Landscaping and Winter Clean-up

The absence of the snow allowed DPW to finish up leaf removal with several crews working throughout the park in December and early January to get the task completed.  More recently crews turned their attention to the wooded areas of the park including sections of the golf course.  Trees that are damaged or diseased are being cut down.  Underbrush and fallen trees are being removed along Ridge Road.  A few trees have been removed from the golf course in order to improve some greens and fairways in the important effort of revitalizing the golf course.  All of the work is being completed under the direction of an arborist. 

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