Military Park Opens Today

Today's the day! The fences are coming down and revealing the newly renovated Military Park to the public. As we discussed last year, the park has undergone some big changes with new restrooms, over an acre of new gardens and two new plazas that will host dozens of free activities. Later in the summer, a new casual restaurant is scheduled to open.

Starting Monday, May 19, programming will begin with yoga classes, tai chi, ping pong, history tours and more. As the summer continues, the programming gets filled with much more - including a French Market, line dancing, capoeira, children's activities, after-work musical performances and more - all using Newark talent and organizations.

A formal ribbon cutting and re-dedication ceremony is planned for June 13, a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is on June 21, and an 8-week movie series starts July 8 (line-up to be announced).

Dan Biederman, the President of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV Corp), led the Military Park makeover, just as he revitalized New York City's Bryant Park in 1992. The Newark Municipal Council approved the redevelopment of Military Park in October 2012 and chose the Military Park Partnership to lead the revitalization project, as well as operate the park for the next twenty-four years.

To see the schedule, the park's new website is: http://www.militarypark.com