To those who helped make the Robert Morabito Memorial Garden, a word of thanks.

There is a saying that a garden takes three years to grow. The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps. The Robert Morabito Memorial Garden is only a year and a half old and we are happy to report that it has taken root and is being well maintained.

The Robert Morabito Garden honors a man who spent 14 years as Supervisor to the Town of Rye and was a huge champion of Crawford Park. Before his untimely death in January 2018 Bob gave his annual donation to the Friends of Crawford Park, with a note saying “Keep up the good work. Park looks great.”

Laura Klein, president of the Friends of Crawford Park, contacted three of Robert Morabito’s dearest friends, Chris Cohan, Mike Borrelli and Raymond Sculky and they collected over $5000 from Bobby’s friends and family. The community support was wonderful and in the fall of 2018 the garden was planted.

Designed by landscape architect Chris Cohan, the garden has become a sanctuary for many park goers. Just last week, I watched a little girl pose in front of the beautiful Annabelle hydrangeas - her tiny beauty was flanked with white pom-poms and dark green leaves. Earlier this year, the serviceberry trees came to life as one of the early bloomers of spring while daffodils and bluebells provided a colorful tapestry below. The teak bench, at the center of the garden, provides a focal point and place of respite.

Friends of Crawford Park remain committed to the entire park and this new memorial garden’s ongoing maintenance and success. We recently added more Japanese forest grasses and foam flowers to the center of the garden as well as annuals for color.

We sincerely thank all who gave and helped bring this garden to life! We hope you will visit the garden this summer, sit amongst the plants remembering Bobby and how he loved Crawford Park.

Thanks for Giving and Thanks for Volunteering

I love this time of year. The ground is too cold to plant in the park so that gives the Friends of Crawford Park time to let our roots grow deeper. This is the time of year when we send out our end of the year appeal and it is like Christmas every time I collect the mail and see your donations come in. And it isn't just the monetary support that I appreciate, it is also the feeling of affirmation. People love the park and they trust that the we will use our donations wisely. We are an all-volunteer organization, made up of caring members of the community. All the money that we raise, goes back to the park. We plant trees, shrubs, flowers and even grass.

This year we are going to reseed the wildflower garden, and return it to its full glory. We are going to continue to plant in the new parking lot area next to the mansion, so we will have year long blooms and seasonal interest. We will host great music events and finally repair the walking path! We have a lot of work to do and a few more of you have raised your hand and offered to volunteer in 2020. We look forward to working with you and becoming Friends.

If you haven't donated yet, it is never too late. Click here to donate online or mail your checks to Friends of Crawford Park, 7 Rye Ridge Plaza, PMB 105, Rye Brook, NY 10573.

Good Morning Mansion

Love the way the morning light hits the newly reopened community center

After a long wait, the Crawford Mansion is now reopened as a community center in the heart of the park. If you are looking for space to host an event or teach a class, I encourage you to reach out to the Town of Rye. With four rentable rooms upstairs, a commercial kitchen downstairs and a large party room, there are many ways to serve the Town of Rye community. The Town has built it, now you must come!

Please note, that the Friends of Crawford Park are not in charge of renting this facility. To learn more about their rental rates, click here.