John Golden Day Celebration
Celebrating Over 100 Years of Parkland
John Golden Day Celebration
4th Annual John Golden Day
Sunday, July 14th, 2024
This year's event will feature a history tour hosted by the Urban Park Rangers! This walking tour of the park will begin around 10 a.m. and end a little after noon. Bring your walking shoes as we are going all the way around the park! Visit our history page to learn more about the history of Our Park!
Social with refreshments and prizes will be facilitated by Cord Meyer Development. Please BYO Reusable Bottle.
We will also have a local Girl Scout Event: Why are Fireflies Disappearing. Our Park is a great place to see fireflies and you will learn more about how we can protect our glowing friends!
Please note for some events, groups that are larger than 6, like a business/membership group, we request that you please reach out to our email. Friends of Crocheron's volunteers have limited capacity. We may just need to adjust logistics for the day and are always happy to facilitate another type of event!
2nd Annual John Golden Day
Sunday, June 26th, 2022
Thank you so much to our history tour instructors - NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers Matt, Michelle and Tim along with Donna Gentle Spirit Barron, Matinecock Family Historian and Genealogist.
Thank you to Dana Gumb for a wonderful tree tour and thank you to Ambeka Khadse for a fabulous morning of free yoga.
Friends of Crocheron honors John Golden and Crocheron Park
Friends of Crocheron honors the memory of John Golden by engaging the community in park conservation
Bayside, NY June 3, 2022 – Friends of Crocheron in collaboration with NYC Parks and in partnership with Premier Sponsor Cord Meyer Development is proud to announce the 2nd Annual John Golden Day – an event that fosters community building, education, and mindful movement in Bayside’s oldest park – on Sunday, June 26, at 9:00 am meeting near the Tennis Court Comfort Station.
It starts at 9:00 am with free Yoga with local instructor Ambeka Khadse. the intersection of 214th Place and 33rd Road. Next is a 10:00 am tree tour where the community will learn about the diverse trees of Bayside’s largest canopy! Then, at 11:00 am is our park history tour, led by the Urban Park Rangers and Donna Gentle Spirit Barron Matinecock Family Historian and Genealogist. Finally, the park people will come together for a community picnic to meet one another. While the tours do not need registration, registration for yoga is encouraged, visit crocheronpark.org/yoga.
John Golden Day was first proposed in 1949 by Borough President James A Burke, when Golden was 75. It was again proposed after his death at the John Golden Day Memorial Meeting, attended by Eleanor Roosevelt. Friends is proud to continue his mission connecting the community through enjoyment of ‘good clean fun.’ We are excited to celebrate our shared cultural heritage of park stewardship," says Jessica Burke, Founder and Director of Friends of Crocheron.
The tree tour will be led by 30-year Park Steward Dana Gumb. "Despite its small size compared to the flagship parks of Queens, Crocheron Parks boasts a plethora of tree species. During the tour we will sample some of this bounty, highlighting native trees which support wildlife in our park,” say’s Gumb.
Friends of Crocheron, with its unofficial motto “Parks Don’t Just Happen,” seeks to spread awareness to the truth that community parks require support from everyone so they can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come. It takes community engagement, connection, and awareness. John Golden Day will highlight Golden’s belief in shared public outdoor parks. His Bayside estate was left to the City of New York following his 1955 death “for the use and enjoyment by the young people of the community of all races and creed in a manner similar to that in which I made this property available for the recreation and community acts during my lifetime.”
1st Annual John Golden Day
Sunday June 27th, 2021
* Yoga * Free Raffle * Park Tours * Picnic *
Thank you to our community members and Friends volunteers that came out on Sunday June 27th for our first annual John Golden Day Celebration! 101 years since John Golden purchased his estate in Bayside, Queens and opened the land to the community.
We started the morning with a free gentle yoga by Friends volunteer Ambeka. Then community members took one of two, or both walking tours and learned something new.
Thank you to Friends Volunteer Ambeka for leading gentle yoga!
Thank you to Friends VP Dana Gumb for his guided Tree Tour!
Thank you to our speakers and tour guide for the Cultural Heritage Tour!
Special thanks to our presenters and tour guides, from the Matinecock Tribe and NYC Parks.
Schedule of Day's Events:
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Beginner Yoga with Ambeka
What to bring: Your own mat and water
11: 30 am
Free Raffle opens - QR code & link released
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Bring your own picnic to Our Park
What to bring: your own picnic, beverages, and a blanket
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Historic Tree Tour - led by Dana Gumb, Chair of Conservation
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Cultural Heritage Tour - led by the NYC Parks Rangers
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged
2:00 pm
Free Raffle will close for the day
3:00 pm
Announce Free Raffle Winners - shirts and gift certificates will be given away to the day's winners.
Parks Rules & Regulations
All parks rules and regulations will be in effect. For Crocheron Park at this time, this includes but is not limited to:
- No BBQing
- No Glass, including bottles or containers
- No Alcoholic Beverages
- No Off-Leash Dogs, pets must be on maximum of a six foot leash
Archival Partners
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We have ongoing work on Our Park's Pollinator Garden area and are looking for support for community events. We need your help to make it happen!
We have over 60 acres of Parkland in need of stewardship! Find a volunteer opportunity for you, your family, or your local community group.
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Contact Us:
friendsofcrocheron@gmail.com
Friends of Crocheron & John Golden Park
PO Box 610300
Bayside, NY 11361
Premier Sponsor
In collaboration with:
Friends of Crocheron & John Golden Park is fiscally sponsored by FJC, a 501c3 public charity. As such, all donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
©2024 by Jessica Burke
All photographs are owned by NYC Parks and/or Daniel Avila, unless otherwise noted.