Bruce's Garden In Inwood Aims To Raise Money For Uptown Jazz Festival

INWOOD, NY — A beloved Inwood community garden looks to organize its first jazz festival in the neighborhood this summer, but it needs a little help to the tune of $35,000 to make it a reality.

Bruce Reynold's Memorial Garden is aiming to present an outdoor jazz festival in Inwood Hill Park on Aug. 19.

"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," organizers wrote. "We also believe the Inwood Jazz Festival will be a valuable contribution to the cultural life of Inwood, Inwood Hill Park and NYC."

The festival will be curated by Aaron Scott, a three-time Grammy award-winning artist, a resident of Inwood, and the director of Bruce's Garden.

The lineup festival will also include the legendary Billy Harper Quintet.

To make the festival happen, though, organizers are looking to raise $35,000, and the GoFundMe is well on its way as it has already raised a little more than a third of its goal.

• Inwood Jazz Festival Fundraiser

For those who might not have heard of Bruce's Garden, it is a community garden that has sat as an oasis within Isham Park near 11 Park Terrace East for over 50 years.

Bruce Reynolds, the garden's namesake, was a Port Authority Police Officer who rushed from his post at the George Washington Bridge on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, into the flames of the World Trade Center.

Reynolds, the 41-year-old father of two young children at the time — and a man who grew up in Inwood — died that day sacrificing his life for others.

• Lost On 9/11: Bruce's Spirit Lives On In Inwood Community Garden

When Bruce and his parents moved to Inwood in 1970, Bruce's father J.A. got his family involved in the community by setting his then 12-year-old son Bruce, and a few of his friends, to work clearing an abandoned area of Isham Park.

The area of the park that Bruce and his father began restoring in 1970 is the bustling community garden seen today.

The green space was officially named after Bruce in 2002 by the New York City Parks Department.