SAVE THE DATES! FWP - Annual Meeting October 10 Plus Halloween Concert October 17

Friends of Woodland Park - Annual Meeting
The Friends of Woodland Park will be holding their Annual Meeting, on Thursday,  October 10, inside the Woodland Park Community Center, 212 Parkview. There will be a Meet and Greet at 6 pm, followed by a members meeting with a report of accomplishments of the past year and future plans.  
The guest speaker for the evening will be Ranger Woodard with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department, who will explain Urban Park Ranger responsibilities as well as what issues, wants, and needs he has for Woodland Park.

Friends of Woodland Park - Halloween Themed Concert!
You are invited to a family-friendly concert hosted by the Friends of Woodland Park on Thursday, October 17, 6-7:30 p.m., in the community center at Woodland Park. Jo Bird, the Fiddle Witch, is our guest musician and will provide the entertainment. Wear your Halloween costume – kids and adults. There will be candy, decorated cookies, and Halloween-themed coloring pages for the kids.  We will also enjoy several flavors of popcorn.
 
Jo Bird was born and raised in Pasadena, TX, where she grew up playing in the public school orchestra. She moved to Houston to perform and compose music for Two Star Symphony, Pecos Hank, I Am Mesmer and Fiddle Witch and the Demons of Doom in addition to many other musical groups and various projects. She has been residing in Galveston, TX, since 2019 performing her solo works for Art Walk, private events and many other random happenings.
 
Come join us at your park in our wonderful neighborhood!

FWP Partners with Houston Audubon Society in the First Ever Houston Bird Week

This just in from the Friends of Woodland Park:

We’re excited to be an official partner with the Houston Audubon in the first-ever Houston Bird Week, in honor of their 50th anniversary. Equal parts fun, education, and celebration, experience firsthand the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds, and the everyday life of our urban-dwelling birds. Led by Houston Audubon’s Young Professionals Advisory Council in collaboration with local conservation partners, we have a flock of fun planned for all.

Don’t miss the kick-off party, where an official Bird Beer will be unveiled! From pop-up birding stations to park clean-ups and bioblitzes, your participation and excitement will help us continue to be a welcoming home for Houston’s birds.

We hope you can join us Saturday, September 28th for Woodland Park Clean-Up from 9 am - 12 pm

Let’s get chirping on social media. Use #HoustonBirdWeek to share your excitement! Check out the jam-packed list of events at www.houstonaudubon.org/birdweek

View fullsize

Update on the Houston Ave - White Oak Drive Project

The following was submitted by Pat Rutledge following a TIRZ-5 meeting the morning of February 28th.

Here is a brief overview of the current status of the Houston Ave. / White Oak Drive intersection redevelopment project.

View fullsize

Originally the project was scheduled for completion in late March 2019. Currently the completion is expected to delayed slightly and be completed by mid to late April 2019. Rain is responsible for some of the time delay but the greater culprit is the delay in removing the privately owned “telephone” poles: CenterPoint, AT&T, and AT&T Legacy, etc. However that work is now expected to begin and be completed the week of March 4th. After that is completed the remaining work will concentrate on the Woodland Heights Gateway at the north west corner of the intersection. Additionally the entire intersection will receive an asphalt overlay at the end.

This project is the first to meet the newly revised city guidelines for traffic safety and pedestrian walkability, i.e. the new mobility plan.

As an added enhancement City Council District H has funded an extension of the street level bike lane from the intersection south to intersect with the MKT Trail that crosses Houston Ave near Spring St.

The WHCA Clock Tower has been completely refurbished and is awaiting transport and installation into the Gateway as that part of the project is completed.

The most recent printed update on the project and the supervising company (Jones and Carter) is available for download here.

This tremendous improvement to the neighborhood will significantly beautify the south east entrance to the community while making pedestrian and bicycle use much safer.

Pat Rutledge
Friends of Woodland Park

Woodland Park 3rd Annual Scout Clean Up Day

Sunday, November 4th 2-4 PM
212 Parkview St, Houston 77009

Join us as we help to clean up a local treasure. All Scouts, friends, family and neighbors are welcome.

To register your group, please email Lauren Lindsay: mail and complete the online waiver on the FWP website: https://www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org/ All materials provided and fun patches available for purchase. We hope to see you there!

FWP: The Fabulous Fireflies

The Friends of Woodland Park are very proud of the recent installation of Dylan Conner’s remarkable Firefly Field sculpture in Woodland Park. In all respects it has exceeded our lofty expectations. And we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the many donors who contributed so this goal could become a reality.

We realize the caution tape around the sculpture bases is less than attractive and hardly ideal, but by the August 18th weekend the base of the landscape garden (along with its moss rock edging) will be installed. So be sure and come by to witness the evolution of this park project.

After that, what remains is the installation of mulch (soon after), and the planting of the native grasses once Autumn arrives. And we could definitely use your assistance with both these tasks. Please visit our website for details or monitor our Facebook page and Nextdoorpostings for the dates and times for these projects. Neither will take very long if we have a group of enthusiastic volunteers helping us.

Additionally, be sure and circle Friday November 2nd 6-9 PM on your calendar for the formal dedication of our sculpture. Our celebration event: “Illumination of Firefly Field by Dylan Conner”, will be a memorable and fun evening for the whole family. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for details.

If you appreciate the successful completion of this amazing project and you value our community spirit and wish to show your support for local art and artists, one way to do so is through a donation to FWP specifically for the future care of Firefly Field. Your tax deductible donation (FWP is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization and donations are deductible within stated IRS rules & guidelines) can be specifically earmarked for the perpetual care of this new  community landmark.

Please consider supporting local art and artists with your gift to keep the Fireflies and their landscape garden in a first class condition.

- Pat Rutledge, Friends of Woodland Park

FIREFLY FIELD HAS ARRIVED!

The Friends of Woodland Park are proud to announce that Dylan Conner’s remarkable sculpture, Firefly Field, has been fully installed in Woodland Park.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Friday, July 27th was a banner day for FWP and the park as everything came together when Dylan’s colleagues and a crew of experienced metal sculptors worked all day to install his inspirational sculpture.  Lighting was completed as well so by evening the park was transformed into a native spectacle.

Since Friday, FWP has been approached by a significant number of neighbors plus park and art lovers wishing to donate to the project and to have their families’ contribution forever memorialized on the donor plaque to be installed soon.  We have therefore decided to re-open the fund raising to allow those who would still like to contribute to this park improvement to do so.  Details will be posted on our website, www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org.  This opportunity will likely only be available for the next 30 days or so, so please be sure to act soon if you are interested.

Our next phase of this project will be the initial creation of the landscape garden which has been designed by our friends and neighbors at SWA.  The bed with flagstone edging, a premium garden soil mix, and mulch will be built in the next few weeks, and then in early fall when the weather is cooler we will plant various native grass species.

For those who would like to be a part of this addition to the park and contribute their time, perhaps in addition to their financial donation, we certainly need volunteers to help with the installation of the landscape.  Please check our website for future details or look for updates posted on NextDoor.

Our tremendous artist, Dylan Conner, is a third generation Woodland Heights resident, a graduate of HSPVA, and a scholarship winning graduate student currently enrolled in U of H.  He has contributed public art in the Houston Heights Boulevard Art exhibit and been involved in the installation of huge and noteworthy sculptures in the area.  He is a truly remarkable talent and an extremely loyal Woodland Heights resident.  We thank all of you who have supported our local artist.

We hope to see you at the park.

WHCA General Meeting, Tuesday May 9th at 7pm

The WHCA will have a general meeting this coming Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:00 PM at Hogg Middle School. Please come out to hear updates from your neighbors about what is going on in and around our neighborhood.

In addition to hearing updates from each board member, we will also hear from several guest speakers including:

• Alicia Nuzzie of Houston High Speed Rail Watch will present a concept for light rail connection from North West transit center into downtown and stakeholder communities.
• METRO President & CEO, Mr Thomas Lambert, will be present to talk about bus routes on Watson. 
• Friends of Woodland Park will provide an update on the fundraising drive for the FireFly Field sculptural installation in Woodland Park.

Please come out to hear about these important topics for our neighborhood as well as the chance to network and connect with your neighbors about any issues or concerns that are important to you and our wonderful neighborhood, the Woodland Heights.

Hope to see everyone there.

FWP: Light The Night Event Reminder

Friends of Woodland Park invites Houston to our celebration of Firefly Field on April 29th from 7pm to 9:30pm at Woodland Park.

This free, family-friendly event is the biggest event we've ever done. We'll have food trucks, face painting, fun activities for the kids, a prize raffle and live music from funk/soul/rock band, Supreme Tabby. It's a Houston-sized party for its second-oldest park.

Visit the event on Facebook. Please let us know you're going and share with your friends.

Friends Of Woodland Park Firefly Field Day

On Saturday, Feb. 25th the Friends of Woodland Park (“FWP”) held Firefly Field Day at Woodland Park.  The event was generously underwritten by the WHCA.  The weather was perfect, and the turnout was tremendous as residents from all over the greater Heights area attended.

As has become a custom for our family friendly events, Bayou City Play brought their crafts, materials, and creativity for the children to build whatever they wished.

Our FWP Master Naturalist and Travis Elementary Garden Instructor, Steve Brennan, was there with his plant, animal and critter materials which are always a huge hit with children of all ages.
The primary purpose of our event was to introduce the neighborhood to the now fully approved Firefly Field sculpture designed by fourth generation Woodland Heights resident, Dylan Conner.  Our sculptor was there and engaged many of the attendees with his concept and design for this incredible addition to the park.  We had renderings prepared by our landscape architectural advisors and advocates, SWA, to show everyone just exactly what the sculpture will look like when installed.  We also had fun giveaways, door prizes and snacks for all in attendance.

We were very proud to introduce our City Council District H Representative and Woodland Heights resident, Karla Cisneros, who provided some very kind words and presented a check for $10,000 as the first donation for the Firefly Field!

But the fun and donations did not end there.  Representatives from Elan Heights/Greystar were also there to present the FWP with a check for $15,000 to fully underwrite the matching fund required to have a B-cycle station installed in the park.  Word from the executive director of the B-cycle program is that our application is being fast tracked and the station will be powered via solar energy so that it can be installed and fully functioning before summer arrives.

Woodland Park was once the destination for entertainment and outdoor fun for Houstonians. With Firefly Field, we hope to return this historic park to some of its former glory. We know the surrounding community will benefit from a rejuvenated park culture full of activity and exploration. Please visit the project’s website and consider supporting Firefly Field (www.fwp.fund).

- Pat Rutledge for Friends of Woodland Park

FWP Firefly Field Event Saturday, Feb 25th 10am-1pm

Please join the Friends of Woodland Park (FWP) as we celebrate our past successes, our tremendous future plans, and our 10th anniversary. We will be hosting a free, rain or shine, family fun day in the community center building at the park: 212 Parkview St.

We are excited to be bringing Bayou City Play back to Woodland Park for another opportunity to enchant and energize children of all ages. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

We are looking forward to sharing our "monumental" plans for 2017 with the community and are fortunate to have some special guests helping us, including Council Member Karla Cisneros.

CM Cisneros will help us unveil our plans for "Firefly Field", a truly inspiring sculpture designed by our fourth-generation Woodland Heights resident and metal sculptor extraordinaire, Dylan Conner. Fundraising for this park gateway installation, which is planned for the great lawn, will take place in the coming weeks. We look forward to an outpouring of community support for this remarkable addition to the park.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Woodland Heights Civic Association for their continued support of our efforts, and for their specific sponsorship and underwriting of this family event.