For the past few months, the Friends of Willow Springs Park have been inviting residents to their favorite place through artistic, eye-opening events deemed “Willow Springs Park Experiences.”
Families and friends have planted themselves among various creatures and greenery at Willow Springs Park to indulge in a nature-inspired drawing lesson, poetry session, a ukulele concert, a photography workshop and taking place this Sunday: active listening.
“These are very informal opportunities for people to come together in small groups and just enjoy being in nature,” said Victoria Bryan, who co-curated the events with Carol Bartels. “The focus of each experience is something that’s an art form and very much related to nature.”
Bryan admitted that the listening in the park experience is not “quite as simple” as the previous sessions, but one that pushes residents to leave behind their expectations of the park and lose themselves in what nature has to offer.
Attendees at the Willow Springs Park Experiences find their seats among the various plants and greenery in the park. (Courtesy of Friends of Willow Springs Park) 
Local poet Nancy Woo leads a Poetry in the Park Experience as part of the Willow Springs Park Experiences. (Courtesy of Friends of Willow Springs Park)
The session will be led by a local opera singer Audipoeta, who will challenge attendees to listen deeply and explore the relationships between the sounds they hear. Once residents are able to leave behind their assumptions, they can learn about reciprocal listening and ear preening.
It’s a fitting ribbon on the year’s experiences in the park, as the goal is to go below the surface of what people may know about the park and “enjoy this amazing land we have,” Bryan said.
Members of the Friends of Willow Springs Park said they are already planning more experiences for 2024.
Mauna Eichner, one of the leaders with Friends of Willow Springs Park, said the experiences have brought people who have never heard of the park before, as well as those who have ventured into the grounds but never had the chance to sit and appreciate its beauty.
“That was part of the goal too, to get people to come to the park who don’t know what an asset and resource it is, and also encouraging people who already come to slow down and learn it in a new way,” Bryan said.
Though it will take more than one session to savor every wonder in the park’s 16 acres that have been restored over the last five years, the experiences are certainly a step in the right direction.
Listening in the park is the last of this year’s experiences, and open to all ages. The event is free, but residents are asked to register in advance by emailing WSPExperiences@gmail.com.
The Willow Springs Experience will take place on Nov. 12 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Willow Springs Park. Attendees can meet in the parking lot at 2745 Orange Ave.
It would be Nice to know what city it is in.