A former newspaper reporter who has lived in Franklin for nearly 40 years, Marjorie is active in several Franklin and Hales Corners organizations.
I can hear the Franklin school bus coming around the bend of Scherrei Drive. Summer vacation doesn’t start for another week, so I hope for the children’s sake – and the teachers’ – that the days ahead aren’t too warm. It is challenging to keep young minds on scholarly pursuits when every instinct says, “Get outside and play some ball.” Unfortunately, the welcome news this past winter – “No school today!” – has come back to taunt those unfortunate students squirming at their desks.
If teachers run out of ideas to fill in the hours which stretch ahead, they might consider reversing that assignment so popular on the first day of school. “What will you do on your summer vacation?” Thanks to the efforts of concerned citizens in the Hales Corners area, children can add “Go swimming at the Hales Corners pool” to their list. Some of the other things they look forward to are the same things I look forward to in these glorious days of summer. Picnics, hikes and bike rides, hanging out with friends, getting together with cousins, taking a family vacation “up north”, playing ball (or going to watch someone else play ball – Little Leaguers, Brewers), church festivals and lakefront festivals, Fourth of July. . . .the list goes on. And then, all too soon, we’ll be assaulted by those “back-to-school” ads.
“The whole world is your classroom”: that slogan was on a poster at one of our local colleges. How true it is! and for people living in the Franklin – Hales Corners area, near Whitnall Park, our classroom is walking or biking distance away. (Think of the gas money we can save!) On Saturday I stopped at Boerner Botanical Gardens to check out the Iris show – hundreds of irises, dozens of colors and varieties – representing the pride of local gardeners. The show, free to the public, was held in the old CCC building. Let’s stop here for a quiz: What does “CCC” stand for? Who were the men who gave “Whitnall” and “Boerner” their names? The answers to those questions will appear at the end of this blog, but in the meantime let me “plant” an idea for the outdoor classroom that you can add to your summer wish list.
Every Wednesday night beginning at 6:30 p.m., you can take a Walk in the Gardens to learn more about flowers and other plant life growing there as well as gardening techniques to try in home gardens. This week, June 6, Paul Drobot will lead a garden tour focusing on irises and peonies. Next week, June 13, Drobot will tell gardeners about “Compact and Dwarf Plants for Your Landscape.” The online invitation states: “Garden Walks are for everyone from the novice to the garden enthusiast and we invite anyone who has in interest in gardening to attend. Walks start in the Atrium of the Education & Visitors Center (rain or shine), and run through August 29th. Cost is $5 per person which includes general admission and a chance to win the Featured Plant of the Week.”
If you enjoy surfing the web, I highly recommend www.county.milwaukee.gov. Here you can find a calendar of events for the summer and learn more about the Milwaukee County park system. You can even take a virtual tour through Boerner Botanical Gardens – certainly not my favorite way to view these gorgeous gardens, but on rainy days it can remind me of what’s in store for me when the sun comes out again.
I would like to hear from readers what you enjoy doing this summer, particularly those sights and excursions in our neighborhood. In the meantime, before those golden school buses come back to claim our neighborhood children, look for lessons worth sharing in that classroom extending beyond school doors. Share your excitement of learning, and I’ll pass it along in this blog.
As promised, here are the answers to the questions posed above:
1) CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps; the “CCC Building” at Boerner Botanical Gardens where the Iris Society held its show is Wisconsin’s oldest remaining CCC project building.
2) Boerner Botanical Gardens: The formal gardens and arboretum were designed by landscape architect Alfred Boerner and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), the Works Program Administration(WPA) and the Milwaukee Relief Project during the Great Depression of 1930's. Boerner stated his vision for the gardens: “It is not only for us, but for our children and grandchildren who will reap the full benefit.” Seventy years later those children and grandchildren are bringing their children and grandchildren to the Gardens in Whitnall Park.
3) Charles Whitnall, born in 1859, was Secretary of the Milwaukee County Park Commission since its inception in 1907. It is largely through his efforts that Milwaukee County boasts one of the finest park systems in the nation. Ignoring the derision of many opponents, Whitnall promoted land acquisition along the county waterways and lakefront to be preserved and used for the public. At a 1940 award ceremony, a woman identified as “Mrs. C.M. Barr” said: "He kne
