News & Events

Below are highlights from Cadwalader Park showcasing the variety and depth of activities offered in the park. Check back frequently to see updates on news from the park and additional featured events.

Cadwalader Park Hosts Cross Country Running Competitions

Photo from the City of Trenton 

September 3rd and 9th 2025

Cross country is back in Trenton, thanks to the effort of the City of Trenton’s Recreation Department, the Trenton Central High School Athletic Department and the Cadwalader Park Alliance. Two September meets held at the Gully Field of Cadwalader Park, at the intersection of Stuyvesant Avenue and Cadwalader Drive, brought high school athletes from five high schools, of course including Trenton, to compete in two “batch meet” races of the Colonial Valley Conference on September 3 and 9.

The first racing route in Cadwalader Park in 25 years was unveiled last year, and this year a second route enabled the City of Trenton to host interscholastic running again. The Cadwalader Park Alliance helped support the design and construction of the championship course. Trenton is one of six Colonial Valley Conference racing venues for 2025.

“Our historic park has hosted cross country races for more than 100 years, and it’s exciting to see today’s high school athletes carrying on that tradition,” said Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora.

Read the City of Trenton press release. Click here.

For photos of the event from the City of Trenton, click here.

The Trentonian reported on the return of cross country to Trenton. Click to read the article.

Walkers Visit Two of Trenton’s Most Beloved Parks

August 2025

Cadwalader Park Alliance’s own Randy Baum and Becky Taylor joined with Trenton Walks! to take a 3.7 mile journey from Cadwalader Park to Stacy Park and back on a sunny day in August. More than 20 walkers traversed from the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie to Stacy Park’s iconic “Shaky Bridge” and back. Along the way, they learned about the legacy and impact of two of Trenton’s premiere parks, offering a fresh perspective on some of the city’s most beloved natural resources.

New Summer Run/Walk Series Launched at Cadwalader Park

June through August 2025

This June, July and August, the City of Trenton, in partnership with Cadwalader Park Alliance, Girls on the Run New Jersey East, Trenton Central High School Athletics, and Trenton Walks!, launched a new 9-week fun run and walk series at the park, open to all ages and paces.

The “Run For Fun!” series met at the Gully Field Wednesday evenings near the corner of Cadwalader Drive and Stuyvesant Avenue. Designated as open times for running and walking, the fun runs/walks were part of a broader effort to enhance fitness and wellness at Cadwalader Park, in Trenton, and beyond.

The events, which were free and open to the public, drew registrants from nearly 20 different zip codes, and averaged about 19 attendees per week during the weeks that they happened as planned. Four events were cancelled due to weather

Co-sponsoring the series were the City of Trenton’s Departments of Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture, and Health and Human Services. Additional support for events was provided by the store Fleet Feet Princeton, the footwear and apparel company Saucony, and the Trenton Downtown Association.

Pollinator Talk and Walk

July 13, 2025

Pollinator Meadows Matter! 

On a warm Sunday in July, the Cadwalader Park Alliance welcomed Jenn Rogers, naturalist and executive director of Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space, to explore the historical context and ecological importance of pollinator gardens and meadows. Rogers offered illuminating insights into the diverse flora and fauna that inhabit these ecosystems, emphasized the foundational knowledge contributed by Indigenous communities, and explained how modern agricultural and development practices have disrupted biodiversity and ecosystem stability. 

Rogers underscored the urgency of restoring natural ecosystems to maintain community-wide ecological function. She explained that meadows play a vital role in reducing flooding, storing carbon underground, and preserving the biodiversity essential to healthy landscapes. The event concluded with a powerful takeaway: meadows matter, and each person can contribute to their restoration and accessibility.

Naturalist Dives Deep to Explain Pollinator Meadows here.

Birding Lecture and Walk

May 2 & 3, 2025

Close to 30 birdwatchers identified almost the same number of bird species during spring migration at Cadwalader Park in early May. They were thrilled to see – and sometimes lucky enough to photograph — birds ranging from the Carolina wren to the solitary sandpiper and the Baltimore oriole, among many others.

This was the fourth annual bird walk in the park, sponsored by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation and the Cadwalader Park Alliance. Jay Watson, a NJCF leader and a CPA trustee, organized the walk, with State of NJ Conservation Officer Jordan Parham providing expert commentary.

The birding bonanza started on May 2 at Ellarslie, the Trenton City Museum, with a lecture on the diverse species of migratory birds who travel through Cadwalader Park every spring and fall. Attendees learned “birding by ear” identifying distinctive bird calls and songs and learned the basics of using binoculars to get a better look at feathered friends. The next morning they applied their new skills to identifying a total of 27 different species of birds by sight and sound.

Support for the program was provided by the Hannah Corbin Carter and Ogden B. Carter Urban Birding Program.

Arbor Day

April 25, 2025

More than 50 volunteers, including a large contingent from PSE&G, joined with more than a dozen city staffers at an event organized by the Cadwalader Park Alliance (CPA) to plant 123 trees at Cadwalader Park in celebration of Arbor Day 2025 in Trenton. Trenton’s Mayor Reed Gusciora issued a proclamation heralding the effort focused on restoring the park’s tree canopy, composed of a large variety of shade trees.

In addition to 35 volunteers from PSE&G, others came from Isles, the Outdoor Equity Alliance and the Hopewell Valley Regional School District’s Spanish Club, which has undertaken a tree preservation program in central New Jersey and in Spanish speaking countries in various parts of the world. Other participants included elected officials and advocates for healthy living and outdoor experiences.

“As in every older urban center, a healthy tree canopy serves to reduce the urban heat island effect, clean pollutants from the air and reduce cases of asthma in children,” said Randy Baum, CPA’s treasurer. Loss of the tree canopy has been dramatic in recent years due to the Asian long-horned beetle, the ash borer and bacterial leaf scorch, a disease affecting trees’ vascular systems, he said.

Supported by a grant from the PSEG Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation, the volunteers planted 42 trees, mostly larger shade trees but also several native flowering understory trees as well. The N.J. Department of Environmental Protection provided funding to install 81 trees.

ATTENDEES OFFER SOME THOUGHTS Click to download a PDF

WHAT A DAY IT WAS; PHOTOS TELL THE STORY Click to download a PDF