Joyce Kilmer Park is the Grand Concourse at its most formal — a terraced strip of green facing the courthouse, with the Lorelei Fountain and its marble figures at the top end — and keeping it that way takes actual labor. This work day sends a Bronx is Blooming youth crew into the beds and lawns for a morning of planting and clearing. If you want to understand the Concourse beyond the traffic, watching a crew care for its most photographed park is a good way in.
What to expect
A morning of hands-on park work in the planted areas and lawns, with a youth crew clearing, weeding and mulching under supervision. The park stays fully open around them, so you can walk up to the Lorelei Fountain, sit on the terraces or cut through toward Yankee Stadium as usual. Expect tools, gloves and an early start ahead of the heat.
Good to know
- The B, D or 4 to 161st St-Yankee Stadium leaves you at the park's doorstep
- Free; this is a volunteer stewardship session rather than a ticketed program
- Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you can get dirty in
- The Lorelei Fountain at the park's north end is worth five minutes whether or not you volunteer
- Contact The Bronx is Blooming ahead if you want to join rather than just watch
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Common questions
What is the Lorelei Fountain?
It's the Heinrich Heine memorial fountain at the northern end of Joyce Kilmer Park, a marble monument to the German poet that has stood on the Grand Concourse since 1899.
Is the park closed during the work day?
No. Stewardship crews work a section at a time and the rest of Joyce Kilmer Park stays open to the public throughout.
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