Loreto Playground on Morris Park Avenue hosts a free Spooktacular Fiesta on Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 4 p.m., with games, seasonal crafts and family activities. NYC Parks and Council Member Shirley Aldebol are the hosts, and no registration is needed.

The ground under the playground

The 2.18-acre playground, on Morris Park Avenue between Haight and Tomlinson avenues, sits on a site with more history than most city parks. Part of it was the grandstand of the Morris Park Racetrack built in 1888. In July 1908, the track hosted what NYC Parks describes as the world's first public air meet. Later the land held the Woodmansten Inn, a 1920s roadhouse that burned down in the 1930s.

The playground opened in 1951 and is named for NYPD Officer Alfred Loreto, who was killed in 1950 while rescuing a kidnapped neighbor. In 2021, a multi-use field and walking track replaced the old roller hockey rink.

All week at the Morris Park Library

The branch at 985 Morris Park Avenue (718-931-0636) has something nearly every day:

  • Monday, Oct. 19, 1 to 2:30 p.m.: Mahjong and Mingle, for adults.
  • Wednesday, Oct. 21, 11 a.m.: Teen Chess Club.
  • Thursday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m.: STEAM Discovery Kits, for kids.
  • Friday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m.: a Creative Aging mixed-media session with artist Rosemarie Fiore, part of a series for older adults. Registration is required.
  • Friday, Oct. 23, 1 p.m.: Crochet and Knitting Social Circle.
  • Saturday, Oct. 24, 10:30 a.m.: Teatro SEA's bilingual Little Learners: Colors, Rhythms, and Sounds, for young children.

Library programs are free.

Make a Saturday of it

The Teatro SEA show at the library ends in time to walk down Morris Park Avenue to the fiesta when it opens at noon.

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