Join Highland Park Conservancy and Rochester's Olmsted Parks Alliance as our very own JoAnn Beck answers the question What makes a park a work of Art?! JoAnn is a Landscape Architect with 35 years experience. She serves as president of the Rochester Olmsted Parks Alliance (ROPA), is on the Board of the Maplewood Neighborhood Association and serves as president of the Board of Highland Park Conservancy. 

Rochester's Olmsted Parks Alliance promotes Frederick Law Olmsted's legacy. Rochester's park system owes a great debt to Olmsted, often called the father of American landscape architecture. His designs resulted in what is now Genesee Valley Park, Highland Park, Seneca Park and Maplewood Park. Today, these parks remain outstanding examples of Olmsted's distinctive styles of design. (Image is postcard of Genesee Valley Park, early 1900s.)
Eventbrite registration opens Feb. 25.

CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER CONDITONS. Walk with us as we introduce you to the beauty and genius of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. This Winter Tour will provide a very different view of the trees and shrubs during their dormant period. We will focus on Highland Park’s history, design, and landscape. Frederick Law Olmsted’s background will be highlighted and how it influenced his design, vision and purpose of the park. Ron, a volunteer with HPC as both Docent and Garden Steward, will point out and discuss some of the unique and special “legacy” and specimen plants that make this a unique and special place. Register via Eventbrite–if you can’t attend, please cancel your reservations.

Join the Highland Park Conservancy for a presentation by Michael Leroy Oberg, Distinguished Professor of History at SUNY-Geneseo. The author of seven books on Native American history, Dr. Oberg's presentation will include an updated history of Native Americans in the Highland Park area and local vicinity. His current publication, co-authored by Peter Jakob Olsen-Harbich, is now in its third edition.

Eventbrite registration opens on January 29, 12AM.

Join the Highland Park Conservancy for a presentation by Lori Ducharme, horticulturist for Landmark Society of Western New York, on the nurserymen who donated the land which is today's Highland Park. Learn about the proprietors of Mount Hope Nursery, George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry, the beautification of Rochester as interest in landscaping grew, and the donation of land to the City of Rochester for what would become its first park.

Walk with us as we introduce you to the beauty and genius of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. This Winter Tour will provide a very different view of the trees and shrubs during their dormant period. We will focus on Highland Park’s history, design, and landscape. Frederick Law Olmsted’s background will be highlighted and how it influenced his design, vision and purpose of the park. Ron, a volunteer with HPC as both Docent and Garden Steward, will point out and discuss some of the unique and special “legacy” and specimen plants that make this a unique and special place. Register via Eventbrite–if you can’t attend, please cancel your reservations. Images courtesy of  daytrippingroc.com

Join family, friends and community at the overlook flagpole near the eastern end of the reservoir in Highland Park for an Autumn Lantern Walk. Highland Park Conservancy is thrilled to once again join with Wisdom Season Parenting to bring this magical event to Highland Park. Make your own lantern (simple instructions available at Tinkergarten.com) or come at 4:15 PM to create your lantern with Ms. Renee or bring your own flashlights, lanterns or glow sticks to light our way.. At 4:15 PM we'll form a circle to sing songs and reflect about the change of seasons, light and hope. Then, we'll light our homemade lanterns and walk together, savoring the beauty of our little lights against the fall twilight. We'll end our time together with warm refreshments and a reminder of the light that shines in each of us.

This 90-minute walking tour offers a combined exploration of the park’s historical significance and horticultural diversity. Led by Highland Park neighborhood resident Chuck Dye, you’ll hear fascinating stories about Olmsted’s inspiration and design philosophy that shaped Highland Park. The tour will also highlight the park’s remarkable “legacy” trees and rare plant specimens, giving you an insider’s look at this botanical sanctuary. The tour is approximately 90 minutes; comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing recommended; tour starts at Gate House #2 on Reservoir Ave and ends near Lamberton Conservatory.  In case of severe weather the tour may be rescheduled. Join us for a delightful and informative afternoon at one of Rochester’s most cherished parks! Register via Eventbrite–if you can’t attend, please cancel your reservations.

DUE TO RAIN PREDICTED for SUNDAY, EVENT WILL BE HELD THIS SATURDAY, OCT. 12. Let's get crafty and make some cute bird feeders using pine cones–a family activity with Renee Thompson, Wisdom Season Parenting. Suggested ages: 3-10. Meet at the Highland Park Overlook, adjacent to Gate House 2 on Reservoir Avenue. Registration, via Eventbrite (link above), opens September 22.

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, it’s part of only 4 US city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted. Walk with us as we introduce you to the beauty and genius vision of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. This is a combined historical and horticulture tour. Olmsted’s background will be highlighted and how it influenced his design/layout, vision and purpose for the park. The tour guides will discuss some of the unique and special “legacy trees” and specimen plants that make Highland unique. Please note the tour requires the ability to walk and stand throughout. Meet the tour guides at the front of the Gate House 2 on Reservoir Ave near the Overlook. (The tour ends at the Conservatory.) Your guides are both HPC Docents and Garden Stewards. Registration open on Eventbrite. NOTE: another park tour will be held November 9, 10:00-11:30, led by Chuck Dye.

Highland Park Arboretum has impressive trees from locations across the globe. Journey with expert Brian Eshenaur to explore these majestic trees, each boasting unique attributes and stories.

A featured tree is the Cedar of Lebanon, native to the eastern Mediterranean region where it has been utilized for millennia. The Phoenicians used it for construction; it was traded to the ancient Egyptians; it played a crucial role in the building endeavors of the Greek and Roman empires. The Cedar of Lebanon is revered and so integral to the identity of the region that its image is featured on the Lebanese national flag. This tour will include walking on hilly terrain off of paved pathways. If you are unable to attend after registering, please cancel your reservation on Eventbrite so that others may register–thank you!

Monroe County Parks & Highland Park Conservancy present “a bug’s life”! Bring your blanket and/or lawn chairs; come early to picnic and explore the park.
Festivities in the Bowl:
6:30 pm-7:30 pm: Seneca Park ZooMobile–learn about insects & bugs and the animals that eat them! Get your face painted with a beloved bug and choose your favorite balloon animal with Just Clowning Around and children's activities with WXXI PBS KIDS
8:15 pm (approximately): Grab a free bag of popcorn and watch “a bug’s life” on the big screen.
If inclement weather: Monroe County post on Facebook or, if you registered via Eventbrite, the Conservancy will send an email.
Handicap Parking available behind the Bowl; enter parking lot via Robinson Drive. General parking on Reservoir Ave, Robinson Drive and surrounding streets. (Eventbrite registration open.)

Highland Park is a Rochester treasure. Not only a world-class Arboretum, it’s part of only 4 city-wide park systems designed by Olmsted. Walk with us as we introduce you to the beauty and genius vision of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Highland Park. This is a combined historical and horticulture tour. Olmsted’s background will be highlighted and how it influenced his design/layout, vision and purpose for the park. The tour guides will discuss some of the unique and special “legacy trees” and specimen plants that make Highland unique. Please note the tour requires the ability to walk and stand throughout. Meet the tour guides at the front of the Gate House 2 on Reservoir Ave near the Overlook. (The tour ends at the Conservatory.) Your guides are both HPC Docents and Garden Stewards. Registration open on Eventbrite.

Enjoy stories with your little one! Meet children's librarian Miss Jennifer at the Tunnel Tree across from Lamberton Conservatory for stories and fun. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your child. Suggested age range is 3-5 years old, but younger and older children are welcome to attend. Additional program: August 23. Registration not required. (Lamberton Conservatory–180 Reservoir Avenue, Rochester 14620.)

Tuesday Storytimes are presented by the Central Library. Enjoy stories and songs with your little one! Meet a children's librarian at the tunnel tree across from Lamberton Conservatory for stories, songs and rhymes. Storytimes help promote early learning skills and are a great way to bond with your little one. Best for toddlers, but older and younger siblings are welcome. Rain location is the Central Library Children's Center. Call 585-428-8150 to confirm weather-related location changes. Registration not required.

On this walking tour of Highland Park, led by landscape architect and HPC President JoAnn Beck, participants will learn how Frederick Law Olmsted used the existing topography of the Pinnacle Range, a glacial moraine, to emphasize the plant materials and park elements incorporated into Highland Park's design. NOTE: tour includes walking on hilly terrain off the paved pathways. (Eventbrite registration available July 10; if you are unable to attend after registering, please cancel your reservation.)

Following the tour, walk across the street to the Highland Bowl stage for Shakespeare in the Bowl, presented by the Rochester Community Players (www.rochestercommunityplayers.org/).

In honor of Juneteenth, HPC, WXXI and RPO are proud to present Freedom Trio: Herb Smith on trumpet, Peter Chwazik on bass and Joe Parker on drums. Molly Werts McDonald, a player in the first violin section of the RPO, will join the Freedom Trio for the concert. Freedom Trio's original compositions incorporate jazz, rock, classical, blues, gospel, and Indian classical music. The evening begins with a Casa Larga wine sampling from 5:00-8:00; music will fill the Bowl from 6:00-7:00 PM. Our emcee for the evening is Reverend Julius "JD" Jackson, Jr, known throughout Rochester for his ministry and community work. He is currently pastor of the United Church of Pittsford and an HPC board member. Freedom Trio emerged in 2013 when Herb, Peter and Joe combined their honed and varied musical backgrounds and "decided to put together the band we always wished for but never had. The music is groovy, and sometimes weird, but you will get it and we think you'll love it!" (Rain location: Asbury First Methodist Church, 1050 East Ave, Rochester 14607.)

Join us for an immersive, mindful walk through Highland Park on Saturday, June 15, at 9 am–led by Lara Johnson (AHC, RYT, MA Wild Writing). “Together, we will return to our bodies, to our breath, to the beautiful earth we live upon as a way of reconnecting to ourselves, others and the living earth.” The session will include a brief conversation about mindful outdoor practices/collective healing, a mindful walk (done barefoot if you would like), a sit-spot meditation and a closing circle. These embodied practices will help us explore how we might enter into deeper conversation with other forms of life and live more gently on and with the earth. It is always a comfort to be in Highland Park, a place that lends itself to mindfulness practice. Photo credit: Peggy Dempsey.

Join the Friends of Frederick Douglass at Frederick Douglass Memorial Plaza in Highland Park. Make history as part of the 125th commemoration of the June 9, 1899, unveiling of the Frederick Douglass Monument and wreath laying. Douglass descendants and other experts will share little known facts about this first American monument dedicated to an African Amerian. Enjoy the remarks from notable government officials and up and coming youth in the lilac-scented air.
Event is free and open to everyone. (No registration required.)

SOLD OUT! Join Professor Ryan Thibodeau of St John Fisher University for a walking tour of the Gary Beikirch Memorial Park (formerly named Highland Park South). This much loved section of Highland Park was once home to three county-run social welfare institutions that date to the 19th century: an almshouse (poorhouse), “insane asylum,” and penitentiary. These buildings lined South Avenue between Highland and Elmwood Avenues. For about a half-century deceased “inmates” of these institutions were buried in unmarked graves in a cemetery adjacent to the penitentiary. Professor Thibodeau will present this remarkable local history, explain the discovery of the burial ground during a County Parks landscaping project in 1984, and share the recent collaborative efforts to properly honor the deceased "inmates" of these county institutions. Park at the Lilac Adventure Zone; you will be directed to the Remember Garden where the tour starts. (Rain date May 29th; please register via Eventbrite starting April 28, link above.)

SOLD OUT!!! - Highland Park is part of the Pinnacle Range, a moraine that resulted from glacial deposits of sand and gravel. In the late 1800's, Frederick Law Olmsted designed the park to preserve and enhance these natural features. Our guide, Tyler Lucero, has connected people to our natural and human heritage as an interpreter at the Genesee Country Village & Museum, a science teacher, a naturalist and an interpretive ranger. He has traveled widely to wild and historic places across the United States, but loves the people, landscape, and history of his native Western New York best. Note this walking tour will include uneven ground off the paved path and hilly terrain. Rain date: April 28, 1:00-2:15. Please register via Eventbrite–see link above; tickets available March 27. (Photo courtesy of Jamie Scannell.)

Sold out!

Originally Rained Out — rescheduled to this event. If you cannot attend, please cancel your Eventbrite registration.

Join family, friends and community at the overlook flagpole near the eastern end of the reservoir in Highland Park (GPS coordinates 43.13203° N, 77.60287° W) for a Spring Lantern Walk. Highland Park Conservancy is thrilled to join with Wisdom Season Parenting to bring this magical event to Highland Park. Make your own lantern (simple instructions available at Tinkergarten.com) or come at 7:00 PM to create your lantern with Ms. Renee. At 8:00 PM we'll form a circle together to sing songs and reflect about the change of seasons, light and hope. Then, we'll light our homemade lanterns and walk together, savoring the beauty of our little lights against the spring twilight. We'll end our time together with warm refreshments and a reminder of the light that shines in each of us.

HPC will host the 14th Annual Pick Up the Parks in Highland Park! Meet at Olmsted Lodge–registration opens at 8:30. The county-wide event is an opportunity for you to help prepare our beautiful parks for spring–picking up sticks and debris, raking and weeding, etc. Come dressed for the weather, sturdy shoes, rakes, hand tools. Come join us! For more info: https://www.monroecounty.gov/parks-pickuptheparks. (Pre-registration not required.)

The 2024 Annual Meeting and stellar Pavilion Project presentation by Katie Comeau, Bero Architecture, is available for you to enjoy. And then–check out the celebration photos!

Meeting & Presentation Video

Event Gallery

Annual Meeting & Celebration held at Memorial Art Gallery
Catering by Brown Hound Downtown
Photos by Ria Tafani–riatafaniphoto.com • Music by Heart Throbs String Band

Spring is on its way! Our Garden Steward program starts its sixth season in early April–if the weather decides to cooperate. We'll resume our schedule of past years (www.highlandparkconservancy.org/garden-teams). In addition to the regular weekly schedule we're launching the "Love-a-Lilac" care program for those who would like to volunteer in Highland's renowned collection. Each steward will "adopt" a young lilac or lilacs to care for throughout the season. If you're interested in becoming a new volunteer fill out the on-line application and/or there will be an Orientation meeting at Olmsted Lodge, April 3, at 6:00 pm. If you're one of the fabulous volunteers from 2023–you'll be receiving an email mid-March. See you soon!!! (Registration not required.)

Join Highland Park Conservancy and representatives from the offices of the City Historian and City Planning as they compare A City Plan for Rochester 1911 and Rochester 2034!

A City Plan for Rochester 1911 was developed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and Arnold Brunner in the midst of a "City Beautiful Movement" across the country. Bicycle ownership peaked at this time; the plan included making roads accessible for all and safeguarding public welfare while preserving aesthetics. Rochester 2034 is a 15-year comprehensive plan to improve our community leading up to its 200th birthday. The plan covers a wide variety of topics, from housing and transportation to economic growth and historic preservation. Each topic includes goals and strategies that are aligned with an overarching community vision and set of guiding principles. For more information go to: https://catalogplus.libraryweb.org/?section=resource&resourceid=294629484 https://rochester2034.com (Registration is closed.)

Join us for an enchanting journey into the world of Bonsai in a special presentation by Mark Arpag, president of the Bonsai Society of Upstate New York. He will immerse you in the artistry and wisdom of Bonsai cultivation, sharing his expertise and passion for these miniature marvels. Set against the backdrop of Highland Park’s lush greenery and diverse collection of trees, this presentation promises to be an enlightening experience for enthusiasts and curious minds alike. Discover the techniques and artistic nuances that go into creating living works of art; this will be an evening of insight, inspiration, and the beauty of bonsai. (Bonsai image is Eastern White Cedar.) Please register via Eventbrite, link above.

Sponsored by Rochester Ecology Partners, the first day of 2024 is a great opportunity to get some fresh air, enjoy the company of others, and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Highland Park. Join us for a leisurely walk, or just chilling out, in a place that is perfect for reflecting on what a fresh start means. All are welcome; please reach out about any accommodations you might need. Event is free; please consider making a contribution to support our work when you register via Eventbrite https://rochesterecologypartners.org/event/first-day-hike-2024/