*** NOTE: WE HAVE A NEW TEXT ALERT NUMBER! PLEASE READ BELOW! ***
TEXT ALERTS FROM PEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK!

Will tonight’s bike ride be cancelled due to rain?
Is the ground too wet this week for yoga or t’ai chi?
Now you can receive instant updates for our recreation programs and events, in text form RIGHT ON YOUR PHONE.

We have a new number for our text alerts. This is due to an exciting upgrade to a more robust system with better capabilities. But it does mean we need you to sign up again at the new number. 

INSTRUCTIONS:
(This is a one time setup and will only take a moment...)

Text “PalmerPark” to the number 888-833-7575.
No quotes, no spaces. It is not caps sensitive. Now SEND.

You will receive a reply that looks something like this:

Welcome!
Msg&Data rates may apply.
Get 10msg/mos of Park Alerts.
Reply HELP for help, STOP to OptOut. 8883483778

Thank you for joining PFPP's PalmerPark keyword group! Please reply with your First Name. Txt STOP to OptOut


Reply with your first name only.
You will receive next msg like this:

Thank you for providing us with your First Name. Please provide your Email for further correspondence.

If you choose to provide your email, you will receive next msg like this:

Thank you! Your email provides us another way to keep you informed about Palmer Park.


Then you're all set!
ALL text alerts will be People for Palmer Park related (weather updates for recreation programs, event reminders), Not spam. Charges may apply, check your individual cellular/data plan.

Park construction projects continue as part of the planned City of Detroit improvements.
Along with the continued work on the shelter/pavilion, there is now a state-of-the-art fitness pad and brand new walkways and benches on the Woodward side of the park.

More projects in progress and planned to begin in the future:

• Picnic Shelter/Pavilion next to Lake Frances
• Volleyball Court to be rebuilt
• Baseball Diamond to be rebuilt in a new location when funds allow
• Power being pulled for more much needed lighting in the park
• Removal of the roadway that cuts through the middle of the park property near the cabin
• Removal of trees in a bad state and and effort to save the bigger healthier trees growing throughout the park
• Revitalization of Lake Frances (with National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant funding). Begins Spring 2021

This past week marked the first day of spring 2020! In Palmer Park, we can begin to see the greenery brighten, flowers and plants sprouting from the ground, leaves on trees – our park is greeting the warm weather and sunshine. This week, also marked an unprecedented experience for almost all of as we were encouraged to self-quarantine, keep our social distancing and avoid groups or social gatherings. At this point in time, parks and green spaces can provide a necessary solace to help us all cope with this emerging situation.  

The City of Detroit has mandated that all recreation and community centers be closed, so the Palmer Park Community House will not be open for any meetings or events. Given this is our slower season of activities and events in the park, our main community cancellation is indoor yoga with Yoganic Flow, which has been consistently offered on Saturday mornings in the Palmer Park Community House. Until further notice, yoga is canceled. Note that Yoganic Flow is offering online classes: youtube.com/user/YoganicFlow  for free online Yoganic Flow classes;  yoganicflow.com/online-yoga-classes  for personalized classes.

We have also decided to postpone our planned Annual Meeting, which was to be held on April 18th. I am using the word postponed intentionally as we sincerely hope to host the meeting in the near future as soon as rescheduling is safe. We have much to share about news of upcoming spring and summer events. Stay tuned for announcements of future events. 

Also, sadly, recent evidence suggests that COVID-19 virus can live for several days on surfaces such as playgrounds or other “high touch”  areas in public spaces. For this reason, we discourage use of the playgrounds in Palmer Park. As all of you, we are following the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other health authorities, regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, which includes following a 6-ft separation guideline, even when outdoors, to help prevent community spread. We have all been inundated with what not to do. However, one of the positive guidelines is to urge all of us to get outside, enjoy fresh air, exercise your body and clear your mind. My husband, dog and I have been taking daily walks in the park along the miles of trails – we have greeted friends and neighbors along the way and have been grateful for our beautiful neighborhood park. And recently a Detroit firefighter asked if they could do their weekly workouts in Palmer Park, and we have encouraged them to do so. 

What better place to get outside, enjoy fresh air and get some exercise than Palmer Park !

Rochelle E. Lento
People for Palmer Park 
Board President 

The City of Detroit and Detroit Police Department are pleased to announce and invite you to the 3rd Annual 2017 LGBT Community Chat hosted by the DPD.

This event will be held on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 @ 6pm at Palmer Park (Merrill Plaisance & Woodward Ave, near Lake Frances - "The Duck Pond").

As in past years, this will be a relaxed environment hosted by Police Officer Danielle Woods - LGBT Liaison/Public Safety Foundation/Detroit Recreation Department/Detroit Police Department in which the City will provide information and resources to EVERYONE in the community, spread awareness, and address any concerns ANYONE may have. The community chat offers an opportunity for law enforcement, community members, allies, and organizations to communicate and engage each other to help with the restoration of public trust and positive relationships.

• OFFER PROGRAM ASSISTANCE
• SPREAD AWARENESS
• ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS
• Q & A SESSION
• RELAXED ENVIRONMENT

Please join us!
Attached is a flyer for you to post & share!
​

As you know, People for Palmer Park (PFPP) has been working very hard over the years to help restore this neglected park. What you may not know is, nestled in the heart of Palmer Park is a Log Cabin. We're excited to share with you an opportunity that will allow PFPP to transform this historical log cabin into an active & magical community gathering space. 
 
The Palmer Park Log Cabin was built in 1895 by Senator Thomas Palmer and his wife Lizzie as their farm and summer vacation home. It was built with a surprising addition for a rustic retreat -- beautiful stained glass windows! They hosted everyone at the Cabin from foreign dignitaries to everyday citizens. Senator Palmer donated Palmer Park and the cabin to the City of Detroit "for the good of everyone." It is this spirit that the People for Palmer Park operate. 
 
The Log Cabin was shuttered by the City in the 1980s and has only been opened once a year, over the past four years, for PFPP's Log Cabin Day. The stained glass windows of the cabin are now in varying states of dire disrepair. One of the greatest challenges in opening the cabin is that the windows are boarded. Once the boards are removed, only the broken, clouded windows remain.  
 
We have launched a campaign to restore the windows so that we can open them more easily and when they are open, let light shine in the cabin.
 
If we are successful in raising $25,000 by the October 28 deadline the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will MATCH our $25,000 allowing us to complete our project of restoring the stained glass windows in the cabin. This will transform the cabin into an active community gathering space in the heart of Palmer Park. 
 
Please visit our Patronicity campaign page to learn more about this wonderful project and make your donation. 
 
We hope that you will join us in supporting this campaign and become a sponsor. 
 
www.patronicity.com/palmerparkcabin

Our sympathy to the family and friends of Officer Joe Abdella of the Detroit Mounted Police. He was extended family to People for Palmer Park. He suffered a massive heart attack and died at the Mounted Police offices on Friday 8/14. Sergeant Abdella has been an incredible support to People for Palmer Park and we are greatly saddened by his death and keeping the Abdella family in our thoughts. He brought great joy at our recent Log Cabin Day and will be missed by many.


Visitation services are Monday and Tuesday evening and funeral service is on Wednesday. 

On Wednesday, August 12, Police Officer Danielle Woods (LGBT Liason), Public Safety Foundation, Detroit Recreation Department and the Detroit Police Department are hosting an LGBT Community Chat at 6:00 pm in Palmer Park. 

The Chief of Police will be in attendance along with investigators from the Major Crimes Division/SVU (Special Victims Unit). 

Officer Woods' primary objective is to spread awareness, offer program assistance, and relay the support of the police department to the LGBT community. This "chat" will be a relaxed but controlled session to basically address areas of concern and Q&A for the department. A productive and trustworthy event with a positive outcome is what she is aiming for.

LOCATION: Near Lake Frances

Spread the word with the flyer PDF below and join us 8/12 to make YOUR voice heard. People for Palmer Park will also be in attendance.

In case you have not driven through Palmer Park at night recently, you need to do so. In the fall of last year, the City of Detroit promised the People for Palmer Park (PFPP) board that the streetlights in Palmer Park would be restored and working by late fall. 

Well, October came and went, but somehow over the Christmas holiday, a transformation occurred. All of the lights along Ponchratrain and Merrill Plaisance in the park have been turned on. It is a sparkling sight to see!