Upcoming: Prospect Park Opening Day

We're a little early on this, but it's never too soon to start thinking about the real onset of spring. April 5 is "Opening Day" at Prospect Park and will include the Little League Parade, a volunteer cleanup and other activities. Here's a bit from Eugene Patron of the Prospect Park Alliance, who sent this email a while ago:

Just after the Yanks and the Mets take the field for their home game openers, nearly 2,000 Little League players will start the 2008 baseball season in Prospect Park. The pint-sized players will be joined by their friends, families, local community leaders and elected officials for a parade through Park Slope and on into the Park. Everyone then will gather at the Prospect Park Bandshell for a ceremonial first ball toss to start another great season of baseball and softball at the seven fields in Prospect Park’s Long Meadow and the six fields at the historic Parade Ground.

The Little League Parade gets underway at 10 a.m., starting at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street, then moving along Seventh Avenue to 9th Street before turning up 9th Street into the Park and ending at the Bandshell. The Opening Day ceremony at the Bandshell will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Also worth cheering for are Prospect Park’s dedicated volunteers who will be holding an Opening Day Clean-Up, April 5 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Anyone wanting to lend a hand can meet near the Tennis House. Call or email for more information: (718) 965-8960, volunteers@prospectpark.org. Young children can get into the spring cleaning spirit at the Park’s Lefferts Historic House during Spring Wash Day, 1 – 4 p.m. (both April 5 and April 6). Out come the washtubs and washboards as Lefferts turns back the clock to when Brooklynites cleaned without the help of electricity. Free.

Opening Day is the perfect time to take a ride on the Park’s historic 1912 Carousel, visit the interactive nature exhibits at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, explore the Park’s waterways on the electric boat Independence, or visit with the more than 80 species of wildlife at the Prospect Park Zoo!

Ah,the Independence is back in action, which means that winter has been completely dispatched.