Mid-Summer’s Eve Salon at “Whitman Woods”
A convivial assemblage of Wine, Music, Birdsong & the Bard’s Nature Prose
featuring Basilica Brass & Bird Whisperer Lloyd Shaw
Friday, July 26 2019, 5:30-7 p.m.
Open Space advocates, nature lovers and Whitman devotees are invited to a mid-Summer’s eve gathering at aspirational “Whitman Woods.” Enjoy a convivial assemblage of Wine, Music and Birdsong. Celebrate Nature and the Good Gray Poet’s 2019 Bicentennial with Whitman-era medleys by Basilica Brass and complimentary beverages. Chat with New Jersey Audubon Field Guide and noted Naturalist Lloyd Shaw. Be transported by Whitman’s “Jottings in the woods” or simply unplug and get your weekend on in the embrace of the future Passive Park’s serene lakeside setting.
The Mid-Summer’s Eve Salon is a free community event in association with WhitmanAt200.org
Bird Bar (Complimentary beverages)
Unwind, unplug, lift a libation to Walt & commune with Nature on his old stomping grounds!
Basilica Brass
A suite of Whitman-era medleys will be performed as a Bicentennial tribute to the Bard by a Quintet of gifted musicians hailing from Philadelphia’s most esteemed orchestras.
Bird Chat
BYO camp chair and perch under the leafy canopy with noted New Jersey Audubon Field Guide Lloyd Shaw. Hear about the Birds who frequent Whitman’s beloved Timber Creek and rely upon aspirational “Whitman Woods” for shelter and sustenance.
Birdsong
Bask in the trill and chirp of countless birds as they settle into their evening roosts amongst the towering beech, black walnut, oak and poplar.
Attire: “Camp” or “Casual” — long pants & closed-toe shoes are recommended!
Parking: Free street parking along Beech, Glen, Sycamore, etc.
Location: Enter the future Passive Park via footpaths at the terminus of Glen or Beech avenues. GPS Address: 720 Glen Avenue, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021
Please Note: Uneven terrain. No restroom facilities. Please bring a camp chair!
Rain Venue: St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 433 Park Avenue, Laurel Springs, 08021
PAST EVENTS
A-to-Z “Whitman Woods” Walk & Talk
Saturday, June 1, 2019, 10 a.m.
As a prelude to Walt FEST,nature lovers and Whitman Bicentennial celebrants are invited to an illuminating “A-to-Z Whitman Woods Walk & Talk”led by New Jersey Native Plants guru and Environmental Consultant Joseph Arsenault.
A botanist and ecologist, Arsenault grew up in Laurel Springs, played as a child in these very woods and now serves as the Whitman Woods Project lead adviser. Widely known for his captivating discourse, he is a veritable fount regarding the site’s geologic genesis. Attendees will learn about the land’s history — from the archaeological to the zoological — and why preserving these 3.75 wooded acres is ecologically significant within the Timber Creek watershed and beyond.
All-day:Walt FEST attendees are invited to stroll the footpaths that thread aspirational “Whitman Woods” (during daylight hours), and bask in birdsong and the shade of towering beech, black walnut, oaks and poplar.
Long pants and closed-toe shoes are suggested.
Enter the future Passive Park via footpaths at the terminus of Glen or Beech avenues, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021
Street parking only. No restroom facilities.
Painting/Drawing en Plein Air
Spring Weekend Workshop @ “Whitman Woods”
with Classical Realism Artist-Instructor Rebecca Tait
Saturday & Sunday, May 18-19, 2019, 12-6:30 daily
Paint and draw en Plain Air at aspirational “Whitman Woods” under the tutelage of renowned Classical Realism Artist-Instructor Rebecca Tait (rebeccatait.com). Drink in the wooded shoreline landscape that so inspired Walt Whitman during the very prolific twilight period of his life and interpret it in your hand.
Just as Whitman acutely observed his daily life, absorbing it and transcribing it into fluid free verse, Ms. Tait views painting as “the science of seeing the visual truth and passionately turning it into the art of visual poetry.” She teaches a very disciplined, classical approach to drawing and painting focusing on the effect of light on the subject.
Where better to learn this method and tap your creative energy than in Laurel Springs, “ground zero for Whitman on Timber Creek.” The wooded lakeshore appears now much as it did in Whitman’s day. Capture the landscape for yourself in oil, watercolor, pastel or pencil. (To virtually visit Ms. Tait’s Glen Gables Studio, visit rebeccatait.com)
You may register FORMALLY for a weekend of instruction or audit the class INFORMALLY for an hour or an afternoon.
Dates: Saturday & Sunday, May 18 & 19
Time: 12:30 – 6 p.m., each day
Rain Dates: Saturday & Sunday, May 25 & 26
TO REGISTER:
Weekend Workshop Cost: $200 per student (Note: Registration is limited to 12 students)
To make a query, TEXT your name and phone number to (609) 405-2573
Supplies are not included. Based on each students’ interests and experience, Ms. Tait will recommend a supply list.
TO AUDIT:
Participants who audit the class will not receive 1/1 instruction. To make a query, TEXT your name and phone number to (609) 405-2573.
Supplies are not included. Ms. Tait will recommend a supply list based on each student’s interests and experience.
Dates for the Painting/Drawing en Plein Air Fall Weekend Workshop @ “Whitman Woods” TBA
JANUARY-DECEMBER 2019
WHITMAN AT 200 – Bicentennial Celebrations
Click here for the Bicentennial calendar
Curators, librarians, historians, poets, writers, artists and naturalists have come together via Whitman at 200 to honor Whitman’s legacy with a yearlong series of celebratory cultural events, exhibits, performances, walks and talks on both sides of the Delaware. Bicentennial programming will be especially rich in the weeks before and after Whitman’s May 31 birth date. Nature/Bird Walks and Photography/Painting en Plein Air workshops will be hosted at aspirational “Whitman Woods” with spring/summer/fall dates TBA.
EARTH Month Clean-up @ “Whitman Woods”
Saturday, April 13, 10-Noon
Honor Mother Earth and Walt Whitman’s legacy during Earth Month! Join Whitman Woods Project Outreach Coordinator Ellen Kuehner and Advisory Board Member and Arborist Stanley Wrigley of Wrigley’s Tree Service to help steward the future passive park’s lakeshore and footpaths.
In addition to tidying up, participants can explore the aspirational “Whitman Woods” site, view the passive park’s Site Plan, and channel Walt by communing with Nature along the wooded shoreline that famously inspired him.
Water will be provided.
Linger long enough to join the free “Digital Nature Photography 101 Workshop” at noon to be led by Whitman Woods Project’s official photographer Dan Merton. (See separate calendar listing below.)
When: 10-noon
Where: Terminus of Glen and Beech avenues at the lakefront, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 (Street parking only; no restroom facilities.)
Suggested Attire: Garden or work gloves, long sleeves, long pants and closed-toe shoes, work/hiking boots, Wellies or old sneakers.
Optional: Pack a picnic and bring a camp chair.
Digital Nature Photography 101 Workshop @ “Whitman Woods”
Open to Smart Phone & Digital Camera users!
Saturday, April 13, Noon-1pm
Pick up pro tips from Whitman Woods Project’s official photographer Dan Merton, an avid outdoorsman with an affinity for shooting flora, fauna and landscapes with a camera. Post the morning “Crystal Spring” and “Whitman Woods” clean-ups, Dan, an early adopter of digital photography, will lead this free, informal workshop. Attendees will explore the 3.75-acre oasis of cathedral-like woods with Dan, spot wildlife that rely upon the site for sustenance, and draw photographic inspiration from the lake once famously traversed and celebrated by Walt Whitman during the prolific twilight period of his life.
A longtime Laurel Springs resident, Dan’s stunning photographs of “Whitman Woods” and Laurel Lake populate the whitmanwoods.org Web site and are featured on the project’s community Facebook page. His subjects also include historic architecture such as the Whitman-Stafford House.
Additionally, learn the Instagram ropes from Social Media Intern Jayne Grabowski, who majors in English and Digital Studies at Rutgers Camden!
Time: Noon-1pm
Location: Terminus of Glen and Beech avenues at the lakefront, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021 (Street parking only; no restroom facilities.)
Wear: Long sleeves, long pants, work/hiking boots, Wellies or old sneakers.
Optional: Pack a picnic and bring a camp chair.
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
WALT FEST – Art & Poetry Festival
11am-3pm
See Walt Fest details on Facebook event
Cross-pollinating with WALT FEST
Noon-4pm
WALT FEST attendees are invited to visit “Whitman Woods” to gain a better understanding of why this 3.5-acre parcel is so uniquely worth preserving as passive Open Space. Friends of Whitman Woods will conduct nature walks and answer project questions. (Visitors are advised to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.)
Whitman Woods A-to-Z Walk & Talk
3pm
At the close of WALT FEST activities, Environmental Consultant Joseph Arsenault will lead a free and enlightening “Whitman Woods A-to-Z Walk & Talk. The noted naturalist and native plant expert will illuminate the site’s history from the archaeological to the zoological. (Attendees are advised to wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.)
Where: Entry to the lakefront site is by foot at the terminus of Glen or Beech avenues. Laurel Springs, NJ, 08021
Parking Suggestions: The “Whitman Woods” site spans the lakefront between the terminuses of Beech & Glen avenues. Street parking on Glen or Beech avenues, which are accessed from Stone Road.
Note: There are no restroom facilities at the “Whitman Woods” location.
Events in Brooklyn
http://waltwhitmaninitiative.org/events/
May 29, 6:3–8pm: “Whitman Turns 100: Harbors, Heights, and a Brooklyn Celebration” at the Brooklyn Historical Society (a fabulous immersive event!)
May 31, 6-8pm: Free walking tour of Whitman’s Brooklyn Heights by Greg Trupiano of the Walt Whitman Project (email Greg for info and reservations: whitmanpro@nullaol.com)
June 9, 4:30-7pm: New York’s Annual “Song of Myself” Marathon (please email me at songofmyselfmarathon@nullgmail.com if you’d like to yawp with us; there is still gorgeous poetry waiting to be claimed!)
Saturday, April 21
Lakeside Clean-up
12-2 pm
Terminus of Glen Avenue at Laurel Lake, Laurel Springs NJ 08021
Honor Mother Earth!
Help steward the future park’s lakefront and footpaths. Bring gloves, wear long sleeves, long pants and work/hiking boots, Wellies or old sneakers.
Optional: pack a picnic and bring a camp chair.
Water will be provided.
Thank you!
Come Together
Sunday, September 10
10am-6pm
720 Glen Avenue, Laurel Springs NJ 08021
Friends of WWP are invited to “come together” on Sunday, September 10, to savor Indian Summer, explore the wooded lakefront, join the “Whitman Woods” conservation journey, network/strategize, or simply relax and commune with Nature. Cold refreshments are “on Walt.”
WHAT: Take a Bird & Nature walk with Naturalist Lloyd Shaw, 10 a.m. & 4 p.m. View the large-scale preliminary Site Plan Map that illustrates the passive park’s potential.
WHEN: Sunday, September 10, 10am-6pm
WHERE: “Whitman Woods” lies at the lake terminus of Glen & Beech avenues. Street parking only. Google 720 Glen Avenue, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021.
BRING: Camp chair (optional)
WEAR: Long pants & closed shoes (advisable)
M
ay 26, 2016
Walk in the Woods with Walt
Friends of “Whitman Woods” are invited to gather at the lakeshore for refreshments and project updates. Learn about the rare flora and fauna that rely on the site for survival from naturalist Lloyd Shaw. Toast the bard’s 197th birthday (May 31). Contribute your ideas to an informal/alfresco think tank. Begin your long weekend under a cathedral of old growth trees with “live music” by the birds!
June 25, 2016
13th Annual “Song of Myself” Marathon!
4:00-6:30pm
Granite Prospect at Brooklyn Bridge Park
info: songofmyselfmarathon@nullgmail.com
Thanks to Brian Selznick for image from Walt Whitman: Words for America!
September 10, 2016, 4pm-dusk
Walk in the Woods with “Walt,” a “Whitman Woods” Project Powwow
Learn about project goals, “contribute a verse,” enjoy refreshments, take a complimentary Nature Walk with field guide Lloyd Shaw & explore the lakeshore that Whitman celebrated…
Location:
Terminus of Glen & Beech avenues @ Laurel Lake, Laurel Springs, NJ, 08021
Bring: camp chair
Wear: long pants & closed toe shoes
Street parking only on nearby Glen, Beech & Sycamore
Please note: No “facilities”
NYC 14th Annual
Song of Myself Marathon
June 10, 2017
5-7:30 pm
Granite Prospect at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Laurel Springs “Walt Fest”
Saturday, June 3, 2017 (rain date June 10)
11am-3pm
At the historic sites Whitman Stafford Farmhouse, Crystal Springs Park, Laurel Lake