Firefly Field

FIREFLY FIELD HAS ARRIVED! /  by Lori Bigler

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

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.

Woodland Park “Firefly Field” Sculpture Update /  by Lori Bigler

The weather has played havoc with the completion of the Firefly Field installation. Our artist, Dylan Conner, has had the sculpture completed since late summer but delays due to the aftermath of our recent storms (Harvey, ice storms, etc.) have created distractions and other necessary priorities for our contractors and public support organizations. But final terms for the construction and adoption agreements are being circulated, and construction permit presentations are being prepared. Funds from the city and our council district that were committed for the project have been transferred to the Houston Parks Board, which oversees all such construction projects. And the remaining funds due from FWP are available for transfer as soon as we receive the instructions to do so.

As of this writing we expect to have the sculpture installed by early spring.

P.S. Please consider renewing your FWP membership.

WHCA General Meeting, Tuesday May 9th at 7pm /  by Lori Bigler

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:

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 /  by Lori Bigler

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 /  by Lori Bigler

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 /  by Lori Bigler

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.