Preservation Hall Jazz Band to perform at New York City Parks Foundation's 2026 Dinner & Concert. | / | Play the Latest Hits on Amazon Music Unlimited (ad) | / | Preservation Hall Jazz Band will perform at New York's Rumsey Playfield - Central Park SummerStage's flagship venue - on Thursday, September 10, as part of New York City Parks Foundation's 2026 Dinner & Concert. This year's event will honor SummerStage festival founder and executive producer Joe Killian with the 2026 SummerStage Icon Award, as the festival celebrates its 40th anniversary this season, and Alex Blavatnik, Vice Chairman of Access Industries and Director of the Blavatnik Archive, with the 2026 City Parks Foundation Icon Award. City Parks Foundation, through its Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage Festival, is one of the largest presenters of free arts and cultural programs in New York City parks and serves nearly 300,000 New Yorkers each year through arts, education, sports and community building initiatives. Killian served as SummerStage's Executive Producer from 1986-1993. Before forming Killian + Company, Killian also directed concerts at Radio City Music Hall and led content and entertainment teams at Radical Media, where he was a partner, and Momentum Worldwide, where he served as an EVP. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, The Killers, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Todd Haines, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Scarlett Johansson and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. Killian's work has earned two Emmys, a Clio, an Effie, a Webby and numerous other awards. Blavatnik is Vice Chairman of Access Industries and Senior Advisor to the Blavatnik Family Foundation. Through his role at the foundation, Blavatnik oversees the Blavatnik Archive, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving materials on 20th -century Jewish and world history - work that reflects a broader, civic-minded philanthropy focused on making cultural history freely accessible to the public. "As we celebrate SummerStage's 40th anniversary this year, we are truly honored to be presenting our trailblazing festival founder Joe Killian with this year's SummerStage Icon Award. Joe had a groundbreaking vision to bring free, world-class performing arts programming to New Yorkers, and we are so proud to be continuing his mission across the city to this day" Heather Lubov, Executive Director of City Parks Foundation, said in a statement. "We are also equally excited to present Alex Blavatnik with the City Parks Foundation Icon Award and shine a spotlight on the longtime commitment and philanthropic support that he and his Foundation have provided to preserving cultural history and making it freely accessible to all - something we strongly believe in." Preservation Hall Jazz Band will help close the evening, which will run from 6:30-10pm, with a special concert. Additional musical guests are expected to join the veteran act during their set. City Parks Foundation's 2026 Dinner & Concert benefit will be co-chaired by Activist Artists Management, Bonnie & Steven Beer, Bill Silva Entertainment, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Suzanne Brume, Anna & Bill Cameron, Capital One, Citi, Kathy Gantz & Lary Wolf, Claire Goodman Pellegrini & Rusty Cloud, Gail Gordon, Roni Jacobson & David Feldman, Jenny Lee & Joe Killian, Live Nation Worldwide, Jennifer & Roland Merchant, Lori & David Moore, Elizabeth Sarnoff & Andy Cohen, Jeanne & Bob Savitt, Lisa & Lee Schalop, Eugene & Anna Schneur - Schneur Family Foundation, Cindy & Tom Secunda, Rebecca & Peter Shapiro, TD, Jean Troubh, Louisa & John Troubh, Warner Music Group, Katy & Greg Williamson and The Witkoff Family.

Bally's Links hosts annual City Parks Foundation Golf Classic. Bally's Links hosted the City Parks Foundation annual fundraiser on May 11, which featured an 18-hole scramble tournament. Bally's Links hosted a sold-out group for the annual City Parks Foundation Golf Classic, which raises funds for youth sports, arts and educational programming in 320 parks citywide. The group of about 100 golfers on May 11 faced overcast skies, cool breeze and no rain for the all-day event, which featured lunch, cocktails and friendly competition in an 18-hole scramble tournament, with a future free round of golf for the winning team. The event raised more than $200,000 and provided an opportunity to celebrate Bally's Links' ongoing partnership with the City Parks Foundation and its CityParks Play program. The nonprofit has helped more than 10,000 New York City youth learn a "sport for life" - track and field, soccer, tennis and golf - in their own neighborhood parks at no cost. In the golf program, the highest-level youth players ages 10 to 17 get to play at Bally's, designed by legendary golf pro Jack Nicklaus with stunning skyline views in every direction. "We try to provide opportunity, simple as that," Mike Silverman, director of special projects for CityParks Play, told the Bronx Times. When kids get to play at a top-notch course at a young age, it makes a big impression, he added. "This is their Pebble Beach," he said, referencing the California public course widely considered to be the best in the country. "The experience [kids] have here, it can be life-changing." CityParks golf has about 1,500 youth members and a proven track record of success. Alumni of the program have gone on to win college scholarships and earn national rankings. And kids ages 10 to 17 are also making names for themselves. The two teams affiliated with the PGA Junior League, based out of Bally's Links and the Junior Golf Center in Brooklyn, have made the regional finals for the past four years and have their eyes set on the national championship, according to Chris Brady or "Coach Chris," co-director of golf at the center in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. In teaching golf - especially to those who may be intimidated by the game or have little exposure to it - keeping it fun is key, Brady said. CityParks golfers don't spend hours a driving range with an instructor looming them. Instead, young golfers start at baseball fields in their neighborhood parks, using wiffle balls and putting onto a tic-tac-toe board on the ground to test their accuracy. Under this model, young players form fast friendships, build essential golf skills and are motivated to stick with it, Brady said. "They don't even realize that they're learning." The ultimate hope is that young people not only learn how to drive and putt but build healthy habits and life skills such as confidence, mental toughness and teamwork that carry them through the rest of their lives, Silverman said. Nothing is more important than "access and opportunity," he added. Brian Crowell, general manager of Bally's Links who was named National PGA Professional of the Year, reiterated Bally's commitment to bringing more young people into the game. Golf "checks all the boxes" to prepare kids for life, he said during his lunch remarks. Crowell introduced two up-and-coming stars of the game: Eduard Tervooren, 10, and Ava Chen, 11, both from Brooklyn, whom he said represent "Tiger Woods-type stories." Chen just won her age division at the 2026 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club on April 5 and already played at some of the world's top courses. "It's amazing how poised and composed young Ava Chen is," Crowell said. Tervooren has won 9 of his last 12 tournaments and will play in the U.S. Golf Kids World Championship this summer. Both young players have strong support from their families but got their start through free lessons in their area parks. "What CityParks has done for them is immeasurable," Crowell said. Emily Swanson is a reporter at the Bronx Times and 2023 graduate of the CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Originally from Minneapolis, MN, she now lives in the South Bronx neighborhood of Port Morris. She enjoys cooking, photography and rooting for the Knicks, Timberwolves, Liberty and Yankees.