DPW "Thank-you" Breakfast

On December 3, 2014 the Friends of Goodwin Park hosted a “Thank You Breakfast” for members of the Department of Public Works to express our appreciation for their sustained efforts to maintain and improve Goodwin Park.  The breakfast buffet was held at “My Friends Restaurant” at Franklin Ave. and included eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes, juice, coffee and tea. We were pleased to support a local business and glad to have an opportunity to express our appreciation to our very valuable partners at DPW.

Behind Holiday Light Fantasia 2014

Holiday Light Fantasia returns to Hartford's Goodwin Park! Proudly presented by Connecticut Business Systems: A Xerox Company, Holiday Light Fantasia is an outing with the family you won't want to miss! Drive through this 2 mile whimsical holiday display set to the soundtrack of Trans-Siberian Orchestra! Open nightly Thanksgiving Day through New Year's Day at Goodwin Park.

Hartford Courant: Holiday Light Fantasia Returns to Goodwin Park Thanksgiving Day

Holiday Light Fantasia, Hartford's must-see family light show, is back for the 2014-2015 holiday season! The Channel 3 Kids Camp staff, board, and volunteers have been hard at work since October 1st at Goodwin Park clearing brush, replacing light bulbs, and checking the electrical to make sure the displays are in working order. The individuals, many of them volunteers, involved in this large light production, work in the rain, cold, and snow to get this annual fundraiser ready for opening night.

Hartford Courant article here. 

Holiday Light Fantasia - Volunteers Needed

Preparations are now being made for Holiday Light Fantasia, which opens on November 21 and runs through January 1. You can participate by volunteering to help install light bulbs or help staff the event once it opens.
 

See the attached flyer for more information. As a thank you, Channel 3 Kids Camp invites all volunteers to the VIP reception on opening night.

To volunteer contact Katie Berube at k.berube@channel3kidscamp.org or at 860-742-2267 x112

New Trees in Goodwin Park

On Saturday, October 18, Friends of Goodwin Park joined Knox, Inc. and volunteers from Rise Up Hartford, Grace Academy and Manchester Community College to plant 23 new trees in the park. In addition, the volunteers tended to flower beds, pulling weeds, transplanting cone flowers at Maple Ave. and adding mulch to all the beds. 

You will see the results now as you stroll through the park and will be greeted in the spring with flowering dogwood and magnolia trees.

 Knox, Inc. welcomed us with breakfast, and provided a delicious lunch with live music.

Our sincere thanks to Knox, Inc. and volunteers from Rise Up Hartford, Grace Academy and Manchester Community College.

Hartford Courant: Hartford's Ring Of Parks

"It should be the aim of the city not to have these parks mere isolated spots of ground for decorative purposes but a continuous property," noted a December 1894 Hartford Courant article, "for the benefit of all the people, especially for those people who are unable to enjoy the large grounds and gardens which those more fortunate have. They should be for the daily use of the people and no part of the city should be neglected in the movement."

Story by Peter Marteka, October 24, 2014 - Read Article

Holiday Light Fantasia - Nov 27 through Jan 1

Holiday Light Fantasia is a much loved Greater Hartford tradition and this season's destination.  The 2-mile show transforms Goodwin Park into a drive-through wonderland of holiday spirit with a beautiful collection of over 1 million lights. 

Whimsical holiday scenes, familiar characters and local tributes shine bright in larger-than-life lighted scenes and 200 individual displays.  Lighted animations celebrate not only Christmas, but Hanukkah, New Years and Three Kings Day.

Proudly presented by CBS: A Xerox Company to benefit the Channel 3 Kids Camp, the Hartford Holiday tradition welcomed over 90,000 visitors last year! We look forward to welcoming even more supporters throughout the lighted celebration from November 27, 2014 through January 1, 2015.

Hartford Courant: The Lasting Legacy of Charles Hopkins Clark

But Clark's greatest gift to Hartford was his editorial campaign to create a chain of parks ringing the city, a civic crusade reminiscent of The Courant's mid-century push to create Bushnell Park. With Clark's far-reaching voice, he championed the efforts of the Rev. Francis Goodwin, the city's parks commissioner and descendant of an early Courant owner, who suggested the idea.

Full story in the Hartford Courant, here. 

Hartford Courant Pictures: Goodwin Park Golf Course In Hartford

The Goodwin Park Golf Course in Hartford officially reopened on Thursday, June 26 after it was closed for six months for repairs and renovations. Click through to the Courant website to see some photos of the course through the years.

Hartford Courant: June 25, 2014

Hartford's Goodwin Park Golf Course Set To Reopen Thursday

Woods Path

The path through the woods that cuts off the corner at Ridge Road and Jordan Lane has been cleared of fallen trees and leaves as of June 6, 2014. The path was improved last year by the addition of a bench to rest on in the middle of the path.  This is a great way to soak up a little nature in an urban area and it's also a good place to walk your dog. The lower end has a connecter path to the golf course road and a path to Jordan Lane so that it can be used by folks who like to walk around the park or use the path as a loop trail.  Directions to the path. 

Park Gardens

Volunteers are needed to weed the entrance gardens and also to do some planting and mulch spreading. We also have gardens around the Pond House and next to the Pool House. You can sign up by calling or emailing Mary McAtee 860-655-4017, or mmcatee04@aol.com.

Or you can just show up with your gardening clothes and trowel and start weeding. We may be on the Hartford Blooms 20th Anniversary Garden Tour if we can get the gardens in shape by June 21st when the tour begins, so we need volunteers now.

You can also contact Jon Ney at 860-296-5742 if you're not sure what to do. Jon has a bad back and needs at least an hours notice before he can meet you at the park.

Hartford Courant: May 7, 2014

Working To Get Goodwin Park GC Back On Proper Course

Good News! Park Road Closed to Through Traffic

The City has finally closed the road through the park to through traffic. Barriers and signs have been installed to stop traffic from driving through the park. Additional barriers have been placed on the roadway to keep people from driving around.

Hartford Courant: March 12, 2014

Hartford Seeks Upgrades To Keney, Goodwin Golf Courses

Thank-you: Hartford Insurance Company

Thanks to volunteers from the Hartford Insurance Company, who showed up 30 strong to help the Friends upgrade the park tennis courts. Cracks were patched and new colored coating was applied to 2 of the courts.

Volunteers are needed to help finish the other 2 courts. Call or email Jon Ney to volunteer at 860-296-5742 or jney@snet.net.

Also thanks to Maple Avenue CVS for donating water and to the Maple Avenue Subway for donating sandwiches for the volunteers.

Goodwin Park Grand Opening

 
Video from the office of Hartford Mayor Pedro E. Segarra