Friends of Brightwood Past Events
Halloween Trail - 2023
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3rd Annual
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photo contest - 2023
Earth Day Brightwood Park Clean-Up - 2023
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Thanks to the Brightwood Clean Up Day Crew!We accumulated 12 large bags of trash plus a large blue drum and 3 patio umbrellas!
And THANK YOU to the Westfield Green Team for sponsoring the event. |
Art in the Park - 2023
Plein Air PaintingBrightwood Park is a perfect place to create art.
If Monet and Van Gogh were alive today they surely would agree. The 2nd Plein Air Painting event was another great day in the park. Donna Stein did a terrific job guiding the 12 young artists in their own pastel artwork, all perfect gifts for Mother’s Day! Thank you to Al Barksy, from the Farmhouse Store, for judging! |
This is the first prize painting by Heda Matiejunas of Clark, New Jersey from yesterday’s Art-in-the-Park event at Brightwood Park.
We were delighted to partner with the Westfield Recreation Department and the Westfield Art Association. |
First Annual Brightwood Day - 2023
Recap: Brightwood Park Day - it was a terrific day for all ages
On May 6, Friends of Brightwood, teamed up with the Westfield Green Team and the Westfield Recreation Department, to pull out all the stops so visitors could experience all that the park has to offer.
Thanks to Lloyd Marks and Chuan-Chu Chou for the photographs.
THANKS to the Westfield Green team and the Westfield Library for all their contributions!
Olivia H (FOWGT) and Karen K. led bird watching, Alice helped with forest bathing, Tegan (Student Aux) was on hand for story telling, Bianca and Phil (FOWGT) educated residents about natives vs. invasives, we had WGT and Student Auxiliary tables to focused on native plants, pollinators, Adopt-A-Drain and mosquito control with a Doug Tallamy's "Bucket of Doom". Activities for kids included making paper pots for native seeds or signing up for the Pollinator Pathway (Alice, Victoria, Aubree, Eden, Anna and Hannah (all Student Aux), Mahie (Student Aux) and members from her troop had an incredible display about pollinators as part of their Girl Scout Silver award. Heather (FOWGT) educated residents about recycling. Janette donated and built a rain barrel that will be used by the park near the pollinator garden. Also helping in various ways was Donna P. (FOWGT), Audrey, Walter, Hal and Lois.
Brightwood Day was also the informal "kickoff" of the Westfield Native Seed Library that is a collaboration between the Westfield Memorial Library and WGT. Thanks for help from Katie, Audrey, Bianca and Lois on getting the message out, packing and labeling seeds and creating a Pollinator Pathway sign that will be permanently displayed in the library. The formal kickoff is this Wednesday, May 10th @7:00 pm when Michele Bakacs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension will give a talk about native plants. Registration is required.
Olivia H (FOWGT) and Karen K. led bird watching, Alice helped with forest bathing, Tegan (Student Aux) was on hand for story telling, Bianca and Phil (FOWGT) educated residents about natives vs. invasives, we had WGT and Student Auxiliary tables to focused on native plants, pollinators, Adopt-A-Drain and mosquito control with a Doug Tallamy's "Bucket of Doom". Activities for kids included making paper pots for native seeds or signing up for the Pollinator Pathway (Alice, Victoria, Aubree, Eden, Anna and Hannah (all Student Aux), Mahie (Student Aux) and members from her troop had an incredible display about pollinators as part of their Girl Scout Silver award. Heather (FOWGT) educated residents about recycling. Janette donated and built a rain barrel that will be used by the park near the pollinator garden. Also helping in various ways was Donna P. (FOWGT), Audrey, Walter, Hal and Lois.
Brightwood Day was also the informal "kickoff" of the Westfield Native Seed Library that is a collaboration between the Westfield Memorial Library and WGT. Thanks for help from Katie, Audrey, Bianca and Lois on getting the message out, packing and labeling seeds and creating a Pollinator Pathway sign that will be permanently displayed in the library. The formal kickoff is this Wednesday, May 10th @7:00 pm when Michele Bakacs, Rutgers Cooperative Extension will give a talk about native plants. Registration is required.
If you didn't get a chance to stop by, keep in mind that many of the walks and activities will be available this summer, including nature walks, bird walks, classes, history tours and discussions of invasive species and the importance of native plants.
But, so far...the fairy house hunters will have to wait until next year.
Stop by any time to experience the transformation of Brightwood Park!
But, so far...the fairy house hunters will have to wait until next year.
Stop by any time to experience the transformation of Brightwood Park!
100 Year Old Visits the Park - 2023
100 year-old Nature Lover Visits the ParkThe refurbished trails got a test drive last Sunday when Angie Munson, a local resident from Sunrise Assisted Living in Westfield got a tour from her daughter, Trudy.
She was delighted to find two deer, a turtle, several squabbling geese and some ducks. Her review: " This park looks better than ever!" and "How far are we going??" |
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Junteenth - 2023
The trolley tours, which will run rain or shine, begin at the Westfield Community Center, 558 West Broad Street. Seats are limited and registration is required. Please register by June 12. The fee is $15 for adults and $5 for children (recommended for third graders and up). Since a section of Palsted Avenue in front of the Community Center will be closed, please park on a neighboring street (following all parking signs) and walk to catch the trolley.
Following the trolley tours, MLK Westfield invites all to join in the Juneteenth street party, from 12:00 - 4:00 PM at the Westfield Community Center, as we celebrate freedom, work towards an inclusive community, and reflect on where we are today. There will be a DJ, line dance lessons, games, face painting, food trucks, a reading of the 1865 decree finally enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, and a few words by The Rev. Jeremy Jinkins of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield. Visitors will be able to view a portion of the MLK pop-up museum in the Community Room. Juneteenth is one of the longest-running celebrations of the end of slavery in the United States, though its place in popular culture was obscured by segregationist policies during the 20th century. In the last few years, interest in Juneteenth surged as a way to celebrate the achievements of African Americans and recognize their foundational role in the nation’s history from the arrival of the first slave ship from Africa in America in 1619, up to the present day. This Juneteenth Celebration is sponsored by the Union County Board of County Commissioners and the history tours specifically are made possible in part by a 2023 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant. |
Juneteenth Celebration - Ride the Trolley to Brightwood Park!June 17th noon to 4 PMFor the third consecutive year, The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Westfield is celebrating Juneteenth with an African American History Trolley Tour through Westfield, followed by an afternoon street party celebration at the Westfield Community Center. The event will be on Saturday, June 17, and this year’s theme is Freedom-Inclusion-Community.
Start your day by experiencing the African American History Trolley Tour at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. This 90-minute guided tour is narrated by knowledgeable tour guides from the African American History Project. The trolley will visit sites that anchor 300 years of African American history in town, including the Burial Grounds of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield, Fairview Cemetery, Brightwood Park, and Westfield’s Black Professional Zone, including the homes of Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Paul Robeson. |
Classes for Kids
Celebrating Dr. Suess and Read Across America with
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Rutgers Community Steward Program - 2023
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RUTGERS Environmental Steward ProgramThe program brings in lots of guest speakers from Rutgers, government, and other sectors who are experts in their fields - it's highly recommended from FOBP members and friends who have completed the program.
For more information go to: https://envirostewards.rutgers.edu/ |
Native Plant Sale - 2023
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2023 NATIVE PLANT SALE is on!!
...start planning your piece of the network of yards... Our yards have the power to provide critical habitat for threatened bird and insect populations and also provide us with beautiful flowers. Create your own important part of the region-wide network of yards that support a sustainable ecosystem – a Homegrown National Park™.
Finding a good selection of appropriate native plants can be difficult., but we make it easier by providing a selection of native plants suited to our local soils and climate . Next Webinar: Evening Briefing: Wasps – The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect Date: February 21 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Zoom Webinar in partnership with the Westfield Green Team
MORE INFORMATION |
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Duke Farms Master Ecology Program
This program is highly recommended by members of the Green Team, who took the course last year. The Master Ecologist certification course is an adult education series designed for environmental educators, land managers and stewards, private landowners, natural resource professionals, and community members with a passion for our natural environment.
Starts Feb 2
MORE INFORMATION |
Forest Bathing Program - 2022
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NEW!
An Immersive Experience in the Brightwood Forest Forest Bathing - November 13thForest Bathing is a sensory experience which is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku which translates to mean “ taking in the forest atmosphere .”
When we Forest Bath, we walk slowly in the woods with the intention to commune with the trees, the birds and the landscape that surrounds us. We stop along the way and are given opportunities to connect more deeply with nature, ourselves and each other. The event will start at 11:00 am. There is nothing that participants need to bring except a willingness to participate. Dress comfortably, with shoes for trail walking, to be outside for an hour or a little longer if we run a bit over and people linger...
REGISTER HERE |
Halloween - 2022
See More Pictures!
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A Wonderful Goblin-filled Day at the ParkThe trails at Brightwood Park were lit with over 65 carved jack-o-lanterns as the park welcomed over 400 people for the Trunk or Treat party at the park. THANK YOU to all the participants, volunteers and new members!
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Nature Classes - 2022
Live Greener Fair -2022
meet us at the
Live Greener Fair!
Northside Train Station, Westfield
Live Greener Fair!
Northside Train Station, Westfield
April 2022 - Native Plant Information and Sale
The 2022 “Plants for Pollinators” Online Sale begins, running from April 1 – April 22. GSWA and Community Partners will be offering over 22,000 native perennial and grass deep plugs - 28 species - at attractively prices. Plus six Garden Kits to suit a variety of typical garden conditions. The CATALOG IS at greatswamp.org/native-plant-sale/plant-catalog. All products show “Out of Stock” (not orderable) during this preview period. Order Entry will open April 1st and we encourage you to decide early and order as soon as you can as quantities are limited and last year's stock sold out quickly. Contact plantsale@greatswamp.org to be get on the email list.
URL/Signup Link: https://www.greatswamp.org/event/landscaping-for-a-healthy-environment/
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URL/Signup Link: https://www.greatswamp.org/event/landscaping-for-a-healthy-environment/
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Join Hazel England, GSWA Director, on Zoom for a view of the native plants available at our 2nd annual online Native Pollinator Plant Sale. Choose from 28 individual species to enhance your own garden. To simplify garden design and provide some additional savings, 20 of the species are also sold in 6 different garden kits of 5 species each. Each kit is designed for specific garden sizes and conditions.
Februray 22, 2022
Title: Native Pollinators, What's the Buzz?
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free. Zoom link with Sign up
Your yard, whatever the size, can provide essential habitat for valuable pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Join GSWA for this free, one-hour webinar as we take a closer look at our native pollinators and the important roles they play in our gardens and in supporting healthy ecosystems. More than 75% of all flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce – and your garden veggies need their help too! Native pollinators have fascinating life histories, so knowing about gardening for pollinators from the insects’ perspective will enable you to truly welcome them to your yard. Our host, an all-round cool bug guy, Dr. Stephen Mason Ph.D. is an entomologist and faculty at Immaculata University, and a research associate at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. He will shed some light on insect life histories to make your yard a hive of activity this summer. Registration is required for this free Zoom webinar. You will receive your Zoom link prior to the program. This is the second of GSWA’s free, three-part native pollinator plant webinar series in preparation of our Native Plants for Pollinators Sale taking place online April 1-22.
Title: Landscaping for a Healthy Environment – Jersey-Friendly Yards
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free. Zoom link with Sign up
We believe that by helping you to have a healthy yard, we all are taking one more step towards a healthier environment. During this webinar you will learn how building a Jersey-Friendly Yard creates a healthy foundation of soil, conserves water, attracts and supports wildlife, and adds beauty and interest to your home landscape. Join GSWA and Becky Laboy – from the Ocean County Soil Conservation District and the Jersey-Friendly Yards initiative – for helpful information on how to put these ideas into practice to create a “Jersey-Friendly Yard”. Becky will also discuss great ways to prepare for creating new native beds this spring. Becky Laboy of Jersey Friendly Yards will describe how to landscape for a healthy environment and use the great capabilities of the Jersey Friendly Yards website to make it easy and successful-- whether you are a complete beginner or are pretty advanced.
Mark Your Calendar:
Our GSWA and partners Plants for Pollinators Sale will offer over 22,000 native perennial and grass deep plugs that are attractively priced and available single species or in carefully curated kits for different typical garden conditions. We’ve added tons of simple guidance to ensure planting success for a delightfully alive pollinator garden that will thrive with minimal care. Our own Hazel England will talk about why native plants, how planting for pollinators benefits the watershed and biodiversity locally and dig deep on the details of which species the twenty-eight species offered for sale attract, and their characteristics and appearance. Contactplantsale@greatswamp.org
The GSWA Native Plant Sale will offer a full selection of attractively priced native perennials and grasses with simple guidance for planting delightfully alive pollinator gardens that will thrive with minimal care. Contact plantsale@greatswamp.org to request ongoing Native Plants Sale email updates and reminders.
URL/Signup Link: https://www.greatswamp.org/event/landscaping-for-a-healthy-environment/
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A healthier yard is a great New Year’s resolution!
Title: Native Pollinators, What's the Buzz?
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free. Zoom link with Sign up
Your yard, whatever the size, can provide essential habitat for valuable pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects. Join GSWA for this free, one-hour webinar as we take a closer look at our native pollinators and the important roles they play in our gardens and in supporting healthy ecosystems. More than 75% of all flowering plants need pollinators to reproduce – and your garden veggies need their help too! Native pollinators have fascinating life histories, so knowing about gardening for pollinators from the insects’ perspective will enable you to truly welcome them to your yard. Our host, an all-round cool bug guy, Dr. Stephen Mason Ph.D. is an entomologist and faculty at Immaculata University, and a research associate at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. He will shed some light on insect life histories to make your yard a hive of activity this summer. Registration is required for this free Zoom webinar. You will receive your Zoom link prior to the program. This is the second of GSWA’s free, three-part native pollinator plant webinar series in preparation of our Native Plants for Pollinators Sale taking place online April 1-22.
Title: Landscaping for a Healthy Environment – Jersey-Friendly Yards
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 7 p.m.
Cost: Free. Zoom link with Sign up
We believe that by helping you to have a healthy yard, we all are taking one more step towards a healthier environment. During this webinar you will learn how building a Jersey-Friendly Yard creates a healthy foundation of soil, conserves water, attracts and supports wildlife, and adds beauty and interest to your home landscape. Join GSWA and Becky Laboy – from the Ocean County Soil Conservation District and the Jersey-Friendly Yards initiative – for helpful information on how to put these ideas into practice to create a “Jersey-Friendly Yard”. Becky will also discuss great ways to prepare for creating new native beds this spring. Becky Laboy of Jersey Friendly Yards will describe how to landscape for a healthy environment and use the great capabilities of the Jersey Friendly Yards website to make it easy and successful-- whether you are a complete beginner or are pretty advanced.
Mark Your Calendar:
- Webinar #3: Planting for Pollinators - The Store is Open! What’s on offer and why on Tuesday, April 1, 12-1 PM
- GSWA Native Plant Pollinator Sale: April 1-22 (order online)
Our GSWA and partners Plants for Pollinators Sale will offer over 22,000 native perennial and grass deep plugs that are attractively priced and available single species or in carefully curated kits for different typical garden conditions. We’ve added tons of simple guidance to ensure planting success for a delightfully alive pollinator garden that will thrive with minimal care. Our own Hazel England will talk about why native plants, how planting for pollinators benefits the watershed and biodiversity locally and dig deep on the details of which species the twenty-eight species offered for sale attract, and their characteristics and appearance. Contactplantsale@greatswamp.org
The GSWA Native Plant Sale will offer a full selection of attractively priced native perennials and grasses with simple guidance for planting delightfully alive pollinator gardens that will thrive with minimal care. Contact plantsale@greatswamp.org to request ongoing Native Plants Sale email updates and reminders.
URL/Signup Link: https://www.greatswamp.org/event/landscaping-for-a-healthy-environment/
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A healthier yard is a great New Year’s resolution!
Junteenth -2021
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY IN WESTFIELD
In celebration of Juneteenth, the MLK Association of Westfield is presenting a trolley tour of notable sites of African American History in town.
June 19th 2021 Pre-registration is required for the tours which begin at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield. Register at MLKWestfield.org. The fee is $10. Rain or Shine. Contact mlkwestfield@gmail.com for any questions. |
WESTFIELD, NJ
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Westfield plans to celebrate Juneteenth with a special African American history trolley ride through Westfield. Juneteenth is the 19TH day in June, which marks the date in 1865, when word finally reached the enslaved people of Texas that the slavery was over, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. The trolley ride, with live narration, will stop at sites that anchor the three hundred years of African American history in the town. The tour is the highlight of research, writing and planning, begun by the African American History Committee, which was part of the Westfield 300 celebration in 2020. The trolley tour will include among other sites, the Burial Grounds of the Presbyterian Church, Fairview Cemetery, Westfield’s Black professional zone, Brightwood Park and sites where Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Paul Robeson once lived. The tour riders will board the trolley at the Presbyterian Church (140 Mountain Avenue), which has generously offered their parking lot for the event. Spaces for the tour are limited and registration is required. There is a $10 registration fee. Proceeds will be used to further the MLK Association’s work, specifically its African American History Project. There are three time slots on June 19, at 10 a.m., noon and 2pm. The tour is expected to take 90 minutes or a bit more and will be conducted rain or shine. Please register at www.MLKWestfield.org. For further questions please email: mlkwestfield@gmail.com |
Spooky, Woodsy Halloween Fun - October 2021
Join Friends of Brightwood Park for a fun forest Halloween event!
Come in costume.
Come in costume.
- Walk the trail through Brightwood Park and enjoy the Jack O Lanterns scattered through the woods.
- Each family can search for the Halloween decorations amongst the Jack O Lanterns, a Halloween scavenger hunt.
- Decorate bags at the picnic tables, then...
- Trunk n Treat along the trail, that is tree trunks.
Nature Classes
- November 18th: Blow Wind Blow! Make your Own Wind Chimes
- December 9th: Let it Snow: Make paper Snowflakes and a Pine Cone Garland
Preservation/Restoration Events |
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info session
Spotted Lantern Fly
EVENTS at Brightwood Park in 2021
Nature and Educational Programs
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Girl Scout Birthday Party May 14
Friends of Brightwood Park hosted a Girl Scout Birthday Celebration at Brightwood. co-sponsored with Westfield Girl Scouts |
Plein Air Painting in the Park 2021Saturday May 1, 12:30-4 PM
Artists brought easels, brushes and paints, and set up in Brightwood Park. and enjoyed some scenic painting time with fellow artists. Prizes were awarded! Thanks to Jackie Civins of Evelyn Dunn Gallery for judging. co-sponsored with Westfield Art Association |
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Excerpts from Facebook Comments:
“Had a great time painting at Brightwood Park PaintOut very serene little park. Thanks the event organizers and volunteers who were absolutely amazing and super friendly. ” William Martin, Glen Gardner “So much fun at my first PleinAir Event at Brightwood Park PaintOut. It was nice to meet several members of the group. And a big congratulations to Heda who took 1st place and William who took 2nd. Yes there really was a fire hydrant in the woods but I used my artistic license and made it red instead of the yellow it really was. Lol I forgot to take a pic of my subject 🙃.” Jacquelyn Reid, Sussex County “I went to the Brightwood Park in Westfield. I saw some of my friends that I haven’t saw seems the virus happened .Yesterday we talk even a little bit and feels so good. The park is so beautiful and has a very natural look , feeling so well to breath the out door breeze there. My Painting got the 3rd price award. Thanks to the Brightwood Park and the Westfield Art Association arrange this event.” Jocelyn Wong, Cherry Hill Thank you to all of you who helped with our first Paint Out event. Thank you to Paul Federico of the Westfield Art Association who graciously partnered with us! The first place winner, Heda Matiejunas of Clark, a member of the Westfield Art Association, has graciously offered to donate her prize-winning painting to us to hang in our “headquarters” or to auction as a fund raiser. She said “Today was fun. I hope it is the beginning of a new tradition for Plein Air painting.” |
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Yoga in the Park |
Nature Classes for Kids
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The Friends of Brightwood Park, in partnership with the Westfield Recreation Department, had their first nature class in the park for 2 to 5 year olds. More events are in the works!