It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Howard Thies, Technical Director for City Parks Foundation’s arts and cultural programs, died Thursday morning, January 17th, at Lutheran Medical Center in Coney Island, Brooklyn.  He was hospitalized the previous afternoon after experiencing difficulties breathing and was heavily sedated for treatment upon admission.  Despite intensive efforts by the medical staff, he suffered heart failure the following morning.

In May 2012, Howard was honored for his 25 years with SummerStage

Howard was truly the heart and soul of the SummerStage festival.  The relationship began in 1987, when he designed the lighting for Ping Chong’s “Astonishment and the Twins,” after

which he was invited to join the festival’s technical crew.  In 2000, he was hired as CPF’s first Technical Director for Arts and Cultural Programs. Before the launch of the 2012 SummerStage season, Howard was honored for entering his twenty-sixth year of service to the festival.  In his capacity as TD, he was instrumental in producing over a thousand performing arts programs across disciplines in Central Park and in smaller neighborhood parks across all five boroughs which touched the lives of millions of New Yorkers.

Prior to joining SummerStage, Howard was the resident lighting designer for La MaMa and originated designs for several troupes and performers, including Blue Man Group, Ridge Theater, Amy and David Sedaris, Andre Serban and The Great Jones Repertory Co.  His many stage credits include the Off-Off-Broadway production of Andre De Shield’s “Harlem Nocturne” and the Broadway production of “Salome,” starring Al Pacino. His work was featured in Lighting Dimensions Magazine, Theater Craft, Architectural Digest and American Theater Magazine.  He was the recipient of two Village Voice OBIE Awards, two New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Awards, and a Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts fellowship.

Howard will be remembered fondly for his profound passion for the performing arts, his indefatigable work ethic, and his tutelage of a generation of creative technicians.

He is survived by his wife of thirty-three years, Meryl Vladimir; his mother Karin Di Gia; his father, Winthrop Thies; his sisters Brenda Gibney and Melissa Thies; and his brother Danny Di Gia.

dynamic and efficient 140-character blurbs.

Now, you may all be surprised to learn that I am totally new to this whole Twitter thing. In fact, the Marketing component of my internship was completely unexpected! I originally began my summer at CPF working in the Special Events Department. A few weeks into June, the Marketing Department approached me needing help at the SummerStage shows. My new responsibilities included attending SummerStage shows to promote CPF’s ‘Nuts for City Parks Foundation’ campaign, as well as tweeting throughout the show. This, combined with event preparation and execution, made for a seriously fulfilling and challenging internship.

Paige, center, assisting with registration at the Mayor's Cup Golf Tournament in June

Because of this wide range of responsibility, I learned so much this past summer. I understand how important time management is, especially when you have direction coming from so many different people. I learned to work extra hard to make sure I did not skimp on any of my previous duties with the Special Events team. And of course, the most important life tool that I took away from my internship at CPF is how to eloquently compose the perfect Tweet.

Paige Wesson was a Summer 2012 Special Events & Marketing intern

What surprised me the most was during my internship was that I never had to take a back seat. On day two, Manna – the garden educator – asked me if I felt comfortable leading the group. I was really pleased that she trusted me so soon and I said yes; after all, I was here for teaching experience! It was challenging leading my first lesson but over time, leading lessons, co-teaching, and giving tours became a lot simpler because the garden itself is such a useful tool. Whether we worked with children, adults, seniors, or people with special needs, we had students use their five senses to enhance the experience. Often times we focused on feeling the various textures of our plants; smelling herbs; looking for pollinators; tasting the delicious tomatoes; or listening to the sound of drying leaves crumble.

Liberty Learning Garden

I was able to serve as a mentor for three high school interns. One truly notable experience was coming up with the idea to create a butterfly garden. I suggested creating an area for puddling and cialis low price specific flowers to entice butterflies. I was placed in charge of overseeing the project and assigned each intern with specific roles to build the garden. Many of the plants were just beginning to bloom, but even within that short time, we saw more butterflies in the garden.

The Butterfly garden

Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the internship was truly a hands-on experience. The entire garden was transformed by myself, the educator, the three high school interns, and of course, our students. When I first visited the garden for a garden awakening in June, it was covered in quick weed. By the end of the internship, the garden was transformed into an urban oasis. The five of us weeded, planted, and transplanted for hours each working day. My favorite experience was when the five of us dug into the soil to gather decomposers for a group lesson; how often do you get to do this with friends? This certainly enhanced the teaching experience. Rather than simply talking about a garden that we were detached from, we were able to truly share the garden-and our love of it-with others.

Vegetable seedlings ready to be transplanted.

This is not just something I will put on my resume; I will take away from this internship the true importance of working as a team to create a learning experience that is both inspiring and fun. I

also found it rewarding to give back to my community. I wish to pursue a career in environmental education and encourage others with a similar passion to intern with the City Parks Foundation.

Christina in the garden.

Christina Severin was a Summer 2012 Learning Gardens Intern

Most kids under the age of 10 require a shorter racquet than the standard 27” length of an full-sized racquet. Starter junior racquets come in 4 common lengths: 19”, 21”, 23” and 25”, and are relatively inexpensive, starting at about $20. Most are made of lightweight aluminum and have the same grip size, which is fine for novices. For more experienced players, graphite and composite racquets are “cooler” and add more power to shots. These racquets are at least double the cost however, and generally available only in the 25 and 27” sizes.

When choosing the right size, the first consideration is the height of the child. If the height is unknown, age is the second option. In general, tots 3-5 years old less than 40” tall should start with a lightweight, aluminum 19” racquet. These are the racquets we use for our citywide ”Pee Wee” tennis lessons. Below are general guidelines for older children:

21” 41- 44” 5 and older

23” 45 – 50” 7 and older

25” 51 – 56” 8 and older

So now you think you have the right racquet for your child, how about the right tennis ball? The

standard, yellow tennis ball is not the only ball you can buy any more. Thanks to national initiatives led by the USTA, ITF and tennis industry, low-compression tennis balls are now widely available and recommended for young players. Like racquets, these balls come in various sizes based and are designed to be slower and bounce lower than standard tennis balls. The balls can be found now in many sporting goods stores and are sold in cans of 3, as is the tradition in tennis.

Junior tennis balls are color-coded based on age and ability. For young children, especially kids ages 5 and under, we recommend starting with a foam ball, which travels the slowest and allows the most time to track and hit. These balls are available in a standard and “grapefruit” size. The next step up is the red/yellow ball, which is the same size and feel as a tennis ball but moves slower and travels less distance. This is a good choice for most beginners 8 and under. The next stage is orange/yellow, followed by green/orange. If you are buying as a gift, a safe choice would be purchasing several types that can be used progressively as the child’s skills improve.

Finally, for the kid who has everything, lightweight portable tennis nets are now available from many tennis manufacturers such as Head and Wilson that can turn a driveway or street into a temporary tennis courts in minutes. With proper supervision, this can provide a fun alternative for parents and kids who like to practice or don’t live near a public tennis court. Costs range from $60 – $150.

Our experience has shown that just having tennis equipment at home can make a big difference whether a child wants to take up or continue playing the “sport for life”.

Good luck and hope to see you and yours in the parks next summer!

Mike Silverman is the Director of Sports for City Parks Foundation. He oversees free instructional programs for

over 14,000 kids and seniors throughout New York City’s five boroughs, and is a certified Level 1 USPTR tennis teaching professional.