NEW YORK — Tuesday would have been the 200th birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of some of New York City’s most iconic parks, including Central Park. Nature lovers celebrated the milestone at some of his smaller landmarks.
Olmsted must have been smiling in spirit at the fanfare at Harlem’s beloved Morningside Park. Young children from the nearby nursery wore masks with the landscape architect’s face as they sang the birthday song to his mascot.
“He realized that the country was gradually urbanizing and was trying to figure out what was a way to make cities livable,” explained Dede Petri, president and CEO of the National Association for Olmsted Parks.
Petri joined the Friends of Morningside Park volunteer group for a celebratory history tour on Tuesday. Brad Taylor is the group’s president, and he mapped out the changes to the park from 1887 to today.
Morningside’s more famous cousin Central Park usually attracts all the attention, but its northern neighbors treasure their 30-acre escape.
“We’re so lucky in this park,” Taylor said. “We basically have an overlook almost every single block.”
Each of Olmsted’s designs carefully connects the cityscape to the landscape. In Riverside Park and Sakura Park Tuesday, a special concert could be heard for the visionary, ringing from the bells at Riverside Church.
“He was doing what he called as distant effects,” Petri said of his parks, “things that would only be appreciated or realized decades after he was done.”
While surrounding structures come and go, Olmsted’s parks withstand the test of time. The National Association for Olmsted Parks will host birthday events around the country all year long as part of the Olmsted 200 celebration.
Friday would have been the 100th birthday of Chicago’s first black Mayor.
April 12, 1983, Harold Lee Washington was elected the first African American mayor of Chicago. He was also the first mayor to bring a vote for LQBTQ+ protections to the council floor.
A trailblazer in many communities and nicknamed ‘The People’s Mayor,’ Washington soon became one of the most celebrated mayors in the city’s history.
In honor of Washington’s birthday, organizers with The Harold Washington Foundation and The People’s March Inc. are organizing several events across the city. The events, according to a press release, are “efforts is to keep Mayor Harold L. Washington’s legacy alive by promoting Black-in-Black Love and encouraging an end to the violence in all of Chicago’s 77 communities.”
Here’s a Look at Friday’s Harold Washington Celebrations:
9 a.m.: Community Breakfast Giveaway at The Community Breakfast Giveaway at Harold Lee Washington Park at 5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd.
1 p.m.: Car caravan and peace parade in Washington’s honor. The parade begins at at Washington Park Field House, located at 5531 South King Dr.
The caravan will end with a prayer vigil at Oak Wood Cemetery, 1035 E 67th St., — the final resting place for Mayor Washington.
5-7 p.m.: Community reception with food and music at Harold Lee Washington Park
To join the car caravan or to support and/or become a member of The Harold Washington Foundation, visit The Harold Foundation or call 312-671-2773.
She was born in Halifax on April 3, 1791, and her life inspired the TV series Gentleman Jack which was created by television writer, producer and director Sally Wainwright.
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Shibden Hall, Halifax. (Pic credit: James Hardisty)
Here is the full calendar of events.
Event: The Alibi Bar Mix and Mingle
Address: Rawson Street, Halifax, HX1 1NH
Event: The Complete Anne and Ann Coach and Walking Tour
Address: Anne Lister statue at The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, HX1 1RE
Event: Anne Lister’s Halifax Walking Tour
Address: Anne Lister statue at The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, HX1 1RE
Event: The Complete Anne and Ann Coach and Walking Tour
Address: Anne Lister statue at The Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax, HX1 1RE
Sahar Jurdi had been planning a special first birthday party in March 2020 for her first-born child — complete with an elaborate cake the baby was to smash in a joyful fit in front of friends and family — when the pandemic halted her preparations.
As the calendar turned on Oliver’s second birthday last March, public health measures again dampened plans for a sizable celebration. But now that gathering restrictions are lifting across Canada, the Toronto mother is hoping to catch up on two missed parties with a big bash.
About 20 kids from Oliver’s daycare are expected to attend the event in Jurdi’s home in a couple of weeks, with an actor dressed as Winnie-the-Pooh and a bubble show booked for entertainment.
“We’re transforming the basement into a playground,” she said. “We’re making up for two years of no celebrations.”
Ontario lifted capacity restrictions for all indoor settings on March 1, as public health indicators for COVID-19 appeared to show the Omicron wave declining.
As restrictions ease and spring welcomes new optimism, many parents are feeling the urge to throw plentiful parties for their March and April babies after two previous birthdays modified by the pandemic.
But others still seem hesitant to plan large gatherings.
Elvine Assouline, CEO of party-planning service the Fun Master, said bookings for in-person parties still aren’t at pre-pandemic levels for his Toronto-area business, which specializes in children’s events.
Assouline quickly pivoted to virtual services when the pandemic began. Two years later, he said many parents are still opting for online alternatives.
Though he’s received many inquiries about spring dates since restrictions lifted, Assouline said he noticed that same trend throughout ebbs of other pandemic waves.
“We do see some fatigue for virtual parties because I think everyone is sick of Zoom. So if they can have it in person, they will,” he said. “But also we have a lot of questions about our cancellation policy.
“People are comfortable planning as long as you tell them: ‘If things change, we can reschedule or shift to something virtual.'”
Assouline understands the sentiment some parents have to go bigger and bolder with celebrations this year, but he said he hasn’t seen a noticeable turn, adding clients have always had varying price ranges and ideas for what they want for their children’s events.
“I don’t see a shift saying: ‘Hey, I want to spend more money this year because I didn’t last year,'” he said.
“There’s really no such thing as catching up on birthdays…. You just have to move forward and try to plan something cool for their (current) party.”
Kristy Frasier, a mom to an almost nine-year-old girl in Toronto, isn’t sure how she’ll celebrate her daughter’s April 15 birthday.
Frasier, who has an immunocompromised brother, wants her daughter to have a big party after missing out on fuller festivities for her seventh and eighth birthdays. But health remains a concern.
“I’ve been obsessing over it lately because I don’t know what we’re comfortable with yet,” said Frasier, who’s deciding between a large pizza party at a trampoline park, or a smaller get-together without food.
Frasier had planned a modest family party for her daughter’s eighth birthday last April, but the rising Delta wave forced her to turn the event into a “brief interaction” outdoors instead.
Her daughter’s first pandemic birthday in 2020 was marked by a video call with friends and family, who dropped off gifts at Frasier’s doorstep.
“She’s been really good. She understands things can’t be the way that she would like them to be,” Frasier said. “But normally she’s more of a party-person, so she’s been (asking) for the last little while: ‘Can we please have a party? Can we? Can we?'”
Dr. Sheri Madigan, a clinical psychologist and child development expert at the University Calgary, said birthday parties can be exciting milestones for kids, but parents shouldn’t feel pressure to make up for celebrations lost to the pandemic.
She noted that some children’s comfort levels with loud, large-scale events may have changed after two years of not experiencing them.
“Kids aren’t going to remember big birthday parties, but parents are probably going to feel the sentiment that something was organized and I do think that’s important,” she said. “But we need to take the kid’s lead in terms of what they’re ready for.”
Jurdi knows her three-year-old won’t remember the subdued parties that marked his first two birthdays, but she was still sad to miss out on those memories for herself.
She also feels the pandemic has made it harder for Oliver to have other social experiences, including travelling overseas to meet relatives.
“Keep in mind he’s only three,” Jurdi said. “But for a three-year-old before COVID, life was pretty different.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2022.
