On Saturday, Oct. 24, people of all ages across the world performed Michael Jackson’s famous “Thriller” dance at the same time. The charitable event is called “Thrill the World,” and this year, Seattleites joined in on the fun in Occidental Park.
Seattle Parks and Recreation news and events
On Saturday, Oct. 24, people of all ages across the world performed Michael Jackson’s famous “Thriller” dance at the same time. The charitable event is called “Thrill the World,” and this year, Seattleites joined in on the fun in Occidental Park.
When you’re little, a refrigerator box isn’t just packing material; it’s a castle, cave or new car. From noon-9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, the Imagination Foundation is sponsoring the 2015 Cardboard Challenge featuring the movie “Boxtrolls” at Bell Street Park. Children are invited to create cardboard creations and take part in other activities from noon-6 p.m. The outdoor movie starts at 6:30 p.m.
Seattle’s Cardboard Challenge is about encouraging the people of all ages to come together and foster creativity in children. Children are encouraged to build things from their imagination, to be doers, to explore interests and passions, to learn how to be resourceful and persevere and to see every day recyclable objects in new ways. [Read more…]
Dancing ’til Dusk in Westlake Park, photo by TIA International Photography
Are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer’s here, and the time is right, for dancing in the street PARKS!
Grab your friends, kids, neighbors or significant other and get ready for the second half or our annual Dancing ‘til Dusk events.
The Dancing ‘til Dusk program began in 2007. The original program produced five Thursday nights of dancing, one night for each of five styles—Waltz, Zydeco, Salsa, Line Dancing and Swing. Seattle Parks and Recreation bought an outdoor dance floor, set up a bandstand and distributed invitations widely. Dancers of all ages and abilities came from all over the city and beyond, from a diverse cultural and economic base. Dancing ’til Dusk was born, and has been growing ever since. Now moving into its ninth year, the program includes four downtown parks with 15 nights of dancing, drawing a crowd of 500-800 people per night. [Read more…]
They say all the world’s a stage, and this Sunday that statement rings true. On June 21, for the first time, Seattle will be joining more than 700 cities in a worldwide music celebration called Make Music.
Make Music is a free festival held each year on the summer solstice across the globe where musicians young and old, amateur and professional, of every genre pour into streets, parks and plazas to share their talent with the community. All of the events are free and open to the public. [Read more…]
This summer, Seattle Tilth will teach apartment and condominium dwellers how to grow salads, herbs and vegetables in containers and how to compost food waste indoors or on balconies or patios in downtown parks. These classes provide new ideas and will help troubleshoot site challenges for new and experienced gardeners. Seattle Tilth garden experts will show innovative ways to grow food organically with limited space and reduce food waste for people who don’t have a yard or garden plot. [Read more…]
Musical group Charlie and the Rays will be performing in Seattle parks this summer as part of the 2015 busker program.
Downtown Seattle has a different feel in the summer. The sun is out (like all the time) and the parks are bustling with children, tourists and activity.
This summer you’re likely to cross paths with an indie/folk duo sharing their songs in Westlake Park or a juggler dancing her way through Pioneer Square. We know, because we asked them to be there.
Every spring since 2007, Seattle Parks and Recreation has hired a variety of artists to perform in downtown parks in order to make the atmosphere livelier and more welcoming for families, visitors, and lunchgoers. The artists are paid $50 a day to play two-hour sets in their assigned park. [Read more…]
Seattle Tilth instructor Veralea Swayne teaches Composting for Apartment Dwellers in Victor Steinbrueck Park.
It doesn’t matter whether you live in a studio, condo, dorm or house, Seattle Parks and Recreation wants to make sure more people have the opportunity to grow and eat healthy food.
For the past several years, Seattle Parks has partnered with Seattle Tilth to host free gardening classes in downtown parks. The classes range in subject, but many focus on apartment residents and teach people how to garden in small containers.
On Aug. 19, Veralea Swayne, a Seattle Tilth instructor, was teaching Composting for Apartment Dwellers in Victor Steinbrueck Park.
“I love being able to lead positive activities in our public spaces,” Swayne said. “People live downtown, work downtown, so it just makes sense to have classes downtown. It shows people they can grow their own food no matter where they live.”
Swayne has been teaching for three years and said the parks classes draw a variety of people including people who live on boats.
During the composting class, Swayne led the participants in constructing a worm bin that could easily be stored indoors mess-free.
“Worm castings are actually kind of magical,” Swayne said. “They’re a mild fertilizer that helps everything grow so much better.”
Seattle Parks concierge Stephen Wilson helped organize supplies for the composting class and said he enjoys the different groups that come into the parks to participate.
“These classes bring diverse people into the parks, and I love the lively, fun atmosphere,” Wilson said.
Brandon Neuhaus was one of the class participants. He lives in an apartment on Capitol Hill and said he’s recently become interested in growing his own food.
“I was researching classes and this sounded like an awesome opportunity,” Neuhaus said. “I love the idea of taking a class and having the backdrop be a park. It’s nice to be outdoors.”
Seattle Tilth hosts many free classes throughout the summer at Victor Steinbrueck Park and Freeway Park with support from Seattle Parks Center City Program Coordinator Adrienne Caver-Hall and funding from the Pike Place Market Foundation and the Freeway Park Association.
Seattle Tilth’s last class of the summer will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. in Victor Steinbrueck Park on Wednesday, Aug. 27 and will teach fall and wintering gardening in containers. To register, visit http://seattletilth.nonprofitsoapbox.com/-seattle-parks-downtown-seattle/event/388.
Seattle Tilth is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire and educate people to safeguard our natural resources while building an equitable and sustainable local food system. For more information about their year-round programs and opportunities, please visit www.seattletilth.org.
Seattle Park Rangers Corby Christensen and Sandra Wilcox start their work when most of us are still in bed.
In their tan and green uniforms, the veteran Park Rangers move through the park making contact with park patrons, saying hello, waking up the occasional sleeping park visitor, and reminding folks of the rules.
It’s quiet as they circulate through the downtown parks. But it won’t be long before the masses descend on the streets making their way to work, and the parks are transformed into pedestrian highways.
The rangers regularly patrol the Center City Parks — Victor Steinbrueck, Westlake, Occidental, Hing Hay, City Hall, Freeway, Waterfront, Pier 62-63, Cal Anderson and Lake Union parks. They also visit others, as needed.
As the fastest growing city in the United States, Seattle inevitably experiences the social challenges that can, at times, make our urban parks feel less than welcoming.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has many arrows in its quiver keep the city’s downtown parks feel safe, welcoming and fun. Programming the parks with lots of activities – from bocce ball to ice cream vendors to outdoor dancing lessons – is one way.
Putting Park Rangers in the parks is another.
“It’s a big job,” said Christensen. But he and his partner Wilcox approach the situation with cool confidence.
“A ranger is only armed with charm, wit and sophistication,” he added.
And these two have those attributes in spades.
Christensen and Wilcox have worked the downtown parks together since 2008. They know each other well, and they’ve developed some lasting relationships with the park regulars who greet them warmly, and want to chat their friends, families and career aspirations.
There is an obvious mutual respect between the pair and the communities they serve.
The rangers are in the parks to handle the types of things that can turn others away from parks, but don’t quite rise to the level of calling 911. These include talking with patrons about the rules around drinking, smoking or sleeping in the park. They can handle situations with park patrons who may be mentally ill and disruptive, help remove campers and assist homeless people in finding services.
They help find lost children, return wandering Alzheimer patients to their loved ones and participate in park openings and community events. They pass out soothing cream to the severely sunburned and are ready with a first-aid kit should a visitor trip or fall.
Wilcox and Christensen are part of a larger team of City employees who are all focused on making our downtown parks safe and welcoming for everyone. They attend meetings with Human Services Department staff, Seattle Police Department, the City Attorney, the King County Public Defender’s Office, non-profit agencies and others as part of the Center City Initiative to get longtime homeless people and individuals with disabilities off the streets and into housing and treatment centers.
They are quick to point out that they cannot control every situation, but they are making a huge difference in the lives of individuals.
Wilcox tells the story of a woman who they saw on the street for a very long time. The rangers helped her get enrolled in city services. When she got the keys to her first apartment this summer, she made sure to seek out them out, and share her success with them.
“I’m so happy for her,” Wilcox said. “I can’t wait to see what she’ll accomplish next.”
In the meantime, Wilcox and Christensen, and the six other Seattle Parks Rangers will continue to make their rounds day after day, establishing rapport with destitute individuals and making Seattle’s parks and public spaces a little bit safer.
They’ll prepare for the normal bumps and bruises the job brings and will face unexpected challenges with gusto.
It’s all part of wearing the tan and green uniforms.
Musicians Tristan Kline, left, and Zarni De Wet will be part of the 2014 Busker Program for Seattle Parks and Recreation.
When people think about superhero crime-fighting tools, they envision Superman’s cape, Batman’s gadgets or Spiderman’s web. Here at Seattle Parks and Recreation, we add a few more items to the list: accordions, pianos, tightropes and guitars.
Each spring Seattle Parks auditions and hires a variety of artists to perform in downtown parks in order to make the atmosphere livelier, more welcoming and, most importantly, safer. The artists are paid $50 a day to play two-hour sets in their assigned park and tipping is welcome.
The busker program began in 2007, dreamed up by Adrienne Caver-Hall, the current recreation program coordinator for Center City Parks.
Musician and current park concierge Philip Craft busked during the program’s first year in Hing Hay Park and saw its positive effects firsthand. Craft said when he started, Hing Hay was grim and uninviting, but that changed. He was playing his guitar in the park and women from the community center came over and put apples and oranges in his case, thanking him for being there. Craft said the women had felt trapped in their apartments because the park was frequently occupied by drug dealers and homeless people, but his presence seemed to invite a different crowd.
“Adrienne Caver-Hall deserves a major shoutout for creating and developing what has become a proactive, talent-filled, community-based, safety-building activation of the downtown parks,” Craft said.
In addition to making downtown parks more family friendly, the busker program also promotes individuals’ art. Busking provides instant feedback and a venue to try new things.
“For us to be able to celebrate their artistry and to help them make ends meet is really great,” Caver-Hall said.
This year, Seattle Parks has a roster of 27 buskers who will perform at Hing Hay Park, Westlake Park, Occidental Square, Freeway Park and other downtown parks. Nineteen buskers are returning from previous years, and eight were selected through open auditions at Belltown Community Center.
The buskers will start performing in mid-May, weather permitting. Beginning this year, park concierges will also conduct mid-afternoon counts to see if the number of park visitors is increasing.
“The performers remind people of our common humanity and create a soothing vibe in the park,” said James Whetzel, a former Seattle Parks busker who helped audition this year’s new performers. “It’s nice to have our parks back.”
For more information about the busker program, please click HERE.