Summer 2015 - Evelyn`s Park Conservancy

2015
Summer
Highlights: Groundbreaking!
Park Notes
News from Evelyn’s Park Conservancy, Bellaire, Texas
Bronze Sculpture
Community Art Project
Teen Ambassadors
Groundbreaking News for Evelyn's Park!
To commemorate the beginning of construction, Evelyn’s Park celebrated
its groundbreaking in style! The June 18th event included food trucks, a
community art project, and a heartfelt ceremony. From the Bellaire LIGHTS
cheerleading squad's opening cheer to the orations by politicians on the
local and state levels, everyone had a great time.
State Representative Sarah Davis praises Evelyn's Park at its
groundbreaking, while flanked by Teen Ambassadors.
EPC President Patricia King-Ritter, surrounded by Teen Ambassadors,
expressed her thanks to all board members past and present, to city
officials and employees, and to all the volunteers, sponsors, and donors.
Recognizing the incredible team effort to reach this point, Ritter quoted
Walt Disney: "You can dream and create and build the most wonderful plan
in the world, but it takes people to make the dream a reality."
As part of the groundbreaking celebration, attendees could “make their
mark on the park” through a community art project, painting individual
fence pickets for the construction fencing around the park, with the theme
"Imagine the possibilities in Evelyn’s Park.” For more on the art, see page 2.
An excited State Representative Sarah Davis praised Bellaire's newest park
and painted her own unique fence picket, highlighting District 134 where the
park is located. Past president and current board member Keith Rubenstein
continued on page 3 >>
The Best Picnic Table in Town
Bellaire City Council member Andrew Friedberg and his family
participate in groundbreaking's community-art project: see p. 2.
A whimsical and interactive bronze sculpture will be the focus of the Evelyn
Rubenstein memorial garden within Evelyn's Park, serving as a "destination
spot" for visitors to the Houston area and for fans of the endearing and
enduring story of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.
For the 150th anniversary of the classic novel, Houston artist Bridgette
Mongeon, inspired by the "tea party" scene, will sculpt a ten-foot table with
eight-foot bronze characters hosting the fanciful feast. The table will seat six
to eight additional, living guests, allowing families to enjoy a picnic among
Alice, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat, the Dormouse, and the Mad Hatter.
The Jerry and Maury Rubenstein Foundation commissioned the sculpture in
honor of their mother, Evelyn, a prominent businesswoman and philanthropist in the Bellaire and Houston communities. The larger-than-life scene has
an anticipated completion date in late 2016.
His Eggcellency: Humpty Dumpty is one of 150 references to Alice
in Wonderland concealed within "Move One Place On," the
bronze memorial sculpture coming to Evelyn's Park in late 2016.
Bridgette Mongeon designed the sculpture, titled "Move One Place On"
after the Mad Hatter's constant refrain. In honor of this 150th anniversary,
continued on page 4 >>
Apply to Become a Teen Ambassador Today!
Evelyn’s Park Conservancy (EPC) is
accepting applications for the 2015–
2016 Teen Ambassador program,
seeking enthusiastic, talented, and
hard-working teens to help represent
the park at community events. All
teenagers from 6th grade through
12th grade are eligible to apply.
Teen Ambassadors have many volunteer opportunities to earn community-service hours. Teen Ambassadors
become knowledgeable about
Evelyn’s Park Conservancy ("EPC")
and promote the park to family,
friends, and the community. They
also gain valuable volunteer experience and a sense of pride and
commitment by giving back to the
community, all while getting to know
neighbors and making new friends.
To become an EPC Teen Ambassador,
high-school students commit to at
least 12 hours of service to the park
in a one-year period; middle-school
students are required to provide at
least six hours. Starting this year,
previous ambassadors may apply
to become Senior Ambassadors if
they are high-school students with at
least one year of prior experience
and commit to at least 20 hours of
community service. EPC does not
limit applications to Bellaire residents.
All EPC Teen Ambassadors receive a
certificate of completion, community-service hours, and an EPC t-shirt.
meet other Ambassadors and learn
more about the responsibilities and
expectations of a Park Ambassador.
Attendance will count toward the
community-service hours requirement.
Other requirements include attending
the Teen Ambassador Orientation
on Thursday, September 17, 2015,
from 6–7:30 p.m. This leadership
training session will be a chance to
To apply, please visit our web
site. The application deadline is
September 1 at midnight. If you
have questions, please contact
[email protected].
Become a Teen Ambassador: have fun, make friends, and
help both the local community and Evelyn's Park.
Looking Good: Evelyn's Park Community Art Project on Display!
The colorful fence pickets along
Bellaire Boulevard are a distinctive expression of community artistry and support for Evelyn's Park
from the recent groundbreaking,
in collaboration with the Bellaire
Cultural Arts Board and local
artists Terry Leavitt-Chavez and
Marla Roberson.
EPC Events Chair Debbie Lapin
said, "We wanted to engage
the community at groundbreaking with something that all ages
could participate in, to make the
construction fence beautiful and
unique and the event more entertaining and neighborly.” Local
builder Philip Robbins of Bentley
Homes had 250 fence pickets
primed and ready to go for the
attendees, and Sherwin-Williams
donated all the paint and brushes
for the blank “canvases.”
Bellaire's Project Manager
Michelle Jordan and Parks &
Recreation Assistant Director
Cheryl Bright-West helped arrange for supplies and support.
Local artist and EPC board
member Terry Leavitt-Chavez
commented, “Everyone had
their own interpretation of the
theme, 'Evelyn’s Park: Imagine the
Possibilities.' It was wonderful for
the community to come together,
design a project, and then see it
installed."
Feel free to take pictures with
the pickets and post them to our
Facebook page. Local store
French Cuff Boutique already
has conducted a fashion shoot at
the site. For more photos of the
Community art project, visit the
EPC Facebook page.
French Cuff Boutique's Friday, July 17 "Daily Fashion
Flash: Sun Goddess" also showed off Evelyn's Park and the
community art project created for the groundbreaking.
President's Summer Message
June 18th marked a major celebration for both the City of Bellaire
and the Conservancy. We "Put Our Mark on the Park" with our
groundbreaking ceremony, along with our first collaborative
community-art project now displayed on the property.
True excitement is in the air: In 10–12 months' time the property will transform
into an iconic green space! While the park is aflutter with construction activity,
the Conservancy will continue to host community and fundraising events, work
with Teen Ambassadors, and plan for the park's opening. We have all prepared
for and anticipated this process for many months, and are excited about this
next stage of building and maintaining the history of the property. The essence
of the "Little Yellow House" is carefully integrated into the design of the café and
will continue to be a cornerstone of the property. We are proud of the significant
salvaging efforts to repurpose and reclaim elements of the original property for
use in the future park.
We've reached this phase through great collaboration, working with the City,
multiple organizations, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Without your support
and your generosity this vision would not become a reality. A quote from Henry
Ford really sums it up for me: "Coming together is a beginning; keeping together
is a process; working together is success." Together we can celebrate the success of what Evelyn’s Park is today and will continue to be for generations.
Evelyn Rubenstein, for whom the park is named, valued family, community, and
nature above all else. These are the core values that the Park embraces and incorporates through its well-thought-out design, including walking trails, a familyfriendly restaurant, open green space, a children’s play area, cultivated gardens,
and interactive family programming. This park is for the community to engage and
embrace. We hope that Evelyn’s Park will become a part of your everyday life.
Patricia King-Ritter, President, Evelyn's Park Conservancy
EPC Welcomes New Board Members
Terry Leavitt-Chavez brings over 20 years of retail-industry experience to the Conservancy. She currently owns Gallery 3, a contemporary art gallery and marketing consulting company, and is involved
with ZaZumi in building a mobile fashion marketplace. She previously
served as a director of merchandise planning and allocations at
Stage Stores, and received a BBA in Marketing from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Terry's family has lived in Bellaire for 13 years,
and she is active in the community: over the last five years she has held various roles,
including President of Patrons for Bellaire Parks, and currently serves as chair of the
Bellaire Cultural Arts Board. Terry is excited to be part of the creation of Evelyn’s Park.
Jonathan Palmer and his wife Katherine and daughter Elizabeth
(Elle) moved to Bellaire from Kingwood, TX, in 2013, choosing Bellaire
in part because of its distinctive community feeling. After retirement
from a successful career as a commercial banker and as CEO of
several small- to mid-sized financial technology companies, Jon has
committed himself to giving something back to the community. He has
served on the Bellaire Environmental and Sustainability Board (formerly
the Recycling Board) for one year, and looks forward to helping the Evelyn’s Park
Board realize the community’s dreams for the Park.
EPC Events Chair Debbie Lapin and EPC President Patricia
King-Ritter, share a hug with Foundation Director Jerry
Rubenstein after he assisted with the groundbreaking.
Groundbreaking, continued from page 1 >>
spoke of his family’s original purchase
of the land from Teas Nursery to
honor his grandmother, Evelyn, and
recognized the hard work of the EPC
board and volunteers.
Bellaire Council Member Roman
Reed imagined Evelyn's Park's positive
effect on economic development
in Bellaire, both for businesses and
homeowners, and assured neighbors
that the Park would be responsibly
managed and well secured.
Fun fare from local food trucks
Bernie's Burger Bus, Cousin’s Maine
Lobster, Koagie Hots, Kona Ice
snow cones, and Smoosh ice cream
kept the crowd well-fed and excited.
The crowd rocked to D.J. Damon
Pampolina of PRP Entertainment,
atop a flatbed which came as a
donation from PV Rentals.
Bellaire United Methodist Church and
Crosspoint Church both generously
offered their parking lots for guests.
Acme Tent Rental kindly provided
lighting for the park and donated the
tent for the ceremony; and Mosquito
Joe donated some much-appreciated
spraying beforehand!
“Watching the community gather and
interact was exciting,” stated EPC Vice
President Lou Waters. “People of all
ages came to celebrate, whether it was
painting fence pickets, children playing
with shovels in the sand, or even a
97-year-old neighbor who came to
enjoy the festivities. It was a great
glimpse of how the park means so
much to so many people.” For photos,
please visit our Facebook page.
Mark Your
Calendar Now
for The Bellaire
Fall New Home
Showcase!
Proceeds Benefit
Evelyn's Park!
Enjoy the latest trends
in local architecture.
Volunteers Needed!
If you are available to volunteer for the Showcase, please
contact [email protected].
Park Notes
a quarterly publication of
P.O. Box 459, Bellaire TX 77402
Evelyn’s Park is physically located at
4400 Bellaire Blvd. Bellaire TX 77401.
Online, find us as:
[email protected]
Webwww.evelynspark.org
Twitter@EvelynsPark
Instagramevelynspark
Facebook "Evelyn's Park Conservancy"
Save the Date:
You won't want to miss this!
Thursday, October 22, 6–9 pm
Park visitors interact with sculptured characters in this rendering of "Move One Place On," the sculpture coming to Evelyn's Park.
The Best Picnic in Town, continued from page 1 >>
Mongeon will hide 150 different elements from the book within the sculpture, inviting park visitors on a journey of discovery. For example, if guests
look carefully, they may find a small Humpty Dumpty or the White Queen,
tucked into the bronze "bark" legs of the table and benches.
This unique sculpture will bring an additional element of beauty, fun, and
intrigue to Evelyn's Park. The concept of interactive art, where visitors can
join in the tea party and the treasure hunt for hidden elements, appeals to
all ages. The sculpture represents everything that Evelyn Rubenstein loved:
family, imagination, literature, creativity, and fun. We invite you to watch
the progress of this incredible sculpture. For more information on the artist
and the development of the sculpture, please visit evelynspark.org.
Between the two weekends of the
Bellaire Fall New Home Showcase,
Evelyn's Park Conservancy will offer an
incredible culinary experience at the
five Showcase homes. Ride the complimentary shuttle from one to the next,
enjoying different food, drink, and entertainment at each location. Check out
the website soon for more information on
sponsorships, ticket sales, and highlights.