ready, set, go to the fair

Volume 10, Issue 1
Fall 2010
READY, SET, GO TO THE FAIR
The 8th Annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK COUNTRY FAIR
October 16, 2010
The Naumburg Bandshell mid-Park at 72nd Street
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
A Letter
from the
President
Central Park PAWS began—eleven years ago—as
an Advisory Group to the Conservancy, similar to other
groups such as the Woodlands Advisory Group, which
meet regularly to discuss relevant issues. After ten years,
however, PAWS had evolved into something different. We
sponsor events: the annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK
COUNTRY FAIR, attended by thousands, and the monthly
Bagel Barks. We have newsletters, a Web site, a database
of thousands of names. In short, we had become far more
proactive than the typical Advisory Group.
Taking all of this into consideration in conversations
with the Conservancy, we realized that changes were in
order. I am delighted to report that the Conservancy has
invited Central Park PAWS to become an official Program
of the Central Park Conservancy. This is an honor for all of
us in the dog community, as it shows the importance the
Conservancy accords to its relationship with us.
As a Program, PAWS still maintains its central mission:
to foster an ongoing dialogue among the dog community,
the Conservancy staff, and other user groups. At the same
time, PAWS’ initiatives receive stronger support than ever.
All of us on the PAWS Steering Committee look forward
to another decade of successful collaboration between the
dog community and the Central Park Conservancy, working
together to protect and enjoy our beloved Park!
Susan Buckley
President, Central Park PAWS
Off-leash
When and Where
Not sure about the official off-leash rules?
At www.centralparkpaws.org, go to Park Guide and
click on the link to off-leash rules.
Or go to www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/rules_
and_regulations/rr_1-04.html and read Section i,
Failure to Control Animals.
READY, SET, GO TO THE FAIR continued from front cover
C
entral Park PAWS proudly presents its 8th
Annual MY DOG LOVES CENTRAL PARK
COUNTRY FAIR on October 16 from 11:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. After a hiatus of a year due to last
year’s storm damage, the Fair will take place in a
new location: the Naumburg Bandshell, mid-Park
at 72nd Street.
Once again the highlight of the Fair will be the
Best in Park Dog Show. PAWS invites any and all
Central Park dogs to compete in three preliminary
competitions leading up to a final round in which
celebrity judges choose the 2010 Best in Park dog.
In addition to allowing contestants to demonstrate
that they are good Park citizens, the competition is
designed to be engaging and fun for four-legged
and two-legged participants alike.
New this year will be a Children’s ring, which
will feature activities for children and dogs focused
on learning safe interaction and an interactive
“Let’s Go to the Vet” experience. Back by popular
acclaim: the Try Your Agility Ability course and
the A-Mazing Maze.
This year’s Fair is proud to present Dog Tales, an
oral history project to record dog owners’ Central
Park dog stories. PAWS vice-president Mia Nitchun
explains that Dog Tales was inspired by StoryCorps,
the ongoing oral history project featured on
National Public Radio. Nitchun says, “We urge you
all to share your unique stories so we can create an
archive of the amazing world that is the Central
Park dog community!”
OnStage at the Bandshell will feature demonstrations such as “Teach Your Old (or Not-So-Old)
Dog New Tricks” with outstanding New York dog
trainers, music, and contests such as the everpopular costume contest “Look Your Best in
Central Park.”
Fairgoers will be able to have the dogs microchipped thanks to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYCs
Animals and can try to pass the AKC Canine
Good Citizen test with their Park pups. And as
always there will be giveaways and goodies from
Fair sponsors.
“A great way to be part of the Fair is to volunteer,”
says PAWS Volunteer Coordinator Pat Santelli. “We
need your help and you’ll have a great time. (Plus you
get a PAWS hat!)” To keep up with Fair events and to
volunteer, go to www.centralparkpaws.org. n
Eats & Treats with Fido & Friends
Of course, your dogs have their treats all
set—in your pockets! But what about your
treats? The Central Barker has made a
survey of all of the places in Central Park
where you can have a bite to eat with your dog.
weather permitting
Fare: Burgers, hotdogs chicken grilled on
site; snacks, fresh fruit, soups and salads
Seating: You can sit at metal picnic
tables with your on-leash dog
Le Pain Quotidian
Where: North side of Sheep Meadow
at West 69th Street
Hours: 7 days, 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Fare: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
prepared on site plus take-out picnic
lunches. Water and other beverages
Seating: You can sit at tables on the
front terrace with your on-leash dog. (No
dogs are allowed inside or in the outside
area where dinners are served.)
Knish ‘Nosh
Ferrara
Where: Columbus Circle at West 59th St.
Hours: Open 7 days, 7:00 am to 9:00 pm
Fare: Hot dogs prepared on site; bagels;
packaged breakfast food; salads; sandwiches; desserts. Water and other beverages
Seating: A few café tables and nearby
park benches
Ballfields Café
Where: Heckscher Ballfields at West
64th Street
Hours: 7 days a week (Mon-Fri 11:00 am
to 8:00 pm; Sat/Sun 10:00 am to 8:00 pm
Fare: Meals prepared on site including hot
dogs, hamburgers, turkey burgers, sandwiches, salads, nachos, desserts. “Rookie
Menu” for kids. Water and other beverages
Seating: You can sit at any table with
your on-leash dog.
Wollman Grill
Where: Terrace above Wollman Rink,
Fifth Avenue at East 62nd-63rd Streets
Hours: Wed-Sun 11:30 am to 5:30 pm
Where: East side of Conservatory Water,
East 74th Street
Hours: 7 days a week 7:30 am to 9:00 pm
weather permitting
Fare: Snacks, hot dogs, knishes, ice
cream. Water and other beverages
Seating: You can sit at tables on the
terrace with your on-leash dog
(Knish ‘Nosh also runs the small “snack
shack” at the southern end of Conservatory Water, where you can buy snacks,
ice cream, and beverages.)
Knish ‘Nosh North
Where: Harlem Meer (the North Park
at West 110th Street)
Hours: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm weather
permitting
Fare: Snacks, ice cream, knishes. Water
and other beverages.
Loeb Boathouse
Where: Northeastern tip of The Lake at
East 75th Street
Hours: 7 days a week 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
Fare: Hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches,
salads prepared on site. Water and other
beverages.
Seating: You can sit at metal tables on
the north terrace with your on-leash dog.
(No dogs are allowed in the Boathouse
or in the Boathouse restaurant on the
lake itself.)
Public Fare
Where: Delacorte Theater at West 81st St
Hours: During the show season, 7 days a
week 8:00 am to 8:00 pm. Closed Sept 5
to early May 2011.
Fare: Sandwiches (breakfast and otherwise), soups, salads, desserts. Water and
other beverages
Seating: You can sit on the Delacorte
benches. n
DOG TALES
Tell Your
Central Park
Dog Story
Everyone has stories about experiences
shared together with their dogs in Central
Park: humorous, poignant and profound
stories of friendship, adventure, fulfillment
and loss. These are the stories that the
Dog Tales Oral History Project plans to
capture.
At the 2010 Country Fair, PAWS
volunteers will be on hand to record
these stories. Interviewers will facilitate
the process in order to ensure that the
essence of each unique story is recorded.
Dog
Tales
These “dog tales” will be edited,
transcribed and archived so that both
audio and written versions can become
part of the history of Central Park in
perpetuity. The Conservancy hopes to
make them available in various ways for
serious historians as well as all of those
who share a passion for life experienced
with their canine companions in the
world’s greatest park!
Project Director Mia Nitchun urges,
“Come prepared to share your experiences so that you, too, can be remembered as a vital contributor to the
history of Central Park.” n
Volunteer
at the Fair!
Sign up at
www.centralparkpaws.org/
volunteers/register.php
A typical occurrence: When informed
by a PAWS representative that his dog
ought not to be swimming in the water by
the Bow Bridge, one dog owner responded
that the boats and paddles cause more of
a disturbance than the dogs do.
After speaking with Tina Nelson, Soil,
Water and Ecology Lab Coordinator for
the Central Park Conservancy, here is
what we learned:
When a dog heads into the water, it not
only wreaks havoc on the muddy bottom
disturbing whatever wildlife might be
burrowing, like turtles, but it also disturbs
the carefully planted shorelines. Shoreline
plants are important for a variety of reasons.
Native species provide a long period of
beautiful bloom in the Park’s ponds, lakes,
and streams. They also prevent shoreline
erosion. These plants are a critical food
source for wildlife and beneficial insects,
and they serve as aquatic filters that
clean and absorb nitrogen and toxins
from the water. Protecting the shoreline
plants is an essential part of the Park’s
conservation efforts.
The water bodies are home to fish,
turtles, frogs and myriad insects. The water
bodies are not only a home but a refuge.
To the wide variety of waterfowl and
other birds that use the water bodies, dogs
are a predator. Swimming or splashing
dogs put birds on alert and amps up
the tension in that area. The boats, on
the other hand, are not perceived by
the wildlife as a threat and are a minor
disturbance to the wildlife.
How can YOU help? Follow the rules
yourself. And when you see fellow dog owners breaking the rules, explain the reasons
why dogs are not allowed in certain areas
or must always be on-leash in other areas.
By understanding the real and valid reasons
for Park rules, you can be part of the solution
rather than part of the problem! n
A Farewell
and a Welcome
On August 6th the Central Park
PAWS community bid a very fond farewell
to Melanie Alfonso, our liaison to the
Central Park Conservancy for the past
five years. At the same time, PAWS
enthusiastically welcomed Caroline
Greenleaf as the new liaison and program
director.
Melanie—now Melanie Cohen—has
crossed Central Park West to become
manager of educational programming at
the American Museum of Natural
History. Over the past five years she has
played a pivotal role in the growth of
Central Park PAWS. In thanking the
PAWS Steering Committee, Melanie
said, “On a professional level, it has
been incredible to collaborate with all
of you on so many projects from Bagel
Barks to PAWS becoming an official
program of the Conservancy. On a
personal note, it was always amazing to
me that PAWS fosters such a close-knit
community of friendships and support,
and I thank you for welcoming me into
that community with open arms.”
The dog community extends that
same welcome to Caroline Greenleaf.
Caroline has recently become the
Conservancy’s Community Relations
Manager as well as the Program Manager
for Central Park PAWS. As a dog owner
(actually, she says that it is she who is
owned—by Brussels Griffons Zoe and
Willa) has been part of the Central Park
PAWS Steering Committee for several
years. She came to the Conservancy
after eight years at The Juilliard School
as Director of Health and Counseling
Services and instructor in the Law for
Performing Artists course for graduate
students. An attorney by training,
Caroline was a corporate counsel and
had a private practice in Maine before
moving to New York.
PAWS president Susan Buckley notes
“Central Park PAWS and the entire
Park dog community owe an enormous
debt of gratitude to Melanie. She was
our indefatigable champion and our
invaluable guide for five years. Without
her help, loyalty, and level-headed
wisdom, we would not be where we are
today. At the same time, we are thrilled
that Caroline will be our champion and
guide in the future. A dog owner who
adores and values the Park, she brings
a wealth of experience and imagination
to this collaboration.” n
Melanie and Caroline
Central Park PAWS, a program of the Central Park Conservancy, represents
the thousands of dog owners who enjoy the Park every day. The mission of
Central Park PAWS is to foster and maintain a dialogue between dog owners
and the Park. The group provides a forum to address issues relating to
dogs, dog owners, and other park users and to increase awareness of the
privileges and responsibilities of dog ownership in the Park.
Credits:
Newsletter Director: Joan Fisher
Editor: Susan Buckley
Writers: Claudia Boynton, Susan Buckley
Creative Director: Barbara Lee Chapman
Photos: Joan Fisher, Steven Fromewick
The Central Barker
The Arsenal, Central Park
830 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10065
“WHY CAN’T
MY DOG…” swim
in the water bodies
of Central Park?