September NSNA meeting Wed 9/2 6:30 PM

September NSNA Meeting

Wed Sept 2, 6:30 PM at Hawthorne Public Library, or you can call-in virtually.

Google Meet call-in link

Meeting agenda


Bylaws and Policy Updates

The draft updates to bylaws, some policies, and our articles of incorporation were voted on last month, and we need one more quorum vote to proceed with making the updates official. Review the changes (linked below) to participate in the second vote this meeting. These drafted changes were made by the officers together, incorporating feedback from a lawyer with background working with non-profit organizations.

Today’s the day — see you at the Fest!

We could not put on this community festival without all the support from our amazing sponsors!

The North Street Neighborhood Association is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and proceeds from Eken Park Fest go right back into our community!

  • Benchmark Exteriors
  • TASC
  • Distinctive Dental
  • LeafLife Dispensary
  • Solidarity Reality
  • SuperCharge! Foods
  • Willy St. Co-op
  • Woodman’s Markets
  • A-Team Construction
  • Dexter’s
  • Enterprise Rent-A-Car
  • Heartwood Tree
  • Lao Laan Xang
  • Liz Lauer Realty
  • Luna Pet Resort
  • Madison Hardwood Floors
  • Madison Public Market

…and last, but not least, our in-kind donors and remaining sponsors!

  • Bin There Dump That
  • The Bodgery
  • City of Madison Water Wagon
  • DreamBikes
  • Duesterbeck’s Brewing
  • Full Mile Beer Company
  • Sandhill Pet Clinic Vet
  • Sherwin Williams
  • WORT
  • WVMO

Check out the bands at Eken Park Fest on Saturday!

Our great band lineup:

  • Bear in the Forest — “With guitar, striking vocals, and a loop pedal, Bear’s live performances take you on a journey through sounds of indie folk, Americana, jazz, and country.”
  • Seasaw — “Seasaw’s music is the product of two best friends continually exploring all of the ways they can construct a singular, sarcastic indie rock sound.”
  • Bingbong — “Members of the band formed around their love for late-70s and early-80s guitar rock. Striving to revive the feel and the energetic power pop of that time, they’re heavily influenced by greats like Rockpile, The Pretenders, and The Smiths. BingBong’s raucous live shows—as witnessed by that blowout show at the storied Double Door in Chicago (2014)—speak to their ability to pack a larger venue with pure energy.”
  • Cris Plata Band — “Our mission is to bring original country folk and Mexican roots music to the masses and save the world!”
  • The Claudettes — “Six albums into their lauded career, the Claudettes (of Chicago) continue to put a fascinating new spin on American roots music. Blues and R&B are laced with punk spirit and film-noir moods to create the band’s singular “garage cabaret” sound.”

Aug NSNA meeting is Mon 8/3

August NSNA Meeting

Mon Aug 3rd, 6:30 PM at Hawthorne Public Library, or you can call-in virtually.

Google Meet call-in link & Meeting agenda

At long last, we have draft updates to bylaws, some policies, and our articles of incorporation. Please take some time to review these this week before the meeting so that you are prepared to vote on changes on Monday. These drafted changes were made by the officers together, incorporating feedback from a lawyer with background working with non-profit organizations.

Upcoming State Assembly Candidate Forums on July 14th and 28th

It may feel like this November’s election is years away with the current heat wave, but the primary elections on August 11th will decide who appears on those ballots, including our Wisconsin State Assembly District 76. To better learn about the candidates running for that office, several neighborhood groups have organized forums to help voters learn about who is running and how they’d lead if elected.

Tomorrow, July 14th, Tenney-Lapham is hosting a candidate forum from 7-9 PM at Christ Presbyterian Church, 944 E Gorham Street. On Tuesday July 28th, NSNA has worked with the Northside Planning Council to put together another candidate forum at Door Creek Church, 1181 N Sherman, from 6-8 PM.

Busy on Tuesdays? City Cast Madison attended the first forum that SASY held at Garver Feed Mill last month, and posted a transcript and recording of the event.

Learn More About the Festival Educational Series

Matt here with a little different topic than usual. While helping out with Eken Park Fest, I noticed there were some questions our dedicated festival committee volunteers would ask that would best be answered by other festivals. In order to create an environment to help ask and answer questions about organizing events, the NSNA submitted for and received a grant for a Festival Planning Educational Series grant. The hope is to meet on 5 topics this coming fall and early winter featuring speakers that professionally do day in day out what we volunteer to do annually.

Interested in a topic, or know someone that is? Register your interest here to help me plan the events. Thanks!

July NSNA meeting Wed 7/1 6:30 PM & Future Meeting Dates

July NSNA Meeting

Wed July 1, 6:30 PM at Hawthorne Public Library, or you can call-in virtually.

Note the day change to Wednesday.

Google Meet call-in link

Meeting agenda


Future Meeting Dates Update

When Bashford Church was closed for renovations, the NSNA meeting continued to be held on the first Thursday of the month at Hawthorne Library. The library has a new reoccurring event scheduled that same night, and there was just enough of a conflict often enough to warrant moving our meeting cadence off of Thursday to Wednesday. This new routine will start with our July meeting on Wednesday, July 1st.

Looking ahead to August, however, the community room was already reserved the first Wednesday that month, so the August NSNA meeting will be Monday, August 3rd instead.

We will continue to post the meeting time, location, and agenda on the home page blog and update the Google Calendar meeting. If you miss our meeting and come to Hawthorne on the wrong day, you’re still at a library and that’s pretty cool too.