens at Macdonald Park starting at 10AM. Please dress appropriately for projects. Please email info@QueensBLVD.org to register for the cleanup. We look forward to a great day of cleaning up MacDonald Park!

Location

MacDonald Park Entrance in MacDonald Park

Queens Boulevard and 69th Road

Queens

Directions to this location

Cost

Free

Event Organizer

Friends of Macdonald Park

Contact Number

(917) 558-3802

Contact Email

info@QueensBLVD.org

 

Calling All Musicians

Share your musical talent with  friends and neighbors in MacDonald Park  Sunday, May 25th 2014 Friends of MacDonald Park and NYC  Parks invite you to participate in a pilot busking program allowing musicians, professional and amateur alike, to perform in the park. Pop, jazz, classical, country, R&B, etc. Contact Steve to register: 917-558-3802

   May 25th, 11:00 - 3:00 

MacDonald Park, Queens Blvd/70^th Av, Forest Hills

My Park Day at MacDonald Park

One of the event's organizers, Steve Melnick, sends out a sincere BIG thanks to all who participated in Saturday's community volunteer event, saying "It was a lot of work, but we accomplished practically everything as scheduled...in just over 2 1/2 hours! An extra thanks to the Rutgers students who drove in from Newark to help out.  And thanks to the NYC Parks Dept crew along with Partnerships For Parks coordinator, Nichole Henderson, for their support. A big thanks to Ed O'Neil,  our district gardener, for showing us the ropes."

Some numbers:

40 bags of leaves picked up

500+  daffodil bulbs planted 

7 trash bins painted

30 seasonal plants planted

22 volunteers - priceless

It's My Park Day Volunteer Event at MacDonald Park

  Just a reminder for anyone who can help out for an hour or two this Saturday, 9:00-11:30.

Volunteers are needed to:
Rake leaves
Pick up litter 

   Plant bulbs

Mulch
Weed
Clean park benches and tables
Paint litter baskets

Gloves and supplies will be provided. Open to all ages.
Meet at center of park, 70 Av and Queens Blvd, across from the Forest Hills post office.
Weather forecast : Sunny/ 55 degrees

MacDonald Park Stewardship Event - Saturday Nov 9th

Our Parks Dept district gardener, Ed O'Neill, has started planting new shrubs at the center entranceways of MacDonald Park. It's looking pretty good so far!

To all volunteers:
There will be a Spruce Up the Park Day at MacDonald Park on Saturday, November 9th,
9:00-11:30
It will be held under the auspices of the NYC Parks Department.
Volunteers are needed to:
Rake leaves
Plant bulbs
Mulch
Weed
Clean park benches and tables
Paint litter baskets

Gloves and supplies will be provided. Open to all ages.
Meet at center of park, 70 Av and Queens Blvd, across from the Forest Hills post office.

I hope you can lend a hand. Bring a friend. Thanks!

Steve Melnick
Forest Hills Green Team
Friends of MacDonald Park