Mueveton + BabyFest Wrapup

Friends of Patterson Park is excited to partner with Baltimore Medical Systems, Johns Hopkins Centro Sol, and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks for Mueveton + BabyFest and we are already working to plan next year’s event! We want to thank our lead sponsor CareFirst, along with media sponsor Somos Baltimore Latino, and all of the wonderful community partners and organizations who came out to make this year’s Mueveton + BabyFest 5K and health and fitness expo a success! A special thanks to our yoga and Zumba instructors, as well as to Towson Hot Bagels and SaveMart for providing delicious post-race food. Lastly want to thank all of the kids, adults, babies in strollers, and dogs who came out to participate in the free 5K around the park and the expo. We can’t wait to see everyone for next year’s Mueveton + BabyFest!

How Frederick Law Olmsted’s Principles Shaped Baltimore Parks

Did you know Patterson Park is an "Olmsted Park" like Central Park and other well-known spaces? This article from Baltimore Magazine does a great job exploring what that means and highlighting current opportunities to continue to invest to make sure our parks best serve our communities. Our Executive Director, Jennifer Robinson, was part of this conversation!

Read the full article here.

Thanks for a fantastic Wine at Sunset!

What a night! 650 people, 32 wines, 150 Cellar Passes, 9 food vendors and a Wheelbarrow of Cheer…thanks to our attendees and sponsors, Patterson Park Wine at Sunset (held May 26) raised $28,000 for our programming and park support!

Thanks so much to our Bubbly Sponsor Wideroots LLC, and our PARK PATRONS: Tenpachi Salon, Charmed Kitchen, Charm City Construction and Repair, Pointer Ridge Management and 8-bit.

Thanks also to our vendors who brought awesome food to sample, including Taco Bar Food Truck, Rize and Rest Cafe, Balti’marons, Cafe Gia, Sobeachy Haitian Cuisine, El Taquito Mexicano and Abbey Burger Bistro, along with Mother Shuckers and Boards in a Box (both in The Cellar). Thanks to our amazing neighbors Ministry of Brewing and Old Line Spirits, for sampling their brews and spirits, and Tipsy Teacher, who brought their wines to share!

We could not have done this without the support of our hosts, Danny and Michele Barnycz, Jeryl Cole and Ty Jackson-Cole of Off the Rox - our curators - and the many tireless volunteers who set up and cleaned up, sold raffle tickets, poured wine and helped us throughout this signature event. And congratulations to Annie Long, who won the Wheelbarrow of Cheer raffle!

Thank you so much!!! Enjoy the photos below!
Photos by Dave McIntosh

Signs of Progress: a Capital Project Update!

Did you know the Friends staff works actively with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks (BCRP) to advocate for needed capital improvements in Patterson Park? Thanks to the work of our legislative team in Annapolis, the park has been the beneficiary of significant Program Open Space funds from the state of MD being designated for improvements tied to the park’s  2016 master plan. This dedicated funding allows us to help the city prioritize those projects while being mindful of the additional priorities they are working to address here in Patterson Park and citywide.

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes so let’s look at all the ways the park is improving! You can also find project updates on the city’s website at this link: https://bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/projects-and-improvements

Recently Completed by BCRP:

Linwood Avenue Playground – The playground recently received significant work to prepare the surface under the mulch to make it safer for users and make the edging more consistent to better hold the mulch. There was significant root growth caused by trees that were at the end of their life, so that has been addressed, and the equipment has been fixed! A new heavy layer of mulch has prepared it for the winter season, so we hope to see you out on the swings! The city has agreed to monitor the need for new shade structures after the tree removal so please reach out to us with concerns at friends@pattersonpark.com or report issues to 311.

Happening Now:

Baltimore Street and Lakewood Avenue Entrance (BCRP) – This entrance was designated a master plan priority and will receive upgrades to the bollards, the pathways, the sidewalks, the lighting and entrance structures and the paths. The city will be creating space for an entrance garden and the Friends has been facilitating communication with the Patterson Park Public Charter School to help them plan for their usage during this project.

Baltimore Street and Luzerne Avenue Entrance (BCRP) – This entrance will receive new signage and have the barriers replaced. The city is planning to install a gate to limit vehicular traffic in the park as well. This project will follow the completion of the Lakewood entrance and is designated a master plan priority project.

Marble Fountain (FPP) – We’re still in the final stages of work on the fountain. Our contractor’s investigation revealed that several of the interior copper pipes that feed water through the system were installed improperly and were bent instead of being cut to size. This has allowed the pipes to be more easily damaged. We are going to be installing new piping under the base that will better adapt to changing temperatures, but that will require permissions from the city that are in process. We are very mindful that this work be done well and will plan for the fountain to return in the early spring.  

Basketball Courts (BCRP) – The courts have been resurfaced and are in the final stages of having the fencing repaired. The city will be reinstalling nets and backboards before the end of the calendar year. Plans for a mural on the courts continue and final painting of lines and the mural will happen in the summer of 2022.

What’s Next:

Boat Lake Dredging and Improvements (BCRP)  - Initial assessments by consultants provided a scope of work that will include a partial dredging of the lake and significant work on addressing the invasive plant species. Improvements to the boardwalk will also be part of the project. The work will not require that wildlife be completely removed from the lake. This project is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2022.

Community Programming Space, Volunteer Support Center, and Courtyard (FPP) – The Friends is excited that 2022 will see the start of the second phase of our capital project. This builds on our successful completion of the renovation of the park superintendent’s house where we have our offices. Our next phase will see the addition of new construction to better support park programs and volunteers. We are building on a $1 million grant for this project and seeking to raise an additional $500,000. Construction is set to begin in the fall of 2022 and be completed by the summer of 2023. To learn more visit the project’s webpage here.

The Observatory (BCRP and FPP) - The Friends has advocated that the city plan for a review of the building’s current status and maintenance needs. This review will be done by a consultant who specializes in historic structures to ensure the scope of work is appropriate to the historic nature of the building.  

Help bring a mural to the Patterson Park basketball courts!

The Friends of Patterson Park is helping local student Darryl France implement a project to rejuvenate the Patterson Park basketball courts and add vibrant art to the space!

The purpose of this campaign is to raise funds for a mural to be installed on the basketball court. Designed by a local Baltimore artist Jordan Lawson and installed by Project Backboard employees, the hope is to raise needed funds by September so that the mural may be installed in October 2021. Darryl has already been in contact with Baltimore Recreation & Parks and laid the groundwork with them to make this happen, and they have agreed to a much-needed resurfacing of the courts in late summer so that the area will be ready for painting.

With your help and that of some local organizations, we hope to help Darryl get this done!

Project Backboard is a non-profit organization whose goal is to help people renovate and paint their neighborhood basketball courts in order to bring a sense of community and fun. They bring the needed expertise to this project, having implemented these murals in many cities. Campaign costs will cover all materials and equipment, and will support Project Blackboard's travel to the site and completion of the mural.

Darryl France, the organizer of this project, is a senior at the Park School of Baltimore. He says, "The reason that I am tackling this project is because Patterson Park is very important to me. I have been going to the park since I was very young and have always enjoyed it. But one part that I always felt needed improvement were the basketball courts!"

Here's Darryl to fill you in on the project:

Have an interest in providing corporate funding for this endeavor? Reach out to friends@pattersonpark.com to start the conversation!

Thanks for helping Darryl and the Friends of Patterson Park get this done for park users!

Note: Donations to this campaign are not considered Friends of Patterson Park membership gifts. If you'd like to support our work in Patterson Park by becoming a member, please visit our donation page.

Be part of the Park's future...volunteer!

The Friends of Patterson Park Board & Committees help guide the work of the Friends.

If you’ve been a Friends of Patterson Park member for a bit, you might know Katie plays original songs about the Park on her ukulele, in addition to planning all those programs; Lesley is our bird and tree expert, in addition to keeping the books; Shannon coordinates membership, and plans events like the Holiday Observatory Lighting; Emma is running volunteer events and learning all about the park; and Jennifer is our fearless leader - but do you know the Friends of Patterson Park Board?

Among other activities, the FPP Board is responsible for developing the Friends’ mission, helping the organization achieve that mission and adopting an annual budget. Some Board members chair committees; for instance, Malindi chairs the capital projects committee, and works closely with Jennifer to oversee the White House renovation (and teaches Zumba!). As chair of the finance committee, Mitch works with Lesley to evaluate our financial health and forecast future revenues and expenditures. And Shara chairs the development/membership committee, who among other things planned our East Baltimore Olympics. And that’s not all! Our board does not just advocate for Patterson Park; our advocacy committee meets with other Friends groups from other parks in the city to share opportunities and ideas.

It’s important to know that your board works hard, but we also want to share why we care about Patterson Park.

During a recent Board meeting, we talked about our experiences with the Park, and what makes it special to us. Board members shared that the green space provides a gathering space for the surrounding community, even in the center of a major city. “The green space and oasis right in the city brings together the best of both worlds.”

We talked about why the Friends of Patterson Park exists. We found that our strength lies in our partnerships - as the only nonprofit solely dedicated to Patterson Park, we have the privilege of working with local organizations like SoutheastCDC, Creative Alliance, and Citywide partners like WYPR, to bring programming and events to Patterson Park.

Finally, we tried to imagine what Patterson Park might be like if Friends of Patterson Park did not exist today. Some board members remember the Park before the Friends existed, and some are newer to the community, but all of us agree that given the limited resources in Baltimore City, the Park would not be as vibrant without the Friends. One unique role that the Friends plays is ensuring that the Park has something for everyone - in part, that means ensuring that one activity or sport does not take up space that cannot be used by someone else (imagine a Park with only paid sports leagues for adults, and no space for free youth soccer). 

The 137 acres of green space that is Patterson Park is truly the Best Backyard in Baltimore, and Friends of Patterson Park works to keep it that way, for our whole community.

If you share our passion for Patterson Park, please consider joining a committee of the Friends of Patterson Park Board

We have several committees, including capital projects, finance, development/membership, and advocacy. If you’re not sure how much time you can commit but you know you’d like to get involved, there are always opportunities to volunteer at events. Fill out the form below to let us know you’d like to learn more!