With the lifting of COVID restrictions and the return of milder temperatures, Friends of Devoe Park hosted a “Spring Sprouting Festivities” Easter celebration at Devoe Park on Saturday, April 30.

 

Inside the park, located at University Avenue and Father Zeiser Place in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx, youngsters enjoyed a host of events including face painting, an egg hunt of with eggs filled with bubble-gum, as well as several rounds of musical chairs. Winners of the many rounds of musical chairs were awarded a “magic wand,” that opened to become a bubble-maker.

 

Watching, as the dozens of children engaged in the many activities, Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, former Bronx borough parks commissioner who, as reported, is now first deputy commissioner of the City parks department, told Norwood News, “This is one of my favorite parks in The Bronx because I was able to see Friends of Devoe Park evolve, and come together, and become friends as a group to take care of the park.”

 

Rodriguez-Rosa continued, “We have an amazing new dog run, because during the last two years of COVID a lot of people got animals and things like that, because they wanted company. So now, they have an actual place to take the dogs too that is beautiful.”

 

According to Rachel Miller-Bradshaw of Friends of Devoe Park, the group, incorporated in 2017, held their first Easter event in 2018. She explained how the group was founded after the City Parks Foundation / Catalyst deemed the green space as a “high needs” park. She said the group, which includes Fordham Hill Owners Corporation board president, Myrna Calderon, sprang into action, hosting park clean-up events and fundraisers. They also enlisted the help of local officials and police regarding public safety in and around the park.

 

Bradshaw said they continued with their efforts  throughout the pandemic. “We were out in the park cleaning up and rallying other community activists and local legislators to help us maintain the park,” she said, adding that they had to take the cleanliness of the park into their own hands.

 

Regarding the Spring / Easter celebration at the park, Bradshaw said, “Our goal was we definitely wanted to commemorate Easter. We wanted to welcome community residents back into the park because of course now, community residents are starting to take advantage of the park again, and we wanted to do something special for the community.”

 

Regarding the dog run, Bradshaw explained, “We had opposed the dog-run because there was no clear outline as far as how it was going to be maintained.” She added, “To be quite honest… from what I see, it’s been a great addition to the park being that dog owners do use it.” However, Miller-Bradshaw said more Parks officers were needed since two recent incidents of dog fighting were reported inside the dog run.