TOTS PARK COMMUNITY BUILD A GRAND SUCCESS!!!

The showers on Friday had all of us frantically checking weather.com, but the weather Gods smiled on us and we were able to proceed with a fantastic build on Saturday, May 2nd. Several skilled Tots Park parents, other community members as well as many local construction contractors showed up bright and early to help with the build. The icing on the cake was having our new Mayor Seth Gallagher working hands on, alongside Trustee Ralph Falloon and Building Inspector James Hartford. Rica Watkins, who just moved here from Georgia, said," It's wonderful to see a community come together for such a great cause." Despite a generous selection of donated snacks, The Friends of the Tots Park had a hard time getting the work horse volunteers to take a break...they worked through the day and finished up in record time.

Ed Trimble and the highway crew had already turned over the sand in the sand box and refinished the walkway.
Our volunteers assembled the new equipment and mixed and poured in the concrete to install it. Everybody pitched in the aerate the mulch and pull weeds...and voila!!! A brand new face for the much loved gathering spot, just in time for the prime outdoor play season!!! The kids watching over the fence could hardly contain their excitement when they saw a new digger, rock climbing tunnel and seesaw go in. They couldn't wait to try out the new Trike path and playhouse and had animated conversations about their favorite new toys at the park. The Friends of the Tots Park would like to thank our hardworking build volunteers and all the people who cooked/bought food for the volunteers. Thanks also go out to all the donors who helped us raise the $14,000 to purchase the new equipment for the village of Cold Spring.
We are always amazed at the generosity and involvement of our little community and thank each one of our donors, volunteers and well wishers from the bottom of our hearts. It's probably best expressed by the kids: so stop by the park sometime and let the kids' laughter and screams of delight over the new equipment speak for itself. THANK YOU PHILIPSTOWN, FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN!

Thanks to our Build Volunteers:
Jessica Arguello
John Arguello
Tim Brennan
Ben Carmicino
Barton Chew
Joel Connybear
Justin Edelson
Dan Ferreira
Aaron Freimark
Seth Gallagher
Andrew Hall
James Hartford
Bob Hayes
John Hedlund
John Hutchison
Jeff Keegan
Dan Marks
Kathryn O'Hara
Susan Peehl
John Peters
John Plummer
Paul Mooney
Jane Rapa
John Ricci
Michael Robinson
Chris Sandlund
Walter Sassano
Joni Schneck
Jeff Toland
Tara Vamos
John Van Tassel
David Watkins
Rica Watkins

We could not have done it without you!!!

COMMUNITY BUILD: SATURDAY MAY 2nd

TOTS PARK CLOSED FROM APRIL 29th to MAY 5th

We are happy to announce that our new equipment (Phase 1 & 2) will finally be installed on May 2nd. We are so close to making this dream a reality...but we need your help to make it happen!! Due to the construction, the Tots Park will be completely closed from Wednesday, April 29th to Tuesday May 5th. Please respect the fencing and do spread the word. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and hope you will all enjoy the new and improved park from May 6th onwards. Stay tuned to this blog for updates.

On the day of the community build, Saturday May 2nd, we need volunteers who either have some level of construction skills or are 'handy' to assemble and install the equipment (the play equipment company will provide a supervisor and the village highway department will do all the digging and concrete pouring). If you have skills and are available to help for any length of time between 8am and 4pm on Saturday, May 2nd please email totspark@yahoo.com to sign up for the build. Your RSVP is important so we know how many hard-working souls to feed that day! Also, please note that for their safety, no children will be permitted on site during the build.

We are very grateful to Ed Trimble and the highway department for their assistance on this project. The highway crew is also responsible for crafting the beautiful new benches you will see at the park soon. Our deepest thanks to former mayor Anthony Philips for his advance work to make the benches and installation possible and to mayor Seth Gallagher for seeing the project through.

And now over to you, the Friends of The Tots Park. This park was funded and built by parents and other community volunteers, and we hope we can count on you to help us make it even better on May 2nd and beyond!

Phase 1-Ready To Order!

Thanks to the amazing generosity of our community, we are happy to announce that we now have sufficient funds to go ahead and place the order for Phase 1 of our project.
See the pictures above for an idea of what our new rock tunnel, bouncers, seesaw and digger will look like.

Also, having received overwhelming feedback that most parents would like the sandbox to stay as is, we have revised the plan for Phase 2 to include a Toddlertown Playhouse, Drive Thru' and Trike Path that will complement our existing sandbox.
Of course, this means we will need to change out the sand and maintain the sandbox regularly but we know we can count on volunteer parents for ongoing help with that!

(click on the plan to enlarge)

We hope to place our order before the end of the year (to avoid a price increase) and to schedule the installation for early Spring 2009. This will be a supervised community build and we will ask for volunteer parents to help with the installation.
The village has also offered the help of the Highway Dept. workers for our project.

We currently have close to $14,000 in available funds. Phase 1 and Phase 2 as revised will totally cost us almost $13,000. So we continue to ask for donations from the community in cash or kind (We'll need sand and cement for the project), of course, with our sights set on Phase 3 in the near future. You can make a secure online donation or mail a check to the Community Foundation of Dutchess County...( click on this link to go straight to the donation page) Please specify Cold Spring Tots Park as the Fund Name.

We're excited to be so close to an improved Tots Park! None of this would be possible without your help and support and we thank each one of you for being so involved in this project.

As always we welcome your feedback on this blog or email : totspark@yahoo.com

TOTS PARK HALLOWEEN COSTUME SWAP: OCT. 4th

So its that time of year again: time to go spend ridiculous amounts of money on a costume that your child will most likely wear once or twice or outgrow within a year. Tots Park to the Rescue!
Announcing the first ever Halloween Costume Swap!
Stop by the Tots Park between 10am and noon on Oct. 4th and pick out a costume for $5.
Email totspark@yahoo.com to donate your old costumes.
All proceeds benefit the park.

Many thanks to Jane Rapa for the brilliant idea!

Hudson Beach Glass donates to Arts For the Park

Many Thanks to John and Wendy Gilvey of Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon for donating this beautiful bowl. Its up for auction along with several other pieces of art (scroll down to see older posts) at Arts For the Park: Sunday, Sept. 28th at 3pm at the Presbyterian Church. Come out to enjoy a beautiful chamber music concert while supporting the park. See you Sunday!

Morphicism donates to Arts For The Park

Many thanks to Jay Palefsky of Morphicism in Beacon for his generous donation of the piece entitled "Cold Spring,NY"
(Click on the image to enlarge)

This piece along with others (scroll down to see older posts) are up for auction and currently on display at The Butterfield Library. Bidding is now open! Final bids will be taken at the Arts For The Park event on Sept. 28th at 3pm at the First Presbyterain Church on Academy Street.

See older posts for details on the wonderful Chamber Music Concert we have in store for you at Arts For The Park!
Come out to support your park. Childcare provided!

Arts For The Park: Chamber Music Concert and Art Auction

Sunday, Sept. 28th, 3 pm , First Presbyterian Church Academy St. Cold Spring
Admission:$10, Childcare provided
A perfect way to enjoy some classical music and art to support your favorite park.

We are excited to present a wonderful chamber music concert featuring the musical talents of several local performers:
Tom McCoy:Piano
Rachel Evans, Pam Read and Linda Kleinhenz: violin
Cynthia Ligenza: violin and viola
Abby Luby and Carolyn Llewellyn: cello
Lynn Brown: flute

The concert features an array of ensembles that include movements of Piano Trios by Clara Schumann and Brahms, a String Trio by Beethoven, a movement of Schubert's cello quintet, a Biber violin sonata, a Mozart Flute Quartet and a String Quartet by Haydn.

We thank all the performers for donating their time and talent to our cause.

Hope you have been by the Butterfield Library to check out the artwork up for auction. Artwork will be on display until Saturday,September 27th. You can start bidding for your favorites now.

Email:totspark@yahoo.com with any questions.