Dear Neighbors,

We’re the Friends of Rye Town Park, a small 501(c)3 not-for-profit volunteer group, and our mission is to beautify and improve Rye Town Park. We invest in sustainable gardening and land management, park programming and amenities, and we advocate to improve the park and beach experience for all park visitors.

In 2023, the Friends of Rye Town Park spent over $62,000 toward this mission. Here are just a few of the projects we completed:

● unveiled the beautiful pond-side seating area, over two years in the making, featuring new
stone walls, a centerpiece semicircular teak bench and new native redbud trees and gardens
● funded the planting, maintenance and staffing for the majority of the park’s many gardens
● planted 21 new trees
● funded the removal of dangerous invasive species to thwart the growing spotted lanternfly
population
● continued our tradition of beautiful seasonal displays, such as the beloved autumn
pumpkins on the stone wall along Forest Avenue

Among our most successful accomplishments this year was to advocate that the local governments of the City and Town of Rye, who share ownership of the park, fund the additional $200,000 which was required to completely restore the crumbling exterior of the Bath House building. This critical work was completed in late fall. You know us for our other many park highlights: the daffodil hillside; seed funding and advocacy for the Rye Poetry Path; the beehives and our own Rye Town Park honey; the drinking fountains and beachside showers which park visitors use daily. We welcomed several elementary school classes to the park this year, to explore the Rye Poetry Path, help us plant gardens in front of the Tower Building and generally enjoy the park as an outdoor classroom. We run beach cleanups and other volunteer events throughout the year. We need your help! The park is a treasured oasis by the sea and an important natural resource for our community. Our continued investment and advocacy will ensure that it remains so. Please donate using the button above. If you have any initiatives you’d like us to consider, and to sign up for volunteer opportunities. We’ll see you at the park!

With sincere thanks,

Diana Page
President