Open School information

Click here to visit the Parks Sports and Recreation page for more information.

In this Issue:

• Sports and Recreation Programs
• Outdoor Adventure Club
• Discover Edgerton Park
• Stay cool: Splash Pads & Pools
• LHP Park Migration Festival
• Wildlife Garden - East Shore Park
• Ranger Program Schedules
• Beach Volleyball League
• FERP "Youth at Work " Team
• Holiday Tree Sought
• New Haven Farmers Markets
• Monthly Photo Galleries

Women’s Basketball League Playoffs

High Schools Playoff Schedule
Tuesday, August 6th	6:15 - 7:15 PM	(Courts 1 and 2)
Thursday, August 8th	6:15 - 7:15 PM	(Court 2)
Monday, August 12th	6:15 PM	Championship Game (Court 2)
College Division Playoff Schedule
Friday, August 9th	6:15 - 7:15 PM	(Court 2)
Sunday, August 11th	5:00 - 6:00 PM	(Court 2)
Monday, August 12th	7:30 PM	Championship Game (Court 2)

*** WORK HARD - PLAY HARD ***

Beating the Heat - Public Splashpads and Pools

With exceptionally high temperatures in store, Mayor John DeStefano, Jr. is encouraging residents to take advantage of splash pads, open pools and neighborhood relief. The Department of Parks operates splash pads at the locations listed below. Those with an asterisk run continuously until 8 p.m. tonight. Others can be activated upon demand.

Splash Pads
Ann Street Playground *Dover Beach Edgewood Park Jocelyn Square Kensington Street (in Dwight neighborhood) Lewis Street Park (new in Summer '09) *Lighthouse Point Park Lincoln Basset School Scantlebury Park (new in Summer '09) South Genessee So. Trowbridge Square *View Street Playground	Ann Street between Kossuth & West Front Street up by Middletown Avenue Boulevard & Chapel Street Walnut & East Streets Kensington Street between Edgewood & Chapel Lewis & Front Streets 2 Lighthouse Road 130 Bassett Street Ashmun & Bristol Street Genessee St. up from corner of E. Ramsdell (Carlisle Street) Cedar & Carlisle Streets Cedar Hill Street
Also, four pools are in operation Monday - Friday 5-7 pm and Saturday 11am - 3 pm
Hill Regional Career High School John S. Martinez School James Hillhouse High School Wilbur Cross High School	140 Legion Avenue 100 James Street 480 Sherman Parkway 181 Mitchell Drive

New Haven Olympic Flag Rugby Summer Camp

Flag Rugby
Rugby is a newly accepted Olympic sport and the fastest growing sport in America. The game has been modified to become flag rugby: a noncontact, fun, dynamic, and co-ed game for kids. Teamwork, leadership and respect are just a few of the values learned in this game.

Location: East Rock Park (Cold Spring St. and Orange St.)
Dates: July 8th through August 14th (6 week program)
Days: Monday and Wednesday
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Ages: 10-13
Price: $75

No experience needed, but be ready for fun! Bring water and comfortable clothes.
Click here to download the flyer and registration form.
For more information contact Andrew Marullo at MO@drive2succeed.org

top of page

Public Canoeing and Kayaking Programs for Summer 2013

Summer is here with its longer day light and warmer weather, why not get out and enjoy the evening with one of our kayak or canoe instructional tours. The tours are being offered on Tuesday and Thursday evening at various locations around New Haven. This is a great opportunity to join with New Haven Parks and Recreation Outdoor Adventure Program to experience and learn kayaking and canoeing skills and safety. All equipment will be provided. All you need to bring is your personal gear and a desire for some fun. For those who want to learn even more about the sport, we will be offering 2-day Essentials of Canoe Touring (August 6th & 7th), and Essentials of Kayak Touring (August 8th & 9th ), We are looking forward to paddling with you, so please give us a call if you need more information.

Instructional Tours

This tour is for those who want to get out and enjoy an evening on the water, whether you are a beginner or experienced paddler. On this tour we will show you how to do basic paddle strokes (power, turning and correction strokes). We will also talk about basic safety procedures, equipment care and handling for canoes and kayaks. All equipment will be provided.

Time: 5:30-8:00
Cost:
  Kayaking: $20 for New Haven residents; $25 for non-residents
  Canoeing: $15/ for New Haven residents. $20 for non-residents. Maximum capacity: 2 adults and 2 children per canoe. All children under 10 pay half price.
Age Requirements:
  Kayaking: 12 and over. Participants ages 12-16 must be accompanied by an adult.
  Canoeing: 5 and over. Participants ages 5-16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Dates and Locations:
- Thursday 8/1 Canoe at Mill River
- Tuesday 8/6 Kayak at Lighthouse Point Park

For more information or registration contact Martin Torresquintero: (203)946-6768 or mtorresq@newhavenct.net

---

Essentials of Kayaking Touring: and Essentials of Canoe Touring

These classes are for paddlers with little or no kayaking or canoeing experience wanting to take the sport to the next level. Participants will learn to be confident and safe paddlers with the skills to participate in kayak or canoe touring in protected waters. These courses will cover equipment needs, trip-planning, paddling strokes, and recoveries. Each course is a 12-hour program, taught over the course of two days. Bring snacks and plenty of water.

All equipment, including sit-inside sea kayaks (or canoes), PFD’s, paddles and related safety gear will be provided at no additional fee. If approved by our Certified ACA kayaking/Canoeing instructors, participants may also choose to use their own gear

Location: Lighthouse Point Park
Date: 8/8- 8/9
Time: 9:30AM- 4:30PM each day
Cost: $200 for New Haven residents; $250 for non-residents.
Age Requirements: 12 and over. Participants ages 12-16 must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information or registration contact Martin Torresquintero: (203)946-6768 or mtorresq@newhavenct.net

---

Quickstart your Kayak

Thursday, August 22 - 12:30 - 3:30
Lighthouse Point Park
$60 for New Haven Residents/$75 for non-residents.

This three hour course will teach the basics of kayaking. This will include identifying parts of the boat and paddle, wet-exits, stroke technique, and more. Participants: 16 +

For information and to register contact Ranger Joe Milone: 203-946-6559 or jmilone@newhavenct.net

---

Canoe Rentals on the Mill River

Friday, August 30 - 5:00 - 7:30 pm
Mill River on Orange St - East Rock Park
$10 Per Boat for New Haven Residents/$20 for Non-Residents.
$5 Individual Paddlers NH Res./ $10 for Non-Residents.

First Come, First Serve. No Pre-Registration Required. No Experience Necessary. PFD, Paddle and Boat provided. For ages 5+. 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Trip Length: about 45 minutes

For information and to register contact Ranger Joe Milone: 203-946-6559 or jmilone@newhavenct.net

---

Family Nature Hike

Saturday, August 24 - 12:30 - 2:00 pm
West Rock Nature Center.

A nice easy stroll through the woods looking for creatures, identifying plants, and explore the park.

For information and to register contact Ranger Joe Milone: 203-946-6559 or jmilone@newhavenct.net

Discover the Treasured Parks of New Haven
~ Edgerton Park ~

History of Edgerton and Greenhouses

Edgerton, short for “edge of town”, is a 22 acre public park owned by New Haven on the New Haven/Hamden town line.

In the early 19th century this land was owned by Eli Whitney (1765 – 1825), the inventor of the cotton gin and of guns made with interchangeable parts. Indeed, he invented the idea of interchangeable parts which Henry Ford used so successfully a century later. The uniformity system of manufacture, as it is called, is now used throughout the world.

Angered by the fact that he made no money from his invention of the cotton gin, he decided to build his gun factory in the country to protect his manufacturing secrets. He set up a company town right here which in 1798 was way out in the country. He called it Whitneyville. He built a dam on the Mill River for power. The dam you see beyond the northeast corner of the park is a little south of Whitney’s dam. The current dam was built in the 1920’s by the New Haven Water Co.

In order to keep his manufacturing processes secret, Whitney had to guarantee his workers year round employment to keep them from going to other gun factories. He did this by including a large farm in his company town. The farm provided alternate work when there were no gun orders. The farm started about a mile south of the park and went to Putnam Avenue. in Hamden. The early houses you see on this stretch of Whitney Ave. were lived in by Whitney’s managers. Married workers lived on Armory St. in a series of houses now demolished. Bachelors lived in the men’s boarding house at the corner of Armory and Whitney. The boarding house is now headquarters of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. The barn next to it was built by Whitney in 1816. The Armory, where guns were tested and stored, now belongs to the Regional Water Authority.

Eli Whitney II (1820-1895) built “Ivy Hook”, a Victorian wooden Cottage Gothic house on the land which is now Edgerton. In 1855 he sold the house and land to his cousin, Stephan Whitney. He gave it to his daughter Carolyn on her wedding to Ferdinand Suydam. Carolyn improved the house in the fashion of time. She added a mansard roof, a large wing, porches, and a solarium. She died in 1905. Frederick Brewster bought the property and tore down Ivy Nook.

Edgerton Park was built in 1909 as a wedding present from Frederick Brewster, a New Haven industrialist and philanthropist, to his bride, Margaret Brewster Fitch, his cousin. Designed by Robert Storer Stephenson, a distant cousin of the Brewsters, in the style of 18th century English landscape gardens, it was cleverly conceived to keep sights and sounds of the city out. Building a stone wall around the park and pushing earth up to the top of its east side made Whitney Avenue’s traffic disappear. The belt of trees planted along the top of its east wall ties Edgerton to the trees of East Rock Park so that the visitor inside Edgerton in unaware of Whitney Avenue or of any break in the forest from the edge of the dell to the top of East Rock. This visual elbowroom is a rare treasure in today’s city environment.

Although Mr. Brewster stipulated in his will that the grand Tudor style mansion be taken down, the built park remains. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a superb example of “Country Place” architecture with its delightful mixture of long short views, wooded and open areas, and inviting walkways.

Edgerton Garden Center, incorporated in 1972 to encourage horticultural education, has in the last few years become a partner with New Haven and its Parks Department in an effort to restore Edgerton to its original beauty. The Center is an all-volunteer organization with its headquarters in the carriage house.

Images of Edgerton Greenhouse

New Wildlife Demo Garden located at East Shore Park

East Shore Park is a 200+acre park, located along the harbor shoreline in the City of New Haven. The park’s sport fields, open grasslands, shoreline beach and wooded edges make it attractive to many species migrating (fall) and wintering birds species. This site has received much attention from the Ct. Birding community for the number of rare birds found there over the last 5 years.

Over the past few years, this area’s trees has been hit by severe weather( hurricane, early ice and snow storms), insect pests and invasive non native plants, that have cause considerable damage and loss of valuable trees and habitat.

In partnership with Audubon Connecticut, the Disney Corporation and the City of New Haven’s Parks Dept., we have worked to restore and improve the sites that have been degraded by improving the habitat for birds, wildlife and people.

Thanks to a $5,000.00 grant from the Disney Corporation, we were able, with the assistance of Broken Arrow nurseries and its staff , plant a beautiful Wildlife Demo garden, out at East Shore, next to the Hanna’s Dream Playground site.

City of New Haven’s Parks Dept provided staff to design the garden layout, supervision of project and associated groups volunteering at the site and provided all the planting materials like soil, compost and wood chips. The site will be maintained by one of our Student Conservation Association “Youth at Work” groups working in our Park system this summer.

Currently, Audubon CT, has provided additional grant monies, to the Peabody Museum, to design an informational sign for the public to educate them as to value of local native planting for use by wildlife and what you can do to further these efforts in your own back yard.

Also, in conjunction, with our City’s tree planting program, managed by the Urban Resources Initiative, we have added 27 new bird friendly trees to East Shore park to replace ones lost due to storms . These trees will help provide a valuable food source and cover for bird species that migrate through this park in spring and fall, for years to come.

This fine addition to our City’s Green spaces can be seen at East Shore Park, off of Woodward Ave, next to the tennis courts and Hanna’ Dream playground. I invite everyone to visit this site and learn more.

I would like to thank the following partners in this project for all their support : Audubon Ct. and its staff, URI, Broken Arrow Nurseries, Peabody Museum and the New Haven Park’s Department.

~ New Haven Park Ranger Dan Barvir

New Wildlife Demo Garden at East Shore Park
East Shore Butterfly Bush Planting

Friends of East Rock Park' Summer "Youth at Work " Team

Friends of East Rock Park Summer Youth at Work Team clean up the Scenic Overlook at College Woods. This hard working group of young people are tackling a number of improvement project throughout out East Rock this summer and improving the park for the all in New Haven to enjoy. This program is a joint effort of the New haven Park's Department and the Friends of East Rock Park.

Thank you very much,
Ranger Dan

Friends of East Rock Park Summer Youth at Work Team clean up the Scenic Overlook at College Woods

Holiday Tree Sought

Missing! 55 to 70 foot tall Norway Spruce or Douglas Fir tree (not a blue spruce). The staff of the New Haven Department of Parks, Recreation & Trees has been looking for a very special tree to be used on the New Haven Green during the winter holidays. Have you seen this tree? If so, would you like to donate the tree to the city? The donated tree will be decorated with over 30,000 lights; be the holiday centerpiece of the historic green and will be removed from your property free of charge.

Trees between 25 and 40 feet high will be considered for future years or other locations.

To donate a tree call Christy Hass at the Parks’ Maintenance Division (203) 946-8004 or chass@newhavenct.net.

Ranger Program Schedules

Left to right: Harry Coyle, Martin Torresquintero, Joe Milone, Wray WIlliams, Dan Barvir

Beach Volleyball League

Starting July 8th, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
6:00-9:00pm
$20 per player, all team sizes & levels
3 Courts on the sand
www.facebook.com/newhavenvolleyball
oswald.hernandez.carrero@gmail.com

Lighthouse Point Park Migration Festival

Celebrating Birds, Butterflies & Dragonflies
Sunday, September 22, 2013
8:00 am to 3:00 pm (No Rain Date)
A suggested donation of $5.00 per car is requested to help fund next year's event

Come celebrate the spectacle and mystery of migration at one of the best places to see migrating wild hawks in New England!
Lighthouse Point Park is a recognized Important Birding Area.

• Live Bird Shows featuring Hawks and Owls!
• See wild birds up close at banding demonstrations!
• Children's activities and fun for the whole family!
• Ride the Old-Fashioned Carousel!
• Tour the Historic Lighthouse!
• Live Music! Hands-on Butterfly Tagging!
• Bird walks and more!

This Migration event is funded by Audubon CT, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and the Board of Park Commissioners.

Event partners include:
New Haven Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Trees, Friends of Lighthouse Pt. Park ,New Haven Bird Club, CT Butterfly Association, Audubon Connecticut, CT Ornithological Association , CT Audubon Society, Northeast Hawk Watch, The Community Foundation , Elm City Parks Conservancy and the Peabody Museum.

For more information contact Ranger Dan Barvir: dbarvir@newhavenct.net

New Haven Farmers Markets

CitySeed Farmers Market Downtown, New Haven. 203-773-3736
New Haven Green at Temple & Chapel Streets
Wednesday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

CitySeed Farmers Market Edgewood Park, New Haven. 203-773-3736
Edgewood Park, corner of Whalley & West Rock Aves.
Sunday: 10 a.m.-2p.m.

CitySeed Farmers Market Fair Haven, New Haven. 203-773-3736
Corner of Grand & Poplar Streets
Opens 7/11 Thursday: 2-6 p.m.

CitySeed Farmers Market The Hill, New Haven. 203-773-3736
Corner of Park & South Streets
Opens 7/12 Friday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

CitySeed Farmers Market Wooster Square, New Haven. 203-773-3736
Russo Park, corner of Chapel St. and DePalma Ct.
Through-December Saturday: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Go to the CitySeed website for a full list of products and vendors.

Monthly Photo Gallery

Scantlebury Park, Ashmun Street, New Haven, CT

Scantlebury Park, Ashmun Street, New Haven, CT