The Power Of a Fruit Trail — Episode 182
Open Space Radio
The Fairfield Hills Edible Fruit Trail in Newtown, Connecticut, is more than a walking path. It's a place where people can connect with nature, learn about native plants, harvest fresh food and come together as a community. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're joined by Amy Mangold, director of Newtown Parks and Recreation, and her son, Andrew Mangold, whose vision helped bring the fruit trail to life. Now celebrating 10 years, the fruit trail features fruit trees, berry bushes, native wildflowers and medicinal plants along a one-third-mile section of the Fairfield Hills campus. What...
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The Power Of Kindness — Episode 181
Open Space Radio
As we get closer to the , we're excited to welcome this year's keynote speaker, Shola Richards, to Open Space Radio. Shola is the CEO and founder of Go Together Global, a best-selling author and host of the podcast. His work focuses on helping people build kinder workplaces through practical, actionable strategies; something that feels especially relevant for park and recreation professionals dedicated to serving their communities. Throughout this conversation, Shola reminds us that kindness isn't just a feel-good idea. It's a skill that can strengthen teams, improve communities and help us...
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The Power of Your Stories — Episode 180
Open Space Radio
Park and Recreation Month is one of our favorite times of year here at NRPA, and as we celebrate, we wanted to give one of our favorite episodes another spin. This episode originally aired as , and it captures exactly what this month is all about: a collection of powerful stories showing how parks and recreation strengthens communities and changes lives. We're revisiting our conversations with: Shannon Barrett, CPRP, recreation coordinator for City of Kerman (California) Parks, Recreation and Community Services, and participants from the Walk With Ease program, who share how a simple walking...
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The Power of Leading With Empathy — Episode 179
Open Space Radio
On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore what it means to lead with empathy and why people-centered leadership can have a lasting impact on our teams and our communities as a whole. Joining us for the conversation is Shannon Harris, CPRE, CPO, executive director of the Carson Valley Swim Center and past president of the Nevada Recreation& Parks Society. Throughout her career, Shannon has built a reputation as a thoughtful, compassionate leader. Someone who shows up, listens, builds trust, and creates opportunities for others to grow and thrive. After spending some time with her at...
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The Power of CAPRA Accreditation — Episode 178
Open Space Radio
CAPRA accreditation sets the national standard for excellence in parks and recreation and agencies that go through the process are really committing to operating at the highest level across everything they do. From strengthening day-to-day operations to helping agencies plan for the future, plays an important role in delivering the best possible services to our communities. On the latest episode of Open Space Radio, we explore how CAPRA accreditation is shaping park and recreation agencies, leadership and communities across the country. We also dive into how the newly reimagined 2027 CAPRA...
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The Power of Understanding the World Around Us — Episode 177
Open Space Radio
Each Earth Month, we’re reminded of the important role parks and recreation plays in building more resilient communities and connecting people to nature. A key piece of helping that connection grow is through curiosity, learning and a deeper awareness of the world around us. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we’re joined by Erica Flocke, parks and recreation director for the City of Wimberley, Texas, to talk about how the Texas Master Naturalist program has shaped the way she sees her work and her community. After reading , we wanted to dig deeper and explore how learning about our...
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The Power of Your Stories: Inside the Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest — Episode 176
Open Space Radio
Each year, NRPA hosts its Park and Recreation Month Cover Contest. But before one story makes the cover of the July issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, countless submissions remind us just how powerful this work truly is. With submissions now open for this year’s , this episode of Open Space Radio looks back at a few stories from last year that stayed with us. From older adults building connections through a simple walking program to children strengthening literacy skills by reading to horses, these stories capture what parks and recreation does best: create spaces where people connect...
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The Power of Getting Girls in the Game — Episode 175
Open Space Radio
What does it take to increase the number of girls participating in sports? On this episode of Open Space Radio, we explore the obstacles, the breakthroughs, and how park and recreation professionals are at the center of it all. We know sports offer lifelong physical and mental health benefits, helping girls build strength, confidence and connections. But when it comes to getting more girls and women involved in sports, participation alone isn’t the goal. The real work is creating environments where girls feel like they belong, and feel supported, safe and excited to stay in the game as they...
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The Power of Mentorship in Macon-Bibb County, Georgia — Episode 174
Open Space Radio
January is National Mentoring Month — a time to celebrate the transformative power of mentorship and spotlight the essential role park and recreation professionals play in fostering youth development in communities across the country. On our first episode of 2026, we chat with JaCory Bazell, CPRP, CYSA, CPO, the center supervisor at Bloomfield-Gilead Recreation Center in Macon-Bibb County, Georgia, to explore how mentoring takes shape in his community. Through the Macon-Bibb County Recreation Department, JaCory leads two youth mentoring programs: a teen media program focused on topics...
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Honoring Native American Heritage Month — Episode 173
Open Space Radio
November is Native American Heritage Month — a time to honor and celebrate Native people in the United States. On this episode, we are resharing a conversation from 2021 with Stephanie Lozano, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation tribe and a tribal liaison for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, and Sara Sinclair, an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa and German-Jewish ancestry, Columbia University professor and editor of How We Go Home: Voices from Indigenous North America. While this episode originally aired in 2021, there are still so many relevant pieces, from activating...
info_outlineThe Fairfield Hills Edible Fruit Trail in Newtown, Connecticut, is more than a walking path. It's a place where people can connect with nature, learn about native plants, harvest fresh food and come together as a community. On this episode of Open Space Radio, we're joined by Amy Mangold, director of Newtown Parks and Recreation, and her son, Andrew Mangold, whose vision helped bring the fruit trail to life.
Now celebrating 10 years, the fruit trail features fruit trees, berry bushes, native wildflowers and medicinal plants along a one-third-mile section of the Fairfield Hills campus. What began as an ambitious idea has grown into a unique community amenity that brings people of all ages together while creating opportunities to learn, volunteer and reconnect with the natural world.
Throughout this conversation, Amy and Andrew share how the trail came to be, the community effort that helped get it started and the many ways they've seen it make an impact over the past decade. From helping people discover native edible plants to creating a space for multigenerational connection, the fruit trail demonstrates how parks can be reimagined to serve communities in new and unexpected ways.
Tune in to the full episode below to learn how to:
- Create unique park experiences that connect people with nature, food and their communities.
- Build community support for an unconventional idea and navigate the process of bringing it to life.
- Use edible landscapes to create opportunities for education, volunteerism and multigenerational connection.
- Start small, learn along the way and create sustainable projects that can inspire other communities to do the same.
Whether it's an edible landscape, a community orchard or simply planting a native tree, Amy and Andrew remind us that meaningful change can start with something small. As Andrew says, the goal is to keep learning from what works, share those lessons with others and make these kinds of projects a more common part of our parks and communities.
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If you enjoyed this episode or learned something that might help you make a positive impact in your community, please consider donating to NRPA. Your gift will support our storytelling efforts and our mission to advance parks, recreation and environmental resilience efforts that enhance the quality of life for all. Give today at nrpa.org/donate.
This season of Open Space Radio is sponsored by BCI Burke
Park and recreation professionals help create communities where people can play, thrive and enjoy the outdoors together. BCI Burke is proud to share that purpose and looks forward to connecting at the 2026 NRPA Annual Conference. Visit them at Booth 625 to share ideas, explore innovations and discover thoughtful solutions for outdoor spaces designed for more movement, inclusion and belonging.
Learn more at bciburke.com.
Thanks to BCI Burke for supporting this episode and for their continued commitment to Play That Moves You®.