Here’s a rundown of all the special and ongoing events this month at Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s favorite greenspace:
Special Events
Handiwork, January 1-4, 1-3 p.m., daily, free, Lefferts Historic House: Before video games, movies, and television, indoor games and projects helped pass the long winter days. At Lefferts Historic House, you can try your hand at needlepoint, write your New Year’s resolution with quill & ink, learn to play Nine-Man Morris, and help get the House ready for the new year. Free, kid/kid friendly event.
Lefferts Historic House — Special 2nd Floor Viewing, January 3-31 (possible extension), guided tours between 1-3:30 p.m., every Saturday & Sunday, Lefferts Historic House: Significant artifacts from 19th century family life — including a collection of engraved silver spoons and the Lefferts Family Bible with birth, marriage & death records — are all on view. Peek into the Femmetie’s Room, a fully furnished 1820s bedroom for a view of history not to be missed. Tours are every half hour, from 1-3:30 p.m., in groups of 10. Free.
Celebrate a Century of Brooklyn Bird Watching, January 3, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., meet at Grand Army Plaza’s Stranahan Statue at 7:50 a.m.: Over the past 100 years, more than 270 species of birds have been spotted in Prospect Park. This walk will honor the early days of the Brooklyn Bird Club, its first birders, and the community of birders they have inspired. Presented by the Prospect Park Audubon Center & the Brooklyn Bird Club.
Mulchfest 2009, January 10-11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., multiple locations: Third Street & Prospect Park West; The Park Circle entrance; intersection of Prospect Park Southwest & Parkside Avenue: Bring your holiday tree to Prospect Park where it’ll be turned into mulch for healthy ground cover. Watch your tree go into the chipper and become environment-friendly mulch. Plus, you can take some home for your own yard or garden. Please remove all decorations from the trees. Co-sponsored by the Park Slope Civic Council.
Mulchfest 2009 Volunteers Needed: Help assist people who bring their trees in for recycling by removing ornaments and distributing mulch. Call 718-965-8960 for details.
Morning Bird Walk — Bring In The New Year With Birds, January 4, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Audubon Center: Explore the Lullwater and Peninsula nature trails and discover the beautiful plumage and fascinating behavior of the park’s wintering ducks as they ring in the New Year. Rain or shine. Led by the Brooklyn Bird Club. Free.
Martin Luther King Day Celebration at Lefferts Historic House, January 19, 2 p.m., Lefferts Historic House: Lewis Latimer – son of fugitive slaves – was a pioneer scientist, key to the creation of the modern electrical world and a renaissance man. Vivian Millicent Warfield, director of the Lewis Latimer House, will share Latimer’s story and discuss his restored home and laboratory in Queens. Free, kid friendly.
Ice Skating at Wollman Rink, open through March 19, hours are varied (check www.prospectpark.org/visit/places/wollman_rink or call 718-287-6431), $5 for ages 15 and up; $3 for children 14 and under and seniors. Skate rental, $6.50 (includes tax). Every Friday, Wollman Rink offers half-off regular admission price, except on public holidays: There’s nothing better than lacing up a pair of blades, breathing in the fresh park air and gliding around Wollman Rink. Don’t have skates? Don’t worry! You can rent you some. And when you need a pick-me-up, come to Kate’s Corner for steamy hot chocolate, coffee and tasty snacks. Come out and enjoy winter’s best pastime.
Wollman Rink
January Events
Kate’s Corner at Wollman Rink Giveaway, January 8, 2-6 p.m. (rink hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.): The first 50 people to spend $15 or more gets a fabulous fleece hat with the Prospect Park logo. So warm your insides with some hot chocolate & chili and keep your head warm with the most fabulous accessory of the season, all while taking part in a great winter outing.
Brooklyn Ice & Guests, January 19, 1:45 p.m. (rink opens at 10 a.m.): Children, aged 6-10, from Brooklyn Ice will perform a live show along with some special guests. This is a perfect time enjoying a dazzling display of fancy footwork on ice, get hot chocolate and rest-up for more skating. Included in rink admission.
Disco Skate, January 22, 4-6 p.m. (rink hours are opens at 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.): Do you like to boogie? Do the hustle? Shake your bootie…and skate? For two hours you can do it all at once at, Wollman Rink’s, first ever disco skate. So grab your blades and put on your bell bottoms because the disco beat is calling. Included in rink admission.
Ongoing Events
Introduction to Bird Watching, every Saturday, 12-1:30 p.m., Prospect Park Audubon Center: Prospect Park has more than 200 species of birds. Take a guided tour and find out why the National Audubon Society has designated Prospect Park an Important Bird Area. Free.
Early American Crafts & Games, every Saturday and Sunday, January 10-February 8, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Lefferts Historic House: Make arts and crafts the old fashioned way. Free, kid/kid friendly event.
Discover Tours, every Saturday and Sunday, 3-4 p.m., Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse: Learn how to look for birds and explore the secrets of nature on this expert-guided walk through the park’s most scenic landscapes. Free, kid/kid friendly event.
Nature Crafts, every Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m., Prospect Park Audubon Center: Looking for something to do with the kids? Teacher/naturalists at the Audubon Center are available each weekend, leading structured, fun, and engaging arts activities for children. Kids create toys, puppets, and more, using all-natural materials – and it doesn’t cost a thing. Kid/kid friendly event.
General Information
For more, call 718-965-8999, or 718-965-8960 for directions to all volunteering destinations, or go to www.prospectpark.org.
