Public Employee Press

Holiday Magic

City Gardeners decked Brooklyn Borough Hall with boughs of holly. And at nearby Columbus Park fountain, the Parks Dept. workers placed bundles of sparkleberries into the arms of smiling stone cherubs to transform the geyser into a gigantic topiary of evergreen, foliage and glittering lights tied neatly with red velvet bows.

Throughout the city, DC 37 members in several blue collar locals help make New York a winter wonderland for the hordes of shoppers and tourists who come to the Big Apple to hunt for perfect gifts for the holidays. Even blasé New Yorkers dressed all in black stopped to enjoy the seasonal shows.

As the weather grew colder and the winter solstice drew nearer, Parks Dept. workers decorated business districts from Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to Brooklyn’s bustling Flatbush Avenue with glowing exhibits of shooting stars, snowflakes and season’s greetings. They draped government buildings with pine wreaths and velvet sashes to welcome the season, sometimes working around the clock to install breathtaking displays that highlight the holidays the world celebrates at year end — Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Ramadan.

To greet the season on Court and Joralemon Streets in downtown Brooklyn, Gardeners Rebecca McMackin, Rocelle Edwards, David Wysoscki, and Sirra Crippen, the president of Local 1507, worked with Local 1508 Parks Supervisor Jamey Hewitt and Local 1505 City Parks Worker Carlos Romero on a display of lights, conifers and seasonal foliage donated by Woodlea and Bissett nurseries of Long Island. Busy as elves in the North Pole workshop, they created festive visual treats to be savored through December and into the New Year by New Yorkers and tourists alike.

— Diane S .Williams