Dear Neighbors -
 
After serving all of you for the past three years, I will be handing over the reigns of the presidency to the capable hands of Anne Fee. In doing so, there is a bit of sadness in letting go, a sense of excitement in knowing that Anne will bring a flow of new ideas and energy to the neighborhood, and finally a sense of contentment in knowing that I will continue to be an active part of this neighborhood.
 
Thanks to the great support of my fellow board members we have accomplished much over the past three years. We've increased membership from the 160's to over 200 households. Thanks to efforts of Laurie Lehman and Kris Gehrke, we've successfully increased our advertising revenues, enabling us to balance our budget and then some. It's allowed us to go from worrying about every penny, to thinking of ways we can expand spending to encourage more participation and better meet the needs of our neighborhood. Thanks to Richard Stollberg who made my idea of a Harvest Fest a reality and to Karen Roy and Kris Gehrke for continuing it and growing it into a tradition. A huge thanks to Larry Kopperud for faithfully creating the newsletter during this timeframe as well as always having the right answers.
 
Ten years after the concept of neighborhood associations started in Wauwatosa, I know that Damon Woods continues to be one of the most successful neighborhoods, in part, because we have the focal point of the Damon House. The Damon family's participation has also brought much to the neighborhood. Thanks also to Art Steadman for taking great care of this treasure, in addition to making some really wonderful scones for the Christmas Tree-dition.
 
Looking back at my first President's letter I think it is appropriate that I end this one the way I began the first. So to quote myself…, "In these crazy overscheduled days many people say they don't have time for involvement. It may seem ironic, but I find the opposite to be true. Involvement develops friendships, networks and mentors. It's extra eyes and ears on your house when you are away or on your children when you step inside the house for a moment.
It's advice from an expert or borrowing muscle from a novice. It's about all of us caring about one another."
 
I really think the last part truly sums up what makes this neighborhood special… All of us caring about one another....

Karen McNeely
Past President
 

PLAY GROUP NEWS
The neighborhood playgroup is open to all moms, dads and kids in the neighborhood association. We meet on the following Thursdays from 9:30 until 11:30 am. The host house provides light refreshments for all. Please join us for a morning of fun! Contact Julie Janisch with questions at info@damonwoods.org.

UPCOMING LOWELL DAMON WOODS ASSOCIATION EVENTS

	October 31st - Trick-or-Treat
	December 3rd - Christmas Tree pickup and Christmas Cookie Exchange
	January 7th - Tentative date for the Winter Party at the Kneeland Walker House
	April 8th - Easter Egg Hunt

UPCOMING TGIF PARTIES
The final TGIF of the year will be held at the home of Chris McCanles and Jennifer LaPorteMcCanles on Forest St., Friday, November 18th. Please RSVP at info@damonwoods.org. As always, bring an appetizer and beverage to pass. This is a great opportunity to meet new neighbors and reacquaint yourself with old neighbors in a very casual setting. These events are not a club and are open to all neighbors. Watch for the TGIF sign on the host's front lawn one week prior to the event.
There will not be a TGIF party in December and January due to other neighborhood events.
We are also looking for hosts to start off the new year. If anyone is interested in hosting a TGIF in the months of February, March or April of 2006, please contact Kris Gehrke at info@damonwoods.org.

BOOK CLUB
Date: November 21st, 2005 at 7:30 pm 
Place: Stacy Muller's home on Woodland Avenue
Book: Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell
 
With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year.
At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moved from the simple Potage Parmentier into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye.

NEXT BOARD MEETING
The neighborhood association's next board meeting is at 7:00 pm, on November 17th in the Firefly Room at the Wauwatosa Library. Please join us and share your ideas.
 

 
GREAT AMERICAN BAKE SALE A HUGE SUCCESS
Thanks to all of you who helped to make our third 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, donated money or your time, we appreciate all of your support. With your contributions and efforts, we raised almost $2,000 to fight childhood hunger! A special thanks to Starbucks for donating coffee and to Sendik's and Sentry for donating assorted baked goods.
- Meg and DJ Lee

For the third year in a row, Meg and DJ Lee organized and held a special neighborhood bake sale 
outside their home at 2029 N. 81st as part of the national Great American Bake Sale to help end 
childhood hunger. Friends and neighbors donated a mouth-watering assortment of baked goods
to be sold, as well as their time to help set up, sell, and clean up.

Some of the many neighbors who stopped by to support the third annual Great 
American Bake Sale, run by Meg and DJ.

NEWS TO SHARE?
Has someone in the neighborhood had a birth? 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. 

 
NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD?
Have you recently moved into the neighborhood? You can go to our neighborhood association web page and select the New Neighbors button from the list along the left hand side to go the New Neighbors Form page. Fill in the information to introduce you and your family…. Or, you can contact Amy Giampetroni who is in charge of newcomers. After receipt, the New Newcomers Group will stop by with a nice welcoming packet for you and your family. 

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT
Ray and Jennifer Farrell are pleased to announce the birth of their son Connor James Farrell. Connor was born on September 11, 2005 at 6:27PM. He was 7 lbs 11 oz and 20-1/4" long. He doesn't seem to mind his new best friend Guiness, the Farrell's black Labrador Retriever.

A TASTE OF DAMON WOODS
Our Neighborhood has great cooks! The word "potluck" doesn't begin to justify the delicious dishes, appetizers and desserts that grace a buffet line at the Summer Pig Roast, a Thursday night Bunko party, a TGIF gathering, the Christmas cookie exchange or the casual meals with neighbors and friends.
If you have recipes to share, please share them! We want all the good recipes the great cooks living in Damon Woods create in their kitchens, especially the ones brought to neighborhood events. Send us your hors d'oevres , your salads, and your casseroles. We need your grilling recipes, desserts and the best ideas for the summer fruits and vegetables our many gardens produce.
One of the keys to a good cookbook is to have a variety of recipes and lots of them! You may drop off recipes at Marcy Minix home on Stickney Ave, or e-mail recipes to her at info@damonwoods.org - and the sooner the better (see the Recipes Flyer). We hope to have the cookbooks ready for the Christmas Tree Pick-Up/Cookie Exchange in December. Take some time during these summer days to look over your recipe collection and then submit your best and favorite recipes so that Damon Woods neighbors can love them, too! If you have any questions, please e-mail Marcy at info@damonwoods.org. Happy Cooking!

NEWS FROM THE DAMONS
The letter below was in response to an e-mail written by Karen McNeely to Tom Damon, thanking him for the continued family interest in the Lowell Damon Woods Neighborhood and telling him how we are looking forward to many of the Damons coming to Harvest Fest on October 2nd.

ART EXPERIENCE IN AIX EN PROVENCE, FRANCE
by Charlotte Enders
 
Last November, when my art teacher told me about a summer art course in Provence, France, I was very interested in going, but I didn't know if I would actually go. Much to my delight, I was on a plane to the south of France with 15 other students and two teachers the Saturday after school ended.

Paul Cézanne. The Mount of St.Victoria (La Montagne
Sainte-Victoire). c. 1897-98. Oil on canvas. Collection of
B.Köller, Berlin. Now in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Only one student, and neither of the teachers, knew French, and that led to some difficulties until we learned enough to order food and tell people that we didn't know French. After that, we were fine. Aix en Provence, the city I stayed in, was absolutely beautiful. I walked past a 12th century cathedral daily, and the city was full of beautiful fountains. Everywhere you turned, there was another fountain. This is the city where the artist Paul Cézanne grew up and retired. We were fortunate to visit his studio and draw the mountain he often painted in his later years.
Since we were staying at the dorms of a tech school, we met some of the French students. I would like to set the record straight about the French hating Americans. They don't hate us if you use as much French as possible until you have to tell them, kindly, in minimal French, that you don't know French. For me, that was right after saying hello or ordering my food. The French kids in the dorm all knew English. How well they spoke it depended on the person. It ranged from three words to being fluent. Many of the students were interested in knowing more about American culture or practicing their English for upcoming exams. Two other groups of American students in French language programs, who came to stay in the dorms the week before we left, were not as enjoyable as the French kids. One group from California was as loud as they could be, late at night, and knew little about the culture that they had come to learn. The other group, from Indiana, was simple, but nice. "Where's Milwaukee?" "An hour north of Chicago." "Where's Chicago?"
Along with painting in the city, we also went on some field trips. We visited a monastery, art museums in Nice, the beach in Cassese, Roman ruins in Arles, and the asylum where Van Gogh was after he cut off his ear.
It was a wonderful trip and my perspectives on American culture and history changed. I encourage people to visit Provence some time in their lives.

Ed note: Charlotte is 17 years old and a Senior at Wauwatosa East High School. She is the daughter of Jeff Enders and Ellie Bjorkman of Stickney Ave.

HARVEST FEST 2005
Your loyal Lowell Damon Woods Neighbors turned out on a cloudy but uncharacteristically warm afternoon on October 2nd. Several great entries competed for the bragging rights and the traveling trophy for the best chili in the neighborhood. The kids had fun and earned prizes in the coloring contest.

Tom Schoen of Jackson Park Blvd displays his winning
 entry for the best chili in the neighborhood.

10TH ANNIVERSARY NEWSLETTER EDITION DELAYED
In order to gather more material, this special edition of the newsletter has been delayed until the December issue. We would still like to have as many people as possible, submit information about changes that have occurred over the last 10 years. These include changes that have occurred due to remodeling and landscaping, early neighborhood event photos, such as trick-or-treat, Christmas Tree Pick-up, the Annual Pig Roast, or even pictures of neighbor gatherings over the last ten years. If you would like to share a story about participating in an event, or people you've met or relationships you've developed through our neighborhood association, please drop off or send submittals to Larry Kopperud either at his home on Woodland Ave or via e-mail at info@damonwoods.org.

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” as the subject. 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.
   

	The East Towne Business Association has temporarily been disbanded.
	Paul Leist, Community Support Officer for the Wauwatosa Police  Department, reported that National Night Out was a success with a total attendance of near 6,000.
	The Neighborhood Watch Steering Committee is looking for members. The next meeting will be held at 7pm, October 11, at the police department.
	Molly Herrington, First Choice for Children, presented information on becoming foster parents. If you are interested in more information call 414-264-KIDS.
	The Fire Department provided information on: - The Fire Safety House is limited to schools or other special events. Parents are taught to run it so the firemen (women) can handle calls if necessary. - Project Reassurance is a volunteer run program for the elderly or others in need of special attention.
	Joan Riggins and Helen Larson, Wauwatosa Women's Club, provided a short history of the club. Their current project is making "cozy caps" for cancer patients. A fund-raising Rummage Sale will be held on October 13th and 14th (with lots of antiques and collectibles). The Women's Club is currently sponsoring five 4-year nursing scholarships. The club also has a meeting/banquet room available for use along with a Museum of Wauwatosa History.
	Due to high interest, the Wauwatosa Health Department will be offering another seven-week series called "Becoming a Love and Logic Parent" starting in January. Information on this series can be obtained by calling 671-5575, ext. 14.
	Judy Yauck, Tosa For Kids Food Pantry, provided a list of upcoming needs and events. There are currently gathering warm hats, mittens, gloves, and scarves for children and teenagers. They could also use slightly used jackets in the toddler sizes 4, 6, 8/10, 12/14, 16/18 for boys or girls. During October they will be gathering food for the November food packing which take place on November 19th. In December, new or slightly used toys, including children's VCR tapes, clean stuffed animals, or intact children's games, would be appreciated. Tosa For Kids Food Pantry serves both the senior citizens in need as well as our families with children. They cannot continue without the help from our citizens. Donations can be dropped off at the Police Department, 1700 N 116th St, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 10 pm, or Judy will arrange to pick up the items at your home. If you have any questions contact Judy Yauck at 471-8430, ext. 132. Note to Damon Woods residents: donations can also be dropped of Karen Roy's home on Jackson Park Blvd. She can be contacted at 471-8430, ext. 121.

HART PARK FLOOD PLAIN MANAGEMENT PROJECT
You probably have seen lots of construction activity adjacent to Hart Park and have wondered exactly what is going on. The construction work is in conjunction with lowering of the flood plain along the Menomonee River adjacent to Hart Park in the area that used to contain many homes. Work includes:

	Construction of earthen levees and flood walls
	Installation of new storm sewers in and around Hart Park including Milwaukee Avenue, St. Charles, 72nd and State Streets on the north and 70th Street to approximately Terrace Court on the south

When the construction is completed sometime in late 2007 or 2008, there will be a lot of open spaces. Some will be replanted with native species and grass. Other areas will be developed using the Hart Park conceptual plan. This may include:

	New softball diamond for tournament play
	New playfield for use as a practice or soccer field
	Walking and bicycle trails
	A second smaller play area with an adjoining parking lot
	A performance area for which the Wauwatosa Rotary Clubs and Tosa To night concert series organizers are raising funds
	A restroom area in the vicinity of N. 68th Street
	A skateboard park is also under consideration

For more information, visit Wauwatosa's website at www.wauwatosa.net. Select Hart Park News on the left side under Hot Topics.

THANK YOU FOR SLOWING DOWN!
- A SAFETY REMINDER FROM YOUR LOCAL POLICE -
You've seen the signs around the city. Some have even done it - slowed down, that is. In case you didn't know, the speed limit on Wauwatosa residential streets is 25mph unless otherwise posted. Not so very long ago, the Police Speed Trailer was in the 8200 Block of Jackson Park Blvd. The average speed, thankfully, was about 23mph. The highest was 47mph! How could that person stop at the stop sign? (Or did he/she? But that's another issue.) Other fast speeds, 30-35 mph, were recorded between 7:00 am and 8:00 am and again in the evening, between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Just a reminder, there are kids at play, people walking, and families bicycling. Now that school is back in session, there will be more kids around when we adults have to go to and from work. Let's keep our neighborhood safe. Slow down and obey the stop signs. Besides the safety issue, do you really want to pay a ticket and get points taken off your license? Don't forget the School Zone speed limits - fines and points are increased in those areas, as are those for failing to obey a crossing guard. Parents, talk to your teenagers; and teenagers, talk to your parents - not all of the drivers stopped by the police are 21 and under! If you would like your street to be list for the Speed Trailer, contact Laura at the Police Department, 471-8430, ext. 111.
 
2005 VILLAGE EVENTS

	October 29th - Annual Trick or Treat in the Village, 1:30-3:00 pm. Children ages 3-12 accompanied by an adult.
	December 2nd, 5:00-8:00 pm - Trolley Rides, many stores open till 9:00 pm
	December 3rd, 2:00-5:00 pm - Trolley Rides
	December 3rd, 5pm - Holiday Tree Lighting with bell ringers, carolers, etc.
	February 4th - Firefly Fling at the Zoo Peck Welcome Center

EMERGENCY CELL PHONE NUMBERS
Following the London bombing, an English Ambulance Service launched an international "In Case of Emergency ( ICE )" campaign, as they have discovered that at almost every accident scene there is a working mobile/cell phone on the victim(s).
The idea is that you store the word " I C E " in your mobile/ cell phone address book, and against it, enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency".
In an emergency situation ambulance, paramedic, police and/ or hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3, etc. It's so simple that everyone can do it. Please do it now; it could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest.

NEWSLETTER DISTRIBUTION
THANK YOU-to those who helped deliver the June newsletters!
Anne Bingham, Ellie Bjorkman, Tiffany Bruett, Anne Fee, Kris and Jim Gehrke, Patty Hovel, Cathy Kebbekus, Laurie Lehman, Jennifer McCanles, Steve and Sam Nolinske, Kelly Presser, Kathleen Romfoe, Jeanine Schoen, Brian and Kristin Skrade, Dave Vogel, and Maria Watson. If you would like to help deliver, contact Karen McNeely.