Join local historian and author Stephen DeVillo for a free walking tour that connects the very beginning of the Bronx River revitalization with the most recent enhancement of this special environmental asset.

We’ll meet at 12:00 Noon at Bronx River House and make our way up through the revitalized Starlight Park. We’ll finish at the Bronx River Art Center, a historic building that was the original headquarters of the Bronx River Restoration 50 years ago. Along the way we’ll visit:

•The site of the Legendary Starlight Amusement Park
•The mysterious “Pillar of Moses” rising from the Bronx River
•Drew Gardens, a community-created oasis where the worst pollution of the Bronx River once happened
•The Bronx River Art Center, a unique cultural institution
•The site of the first citizen-action cleanup of the Bronx River
•West Farms Rapids/Restoration Park
•The remains of a 350-year-old mill town
•The scene of a Revolutionary War action

This trip will involve a good deal of walking, so please wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring sunscreen, insect repellent, and water. For information or directions call Stephen DeVillo at 646-618-0879.

Stephen Paul DeVillo is the author of The Bronx River in History and Folklore, The Bowery: The Strange History of New York’s Oldest Street, The Battle of White Plains, and the forthcoming Neutral Ground: Westchester in the Revolution.