Way Park is the heart of a vibrant neighborhood on the west side of Northfield. It features: a musical playground; playground equipment and swings; pre-school equipment; a basketball court; picnic and grilling areas; a walking path; a warming hut and ice rink (seasonal); a small baseball/kickball diamond (seasonal); a large open field perfect for pick up soccer games and kite flying; and lovely rain gardens.
Our organization, The Friends of Way Park hosts several events every year including Yoga in the Park, Pumpkin Fest, and a spring picnic event.
Please join us for the annual Friends of Way Park benefit concert. This year... It's Jazz and Desserts! with Dave Hagedorn on xylophone, Eric Hanson on drums, and Kevin Clemens on bass.
The concert will begin at 7pm on March 7 at the First UCC, and everyone is welcome to stay afterwards for coffee and desserts. Come enjoy the music and the treats, and support the dream of an outdoor musical plaza in Way Park. First UUC is located at 300 Union Street, Northfield, MN 55057 To learn more about the musical plaza ideas, view our previous post, or visit the Freenotes Harmony website (the creators and manufacturers of the instruments). The image below is a proposed design for the plaza and the layout of the instruments (click the image for a larger version).
The Friends of Way Park, in collaboration with the Northfield Rotary Club, some local music educators, and the city, is exploring the possibility of an outdoor musical plaza for the park.
A similar collection of instruments was recently installed in Jackson Square Park in Minneapolis.
You can hear and read about the instruments on the Freenotes website.
The video below, from Freenotes Harmony, shows a musical plaza embedded in a naturally landscaped space.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Where will they be?On the north end of the Park, centered between east and west borders. Our plan is to place them on a small plaza on the south side of the sidewalk that runs below the wall and steps.
How will they sound?They are tuned to produce harmonious sounds when played together.
Will they disturb the peace? The company has measured decibel levels. At their loudest (right next to them) they could approximate the level of a lawnmower; 30 feet away, the sound level is that of normal street noise; at 150 feet, the level is that of normal conversation.
Will they survive the winter outdoors?Yes. They are winter-hardy and have been placed in parks in Utah, Colorado, Alaska and Minnesota.
When will they be installed?We are working through the process with the City right now. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) has approved moving forward with this project and will host a neighborhood meeting in February or March to answer questions and provide for discussion before further action. Assuming approval, we would hope to have the instruments installed sometime this summer.
Anything else we should know? On a related subject, we are ordering plantings to screen the west border and northwest corner of the playground. These will form a visual boundary and a natural play-space for little kids, and they should reduce sound for the neighbors.
Hello Friends! Ten years ago, Way Park bore the scars of demolition, and a street divided the space. Today, thanks to the City and Friends of Way Park, we enjoy a single lovely expanse with young trees, newly planted rain gardens, an amphitheater, and more recently, three kiosks and colorful murals on the warming house. The park is a hub of activity and a place for neighbors of all ages to connect -- on the playground, while ice skating, and at events such as Pumpkin Fest, Explore the Outdoors Day, and Yoga in the Park.
Friends of Way Park is able to move projects forward and promote community-building activities because of your support. As we look toward the future and turn our attention to upcoming initiatives, like adding creative play elements to the playground and designing a healing garden for the south end, we are asking you to help by joining the many generous donors who are carrying on the legacy of the Way sisters.
November 13 is Give to the Max Day. Every donation made on that day is especially powerful because it offers a chance for Friends of Way Park to win a $1,000 golden ticket (given hourly), medium-sized nonprofit prizes up to $10,000, and one of several super-sized golden tickets of $10,000.
Through a FWP Board initiative to improve the appearance of the warming hut, a partnership was formed with the City and a St. Olaf College advanced studio art class on public art.
The twelve students in the class each submitted a proposal, and a jury selected the one it found to be artistically strongest and most appropriate.
The jury was composed of one member of the FWP Board, one FWP non-Board member, one City staff member, one member of the Park and Recreation Advisory Board, and one member of the Arts and Culture Commission.
Join us for another session of Yoga in Way Park on Saturday, July 26th at 9:00 AM at the Amphitheater.
This is a make-up session for the June 14th event that was cancelled due to weather.
As before, the sessions are free and open to all ages and abilities. Supervision at the playground will be provided and some yoga mats will be available.
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!
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.
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!
Please join us for the annual Friends of Way Park benefit concert. This year... It's Jazz and Desserts! with Dave Hagedorn on xylophone, Eric Hanson on drums, and Kevin Clemens on bass. 
