Atwood

East Side Ushers in Summer with Dance, Drums

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Dancing, drums and laughter filled Olbrich Park last Friday as the Madison community came to enjoy Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara (SASY) Neighborhood Association's annual celebration of the summer solstice. “For us, it’s a seasonal recognition of the importance and value of the changing of the seasons,” Brad Hinkfuss, president of SASY Neighborhood Association, said. “In the summer, we’re celebrating the longest day of the year, the fact that we’re here, and the beauty of it all and the harvest that it entails.”

The festivities began with free canoe rides on Starkweather Creek, followed by a bring-your-own-drum drum circle, which slowly drew the dancer out of more and more onlookers. 

“It’s not every day that I dance like this,” Arden Eckhart, local musician and artist, said. “In fact, most days I don’t feel like dancing, but it’s good to do things that you don’t normally do for the sake of refreshing your brain and your spirit.”

Nearby, all the while, families set up picnics and children spun gleefully down a nearby sledding hill. Some attendees were inspired to come to celebrate the symbolic nature of the summer solstice. 

“I find it spiritually uplifting,” Eckhart said.

Atwood

Madison Residents Advocate for Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety in Atwood Avenue Reconstruction

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A planned reconstruction project for Madison's Atwood Avenue has sparked conversation among East Side residents, who see the initiative as an opportunity to improve safety conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. The project, a joint effort between the City of Madison and the City of Monona, would rework a 1.3-mile stretch of Atwood Avenue running from Fair Oaks Avenue to Cottage Grove Road. With an $8 million budget, the reconstruction aims to improve safety and traffic conditions for the avenue, particularly in the area running along Olbrich Park. While project elements such as a complete reconstruction of the Atwood Avenue–Walter Street intersection aim to serve the Avenue's estimated 14,000 daily motorists, community members are advocating for more consideration of multimodal transportation. A major component of the preliminary plan is the addition of a multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.