As head of the Richmond park system, J.R. Pope has been overseeing the revitalization of Forest Hill Park Lake. If you’ve ever gotten a chance to hear the excitement in his voice when he’s talking about our parks, you know that he’s in it for the right reasons. He was profiled in RTD today:

He has a big imagination. He sees the eventual restoration of the historic Pump House as a visitors interpretative center and community venue. He can envision a reflecting pond in front of the Carillon, where one was planned but never built decades ago. He wants to restore two silted ponds in Bryan Park.

It was a beautiful, cool evening Sunday night when a large crowd headed to the park to watch Payback, a James Brown tribute band. The kids started dancing early but by the end there was a rare crowd of adults dancing with abandon.It’s hard NOT to shake your groove thang with such great music.

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Friends of Forest Hill Park hosted a small tour of the lake restoration project Tuesday evening and I was happy to tag along and take a few pics.

Mud glorious mud! The yellow object is a baffle that rises with the water to keep excess mud from flowing up and through dam. To the left, beneath the water that has recollected, is the floor of the man made lake.

For more info and photos

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Exciting developments in the lake dredging project, heavy equipment has been moved to the site to begin work! From Kathy Graziano’s office:

Heavy equipment staging for lake restoration. The equipment will be moved before tomorrow. Next week the dewatering process starts and the lake will become a construction area. If you want access, stop at the construction trailer at the top of the hill and ask for Mr. Zeigler or Louie.

Grab a blanket and a picnic and head to these outdoor music gatherings. Let the kids dance their brains out while you sit and enjoy the evenings as they cool down. The series is brought to you by the Forest Hill, Westover Hills,  and Woodland Heights Neighborhood Associations and the City of Richmond.

• May 10 (6-8 p.m.): Happy Lucky Combo, Mother’s Day music inspired by tango, klezmer, zydeco, oriental and the blues
• June 14 (6 to 8 p.m.): Brian Jones Quartet, traditional American jazz.
• July 19 (4 to 6 p.m.): Southern Blues, lots of blues of course
• August 9: (6 to 8 p.m.): Blue Line Highway, American folk rock.
• September 13 (5 to 7 p.m.): Great White Jenkins, alternative and country music.
• October 4 (5 to 7 p.m.): The Big Payback, funk, soul, and R & B.

All the groups playing have at last one member who lives in the neighborhood.

I had to restrain myself from using multiple exclamation points in the headline. I really enjoy the SOJ market. There are so many yummy goodies and it brings together the neighborhood in a wonderful bed-headed way. Bring your reusable grocery bags and head down to the picnic shelters at Forest Hill Park from 8am to noon. Even meatatarians can find a lot to love! Check out the list of vendors or read the release from Kathy Graziano’s office who helps make this market a reality.

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Loyal readers already knew about the upcoming lake restoration but now the RTD has a few more detailsincluding the cost, $1.7 million. The Friends of Forest Hill Park will have more details at their monthly meeting next Tuesday. Details posted here.

The lake, created more than a century ago when the park was part of an imposing estate, has disappeared under tons of silt carried by the creek from upstream construction sites for two decades or more. The process of removing an estimated 40,000 cubic yards of sediment is scheduled to begin late next month, after the city approves erosion and sediment control plans, and take six months to complete.

The print edition of the RTD has some nice pictures that unfortunately aren’t online or at least the free online version. So I am posting this picture instead for a bird’s eye view of the old lake in all it’s former glory.

Library of Virginia, Adolph B. Rice Studio, March 21, 1956, Rice Collection 972A

I didn’t make it over to the park but go here to see some pictures of folks enjoying the hill aspect of Forest Hill Park.

Redtailed Hawk on King William Road		Great Backyard Bird Count Meet in Forest Hill Park on February 14 at 8 AM in the picnic shelter parking lot near shelter #2. Group led by expert birder Sue Ridd No special skills are required and beginning birders are welcome. BYOB (bring your own binoculars) The count usually lasts 2-3 hours, but you may stay as long as is convenient for you.

If you have questions about the event in Forest Hill Park you may contact slyon10@yahoo.com. Click here for more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC).

Take a three and a half mile tour of Forest Hill. Starting at the Stone House, winding down around Riverside Drive, back up to the south side of Forest Hill, and back. Run it, walk it, or come out to cheer. This will be a fun neighborhood event for all!

Saturday, February 14th, 2009 9:00AM Registration Form, 5k-map

For additional information or if you are interested in volunteering on Race Day, contact ihearttree5k@gmail.com

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The Valentine Richmond History Center is offering a walking tour of Forest Hill this coming Sunday from 2-4PM. The tour will center around the history of Forest Hill Park and current restoration work at the lake, as well as the immediate neighborhood surroundings.

And dog lovers should keep in mind that a similar tour is offered as part of Valentine’s History Hounds series in October.

Forest Hill Park sees lots of activity on Sunday July 20th. From noon-4PM is the return of Sunday in the Park, followed immediately by the summer monthly Music in the Park Series, which runs until 6PM. All the details are below the fold.

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June’s Music in the Park event is this Sunday, 6-8PM, in Forest Hill Park, featuring Cashmere Jungle Lords.

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Or in Forest Hill Park, anyway.

Channel 8 has a feature story* on building tensions between Woodland Heights residents and Park cyclists. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve not ridden on the park trails since moving to the neighborhood, but I’d love to see some closure to this before I start!

*Windows Media link…Sorry Mac-types.

From Kathy Graziano:

Richmond City Council Member Kathy Graziano today announced that the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has approved a permit to restore the lake at Forest Hill Park to its historic boundaries.

The project has been in the planning stages for more than three years by the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. The Department will move forward to commission engineering drawings and specifications, and start the bidding process within the next two months, with work to begin this summer.

Read the whole release at the above link.

The holidays and general in-over-our-head-edness has caused a couple of events to sneak up on us without the proper mention, so:

Justin from Westover Baptist Church alerted us to a newly-formed group of area ministers, tentatively calling themselves the Hills & Heights Minister’s Association (the notion that other groups would incorporate H&H into their names is quite flattering!). They will be meeting today, 1:00 PM at Forest Hill Presbyterian, and have invited ministers from all over the general area to attend.

Switching gears, the Woodland Heights Artists in Residence Holiday Show takes place Friday Dec. 7th, 6-9 PM and Saturday Dec. 8th, 10 AM – 3 PM at the Stone House in Forest Hill Park. Friday night sees a neighborhood celebration with local artists & musicians, refreshments and lots of holiday cheer. Saturday is open for shopping to the general public. From 1-3pm there will be children’s crafts and face painting by Fluffy the clown and a visit from Santa and his Elf. The event is intended to showcase our local talent, bring neighboring residents together and raise funds for the Woodland Heights Community Association.

A couple weeks ago, a brief discussion about the Forest Hill Park sign came up in the comments to another post. Today’s Style Weekly takes a look at the ongoing saga involving Friends of Forest Hill Park, the Forest Hill Neighborhood Association and Custom Ornamental Iron.

Forest Hill Park takes center stage in a T-D article on the state of Richmond’s major parks.

Over the past few years, however, the park made a comeback. The city repaired granite picnic fireplaces built in the 1930s and a historic building, the Stone House. Hundreds of trees were planted.

This winter, the city plans to return the muddy cattail haven to its past grandeur as a scenic lake where Richmonders once swam and skated. The cost: $1.2 million.

Could the park finally see the long-promised lake work?