April 21st, 2022
OLMSTED WEEK BEGINS APRIL 25 - APRIL 30
In celebration of Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today declared April 25 through 30 as Frederick Law Olmsted Week in Monroe County.
Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York’s Central Park, is often called the father of American landscape agriculture. His designs resulted in Monroe County’s Highland and Seneca parks, as well as the City of Rochester’s Maplewood Park and Genesee Valley Park, owned by both the city and the county. Additionally, the Olmsted firm designed some of Rochester’s smaller parks, including Washington Square and Susan B. Anthony Square.
“Monroe County is home to some of the best parks in the country, with several of them designed by Frederick Law Olmsted,” said County Executive Bello. “As we continue to celebrate our Bicentennial, I encourage everyone to celebrate Olmsted’s lasting contributions to our community by enjoying all our beautiful parks throughout Olmsted week.”
Public celebrations of Olmsted Week include:
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April 23, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Volunteers from all across the county will work together to help pick up trash or large debris at county parks for our annual Pick Up the Parks event to promote a clean and healthy environment. For more information, go to monroecounty.gov/parks.
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April 28, 10 a.m.: A special announcement featuring County Executive Bello, the Highland Park Conservancy and state lawmakers at Highland Park.
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April 28, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: A Frederick Law Olmsted Celebration at the Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. featuring guest speaker Justin Martin, author of Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted. A reception with a book signing, Olmsted selfie station and light refreshments are included. Admission is free. To register, visit highlandparkconservancy.org/events/.
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April 30, 10 a.m.: Seneca Park Zoo Nature Hike. Take a Zoo Naturalist-led walk through Seneca Park and join the Seneca Park Zoo, and over 150 cities worldwide, for the 2022 City Nature Challenge. Download the iNaturalist app and go outside anywhere around Rochester documenting the area’s biodiversity April 29 – May 2. The participant that enters the most observations during the week will win a grand prize gift basket provided by Visit Rochester. To register for this free event, visit: senecaparkzoo.org/event/nature-hike-for-the-city-nature-challenge-2022/.
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April 30, 11:00 a.m.: The Sierra Club will provide free tree seedlings while supplies last at Northampton Park, 304 Salmon Creek Road, Webster Park, 255 Holt Road, Seneca Park, 2222 St. Paul Street and Genesee Valley Park West. For more information, go to sierraclub.org/atlantic/rochester.
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April 30, 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.: President of the Highland Park Conservancy, JoAnn Beck, will lead a walking tour of Highland Park. Participants will learn more in depth about the life and architectural mind of Frederick Olmsted. The event is free and the number of participants is limited. Register now by going to highlandparkconservancy.org/events/.
