It’s My (autumn) Park Day

It’s My Park Day is making its fall debut on Saturday, bringing a slew of volunteer activities – mulching, tree pruning, trail cleanup and the like – to parks all around town. This is the first year the massive volunteering event, hosted by the Austin Parks Foundation every spring, makes an appearance in November. This year is also the first in which APF will granting nearly $200,000 in community grants to nine park improvement projects. The funds, made available through the foundation’s Austin City LImits Music Festival Grants Program, will go toward the following parks: Odom School Park ($43,000: installation of shade structure, picnic tables, soccer goals), Joslin Neighborhood Park ($39,500: fitness equipment), Mayfield Park ($36,000: historical wall repairs), Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park ($17,000: prairie restoration), West Bouldin Creek Greenbelt ($16,000, trail improvements), Patterson Neighborhood Park ($15,000: sculpture installation), Pillow School Park ($10,000: community garden installation), Barton Springs Pool ($7,000: reintroduction of native plants), Austin Sunshine Camps at Zilker Metropolitan Park ($4,000: landscaping, installation of metal gates). A check presentation ceremony will be held on Saturday at Odom School Park, 1001 Sahara Ave., at 9 a.m. Volunteer projects will be going on all day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To register for an event at a park near you, go here.