Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden and Inwood Hill Park's First Outdoor Jazz Festival

By Annie Hawkins of Sovereign Associates

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Bruce Reynolds, an officer within the Port Authority Police Department, rushed from his post at the George Washington Bridge into the flames of the twin towers. Reynolds, the 41-year-old father of two young children — and a man who grew up in Inwood — died that day sacrificing his life for others.

Bruce Reynolds' spirit lives on in Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden, officially named after Bruce in 2002 by the New York City Parks Department. The idea for the garden started in 1970 when Bruce's father, J.A. Reynolds, got his then 12-year-old son and a few of his friends involved in the community by clearing an abandoned area in the northern part of Isham Park.

"Much of the work done during the day was destroyed by night," reads a description of Bruce's Garden on its website (brucesgarden.net). However, Bruce's determined father recruited 30 gang members to help with the area's restoration. Mr. Reynolds' outreach and funding from the New York Dept. of Youth Services supported and brought neighborhood youth together to restore the area that was to become the beautiful community garden you can visit today.

Adrian Benape, the former Parks Department Commissioner, current president, and CEO of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, first met Bruce in the early 1980s when they were both urban park rangers. They became friends. Benape said, "[Bruce] really understood nature and had a love and acknowledgment of nature more than most city kids. That led to his career at the parks department, and then his love of people led to the Port Authority job, and then, of course, he died saving people." But Bruce's spirit is still firmly planted and growing in the form of a lovely community garden in Inwood, across from 10 Park Terrace East. Bruce Reynolds Memorial Garden aims to present a free outdoor jazz festival in Inwood Hill Park on August 19. Organizers say, "Our Inwood Jazz Festival promises to be a dynamic event that celebrates the culturally rich heritage of our community and showcases the beauty of our public park." The festival will be curated by Aaron Scott, a three-time Grammy award-winning artist who lives in Inwood and is the director of Bruce's Garden. Festival featured artists will include Billy Harper, Patience Higgins, and Annette Aguilar.

Festival day also includes two free 45-minute jazz interactive workshops/performances for children ages 1 to 8 years. These will be held before the festival in the Ring Garden at Broadway and Dyckman St and in Bruce Reynolds Garden. Check the Inwood Jazz Festival site, inwoodjazfesival.com, to confirm times, and don't miss the after-party at Inwood Farm.

Whether you go to the jazz festival, volunteer in one of the garden's many programs, or simply spend some peaceful time in Bruce's Garden, treat yourself to one of Inwood's treasures.

P.S. Bruce's Garden now has beehives! Bees contribute to the health and stability of our environment and help beautify green spaces. Check out the details on https://brucesgarden.net/bruce-reynolds/

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