By: Stephen Kahn

How far and wide this city stretches is…?

I can’t quite think of the right word to describe it.  Give me a few minutes.

I spent my first summer in New York last year, when the weather was nearly unbearable, especially with no AC unit.  The only thing I had was a ceiling fan, which, thankfully enough, spun like a motorboat propeller.  Downtown Manhattan loves the sun.  Her skin absorbs it and holds it tight.  The streets never let go, and once the streets build up a warm enough temperature, it starts to spread like wildfire.  Building bases heat up, then the cracks in the walls and windows expand and it’s even easier now for her to become engulfed.  The furniture catches next, and soon a trip is made to the bodega to purchase extra ice trays.  Needless to say, I spent a lot of time outdoors.

I got to know the neighborhoods of Nolita/Bowery and SoHo, Greenwich Village and the East Village.  By summer’s end I felt very comfortable with my surroundings, and thought I had a good grasp on the city limits, north south—east west.  “Yeah, I got this.  Got it on lock.  New York, eh, ‘snot that much bigger than Baltimore…”

…Oh how much the City Parks Foundation has taught me in my second summer.  Not only how incredibly large New York City is, but also how diverse it is, and how the subway can drop you off in what seems like another world.  And I thought the LES was the underside of things.  How about Brownsville?  Or Bedford-Stuyvesant?  I have captured some of the most saturated and worn cityscapes I’ve ever seen, and that’s coming from Baltimore.  I enjoy mixing photography with storytelling (aka “making movies”), and the thing I like most about these parts of Brooklyn is how beautifully deep-rooted they appear.  Any picture taken here has a story behind it.

The people aren’t walking around with espressos and shopping bags deciding where to brunch—for better or for worse—but there is certainly a sense of community regardless of how it functions.  On any given night, some music in Betsy Head Park brings them together in harmony.  Take the train west to Red Hook.

Different story.  In the shadow of the massive Ikea building, this park attracts an even more colorful congregation on a different landscape.  A much larger and greener park brings people from all over the city, people who came to see and hear and even criticize the performance.  A more involved crowd in a “hipper” area, Brooklyn Vegan is not missing this one.  Try travelling north to Springfield, Queens.

I said to myself out loud, “Where the hell are we?”  Apparently, we were still in New York.  A very secluded, wooded park in Springfield that has a serene feel.  There are old bridges and little stone canals that lead into a still pond with uneven undergrowth around the edges.  It looks natural.  The stage is surrounded by foliage as well.  There are giant lonely trees sprouting right in the middle of the crowd.  (Cheryl, one of the photo interns, actually climbed one and took a picture.)  We sprawl on to 69^th Street, Manhattan.

Back to where I twice visited last summer in that god-forsaken heat, it was like the mecca of outdoor venues for me.  And it still is, but thanks to the CPF’s nonselective attitude and the degree to which they take the term “citywide,” I am now beginning to understand just how much this town has to offer.  I am very grateful to be part of this organization, and for years to come I will not be remiss of shows happening in all boroughs.

How far and wide this city stretches is…redonkulous.  Yeah, that’s the right word.

Last fall, I went away for my freshman year of college. As a born and raised New Yorker, I left fearless that I could live anywhere, even as people mocked my ability to survive let alone live in a rural setting. My new home was Ithaca, NY. As I soon learned, Ithaca may be Gorges but New York City is irresistible and a bit of an addiction. To say “I heart NY” is to understate the situation, I need NY. As each school vacation approached, my imminent return made me nervous and flighty; my stomach would fill with butterflies.

Why did a city have such a hold on me?

It is the city’s great traditions that have always exposed me to something new that make me need New York City. Whether it be sitting on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art watching the street performers or the community you feel waiting in line for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park, NYC always gives you the chance to have a fresh experience. SummerStage by the City Parks Foundation is one of the city’s great traditions. And this summer, I was able to experience it from the other side. I joined the City Parks Foundation as a photography intern. Photography always made me feel like a master of time. It could freeze single moments and make them eternal. And so the joy and the glory of SummerStage were now suddenly immortal, season-less. The amazing performances were there for us to step back into; the delight and excitement of the crowd was always there for us to share. No matter how many times, I look back at the pictures I have taken over this summer, the happiness and energy in the performers and the audience never seems to fade. I love to share those moments with others because I want to take them there, show them what they missed, prove nowhere can top my city.

The crowd during opening act, Bubbles’ performance on June 24th at Mainstage

SummerStage is simply one of those things that makes the city impossible not to love. It makes you want to gush like a proud parent asking, “So what does your city do?” SummerStage and the City Parks Foundation set New York City aside from the pack and remind you concert after concert how naive you were to assume you could live anywhere else.

By Alyson Bonura

The concept of urban farming has become pretty familiar to most New Yorkers. There are many small ones scattered throughout the five boroughs, whether they be on people’s rooftops or right on the street where any community member can gain access to them.

This summer I had the pleasure of interning at Umoja Garden in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Mainly I was there for the purpose of educating various community groups. Every child that walks into Umoja is overcome with fascination: the plants, the dirt, the vegetables we harvest from the ground. It amazes them. And it is incredibly fulfilling to be part of the learning process. Inner city kids don’t necessarily have the luxury of seeing an enormous sunflower and being able to actually touch it and smell it.  It’s rare that they get to run around and catch butterflies and pull fresh carrots from the ground then eat them. What really gets me is their excitement and passion when they’re doing all of this. It makes me think that maybe this experience in Umoja Garden in the middle of Brooklyn in the middle of a hot hot summer, will inspire them to pursue a path in science or maybe this new generation will be so captivated by the urban farming movement that they will help it grow into something bigger and better than what it is now.

Though education was a major part of this internship, I also spent a lot of time close to the earth myself. Umoja needed a lot of TLC at the beginning of the season, which basically meant an endless amount of weeding. But there was something so personally rewarding about this. Sure it was hard work, but we saw results. And it was nice to see people enjoy the beautiful garden after we cleaned it up. I also loved being able to pick things straight from the ground, like carrots and arugula, and eat it right there. We also had an over abundance of sunflowers this season so we spent one afternoon cutting them down (sad, but it had to be done) and harvesting the seeds for later planting. I took some enormous sunflowers home too. I looked pretty strange carrying them on the subway.

It’s so amazing to be so close to nature even when in the middle of New York City. And it’s great that City Parks Foundation has been able to pass this opportunity onto so many curious young minds in the community. 

Photo Courtesy of Laura McFarland Burns

By Elike Kumahia

Jazz-a-ma-tazz’s swinging grooves, Oran Etkin’s worldly rhythms, and the Pickney Players island-soaked melodies, along with great music and stories by other artists served as the soundtrack for my summer with the SummerStage Kids.  

The two months I spent in New York City, while devoted to securing and working an internship, was intended to be a period of exploration; both personal and geographical. Working with SummerStage provided me with ample opportunity to accomplish both.  I was a New York neophyte, this being my first extended stay in the city. Thankfully, the job was based upon traveling and the Kids program brought me to the distant reaches of each of the city’s boroughs, a pleasure that would not have been possible had I spent my days anchored to a desk, as is the case with many internships. Instead, I spent several mornings per week traveling throughout New York City, assisting artists relaying messages of fun, learning and love to eager audiences of children and parents.

My fondest memories of these performances will be the kids; their pure excitement and enjoyment is etched in my mind as a throwback to my younger days, especially as I enter my final year of college and prepare to join the working world.

I never realized how much the City Parks Foundation has intertwined with my life, but it seems that every summer we have some sort of connection. Throughout my high school years I would attend the free Tennis Lessons at McKinley Park in Brooklyn. Last year I attended a Summer Stage Concert which was definitely the highlight of the summer. This year I decided to do something different and actually be a part of this great organization that does so much for the city by applying to be a photography intern.

I went back to McKinley park to take pictures and found out my coach is still teaching! There he is on the left.

Being a photography intern lets me see so much of what the City Parks Foundation does for many communities across New York City. It seems the father I go from the places I know, the more smiling faces I see. People really enjoy the shows that Summer Stage presents, and its free fun for the whole family.

I went from watching him on TV to watching him in my viewfinder. Shaun T amazes kids with his muscles.

Through this internship, I have traveled to many places I have never been to even though I have lived in New York City all my life. I have met amazing people who are so thankful for what the City Parks Foundation does in communities that can often be neglected. I am proud to be a part of everything that the City Parks Foundation does for New York and I can’t wait to see what future years hold.

The Ratatat concert must have been my favorite event just because I love their music and I loved the sea of people in front of me having the time of their lives.

7/18/2011: Time Warner and the Union Square Farmers Market
 Angelica Chery and Semecca Suber

Today we visited the Time Warner office building, where we learned about
where and how wireless technology is made. To learn more about what it is
like to be an engineer at Time Warner Cable, we did activities to learn about wireless technology. We learned about the difference between what WIFI and a wireless connection is. We also learned that cell phone class are transmitted through cell towers and switching stations and that encryption is used to make calls securely. We also got to visit the Union Square farmers market, where we were able to taste a corn salad and they gave us green bucks to buy fresh picked fruits and vegetables. We really enjoyed the farmers market and we can’t wait to visit again on a cooler day!

 7/19/2011: Overnight Trip Day 1
Nia Wilson and Tatyana Lawrence
 Today was the first day of our overnight trip to see the Ashokan Reservoir.
We stayed at the Colonial Inn in Upstate New York. We first put our stuff in
rooms and then we listened to a presentation about watersheds and different
reservoirs and how water is an important resource. We had dinner and a
little free time and then we went on a night hike. It was fun and scary! We
saw fish, frogs, bats and birds. It was fun because we got to experience new
things. We had good fried chicken, salad and spaghetti and meatballs and for
dessert we had chocolate cake and strawberry pie. We liked seeing the
Ashokan Reservoir the next day and the trip was very fun.

 7/20/2011: Overnight Trip Day 2
 Bryana Morales
 On the second day of the overnight, we visited the Ashokan Reservoir. We
saw a small model of the watershed, which had dirt, small trees, horses,
grass and factories around the rivers. I liked it because it taught me that
if a factory dumps pollution or a horse goes to the bathroom in the
Catskills near the river that can affect the water very far away in New York
City! I liked hearing the sound of the water hitting the shore and it was
very relaxing. We had great sandwiches for lunch and then took the bus back
to NY. I had fun because that was my first experience going hiking and
camping and because I got to share this experience with my friends.

7/21/2011
 Aisha Johnson and Quyn Israel
 We went to Strack Pond in Queens. We saw a lot of different dragon flies
and damselflies. Some were black and white, red, blue, purple, and green.
Our guide from the Natural Resource Group taugh us about how dragonflies
molt. We also learned that the male dragonflies are aggressive and the
females often choose to lay their eggs in vegetation around lakes. It was
hard to catch the dragonflies and they seemed sneaky or mean because they
stopped and looked at us and then flew away! When they reproduce, they are
in a wheel position. Even though it was hot and there was a lot of pollen
and even though the dragonflies were hard to catch, it was still a lot of
fun to catch them. When you catch them, you have such a satisfying feeling
(like “Yes! I caught it!”). We almost fell in the water, but we caught each
other. We got our sneakers and feet dirty, but we didn’t care and had a lot
of fun!

7/22/2011
Holly Hernandez and Jesuheidi Ortiz
Today we went to the American Museum of Natural History. We broke up into
teams and went on a scavenger hunt in the Hall of Biodiversity. We were
looking for different species, what habitats they live in and what they eat
to survive. Finding all of the animals was the most challenging part of the
day.
Our favorite part was when we worked together as a team and cooperated. We
also liked seeing the sea life, like the giant whale and the small
underwater species.

The three-week Green Girls Summer Institute, going into its sixth summer, serves 30 girls from the four Young Women’s Leadership Schools in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with hands-on activities and trips to parks and natural areas, wildlife refuges, and cultural institutions. Green Girls provides middle-school girls with intensive summer experiences that enrich their understanding of science and environmental justice issues, familiarize them with New York City’s vast natural and institutional resources, and promote leadership and life skills. Ultimately, the Green Girls Summer Institute helps girls explore their own vast potential and the extensive career possibilities available in the sciences.

These carefully-selected and sequenced activities address a variety of science subject matter, including environmental education, ecology, biology, geology, zoology, and botany. Sessions encompass an array of environmental and environmental justice issues that focus on community problems and the need for green spaces, water conservation, air quality and the natural world.

Alex at the Marketing Table

By Alex Paans

Being an Economics and Spanish major, I applied to be a PR and Marketing Intern to try something new. It was a field I didn’t really know too well and hadn’t been exposed to in school but something that I had always wondered about and had interest in. So when I was offered the summer internship here at City Parks Foundation I was excited to see what it had in store for me.

Although it’s only just a little past half way through my summer here at CPF, I have already learned so much about how PR and Marketing departments work and the logistics behind them. Here in PR and Marketing everyone works hard to make sure everything they need to do is taken care of. It’s easy to see that all of our collaborative efforts, whether it may be keeping up with social media or pitching for a newspaper to highlight us, are effective when we go out to the concerts. By going to each of the boroughs I get to see a new community almost every week, and it makes the experience worthwhile to see everyone from kids to adults of all ages coming to our shows and really appreciating them not necessarily for the performance itself but for the efforts of the organization behind it.

So while I’m getting to know the field of PR and Marketing better this summer, I am also gaining a new experience outside of just the office setting, which has been my favorite part of working at CPF so far.

My first day on the job was working in the office for a few hours and heading to Brownsville, Brooklyn.  To state what is obvious to most who live here in the city, Brownsville is VERY different from my small town in NC.  I was definitely experiencing some fear when I stepped off the train and didn’t have any sense of belonging. 

After passing out schedules around the neighborhood, and receiving many date offers, it was time for the concert to begin.  The crowd began to fill in and the DJ was awesome.  People were having the best time and by the end of the show they were coming up to us at the marketing tent and thanking us for inviting them and for having the concert in their neighborhood.

This set the tone for the rest of the summer.  Whether I’m saving photos, posting our schedule on events pages or  monitoring social media, I know that at the end of my work day I get to see a concert that reaches hundreds of people right in their own neighborhood.  A community comes together for the arts.  That’s how I would summarize SummerStage.  We are unifying a community, one concert at a time. 

My favorite concert so far, Talib Kweli in Red Hook. Photo courtesy of Brittany Cadwallader.

In just a few  short months the Abib Newborn Learning Garden has sprouted up from this…

to this…

We “planted”  this learning garden with our friends at ING for kids in Brownsville to have the opportunity to make their community a more beautiful place.

From the opening of the garden itself, these kids have been our partners.   Fourth graders from PS 184K took part in the ribbing cutting ceremony alongside executives from ING and CPF on June 16th.

The garden is located in Brownsville, Brooklyn, corner of Osborn and Newport Streets on a site of former row houses that were removed in the 1970s and left bare for many years.  It will be available to kids in area schools as well as those who live in the NYCHA homes across the street.

One of the many things we get to do here at CPF is to take something that was once barren and useless and turn it into something beautiful that provides hope and unity in the community.  The pictures below show just that:

These kids will be growing beautiful flowers and healthy foods, but in the process they will learn so much more about taking care of their world and their bodies.

For more information about City Parks Foundation and programs like these visit us on our website.

“As more and more people utilize social networking sites to get their news and information, it’s important that the SummerStage festival keep up with these technologies,” says City Parks Foundation Executive Director, David Rivel. “We want to engage with our fan base in a way that is unique, immediate, and allows fans to connect with one another as well as the performers themselves.”

SummerStage is one of New York’s premier free performing arts festivals, bringing world-class artists and diverse programming to an ever-increasing legion of fans in sixteen parks throughout the five boroughs. With performances ranging from American pop, Latin and world music to dance, spoken word and family programs, SummerStage fills a vital niche in New York City’s summer arts festival landscape. The festival runs from June until the beginning of September presenting over 100 free performances. Since its inception twenty-five years ago, more than six million people from New York City and beyond have enjoyed SummerStage.

Follow SummerStage via the below links and visit www.SummerStage.org for festival information.

Twitter: @SummerStage

SummerStage on Facebook