On Halloween, Nakoma's ghosts and goblins gather at a neighbor’s house to show off their costumes and to tour a haunted house. Everyone munches on pizza, veggies, and Halloween goodies. To warm your spirits sip hot cider under our tent. It’s the perfect start to a night of trick-or-treating.

The charge for this event is $4 per person. Checks should be made out to "Nakoma League" and sent to:

Julie Eichhorn
4165 Cherokee Drive
Madison, WI 53711

To volunteer please contact: Julie Eichorn 231-6737 or Gretchen Brown 278-2787

Ways you can help:

• Set up and decorating Sunday, October 29th from 12 noon–5 pm
• Donate spooky decor for the Ghoulish Garage
• Help serve food and drink in the tent
• Bring veggies
• Bring dessert
• Clean up on Thursday, November 1st at 8 am

Nakoma residents of all ages, friends and families are invited to join in a celebration of Independence Day. Join the parade on decorated bikes, strollers or other mode of transportation! Meet in the lower (Cherokee Drive) parking lot of Thoreau School at 10:45 am—No Rain Date.

Games, prizes, food and beverages will be available in the park after the parade.

Johnny and the Nakomans will be back for your entertainment!!

Volunteer opportunities:
Kids or families to run games and baking for the cake walk plus a few other super fun spots open!

Contact:
Ann Somers, 238-1290, ann_ewsomers@hotmail.com
Annie Isenbarger, 442-1254, andreaisenbarger@gmail.com

for more information or to volunteer!

Stroll through eight private home gardens in Madison’s Nakoma neighborhood during the Olbrich Home Garden Tour. Marvel at the beauty talented home gardeners have created and get some innovative ideas for your own home garden. See original shade gardens, creative sun gardens, Japanese-inspired gardens, and soothing water features. The Olbrich Home Garden Tour: Naturally Nakoma is Friday, July 13^th, from 10 am to 4 pm and Saturday, July 14^th, from 9 am to 3 pm, rain or shine. The tour is sponsored by Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Landscape Design, Inc.

Since much of the Nakoma landscape includes well-developed trees, shade-loving plants are prominent on this tour and many of the homeowners have found creative ways to spice up their shade gardens. Some homeowners are lucky to have a nice balance of sun and shade—other homeowners have gone to extreme lengths to get valuable sunshine, including removing part of a cement driveway! Talk to gardeners that have done all their own designing and planting, as well as those that had a little professional help. Master gardeners and volunteers familiar with each garden will be available to answer questions about landscape design and individual plants.

 

Advance tickets are $10 for Olbrich Botanical Society members and $12 for the general public. Tickets the day of the tour are $12 for members and $14 for the general public. Proceeds benefit Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Tickets are available at the following locations:

• Greeter Desk at Olbrich Botanical Gardens
• Beauty Blossoms—701 N. High Point Road, Madison
• Felly's Flowers, with locations at:
• 607 N. Sherman Ave., Madison
• 7858 Mineral Point Road, Madison
• 2701 University Ave., Madison
• 205 E. Broadway, Monona
• 6353 Nesbitt Road, Fitchburg
• America 's Best Flowers Garden Center—4311 Vilas Hope Road, Cottage Grove
• Madeleine's Patisserie—3742 Speedway Road, Madison
• Johannsen's Greenhouse—2600 West Beltline Hwy., Madison
• Orange Tree Imports—1721 Monroe St., Madison

To purchase tickets the day of the tour, go to the home garden at 726 Seneca Place. Take Monroe Street to Odana Road, then turn left on Seneca Place.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is located in Madison, Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Monona at 3330 Atwood Avenue. For more information visit Olbrich’s website at www.olbrich.org or call 608-246-4550.

Olbrich Home Garden Tour

July 13^th Friday 10 am to 4 pm
July 14^th Saturday 9 am to 3 pm

726 Seneca Place
A clean garden slate due to a renovation project spurred the evolution of these fairly sunny gardens. The gardens are infused with color, but also highlight hardscaping and water features. The homeowners started gardening in 2002 and in just five short years, the garden has developed nicely.

734 Miami Pass
Deep shade covers this backyard and shows off lovely shade plants, while a sunny front yard allows for more unique plants that have nice shape and provide interest, even when not in bloom. These homeowners have been tending the gardens here for 30 years and have learned that in gardening, experience is the best teacher.

746 Miami Pass
According to the homeowners, this site has the perfect combination of a sunny yard with some shade. A large deck, pergola, and patio overlook the secluded, quiet, backyard gardens. The gardens are formal, with bluestone edging around a rectangular lawn panel, while the deck, pergola, and patio provide a natural link between the house and garden.

3910 Council Crest
A large boulder stands prominently in this Japanese-inspired garden along with a soothing pond, and beautiful weeping tree. Inspired by Japanese heritage, the unique, sunny gardens incorporate interesting plants, hardscaping, and water features.

3914 Cherokee Drive
In order to expand a sun-loving garden, these homeowners took out a large part of their cement driveway! Sixteen oak trees provide lots of shade, but sun-loving and vegetable gardens are also showcased. A water feature off the patio is a prominent addition to the gardens and the wild flower garden adds a native Wisconsin feel.

3934 Manitou Way
What started as low maintenance shrubs and annuals has developed into showy gardens that feature several Rhododendrons. Though the garden features a sloped, shaded area in the back, a nice overall mix of sun and shade has brought many gardening opportunities for this homeowner.

937 Waban Hill
Inspired by their Nakoma neighbors, these homeowners have tried a variety of plants to create interest in their shade gardens. Varying moisture levels have made gardening on this site a trick, but the homeowners have learned to move plants around until they thrive. Newly added retaining walls, a circular patio, and stone steps create structure, while a crushed red-granite meandering path winds through these beautiful shade gardens!

957 Waban Hill
An Asian-inspired garden definitely stands out in the Nakoma neighborhood! Asian-themed plants provide a soothing view from the inside or out. Though only the font yard garden at this home is included in the tour, future plans are the expand the garden into the backyard.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is owned and operated by the City of Madison Parks Division in partnership with the Olbrich Botanical Society.

Thirty-six homes hosted either salad or the dinner course. Thank you to all the hosts and hostess for feeling comfortable enough to allow (sometimes strangers) into your homes. Hopefully some of you first time Tulip attendees will now be encouraged to try hosting next year.

Thanks to Robert Schwarz who lead the “Food Crew” of Joanna Ivey, Ragen Shaprio, Julie Hostetler, Kristin Churchill and to everyone who helped chop, sauté and assemble the Friday before. The team made preparing Coq Au Vin for 144 seem effortless. Special thanks to the Nitty Gritty for the salad prep, Capital Brewery for the generous donation of the ½ barrel of Island Wheat beer and Steep & Brew for the coffee at dessert.

Petra Kilian Gehring and Mark Gehring hosted the dessert course and entertained us in such a gracious manner. Everyone enjoyed the delicious cakes made by Marilanie Blair Patrick. I see another star rising in cake design for Marilaine’s future!

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped deliver the food on Saturday. The Tulip dinner is an event that relies on several volunteers in many different capacities. The dinner was made up of neighbors who enjoyed getting to know each other better, good food, good times, beautiful homes and lots of laughter. We hope you had as much fun as we did and look forward to next year.

Adults enjoyed this annual rite of passage, complete with tasty, hand-warming coffee donated by Steep and Brew. The success of this annual event is due in large part to many neighborly volunteers and supporters. So, thanks to all.

Next year, we'll see what the Bunny can do about the weather!

—The Nakoma League

• If you think the current scarcity of simple three-chord rock songs signals the end of civilization as we know it…

• If you’re energized by the thought of making a god-awful racket in the name of music…
  

Then you just might be a candidate to be a member of the next iteration of Johnny and the Nakomans!

Over the years, the Nakomans’ lineup has almost never been the same twice. But now, one of the two remaining founding members, Harvey Briggs, is bailing from the ‘hood. So, if we have any hope of continuing this grand tradition, we need new musicians.

If you play, we should talk. Guitar, bass, keys, drums, percussion, whatever. Vocals are a plus. Participation requires your own gear and investing one or two rehearsals in return for the opportunity to be a part of a tradition that’s become an essential part of the fabric of Nakoma.

If you’re interested in being part of this gloriously juvenile bit of neighborhood frippery, call Bruce Geiger at 516-5359 or email greyguy76@hotmail.com. It’s a little work, but the ROI will totally outstrip your expectations.

To attend, send a check ASAP for $6 per child (payable to Nakoma League—Spring Egg Hunt) to:

Gretchen Girard
3721 Odana Road
Madison, WI 53711

Welcome to the revamped MyNakoma Website—the official Website of the Nakoma Neighborhood. The March 2007 “Under the Oaks” printed newsletter you received a few weeks ago represents the last full-length Nakoma Neighborhood newsletter. Abbreviated newsletters with invitations to all the events, babysitter information, and request for dues payment will continue to be hand delivered, but more comprehensive information and news will now be posted on this Website. This site will contain information including the latest on safety (helpful hints, announcements of any break-ins, etc), photos of fellow Nakomans enjoying neighborhood events (we are all members of the Nakoma League), recaps of events, and lists of upcoming events. You will also find contact information for representatives for each area, should you request further information. Our goal is to reduce printing costs, which are paid for with neighborhood dues.

This year to date we have received dues from 151 households. This is a return rate of 22%. With this issue is our final dues drive of the year. Please consider remitting $20 dues per household with the enclosed envelope. The dues cover expenses incurred from printing our very popular neighborhood directory, the four quarterly issues of the newsletter, Under the Oaks, flyers and invitations to the various neighborhood events such as the Tulip Progressive Dinner, the Spring Egg Hunt, and Fourth of July celebration, costs involved in maintaining neighborhood signs, gardens, and gateways at some street intersections, and has in the past paid for a large share of the playground equipment located in the Nakoma park. Your portion of the collective dues total enables the neighborhood to continue its legacy as one of Madison’s finest neighborhoods.

Finally, we have a number of fun-filled events coming up this Spring. On April 7th, at Nakoma park, we will hold our annual Spring Egg Hunt, complete with our own Peter Rabbit. On May 5th we continue our tradition of the Tulip Time Progressive Dinner, an adult-only progressive dinner. Then on May 19th the annual Nakoma Garage Sale is set to take place. The flyers for all of these fine events are enclosed in this issue of Under the Oaks.

For those of you new to the neighborhood, the Egg Hunt is a family event with games and treats to keep the kiddies entertained, and coffee to keep the grown-up caffeinated. Let’s cross our fingers for warm weather! The Tulip Time Progressive Dinner begins with appetizers at a home that a neighbor has graciously opened to fellow Nakomans. We continue to different neighbor’s homes for the salad and dinner courses, reconvening again at yet another kind neighbor’s home for dessert. This is a very involved event, run totally by volunteers from the neighborhood. Volunteers are appreciated to help a team of neighbors create the food, and deliver meals. The Nakoma Garage Sale is your chance to get rid of all those old toys, skis, and general “stuff,” and an opportunity to acquire those items that you’ve always wanted from a neighbor’s garage sale. This year’s offering will be even larger, as Thoreau Elementary’s PTO will be participating in the sale.

As always, thanks for continuing to make this neighborhood such an outstanding, friendly, and generous community!

—The Nakoma League Presidents

$450 to their annual fund. We had an endless stream of phone calls, checks and many, many gifts!

Each mother received a large bag filled with necessities including an appointment keeper, disposable camera, toiletries, batteries and stamps. Each child received a bag filled with, toys, crayons, puzzles, school supplies and toiletries. The youngest children received diaper bags filled with cuddly toys, lotion, bath wash, baby wipes, Desitin, teethers, sippy cups and disposable containers and spoons. Special thanks to Patti Albertsen and Mary Whitmer for their boundless creativity and energy in shopping for the gift bags; and to Julie Sampson, Julie Eichorn, Mary Kamp and Ginger Gant for helping us shop for gifts that weren’t already purchased by families.

The Third Street Program provides vital opportunities for single moms. It provides safe, affordable housing and support services. The program’s goals are to end the cycle of homelessness by providing families with a stable place to live so that moms may pursue their goals and learn to be a positive parent to their child. The program coordinator shared many stories of the legacy that our neighborhood Adopt a Family Program has had on the Third Street Families.

Thank you to the following neighbors and families for their generous Adopt a Family donation’s of gifts, cash and time:

—Birgit Bach, Mary Tullis, & Deborah Still