FWP - Volunteers Needed Happy Turtle, Trails, & Hot Dogs

By Estella Espinosa

Happy Trails and Hot Dogs is an annual community picnic and historic Woodland Park. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Set up begins at 9 a.m. take down goes from 1-2 p.m. Details about the shifts are described below. Sign up for a shift or two at Volunteer Houston. 
 
Hot dogs, ice cream floats and lemonade are provided to all volunteers.

• Set Up - put up pop-up tents, move tables and chairs from inside the building outside, set up tables and chairs, unpack vehicles, other tasks as needed

• Cook hot dogs - help with manning the grills cooking the hot dogs, help with serving food, make sure food service area is always clean, other tasks as needed

• Root beer floats - help with assembling root beer floats and serving them, make sure root beer float tent is always clean, other tasks as needed

• Merch tent - help set up merchandise, keep the area tidy and merchandise orderly, help guests with questions about merchandise for sale and how to purchase it using a QR code, other tasks as needed

• Tear down - bring all tables and chairs back to building, collapse tents, load vehicles for off site storage, collect trash bags, other tasks as needed

FWP: Wild & Scenic Film Festival

The Citizens’ Environmental Coalition has connected individuals and organizations within the Greater Houston environmental community for almost 50 years. On January 28 & 29, join the Friends of Woodland Park at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour, hosted by the CEC. At the River Oaks Theater, enjoy two nights of different, short films. We especially think you'll like the movie A New View of the Moon, which reminds us why dark, unobstructed skies and a sense of curiosity are important. Tickets and sponsorships available at cechouston.org.

You're Invited to the Ribbon Cutting at White Oak Drive & Houston Ave.

The Friends of Woodland Park (FWP) are proud to report that the traffic intersection improvements at Houston Ave. and White Oak Dr., including the new community park, have been fully completed, and a dedication celebration has scheduled.

Please join us on Saturday October 26th from 2-3 PM for refreshments and community fellowship.

FWP’s original master plan (envisioned and drawn by Scott McCready and others from SWA Landscape Architects) showed a streamlined, safer, more beautiful intersection at this busy and confused juncture. It has been an FWP goal to implement this vision as the Houston Ave./White Oak Dr. intersection is the southern entrance to Woodland Park and our Woodland Heights neighborhood.

But it was the hard work and 100% funding from Memorial Heights Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ-5 and the City of Houston that made it a reality. Additional thanks are due to our District H City Council Member Karla Cisneros for her significant involvement and financial contributions for the extension of the bike lanes to Spring St. and the Bayou Greenway hike and bike trail.

Our community is fortunate to have and enjoy this new neighborhood amenity. So please come to the dedication and help us show our appreciation.

Woodland Park's Replica Trolly is Moving On

Dear Woodland Park and FWP supporters/volunteers,

We are disappointed to report that our remarkable trolley replica has deteriorated beyond repair and will be scheduled for demolition in the next four - six weeks. Even though it was built with pressure treated wood and thoroughly primed and painted, the elements have not been kind. It has also experienced heavy use since its installation (which we have been delighted to see), and this has accelerated its deterioration.

Pat Rutledge (Friends of Woodland Park) and Paul Carr, who made the trolly, when it was installed in 2016.
Photo courtesy of The Houston Chronicle.

So if you and your children want to enjoy it one more time be sure to do so before the end of November. We plan to save and display the trolley sign along with an early picture of it in an FWP display case that we are in the process of creating. Details will follow.

The good news is we are in discussions with Firefly Field sculptor Dylan Conner to create a woodland-creature playscape that will permanently reside in the playground space that is being vacated with the removal of the trolley. We will keep you informed!

We may need the community’s financial support to make the new addition a reality. As the details of the trolley replacement come into focus we may see a need to launch a fundraising program to cover the cost of the creation and installation of the new structure. So stay tuned.

We are eternally grateful to each and every one of you for your longstanding and ongoing support of our efforts to make the park more enjoyable. We couldn’t have achieved what we have without all of you helping us.

With gratitude,

The Friends of Woodland Park Board of Directors

FIREFLY FIELD HAS ARRIVED!

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

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Kirk Carver.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

Image courtesy of Pat Rutledge.

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

View fullsize

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.

FWP: Movie Night this Friday at Woodland Park

WHAT: Movie night, It's a Wonderful Life
WHEN: Friday, Dec. 2 6:30pm (doors open)
WHERE: Woodland Park Community Center, 212 Parkview

If you haven't heard, the Friends of Woodland Park in partnership with Star of Hope Charities will host a movie night this Friday at the Woodland Park Community Center. Bring a gently used (and clean!) blanket to the movie night and donate it to help someone stay warm this holiday season.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the movie starts at 7pm. Bring the kids, popcorn and refreshments provided.

Hope to see you there!

It's a Wonderful Life & Star of Hope

The Friends of Woodland Park cordially invite you to a screening of the 1946 classic, It's a Wonderful Life, at the Woodland Park Community Center on December 2, 2016. The winter months are particularly difficult for our homeless population which is why FWP, in conjunction with the Star of Hope homeless shelter, encourage all our guests to bring a clean, new or gently used blanket as a donation to help keep someone warm during this holiday season.

Deepest thanks to our sponsors: Greenwood King and Memorial Hermann in the Heights.

What: It's a Wonderful Life
When: Dec. 2, 2016 / doors open 6:30pm / movie starts 7pm
Where: Woodland Park Community Center (212 Parkview)

Meeting Recap — Friends of Woodland Park, METRO, WHCA Updates

Thanks to all who came to last night’s WHCA General Meeting. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s a brief recap: 
 
- We updated the neighborhood on the WHCA’s efforts to fund two Constable shifts. We have fully funded one shift, but are still approximately 75 subscribers shy of being able to fully fund the second shift without dipping into our reserve account. It's never too late to subscribe.
 
- The Friends of Woodland Park did a wonderful presentation to update the neighborhood on the beautification efforts in Woodland Park. They also unveiled a model of a beautiful new sculpture installation called Firefly Field by Houston artist and fourth generation Heights resident, Dylan Conner. Approval from the City of Houston is pending with a fundraising campaign to follow. Visit the FWP website for more details, and please support this great organization. 
 
- We heard reports from METRO regarding the bus route on Bayland and Woodland. More details coming in another post.
                                                                                                                                                                                          
- We also received updates from the offices of Representative Alvarado and Council Member Gonzales. 
 
- Finally, we reminded the neighborhood that we’re now transitioning away from a paper newsletter to an e-newsletter. If you haven’t already signed up to receive the e-newsletter, please do so at our website.
 
Thanks again to those who came out.  We’ll see you in July!
 
Tim McConn
President, WHCA