Eddie Collins Park to celebrate community involvement Sept. 15

MILLERTON —  On Friday, Sept. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Eddie Collins Park will play host to the “Bluegrass in the Park” event while highlighting community involvement and inclusion for all.

The four-piece acoustic bluegrass band Too Blue, whose members hail from New York and Connecticut, will play a family-friendly mix of classic and original bluegrass tunes with other styles of music mixed in. Food including hamburgers, tacos and apple cider donuts will be available for purchase from Weezie’s Quick Stop, Mario and Esperanza’s Kitchen, and Great Cape Baking.

Children’s activities will be provided, and on-site tents will house booths and information about phase two of the park’s revitalization project as well as other various local organizations.

In an interview, Mayor Jenn Najdek commented on the convenience of the park with its open space and abundant parking, saying, “It’s my hope that, next year, we could do more [events], where it won’t be just one at the beginning of the season and one at the end, but hopefully something more consistent.”

The event is free and open to all thanks to the Village of Millerton, NBT Bank and the Northeast Dutchess Fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Attendees are advised to bring blankets or chairs to sit on.

The park is also celebrating the recent completion of an accessible walkway and bleachers that bring it into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). With the help of Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Dutchess/Columbia), the village secured $125,000 in funding for the project.

“The Village of Millerton, with the support of many residents and volunteers, has worked tirelessly to reimagine the Millerton Community Park, with a focus on expanding outreach and accessibility,” said Barrett in a statement.

“It was little stages of it,” Najdek said of the project. “The walkway was completed first, then we went and purchased the bleachers, and then finally the bleachers got put together, in place where they’re at now. So now it’s all completely done.”

Discussing the scope of the project, Najdek said: “One of the drawbacks for us right now is, without actually having a recreation director—someone who can pull it all together—it’s all kind of done by volunteer. It seems to be that the same group of volunteers are volunteering for lots of different organizations, so people are spread pretty thin.”