Party in the Park 2017

This year the annual block party is on Sunday afternoon, June 11th, from 4-7PM. 

It is summer and there is so much going on, so make this Sunday your chill-out time: come hang out under the trees, have some dinner, maybe some ice cream and a cool beverage, and soak up the relaxed neighborhood vibe. We have a great event planned:

4-5PM ROLLER RINK on the ROOFTOP. We provide the tunes, you bring your wheels. If you have no wheels, just come up to watch the fun.

4PM The Water Well is open for tour! Back by popular demand, this is your chance to see inside the building at Reynolds and learn a bit more about the water we drink and use every day.

5PM Morris Dancers bring rhythm and step to the 'hood!

5:30 The beloved TLNA unicyclists perform. These are kids of all ages doing tricks on one wheel you won't believe!

5-6 Transportation Revelations. Meet the city's patrol horses, try out a cargo bike provided by the new Cargo Bike Shop, & get aboard a Metro bus to plan your next trip.

6PM Drumming with Elmore Lawson! If you haven't been at one of Elmore's drum circles yet, you are in for a treat. He brings some extra drums so anyone can jump in, but if you prefer to listen instead, you won't be sorry you stayed to round out your weekend with some groovy rhythms.

 

Everyone is Welcome!

As always, there will be ice cream, beverages, great food and good times. Your area restaurants have stepped up again to bring you delicious offerings (Avenue Bar, Underground Food Collective, Cork N Bottle, and more!)

Still not convinced? It's so much fun...take a look at some pictures from 2015 and 2016.

See you Sunday!

Neighborhood Block Party in Reynolds Park 2016: A Photo Summary

This year's Party in the Park was from 1-5 on a Very Hot day in June. Hundreds of people relaxed under the shade of the old trees and enjoyed some good company. 

 Party in the Park is our neighborhood block party. But in the tradition of east side festivals, it is also a fundraiser for the elementary school and local park efforts. And, like the early Marquette Waterfront Festivals, it is an effort to revitalize a park that has maybe been overlooked at times, but that now sits in the heart of a vibrant and growing neighborhood.

The goals of the event, for the organizing committee and 

the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association, are simple: 

Draw neighbors together for an afternoon to chill out on the 'village green.' 

So here are a bunch of pictures that give a sense of the day. 

CLICK on a bundle of images to see it
ENLARGED on your screen.

Setting up started early and took a full team effort.

Richard Linster greeted people and renewed Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association memberships. Ken Vogel displayed his incredible puppets, Alicia Hamilton gave luxurious chair massages, the principal of Lapham Elementary hugged past and current students, and an array of items donated generously from local businesses enticed people to give money to benefit the neighborhood parks and school.

 By 1PM it was really hot. The first scheduled event was a cool one: a tour of Well #24 with Tom Heikkinen, General Manager of the Madison Water Utility.

 

The Doggie Parade, sponsored by Dog Haus University, thrilled both the dogs and the spectators. 

 The Cork and Bottle String band entertained us with their home-grown sound and Underground Food Cart supplied the homemade meal. A game of Red Light, Green Light drew both kids and adults into the field for a few rounds, but not for too long: It was hot in the sun!

Bernies Rock Shop brought out the much loved fossil and gem dig, children aimed tennis balls at the clothes-line of dangling stuffed animals to win whatever they hit, and thanks to extremely dedicated volunteers Teena and Sonali, hot and thirsty people enjoyed Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, root beer floats, Robin Room phosphates and JPH lemonade all afternoon.

Alder Zellers and TLNA President Patty Prime chatted with everyone while Nick served a variety of delicious homemade drinks and kids hid out in the Tenney Nursery & Parent Center cardboard maze (with zero chance an adult-sized-person would be able to follow them through the small tunnels and turns).    

...boxes for building, balls for bopping around, a fire truck to climb in and a performance of familiar hits by Francie and Josh.  

There was more, too, of course. Games and prizes. Delicious donated food by Sophia's, Macha Tea House and Festival Foods. And Rihanna, who brought her salon chair and mirror to spend the entire afternoon streaking party-goes' hair with bright waves of color. The pink streak was a literal highlight of the day for my daughter, who has refused to wash her hair all week. Somehow I missed taking a picture of Rihanna. It is probably because Rihanna was putting a gold streak in my own hair.

THANK YOU to the following contributing area businesses and organizations:

 

Alicia Hamilton Massage, Breeze Stevens, Burnies Rock Shop, Cargo Coffee, Chocolate Shoppe, Christ Presbyterian, Cork N Bottle Liquor Store, Dog Haus, University, Engine #3/ Willy St. Firehouse, EVP Coffee, Festival Foods, Food Fight, Gebhardt Development, Johnson Public House, Juneberry Studio & Marketplace, Ken Vogel, Lapham Outdoor Classroom & Community Garden (Terri Belz), Macha Teahouse, MadCat, Madison Metropolitan Sewer District / Saltwise, Madison Parks Department, Madison Water Utility & Tom Heikkinen, Morningwood Nursery & Greenhouse, Nick Balazs, Pasqual’s, Patrick Heck, Reanna’s Salona, Robin Room, RP’s Pasta, Salatore’s Tomato Pies, Shirley Haidinger (League of Women Voters), ShopBop, Sophia's Bakery, Studio 924, Tenney Nursery & Parent Center, U-Frame It, Underground Food Cart, UpShift, Yoga Co-op.

 Happy Summer!

Ten Reasons You Don’t Want To Miss the Party in the Park on Saturday, June 25th

The Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Block Party is soon! For the second year, I’ve been working with a wonderful group of friends to plan the Party in the Park. Like last year, the casual neighborly gathering will be at Reynolds Park from 1-5. 

I have to admit, the Party in the Park last year was a real highlight of my summer. There was music, lemonade, friends and neighbors, and an undeniably good vibe. And this year’s party, on June 25^th (my dad’s birthday, coincidentally), is going to be great. 

Here are just ten of the many reasons why:

  
ONE: Cork and Bottle String Band! The band that our neighborhood is

famous for will be partying with us. Thankfully their busy summer schedule obliged this year (they were so bummed they couldn’t play the Party last year) and, while we are not ‘just another summer music festival,’ we are so happy to have Cork and Bottle String Band as our soundtrack. They go on at 2:30 and are followed by Francie and Josh at 4PM.


TWO: A signed & framed print by Aaron Bohrad! He is one of Wisconsin’s most famous artists (read about him here) and the U Frame It shop on East Johnson will be featuring his work this summer. This is one of the many amazing things you could win in the raffle. The businesses in the neighborhood have been unbelievably generous and there are some really excellent prizes to be won. And all the money raised goes to support Lapham Elementary School and neighborhood parks.  

THREE: Dogs on parade! I’m not personally a dog owner, but I am excited to see other people’s dogs dolled up and showing off for their canine buddies. The parade starts at 1:30 PM and the Dog Haus University on East Johnson Street will be giving out bandanas, so even if you don’t have a Super Dog cape or little pumpkin outfit on hand, you can still let your dog join the fun. And the rest of us will be happy bystanders. 

FOUR: Tour Water Well #24. This is back by popular demand. Last year I asked the Madison Water Utility if we could have a peek at whatever is under the tennis and bike polo courts in the water facility building. They were humbly accommodating and truly flattered by the huge turn-out. The water well tour was a hit. So again this year, General Manager Tom Heikkinen will open the doors and lead a tour of Water Well #24 at 1PM. 

FIVE: The biggest game of Red Light/Green Light ever. In case you don’t remember how to play: A whole bunch of people start on one end of the field and try to run to the other end while the light is ‘green.’ If the light turns red while you are still running, you are out! And if running around a field isn’t your thing, there will be plenty of other games. We have some classics, and some innovative adaptations, planned for this party. 

SIX: The puppet man. Ken Vogel has promised to bring out some of his remarkable puppet and marionette collection for us to admire. He makes every single one by hand. The designs are all his own, though you can recognize some famous folks, like Belle La Follette, Hank Aaron and Georgia O’Keefe. And if you have ever been to Ella’s Deli on East Washington, you’ve probably marveled at some of Ken’s work. He is one of our local artists and it’s a treat to have him as part of the Party in the Park again this year. And if you have kids, make sure they ask him for a free pass to ride the carousel at Ella’s. 

SEVEN: Get lost in a maze! The Tenney Nursery and Parent Center folks have been scheming all spring in order to debut the original and wholly unique Marvelous Maze at the Party in June. I have heard whisperings about it, even seen some of these good people scavenging supplies, but I don’t know the secrets. I will be lost in there, too. 

EIGHT: Climb around on Fire Truck Engine #3. What more is there to say. 

NINE: Eat and Drink! Again this year, there will be amazing food and

drink donated by local brew masters, chefs and culinary artists. Again the sips and sweets will be part of our lure to get you to donate generously to support our school and neighborhood. Three will be treats from Macha Tea Company, snacks from Festival Foods, ice cream from the Chocolate Shoppe, root beer from Cork N' Bottle, phosphates from the Robin Room, and more. If you want some more substantial fare, the Underground Food Truck will be on site and you are welcome to BYOB (Cork N' Bottle sells cans, which makes it easier to keep our park glass-free). 

TEN: Hang out with friends and neighbors! This was the best part for me last year. After months of planning (and that was actually a lot of fun, too, because my co-conspirators are such capable and joyful people), at the Party I truly sat back and enjoyed the good company and beautiful scene. But 

Not everyone has gotten the memo, so do invite your friends and neighbors and help us spread the word:

EVERYONE is welcome!