2013 GARDEN TOURS

For the 21st year, the Thornden Park Association hosts tours of private gardens located in and around the Syracuse University neighborhood on Sunday, June 16th from 1 pm – 4 pm. RAIN OR SHINE! Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the creators of these unique gardens. $10.00 tickets will be on sale at the Field House in Thornden Park on the day of the tour from noon to 3 pm. (Enter the park at the E.M. Mills Rose Garden) Self-guided tours begin at 1 PM and end at 4 PM. A map highlighting the gardens, their location and history, will be provided with each ticket purchase.  

2013 Disc Golf - Syracuse Ice Bowl

On Saturday, February 16 you can register to participate in the Syracuse Ice Bowl. A temporary 18 hole course will be installed for the day. For more information contact Greg Meitus 399-0441. Once you have finished the course stop by the Field House and enjoy lunch at the Chili Bowl Festival. 

2013 Chili Bowl Festival

Please join us at our annual Chili Bowl Festival on Saturday February 16th from 12 – 3:00 PM in the Thornden Park Field House.This year we are celebrating a milestone: the Thornden Park Association is 30 years young! This year’s Chili Bowl Festival will be the beginning of a year-long Birthday Bash Celebration. This event is one of our biggest annual fund raisers. Every dollar raised helps us promote increased use of the park through restoration, revitalization, and advocacy.Over the past year, we have continued our ongoing programming (such as our highly successful 3-week summer Discovery Day Camp, for young children and our exercise class for adults offered by Dale Avers, PT, DPT, Ph.D and TPA board member). One of our biggest renovation projects – restoration of the Field House windows—should be completed (at last!) by February 16th. Current projects include repair of sections of the exercise course and installing bike racks in appropriate locations throughout the park.As part of the celebration, the menu will include a new, original BIRTHDAY BASH CHILI, so put February 16th on your calendar!

Cricket Anyone?

Upstate Cricket Club   Background information Established in 2011, we are a strong group of motivated individuals from different backgrounds. Most of the enthusiasts are graduate (PhD and masters) and medical students at SUNY Upstate Medical University, but we also have post-doctoral fellows, physicians, trainee doctors, physician’s assistants at our behest. Even though cricket is traditionally a colonial game, we have many American enthusiasts who play regularly. Thus we have good mix of people not only from different educational backgrounds with both male and female participants but people from different country of origin such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, England, USA, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Jamaica etc.   Our professional commitments permit us to play on the weekends. We manage a good 4-6 hours of play every time. Recently we have upgraded our cricket equipment to meet the increase in strength of players and the ever expanding enthusiasm. Newer equipment and increasing number of enthusiasts have brought newer challenges. We would love to play at a bigger field and lately we have been playing at the Thornden park football field. However, the center of the field (which is pivotal to our game) is uneven and needs regular maintenance as far as the grass on the ground is concerned. You can visit our facebook page: ‘Upstate Cricket Club’. 

History of Thornden Shared

Susan Hardoby spoke about the history of Thornden Park and presented slides to the residents at The Oaks Residential Community at Menorah Park on July 7th. Some of the residents shared their remembrances of the park in earlier days, as they lived in the area back then. One resident said she had pictures of the many flower beds that inhabited the park in the forties or fifties. We are always interested in stories and pictures of the park and would love to hear and/or see them, so if you have any, please contact Susan. She also is willing to come speak at any gathering or meeting interested in learning about the history of the park. Call her at 445-1798.

In October 2008 Susan Hardoby presented the Park's historical slide show to the Women's Organization of DeWitt Community Church (and we thank them for their kind donation to help us continue our efforts in the park.) Please know that this presentation is free and we are more than happy to show it to your group. (We also have a video called Uncommon Ground, that we produced about the park.) Both are available to your community, church, garden or any other group or organization that may be interested in the history of the park and what a group can do to improve our wonderful public green spaces. Just give Susan a call at 445-1798 to schedule her in to your program. Thanks.