Outdoors Guide 2017

Syracuse parks get new looks after celebrating ‘100 Years of Fun’

Courtesy of Brandon Bielinski

The City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs is working to improve parks with programs such as yoga and Shakespeare in the Park.

By Sam GozinskyStaff Writer

UPDATED: Aug. 30, 2017 at 1:58 a.m.

Rather than fighting the challenges brought about by the city’s notorious winter weather, Syracuse and its parks have decided to embrace them.

“Being from New York, we take lemons and we make lemonade,” said Mike Behnke, vice president of the Syracuse Parks Conservancy and Sunnycrest Park Association.

Sunnycrest Park is one of four urban parks in the country that has groomed cross-country ski trails. The first order of business for the fall season is to clean up the parks so that they will be in prime condition for public use, Behnke said. The goal of this cleanup is to polish up environmental trails like the one at the park.

“The trail connects the high school to the park to the neighborhood. And to me, that’s how we are encouraging people to use the parks more. We have walking trails and environmental trails. … We’re working on making them enjoyable and safe to use,” Behnke said.



Organizations such as the Syracuse Parks Conservancy and other park-specific organizations work to maintain and improve parks. The conservancy operates on a volunteer basis with everyone involved from top to bottom, a rarity for a nonprofit organization.

To drive participation, the conservancy runs programs like the Le Moyne day of service, where nearly 750 students assist in cleanup efforts.

The City of Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation and Youth Programs celebrated its centennial this summer. Programs like “Syracuse Parks – 100 Years of Fun and More to Come” allowed parkgoers to relive the rich history of Syracuse’s more than 50 parks and green spaces.

Parks more familiar to university students include Thornden Park, Clinton Square Park and Onondaga Park.

The parks will continue to host popular events, such as Shakespeare in the Park and yoga throughout the fall season. Burnet Park will host multiple sessions of “FIT!” an adult fitness class through September.

“Our parks are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen other than Central Park, and they need help, plain and simple. They need TLC,” Behnke said.

The post has been updated with appropriate style.





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