7/28/26 | Will Kaselow, Community Conservation Manager
Thank you to everyone who came out to NeighborSpace’s final concert of the summer! After the original date was cancelled due to wildfire-related air pollution, we were able to quickly reschedule and ended up lucking into one of the most beautiful nights of the summer so far. We were thrilled to see people from the community and beyond come out to enjoy Graystone Community Open Space.
Without funding from Baltimore Community Foundation, this idea would never have made it off the ground. Thanks to this grant funding, NeighborSpace was able to book Saudade, a Baltimore-based Brazilian Samba Jazz band, whose sound flowed through the park and out to the street where people would stop to dance and neighbors sat on their porches to listen. They provided the perfect soundtrack to a beautiful night full of play, dancing, and relaxation.
To properly celebrate the Graystone community and the park that we lovingly protect and steward together required a true team effort. Special thanks are in order for all who made it possible! Starting with Kimberly Edwards, President of the Graystone Community Association and Founder of the Woodlawn Mad Potters Garden Club. Kimberly chose the band and was instrumental in getting the park cleaned up and looking its best. In the weeks leading up to the event, we worked with the garden club to clean up the park and expand the perennial beds and add a few annuals for a pop of color around the park’s sign. Garden club volunteers not only showed up to our stewardship event on a steaming hot Saturday morning, but also came out on their own to make sure that the young trees and new plantings were all well-watered. Thank you to all the members of the Graystone community and the Woodlawn Garden Club for their time and efforts keeping the park healthy and beautiful!
Like the music, the impact of this event also went beyond the boundaries of the park. NeighborSpace used some of the Baltimore Community Foundation grant funding to purchase native pollinator plants. Event attendees took home 72 free plants ready to be planted in gardens all over Woodlawn, Gwynn Oak and beyond. By supporting native gardens in neighborhoods surrounding NeighborSpace parks, we strengthen a network of critical habitat for the native insects that support the foundations of our ecosystems.
