Fort Tryon Park Conservancy will hand out its Dr. Ruth Community Awards at an evening reception on Sunday, Oct. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Bonnefont, 1 Margaret Corbin Drive, inside the park. The awards are named for Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a longtime Washington Heights resident who helped start the volunteer effort that became the conservancy. This year's honoree is Carol Weinstein, who founded the Friends of Fort Tryon Park in the 1980s, and the conservancy is also recognizing the Historic Friends Committee for its long care of the park.

Why the award carries Dr. Ruth's name

The conservancy's own history traces its start to the Heather Garden Committee, a group Manhattan Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe pulled together to protect the money that had gone into restoring the park's Heather Garden. Dr. Ruth Westheimer was part of it from the beginning. The conservancy's account says she walked Benepe through Fort Tryon Park, pointing out what worked and pressing him to make it better.

The committee secured a challenge grant from the Rhodebeck Charitable Trust and raised $200,000 for an endowment, and over time it grew into the Fort Tryon Park Conservancy, the nonprofit that now partners with NYC Parks on the care of the park's 67 acres. The conservancy says the awards are meant to carry her connection to the park and her commitment to the neighborhood forward.

The award itself is not brand new. The conservancy's page for its 90th birthday gala on Sept. 29, 2025, which drew almost 350 guests to The Hudson on Dyckman Street, lists Martin G. Englisher as the recipient of the first Dr. Ruth Community Award. This Sunday is the first time the award gets an evening of its own.

This year's honorees

Carol Weinstein founded the Friends of Fort Tryon Park in the 1980s, and the conservancy is honoring her for her long commitment to the park and the people around it. The Historic Friends Committee is being recognized for preserving and marking the park's history. The conservancy describes the evening as a gathering of park supporters, neighbors and advocates to thank the people who have looked after the park.

Tickets and what is included

Tickets are $50 and are sold through the conservancy's Eventbrite page. Each ticket includes one drink and hors d'oeuvres, and the conservancy says it has a few surprises planned during the evening. The listing notes that tickets are not refundable.

Free things in the park the same week

The reception lands in a full week of conservancy and NYC Parks programs in Fort Tryon Park, most of them free.

Stargazing in the Park, Friday, Oct. 23: Local astronomer Novaughn Miller leads an evening of looking at the Moon, Saturn and other sights from Cloisters Lawn. The conservancy lists it from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The free registration on Eventbrite shows the event as sold out, so only those already signed up should plan on it.

Broadway Beautification, Saturday, Oct. 24: The conservancy and NYC Parks run a volunteer cleanup along the Broadway Promenade from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Volunteers meet at the Broadway Greeting Garden at the Arden Street and Broadway entrance. Tools and gloves are provided; bring a filled water bottle, long pants and sturdy shoes. Groups of five or more are asked to email two weeks ahead, and anyone under 18 needs an adult. These sessions run on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from March through November.

Forest Fitness, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays: A free year-round exercise class led by instructor Nancy Bruning mixes stair climbing, stretching, strength work, tree identification and forest bathing. Classes meet at the Heather Garden entrance; the Saturday session runs 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and finishes at Anne Loftus Playground, with an optional walk afterward to the Greenmarket on Isham Street. Classes do not meet in rain or when it is colder than 20 degrees.

Kids in Motion at Anne Loftus Playground, listed every day through Oct. 31: NYC Parks staff run free, drop-in outdoor play for children, including sports, games and arts and crafts, with no registration. Hours vary by day on the Parks listing. Parks recommends that a guardian come along.

Coming in November

On Sunday, Nov. 15, from 1 to 4 p.m., the conservancy holds its Commemoration of the Battle of Fort Washington on Café Lawn, with a live reenactment of the Revolutionary War battle, blacksmith demonstrations, 18th-century music and battlefield tours led by costumed reenactors. It is free.

Getting to Fort Tryon Park

The park runs from 192nd Street and Fort Washington Avenue north to Riverside Drive near 200th Street, between the West Side Highway and Broadway. The conservancy directs subway riders to the A train at 190th Street: take the elevator and stairs up to Fort Washington Avenue and walk north to the stone pillars at Margaret Corbin Circle, the southern entrance, with the Heather Garden just inside. The M4 and M98 buses also serve the park, according to the conservancy. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.

If you want to go

The Dr. Ruth Community Awards reception is Sunday, Oct. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Bonnefont, 1 Margaret Corbin Drive, inside Fort Tryon Park. Tickets are $50 through the Fort Tryon Park Conservancy's Eventbrite page, linked from the conservancy's announcement at forttryonpark.org.

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