March Madness
In an effort to streamline our program and give you a spring lift, we have extended your membership to March and will continue to renew memberships on an annual basis. Watch the mail and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to support Memorial Park, Houston’s most loved green space. Contact Sally Tyler for details at styler@memorialparkconservancy.org.
Rodeo Riding High
This year’s paid Rodeo attendance was 1,176,436, a 5.5% increase over last year. Thanks to HPARD and Memorial Park Conservancy staff and volunteers, cheerful flagging greeted trail riders on Memorial Drive.
Economically, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo generates more than $345 million in business and revenue in the Houston Metropolitan area. More than 400,000 hotel room nights are booked, and an excess of 1.8 million meals are served to visitors and exhibitors to the show every year. The Rodeo efforts are to help raise funds for education and scholarships. Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has contributed nearly $200 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher ExcellenceTM, School Art participants, and other educational and youth programs.
Congratulations to all the volunteers who helped make it happen!
Memorial Benchmark Brigade
Since Memorial Park is used by over 10,000 people a day, the trails, benches and tables, as well as the athletic stations occasionally suffer signs of neglect. HPARD staff has done an admirable job maintaining the park with limited personnel and budget, but they need our help to improve and enhance this much-loved, much-used park. If you see something that needs fixing, replacing, or cleaning, call Memorial Park Conservancy.
We are your voice for the care of Memorial Park.
Benchmark Brigade is a bi-monthly walk around the trails noting needed upkeep for the benches. We'll start by documenting locations and conditions of our current benches. Eventually we will move to other activities that can make the park aesthetically more appealing.
Please help kick off this program on Tuesday, March 27 at 10:00 a.m. Refreshments will be provided. To learn more or to sign up, e-mail deb@memorialparkconservancy.org.
Gearing up for Memorial Park Conservancy's 2nd Annual Golf Tournament
Plans are well underway for our spring "Celebration of Memorial Park," honoring philanthropist, Harold Wiesenthal, scheduled for May 22nd at Memorial Park Golf Course. His gifts of time, talent and treasure have helped to maintain Memorial Park for over 25 years. Tell your friends and family that we’re looking for players and sponsors. Help make our 2nd annual golf tournament even better! For more information call Alejandra Garrido or e-mail, alejandra@memorialparkconservancy.org. Register online at memorialparkconservancy.com.
Washington Takes Notice
Earlier this month, twelve staff members from U.S. Rep. John Culberson’s Houston and Washington offices took part in a week-long retreat, which included visiting and touring some of Houston’s most important sites. Among these sites was Memorial Park. Memorial Park Conservancy’s staff, President of the Board, Steve Costello, and Immediate Past Chair, Claire Caudill, joined representatives from the Houston Parks and Recreation Department for a short but intense tour of the park.
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Steve Costello and Rick Dewees share our bridge
plan with Culberson's staff |
Their visit gave us the opportunity to share our park’s rich history and heritage and allowed us to communicate our very important mission of protecting and preserving Memorial Park. We presented to them some of the park’s current challenges as well as our plan for the future--as outlined in the Memorial Park Master Plan.
We, at the Conservancy, are committed to raising funds to protect and enhance this precious gift that has been bestowed upon us. However, public support remains imperative. We thank Representative Culberson’s staff for their time and appreciate their willingness to relay our message of need to Washington.
Five basic tenets of the Memorial Park Master Plan are:
• Returning park maintenance area to public use, refurbishing the greenhouses and establishing a visitor/resource center
• Building a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over Memorial Drive
• Maintaining and enhancing the park’s extensive trail system
• Creating a habitat management plan
• Building a canoe/kayak launch
Learn more about the Memorial Park Master Plan by visiting our website.
Honor a Loved One With a Memorial Park Bench
Memorial Park Conservancy offers a special way to honor a loved one or special occasion by donating a Memorial Park bench. A brass plaque with wording of your choice will be placed on the bench to remember that special person or event. We are happy to have the opportunity to meet with you at the park to help you select that special place for your bench.
The Houston Parks and Recreation Department has asked that all new benches be placed appropriately 400-feet apart and only in locations specified by HPARD. Not all of the benches currently placed are spoken for. You also have the opportunity to donate a new bench to replace one in need of replacement. For more information please contact Alejandra Garrido at: Alejandra@memorialparkconservancy.org. All proceeds of the Commemorative Bench Program benefit the on-going efforts of Memorial Park Conservancy.
W.O.W. in Memorial Park
In honor of the 275th birthday of the first President of the United States, Super Neighborhood No. 22 organized its first parade on Washington Ave. from Shepherd Drive to Memorial Park on Saturday, March 3.
All of the usual ingredients to stir up a successful parade were present. The Washington On Washington (WOW) parade started with a ten-foot long float of President Washington’s head accompanied by President Washington himself (a local resident in costume), and by his side, Betsy Ross, sewing away. Reagan High School’s marching band belted out rousing patriotic tunes that brought people to their feet. WOW staff wore yellow shirts and powdered white wigs as they skated alongside the parade holding WOW signs and blowing whistles. Nearby elementary schools danced and sang as spectators cheered them along.
The parade commemorated Washington Avenue’s role in Texas’ history. It was once the main trail into Houston, and served as the gateway for West and Northwest travel. Super Neighborhood No. 22 is bounded by I-45 to the east, the West Loop to the west, White Oak Bayou to the north and Buffalo Bayou to the south. A wonderful first parade for our first President!
GHORBA Events
CANCELED DUE TO ARTS FESTIVAL--look at GHORBA site for changes
Trail Work Party at Memorial Park
Saturday, March 24 2007
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Come help us maintain the trails you use!
Meet at the Rugby Field Parking Lot: http://mempark.notlong.com.
You are encouraged to bring gloves, safety glasses, a full camelback, trimming tools, sunglasses or safety glasses, shovels, rakes, and sunscreen, and kids aged eight and over. GHORBA will provide drinks and snacks. Lunch will be provided for the volunteers at the conclusion of the work party. For more info about this and other GHORBA trailwork parties, contact: wp@ghorba.org
Art in the Park
The 10th Annual Bayou City Arts Festival is right around the corner. Since the festival recently received sixth place in "100 Best Festivals in the U.S.", it’s bound to be another creative and colorful year.
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Featured Arist: Michael McKee |
With more than 300 fine visual and performing artists, Friday, March 23, to Sunday, March 25, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Picnic Loop Lane will serve as the canvas for sculpture and paint, photography and sketch, ceramics and watercolor, arts and crafts.
This year, Memorial Park Conservancy will have feather art for children and will provide membership and park information for adults. We always welcome more volunteers. If you’re intrigued, call or e-mail Deb Taylor, Volunteer Coordinator, at 713-863-8403, deb@memorialparkconservancy.org.
Memorial Park Points
"3/4 Time" was a critical success at the exhibition, "Monumental Sculpture: Houston 1975, River Oaks Bank & Trust Invitational". This exhibition’s purpose was to stimulate public, private and corporate interest in monumental sculpture. The pieces were not for sale.
Artist: Ben Woitena was born in San Antonia, Texas in 1942. He received a B.F.A. from the University of Texas (UT) and received an M.F. A. from the University of Southern California. Woitena has been the subject of several documentaries and has taught at many different schools in California and Texas.
Date: 1976
Dimensions: 15"H x 25"W x 10"L
Provenance: Given to the City of Houston by the artist in 1984.
Location: Memorial Park Esplanade, Outdoors.
Have a favorite memory of Memorial Park? Share it with us and we may share it with others in upcoming issues.
*If you’re a member of an organization that uses Memorial Park and would like announcements to be listed in our newsletter, please e-mail ileya@memorialparkconservancy.org
Thank you for your support of Memorial Park Conservancy, Inc.!
