Spruce up the Park: this Saturday!

Friends and neighbors: please join us for a "Spruce Up the Park" event this Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 am (weather permitting). We'll meet at the First Street rain garden for weeding and light gardening. Bring your gardening tools if it's convenient. THANK YOU!

Annual Meeting: Tuesday, June 3

There's a lot going on in the park this spring! Please join us to learn more about what's been happening and what's coming up at our Annual Meeting, which will take place on Tuesday, June 3rd, at 7:00 pm, in the Fireside Room at St. John's church. One important item on the agenda is to elect four new members to the Board.

Yoga Returns to the Park!

A generous grant from Northfield Hospital and Clinics allows us to offer three sessions of yoga in Way Park. Sessions begin THIS Saturday morning, May 31 at at 10:30 am, and repeating on June 14 and June 28.

These yoga sessions are free and open to all ages and abilities, and will be led by instructor Katie Felland. Supervision at the playground will be provided. Bring a water bottle and yoga mat, if you have one (we have a small set of yoga mats available as needed), and bring your friends and spread the word!

Explore the Outdoors: May 10 in Way Park

The Friends of Way Park, together with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and PBS stations across the country, announce the second annual Explore the Outdoors gathering on Saturday, May 10 in Northfield’s Way Park.

The Explore the Outdoors event was inspired by a PBS and NRPA initiative to get kids outdoors. PBS has a month of children's programming related to "earth themes," and this year they've created a new website called Plum Landing, which they launched right before Earth Day. In cooperation with NRPA, they have put together some resources for parents and activity sheets.

Once again, FWP is partnering with several local organizations to present a full afternoon of outdoor fun. The event will take place in Way Park from 1:00–4:00 pm on Saturday, May 10, and will include:

• Kite Making
• Spring Crowns
• Letterboxing
• Sidewalk Murals
• The Y Kids Challenge by the Northfield Area YMCA
• A Honey Bee Helper Station by Girl Scout Troop 25410
• An activity for budding farmers by Budding Farmers
• A Green Energy Demo by St. Olaf’s Science Alliance
• Rainbarrels: Solutions to Storm Water Pollution (displayed by Cannon River Watershed Partnership)
• Brainstorming for future playground updates
• Lemonade, music and more...

See you in the park!

March 8: Benefit Concert for Way Park

The Friends of Way Park invite you to a benefit concert for Way Park on Saturday, March 8 at Northfield's First UCC Church. The music of Mozart, Rebecca Clarke and others, featuring violist/violinist Andrea Een with Minneapolis Orchestra violinist Taichi Chen and keyboardist Theo Wee.

Free deserts and a special jazz surprise after the concert in the Assembly Room. Suggested Donation: $10 general admission; $5 for youth 15 and under.

First UCC is located at 300 Union Street in Northfield.

(Thanks to Judy Swanson for another gorgeous poster!)

Northfield Gives

Once again, the Friends of Way Park are asking for your support during Minnesota's annual Give To The Max Day event. 

The "Great Minnesota Give Together" is this Thursday, Nov. 14, and a city-wide Northfield Gives event will take place at the Grand Event Center from 5-9pm. Please join us to celebrate Northfield nonprofits and increase FWP's chance to win some local "Golden Tickets." If you can't attend, please remember FWP in your online giving that day at home or work. 

And be sure to stop by Way Park to see the latest tangible results of your generous FWP donations: three beautiful new kiosks that park neighbor Scott Swanson designed and built!

Make a donation to support the Friends of Way Park.

Pumpkin Fest!

It's time once again for our annual Pumpkin Fest in Way Park! Please join your friends and neighbors for a festive fall celebration on Saturday, October 26 from 5:00–7:30 pm.

A wall of pumpkins will be lit around six o’clock. Families can carve pumpkins they bring to the event, or bring their pumpkins already carved. “We have some very creative pumpkin carvers every year,” said Michelle Martin, a volunteer with the event, “It’s amazing what people come up with.”

Kids (and adults) are encouraged to parade their costumes at six. Free face painting will be available throughout the event, and music will be provided by kid fiddlers and the Arcadia Charter School drum group. The Friends of Way Park will also provide caramel and apples to much on. A bonfire will light the night, and glow-in-the-dark tag will be added to the fun this year.

Volunteers from Transition Northfield will be on hand to help people compost their pumpkin parts and answer questions about the composting pilot being run in the neighborhood.

Four More Yoga Sessions!

Please join us on the next four Saturdays as we host Yoga in the Park! Here are the details:

• When: Saturdays, Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5 and Oct. 12 (Oct. 19 is the rain date), from 10-11am
• Where: Way Park amphitheater on south end of park
• What to bring: Water bottle, yoga mat if you have one (we have a small set of yoga mats available as needed)
• Instructor: Melissa Sharpe, licensed yoga instructor and west side resident
• Cost: FREE—It doesn't get better than that!
• Childcare: On the playground, with two childcare providers—also FREE!

We have this opportunity thanks to the Healthy Activitiy Grant we received through Allina's Neighborhood Health Connection program. Our first two sessions in August brought together approximately 40 people each week, young & old, from the east and west sides of town. Melissa has done a wonderful job of incorporating connection—to self, to neighbor, to nature—into this practice of yoga.

Yoga Photos

Thanks to all the enthusiastic participants of our first two sessions of yoga in the park! There's still plenty of time to join us: the sessions resume on September 21, and take place the following three Saturdays from 10–11 am.

Yoga in the Park

Thanks to a Healthy Activity Grant from Allina Health Partners, the Friends of Way Park are offering six free yoga classes at Way Park with Melissa Sharpe as the instructor!

Classes run from 10–11am on the following mornings:

August 17

August 24

September 21

September 28

October 5

October 12

Rain date: October 19

Free childcare will be provided for children who do not want to participate. Bring a yoga mat if you have one. Some mats will be available for newcomers. The classes are open to the entire Northfield community and will be appropriate for all levels. If you would prefer to use a chair for yoga, please bring your own.

The grant focuses on two items: physical activity and fostering neighborhood connections. We can't wait to see everyone there!