PARK(ing) Day Returns to Woodstock

A local organization in Woodstock next week will take part in a nationwide movement to temporarily transform parking spaces into a public park and gathering space. 

GROW, or Green Reaps Opportunities for Woodstock, will set up an interactive space on Friday Sept. 20 as part of Park(ing) Day 2013. The space will be a painting that will come to life throughout the day. 

Starting at noon and on every half-hour, GROW and Elm Street Cultural Arts Village performers, who will be in characters from the Georges-Pierre Seurat painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," will appear throughout the downtown Woodstock area as they make their way to the GROW Park(ing) space to take their final places in the painting. 

The community is encouraged to walk along, observe and participate. 

Park(ing) Day encourages local artists, designers and citizens to transform parking spaces to mini temporary public parks.

Along with GROW, Woodstock West by Walton Apartment Homes, Foxtale Book Shoppe and Woodstock Elementary School will create parklets in the Downtown Woodstock area. A map with locations will be available onsite.

It's the second consecutive year Woodstock has participated in Park(ing) Day. The city last year held an event in downtown Woodstock. 

The Park(ing) Day initiative began in 2005 when San Francisco art and design studio Rebar converted a metered parking space into a temporary park in the city's downtown. Since this, the movement has caught on among organizations and individuals. 

Its mission, according to its website, is to shine a spotlight on the need for more open urban spaces. It also works to start a discussion on public spaces and how to improve the quality of urban spaces.

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