Tenney Park and the Yahara River Parkway were among the 20 tour sites available to participants attending the National Neighborhoods Conference this past May. We had an enthusiastic group of thirty visitors who started their tour from the Convention Center with a bus ride through the Marquette neighborhood. Rick Bernstein (former TLNA council member and current MNA resident) described the MNA area to our guests and then led them up the fabled Yahara River along Thornton Avenue.

Rick and Geri Weinstein (Urban Open Space Foundation) then led the troupe on a one hour pontoon cruise down the river and out into Lake Monona for a duck's eye view of the Convention Center. Our guests received a great overview of the current land uses and recreational activities occurring along the river. Many were impressed with the current parkway, but all thought the proposed changes would really benefit the neighborhoods and the river/parkway.

TLNA sponsored a picnic style dinner at the Tenney Park shelter house with food contributions from many families (Thank You All!). A very large set of thanks to Susan Duren for her food organizing efforts, Richard Linster for his fantastic noodle dish and a really big high five for Gigi Holland for her beer/onion boiled brats (Wow!). Many of our guests wanted the recipes for the noodle dish and the brats, so you know it must have been delicious!

Special thanks to Jacobsen Brothers for the brat donation and Cork 'n Bottle for the wide selection of beverages (Go Connie and Tina!). After dinner, Rick led a number of folks on a land based tour of Tenney Park. After that we just milled around the shelter talking and getting to know one another. As the sun was setting in a gorgeous display over The Lake, I escorted our guests through the rich fragrance of blooming lilacs in our TLNA and Old Market neighborhoods. It was a grand tour and all of our guests appreciated the hospitality and vitality of our neighborhoods.

The best parts of the tour for me as event coordinator were mingling with our national neighbors, a delicious meal with interesting and concerned people, a chance to showcase our Isthmus neighborhoods, and an opportunity to share our neighborhood's warmth and enthusiasm with others.

I also found our guests most appreciative of the fine parks and their relative abundance in our fair city. Secondly, even though I have my differences with city staff, it sounds like our employees and citizen involvement processes are a cut above many other municipalities. I guess thatŐs why we're number one.....in some magazines and minds anyway.

- Ed Jepsen


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