Dear Neighbors -
 
It was great seeing many of you at our annual picnic. Great food, friends, music and good weather, what more could you ask for? A huge thanks to Anne Fee for organizing, Dean Teofilo and Bill Duyser for cooking and all the others who helped out. It sounded as if at least a vocal part of the attendees would prefer we go back to a pig roast. We'd still love to hear your feedback as we make decisions for next year's event.
 
At the picnic I did announce that, after many years of dedicated service, Richard Stollberg will be stepping down from the board. I thank him for all of his hard work, support and ideas. For a while, many thought he was the permanent VP of the board, as he could never quite commit to being president. This year he served as treasurer.
 
As Richard leaves, we will have one new member joining the board, Kris Gehrke. Kris and her husband Jim has been very active in the wine-tasting group. They have attended every TGIF I've been to, as well as hosting two of their own. We look forward to her energy, new ideas and perspective.
 
We are still looking for TGIF hosts, as we would like to have one a month. If you are interested in holding a TGIF, just pick a date and let me know. Due to newsletter deadlines, please give as much lead time as possible.
 
This is the time of year that we distribute our neighborhood directory to all members of the association. If you are a paid member, your directory should have been delivered with this newsletter. Our membership goal for the year was 200 households, which is just over 40% of the total number of homes in the neighborhood. I am thrilled to say that, as of the annual picnic, we have met this goal! I believe this participation rate is relatively high among the Wauwatosa neighborhood associations.
 
I'd also be remiss if I did not thank Meg and DJ Lee for holding their second annual Great American Bake Sale for childhood hunger. This event exemplifies why I love this community. Kudos to Meg for asking herself what she could do to help others, and then actually doing it. Because holding the bake sale is such an enormous task, there is no way she could do it all on her own. There were many neighbors who helped deliver flyers, and bake and/or cashier for the event. There were also local businesses that donated coffee, goodies and supplies. And, of course, the patrons who supported the event and enjoyed a little bit of French ambiance on Aberdeen Court. This says a lot to me about the kind of people that live in Damon Woods and makes me proud to be a part of it..

-Karen McNeely
 

FALL PLAY GROUP

As we end the summer season for the Damon Woods playgroup we shrink in numbers, as some of our four-year olds start 4K and others move on to preschool. Due to the smaller number of people, we will keep the group as one large group instead of dividing it up. In September we will go apple picking and in October we may go to a pumpkin patch. If you have any recommendations for pumpkin farms, please contact the playgroup coordinator. As of September 1st Julie Janisch will be taking over as coordinator. Playgroup meets on Thursdays and the location is rotated around as it fits into everyone’s schedule. The time is 9:30-11:30 and the host provides light snacks. If you have any suggestions for the group, please email Julie Janisch or Holly Dobson at info@damonwoods.org.

NEW NEIGHBOR HUNT

Have you moved into the Damon Woods Neighborhood within this past year? If so, were you properly welcomed by the neighborhood association? If not, IT’S ABOUT TIME YOU WERE! To receive a visit from a Welcoming Committee member, (as well as a little bag of goodies) please contact Kathy Kopperud at info@damonwoods.org. Also, to help your neighbors get to know you a bit better, we ask that you consider writing a short bio about yourself. You may include whatever information you desire, but please keep it to a manageable length (examples from past newsletter can be found on our website at http://www.damonwoods.org). This information can be forwarded directly to the newsletter (same e-mail as above) or given to your welcoming committee member. It will be published in the next issue of the neighborhood newsletter.

UPCOMING LOWELL DAMON WOODS ASSOCIATION EVENTS

• Tom and Jeanine Schoen will host a TGIF on August 27th
• Bob and Marge Gintoft will host  a TGIF on Sept 24th
• Dan and Amy Giampetroni will host a TGIF on October 15th
• Chris and Jennifer McCanles will host a TGIF on November 19th
• Harvest Fest, October 10th from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm

UPCOMING TGIF
The August. TGIF hosts are Tom and Jeanine Schoen at their home on Jackson Park Blvd on August 27th. Please RSVP by August 22nd.
The September TGIF will be hosted by Bob and Marge Gintoft on Friday, Sept 24th at their home on Stickney Ave. Please RSVP by Sept 19th.
If you haven’t attended a TGIF before, it is a great way to meet your neighbors, new and old. If you have, you know it’s a great evening out! Please bring an hors d'oeuvre or beverage to share! RSVP to info@damonwoods.org.

GREAT AMERICAN BAKE SALE A HUGE SUCCESS 
Thanks to all of you who helped to make our second annual Great American Bake Sale an enormous success. Whether you stopped by to have your morning coffee, took a dessert home, baked for the event, or donated money or your time, we appreciate all of your support. With your contributions and efforts, we raised almost $1,300 to fight childhood hunger! A special thanks to Starbucks for donating coffee, to Cranky Al's Doughnuts, and Sendik’s for donating muffins and doughnuts.
- Meg and DJ Lee
 
ANNUAL PICNIC HELD JULY 17th
Warm weather, an abundance of good food and music were the perfect ingredients for another successful neighborhood association picnic. Nearly 90 people turned out to sample chickens on the spit, brats, hamburgers, “garbage can” steamed corn, Jeff Ender's home brews, and a huge array of salads and desserts.
 
The afternoon began with kids games and crafts, and ended with the sweet sounds of the award winning band, Three Blocks from Murdock, featuring Dan Duyser of Church Street. A big thanks to picnic chairman Anne Fee for organizing and coordinating this wonderful event.

Worth sinking your teeth into
Charlie Buege, son of Laura and Jim Buege, enjoyed a mouth watering ear of “garbage can” 
steamed corn at the Lowell Damon Woods Neighborhood Association Annual Picnic.

See more pictures from the 2004 Annual Picnic

BOOK CLUB
Date: September 20, 2004 at 7:30 pm Place: Peter and Stacy Muller’s home. Email info@damonwoods.org for the book.
 
NEXT BOARD MEETING
The neighborhood association’s next board meeting is at 9:00 a.m. on September 11th at the Mad Mug Coffee Shop, on the corner of 80th and Burleigh. Please join us and share your ideas.
 

 
NEWS TO SHARE?
Has someone in the neighborhood had a birth? Do you know of new neighbors moving into the neighborhood? How about newsworthy items or accomplishments in your family. Pass it on to Larry Kopperud at info@damonwoods.org for inclusion in the next newsletter. 
  

 
CONDOLENCES
Condolences to the Bye family. Byron Ellsworth Bye Jr. of Stickney Avenue died May 7. He was 56. He is survived by his sons Daniel, Byron Bye III and Ronda (Terry) Burke and his brother, Mark, and sister, Debbie.

NEW NEIGHBORS ON CHURCH STREET
My husband, Mark, and I moved to Church Street in April 2004. We have owned and lived in a duplex in Tosa for the last five years. After a long and hard search, we know we found the right home and neighborhood for us. We enjoyed meeting so many people at the annual picnic and look forward to getting to know everyone. Watch for us out walking our beagle, Baxter!
- Amy Buckbee
 
MEET THE EVANS FAMILY
The Evans family moved to Underwood Avenue late last year. Tim and Sarah and their children Wesley (21/2), and Elizabeth (6 months), came to the neighborhood from east Tosa. Both Tim and Sarah are self-employed and work from their home. Tim is a photographer who shoots editorial photographs for magazines and commercial photos for advertising and marketing materials. He also finds time to work on his collection of fine art photography. While Tim is “focused” on pictures, Sarah works as a freelance advertising copywriter. From brochures, packaging, and websites to TV and radio, Sarah writes the copy you read in ads and marketing communications. Young Wesley is crazy about trains, swimming, and playing at the beach, while little Elizabeth is content to sit and watch her big brother. The Evans family loves their new neighborhood and is very grateful for the active neighborhood association. They look forward to participating in many of the Lowell Damon activities.
 
ALL YOU CAN EAT SQUIRREL BUFFET
by Rhommer Varilla
 
I’m not talking about eating squirrels. I’m talking about the two shag-bark hickory trees in our front yard. They fruit in August. They drop in September. They host dozens of the most inhospitable squirrels this side of North Avenue.
 
Now, I’m no animal hater. I don’t squish spiders in my house because I believe they have every right to enjoy this Earth as I do. I’m sure my eight month old daughter will love the squirrels just as much as the endearing rabbit family that lives under our deck. They, um, multiply like rabbits! And in the coming years, I’ll say things like “Lookie da squirrel”, “or “Sammie squirrel wants to say ‘Hi’”, or “Why do you want to go to the zoo when we can see flea infested vermin begging for Nabisco Cheezits here?!”.
 
It’s just that these squirrels wait for me to leave the house. When I do, they drizzle hickory nut shavings onto my forehead as if to slowly torture me. They throw whole hickory nuts at me. They even bark! One time, a squirrel stole a fun-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup out of our self-service Trick-orTreat bin. I have a digital picture to prove it. They are bold. They are rude. They perform upside-down acrobatics using their monkey-toed hind paws and taunt me by our front stoop.
 
Oh, and the telephone/cable wires that run between our homes and the homes behind us….
Squirrel I-94. This is their Interstate! While you’re cutting your grass, whacking your weeds, or trimming your trimmings, take a look above. You’ll see a squirrel and his band of ne’er-do-wells heading towards my house.

My wife Peg won’t let me get a paint-ball gun. Never mind that I might use it on the Marty McFlys that try to break the sound barrier on Stickney Avenue. I told her, it wasn’t a matter of hurting the squirrels. It was a matter of modifying their behavior.
 
After all, I did take Psychology 101. Not only was it a class that satisfied 3 of the 48 “General Requirements” credits, it had a better girl-to-guy ratio than my “Systems Analysis and Design” class. By the way, I also took “Systems Analysis and Design II”.
B.F. Skinner and my Psych prof would be proud of the fact that I can cite tenets of Behaviorism. “A behavior followed by an aversive stimulus results in a decreased probability of the behavior occurring in the future.”
 
In other words: “Squirrels that frolic w/in a 12 foot radius of me with intentions of their version of Chinese water torture, hickory nut dodge-ball, or Cirque du Soleil will receive some aversive stimulus from my aversive stimulus projecting apparatus (paintball gun). This should result in a decreased probability that they will ever EVER do it again!”
That’s my theory at least. Since I am forbidden by “The Boss” to possess this weapon of mass childishness, I resort to throwing the nuts back at the squirrels. It’s really kind of pointless, since I can only throw about 3 of them before I feel like Pete Vukavich in his waning years.
 
By the way, I call her “Boss” and she calls me “Chief”. We have yet to determine which title holds more authority. Cute, hey?
 
So the next time you take a walk by our Stickney bungalow, and peer down the driveway at our unorganized garage, bring a box of Cheezits or be prepared to be hit by a hickory nut.
 
DAMON WOOD INFORMATION
Keep in touch with upcoming events and news as it happens. Sign up to be a member of our neighborhood news list at Topica.com. Send an e-mail to damonwoods@topica.com with “subscribe” in the subject. Contact Jim Zinda by e-mail at info@damonwoods.org if you have any trouble.
 
Follow the online Topica instructions. The information you fill out is confidential and you will not get e-mail spam. If you find out that you don’t like it, you can unsubscribe from the service.
   

• 6 pm - Stas Venglevski / Kinsella Academy of Irish Dance
• 7 pm Main act- Seven Nations

These wonderful concerts are made possible by the generous support of Tosa Night Concert sponsors. Food and beverages available at 6:00 p.m. Froedtert offers a low-fat option this year. Miller products, wine, lemonade, soda and floats are also available. The music begins at 6:00 pm. and main act performs at 7:00 pm.
 
Rain site location is at the Muellner Building in Hart Park, 72nd south of State Street. Proceeds benefit the Hart Park Rotary Stage Performance Amphitheater building fund. For more information www.tosatonight.com or call 414-708-2415.
 
NAC—NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION COUNCIL NEWS

	Officer Dale Weiss spoke to encourage registration for National Night Out - August 3rd. Highlight will be the biggest fireworks display ever held in Tosa. Kathy Barry of Tosa Tonight is looking for volunteers to help for one hour shifts. Call 708-2415 if you can offer an hour.
	The police department has approximately 100 ‘slow down’ signs available yet. To get a sign, call the community support division at the police station and make your request. They will hold the sign for you in the lobby of the police station. Limited to two signs per block.
	Parks and Forestry board shared a presentation on Hart Park. Nothing is scheduled to be done yet in terms of development of the land purchased where homes were removed. It’s quite an eyesore and the board would like to make progress. They are brainstorming the needs of Tosa (athletic fields, skateboard park, swimming options) and discussing the desires of clubs which exist in Tosa and the school district. Additionally, seeking financial support for the development desired is a future step (business participation, as well as community). The board will look into including a survey for citizens in the next city newsletter.
	Sharon Eiff of the Wauwatosa Historic Preservation Commission presented several impressive projects underway: 1. Tosa High Project – restoring murals, tile and cabinets to original. 2. Eschweiller Complex – some preservation has occurred, waiting for more funding from city and county. Desire a business to purchase and restore and create a development that would highlight the buildings architecture, setting. 3. Little Red Store – turning 150 years old. Still in need of renovation and funding. 4. Wauwatosa Cemetery – turning 150 years old and has a great deal of rich history. The chapel is being refurbished and will be rededicated on October 10th at 1:00 pm. Sara Hart (wife of our village founder) and Jonathan Morgan (revolutionary war veteran) are both buried there. 5. A beautiful walking tour booklet is currently available for $2.50 at the library..

TOSA EAST TIME CAPSULE
- Tony Rajer, Project Director for the Tosa East lobby restoration
 
You are invited to participate in the Wauwatosa East High School Memorial Time Capsule. Our motto is, “Let no Citizen, Teacher, Student or Staff be left behind or forgotten.” Here is your opportunity to make a contribution to the school’s history by sending a message to the future Class of 2050 about your life in Tosa today: anything you feel reflects your outlook on the world today, your life, thoughts, hopes and fears.
 
On a single sheet of paper, typed or handwritten, send a message to the future. Deliver it to the Wauwatosa Historical Society, ASAP. We will close the larger time capsule in September. Already, several small Time Capsules have been sealed. Please contribute to the school’s and the community’s glorious history. Thanks.
  
FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT FROM BRAZIL
Rafael Fernandez will arrive August 6th, from Brasilia, Brazil and live will his first host family, Kurt and Barb Mueller of Jackson Park Blvd. Rafael is 17 and likes to play soccer, studies English & Spanish, (Native Language in Brazil is Portuguese). Rafael's parents are teachers and he has one younger sister. Rafael will attend Wauwatosa East HS. Please make Rafael feel welcome as he assimilates into his new environment, our neighborhood. "He's a great kid."
 
Rafael is part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Each year over 8000 students worldwide make similar cultural exchanges. Students are sponsored by local Rotary Clubs and home stay with three to four different families during their year abroad. These home stays are a wonderful opportunity to exchange ideas and share similarities as well as differences, hoping one day that this experience may contribute to the ultimate goal of world understanding and peace.
 
Have a High School Student who might be interested in studying abroad? Interested in becoming host family? Rotary Clubs need student candidates to sponsor and host families help. Learn more about Rotary Youth Exchange at: http://www.rotary.org/programs/ youth_ex/index.html.
 
Please feel free to contact Kurt, the Milwaukee Rotary Youth Exchange Chairman at 262-717-6186.
 
STAYING AWARE OF TOSA SCHOOL ISSUES
As most people know, the Wauwatosa School District is facing large projected budget deficits. With many differing opinions about how to close the gap, there is a lot of interest in what is happening with the School Board. With special sessions as well as the regular school board meetings, it is difficult for the average concerned citizen to keep up. The Save Tosa Schools group is offering free periodic email newsletters to help you stay up-to-date. Save Tosa Schools is a grass roots organization, dedicated to preserving our neighborhood schools and striving for educational excellence in a fiscally responsible manner. If you are interested in receiving their email newsletters, please send your name and email address to Doug Sawyer at dougffsts@yahoo.com. Doug will add you to the e-mail distribution list. Optional information to include in the email is which, if any Wauwatosa school do you have children attending and which elementary district you live in. Check out the organization’s website at http://www.savetosaschools.com.
 
2000 VILLAGE EVENTS

• August 3 - National Night Out
• August 11 - Last Tosa Tonight Concert
• August 14 and 15 - Hot Times Cool Village Art and Music Festival September 11 & 12-Tosa Fest
• October 1 and 2 - West Side Art Walk October 30 - Trick or Treat December 4 - Tree Lighting

4K MEET AND GREET
Students (and their parents) entering Miss G’s morning 4K class at Lincoln Elementary are invited to a cookie and lemonade meet and greet at the home of Theresa and Joe Lee on Aberdeen Court on August 25th at 6:30 pm. Get acquainted with the kids and their parents before the school year starts. Hope to see you there! 
  

HARVEST FEST VOLUNTEERS
Save this date! The second annual Harvest Fest will be held on Sunday, October 10 (the Packers play on Monday night and there will be radio on hand for all those NASCAR dads). The time and location are still to be determined. The only price of admission is a pot of chili, a dessert, or an appetizer to share. There will be activities for the kids, including a "Pumpkin" hunt and a coloring contest. A flier and sign up will be included in the next issue. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Karen Roy at info@damonwoods.org.
  
MEMORY WALK TEAM FORMING
If you’d like to join your neighbors on the Damon Woods Memory Walk team on Saturday, Oct. 2, please email Chris Vogel, at info@damonwoods.org, by Aug. 30, and she’ll get a brochure to you. She’s putting together a team for the two- or three-mile walk that begins at Mount Mary College and ends back on campus with a hot-dog cookout and live music. The Walk begins at 11 a.m., with registration, warm-ups, team photos and music beginning at 9:30 a.m.
 
The Memory Walk raises money to support services of the Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin. The $18 ($8 for children under 12) walk fee includes a T-shirt with the Damon Woods logo on the sleeve. Walkers are encouraged to seek pledges, as well.
If you aren’t able to walk, but would like to make a pledge, Chris would be happy to hear from you!
 
HIGHLANDS HOMES FEATURED ON 2004 TOUR
The Washington Highlands seems to have a limitless supply of beautiful homes. For the third (and, at least for a while, final) year, the Wauwatosa Historical Society’s Tour of Homes – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 – will feature six homes, all built in the 1920s, in the Highlands:

	Douglas and Jane Hagerman’s Spanish Colonial Revival home at 6026 Washington Blvd.
	Chris and Lesa Potos’ Tudor Revival home at 6248 Upper Parkway North
	Caroline Krider and Paul Smith’s Colonial Revival home at 1613 Upper Parkway South
	Chris and Holly Tesmer’s Tudor Revival home at 1521 Upper Parkway South
	Tom and Maria Johnson’s Spanish Colonial Revival home at 1842 Alta Vista Ave.
	Marshall and Jenny Chay’s Mediterranean Revival home at 6614 Hillcrest Dr.

Tickets, $12 in advance, are available at the Little Read Book Store, 7603 W State St., or by mail or phone order to the Wauwatosa Historical Society, 7406 Hillcrest Dr., Wauwatosa 53213, 774-8672. On the day of the tour, tickets will be $15 and will be available at the Chay and Hagerman residences. Children under 10 are not permitted on the tour.
 
FIREFLY ART FAIR HAS A SPECIAL EXHIBIT
The older something is, the more interesting Wauwatosa artist Jeff Darrow finds it and the
more likely he is to paint it. An exhibit of his paintings of buildings before they are hit by the wrecking ball, “Gone, But Not Forgotten,” will be a highlight of this year’s Firefly Art Fair on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 7 and 8.
 
Darrow’s paintings will be inside the Kneeland-Walker House, a restored Victorian mansion at 7406 Hillcrest Dr., along with an exhibit of photos from the Wauwatosa High School collections of homes and business that unfortunately have met their demise. Darrow’s paintings, in oil and acrylics, have been in many galleries and juried exhibitions over the past 11 years.
 
Eighty-five artists from throughout the Midwest will be exhibiting and selling their artwork
from booths in the Kneeland-Walker gardens from 10 am to 5 pm both days. More than a third of the artists are new to the fair this year, including Robert Simonson, a maker of custom Craftsmanstyle furniture from Waukesha.
 
Other media include paintings, pottery and ceramics, glass, basketry, jewelry, fiber art, batiks, mosaics, leather, photography, bound books, pen and ink drawings, concrete sculpture, metal work and wood.
 
The Firefly Art Fair features a Silent Auction, to which most of the artists have donated pieces. Local musicians will play jazz, folk and classical music during the fair. Homemade desserts, grilled sandwiches, salads and beverages will be available.
 
Admission will be $3 and is free for children 12 and under. For information, call the
Wauwatosa Historical Society, 414-774-8672, or see the society’s Web site, www.
wauwatosahistoricalsociety.org. 
 
MUSICAL THEATER
Sunset Playhouse is now presenting the musical "Cabaret." The World
of 1929 Berlin and the pre-dawn rise of the Nazis to power are the
backdrops of this powerful, sensuous musical hit. Emily Heitzer of Jackson Park Blvd. will be performing as a Kit Kat Girl, Helga and in the number "Two Ladies." Emily is currently a sophomore at UWM's Peck School of the Arts.
Cabaret will run Thursday - Sunday now through August 7th. Call 262-782-4430 for tickets. 
 
FRIDAY FISH FRY WAS A NIGHT OUT
Several Damon Woods neighbors met for a great fish fry and some of the best locally brewed beer around at the Lakefront Brewery on Friday, June 18th. Dave and Chris Vogel, Jeff Enders and Ellie Bjorkman-Enders, Brian and Robin Bloczynski, and Larry and Kathy Kopperud met for dinner and to enjoy the live polka band. The weather was great and the overlook of the Milwaukee River was beautiful. Jeff Enders was right when he said, “It was like going to a wedding, but you didn’t have to bring a present.”
 
NEWSLETTER AND FLYER DISTRIBUTION
THANK YOU - to those who helped deliver the August newsletters! Ellie Bjorkman, Beth Brown, Pam Christopherson, Kris and Jim Gehrke, Diane Kaiser­Rockenbach, Karen McNeely, Linda Merklein, Kathy Mannebach, Sophie Prange, Frank and Joanne Shansky, and Dave Vogel. If you would like to help deliver, contact Karen McNeely at info@damonwoods.org.