This event will be a tremendous and lively opportunity to be in community and support the future of the largest privately funded endeavor Monona has ever undertaken for the community.
We are excited to share with you our mission and vision for San Damiano, an iconic and largely natural 10-acre parcel on Lake Monona, now owned by the City of Monona. Our goal at the San Damiano property is to offer recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities.
The Friends have partnered with the City to raise the funds necessary to develop the property for the enjoyment of all in the Madison metro area. Your generous contribution to attend our Inaugural Event will directly impact the quality of life for our community by helping us maintain and enhance the park's resources. We hope you will consider supporting San Damiano Park and join us in creating a sustainable and welcoming community space on Lake Monona for generations to come.
Date yet to be announced, but we hope you can join us for our annual Fall clean-up! With the change of seasons, some fall landscaping and general house maintenance will be done at San Damiano. Volunteers are needed for yard work and picking up trash on the grounds and along the shoreline. We also could use help inside the house with cleaning and carpet removal.
How to participate:
If you’d like to pitch in, please show up and find the Friends of San Damiano table for further instructions.
What to bring:
Thank you in advance for helping us care for this (nearly) 10-acre, 1,450-foot lakefront community treasure!
View the recorded meeting HERE.
See the presentation and results of the survey HERE.
The Monona Parks and Recreation is hosting the first San Damiano Public Input Meeting at Monona Grove High School. A presentation of the data collected from the San Damiano public survey will be provided and you will be able to share more input on your vision for San Damiano.
The Monona Parks and Recreation and Friends of San Damiano welcome you to visit the San Damiano property (4123 Monona Drive) for a 50-minute walking tour. Join Parks and Rec Director, Jake Anderson, and other city and Friends tour guides, for a walking tour of the property and an inside tour of the Frank Allis house. Participants will learn the history of the property, the efforts led by the City of Monona to purchase the property, activities that have happened since the purchase in 2021, and the master planning and community engagement process that will determine recommendations for the future of the property. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the tour. Plan for an active walk around the property and for walking up multiple stairs in the house. The house is not wheelchair accessible. PREREGISTRATION is required. Tours are free and limited to 50 people per tour.
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Biergarten and a movie? Two of our favorite things rolled into one perfect night. Bring your blankets, family, friends, and an appetite to San Damiano on Saturday, September 24th. Enjoy a fabulous evening sipping beer, sampling fine cuisine from several area food carts, and dancing to live music. Later in the evening, enjoy a free blockbuster movie under the stars on Monona Parks and Recreation’s inflatable movie screen! Beer sales and food carts are available throughout the entire event. This is your chance to experience the magic of the San Damiano property. This event is hosted by Monona Parks and Rec and the Friends of San Damiano.
4:00 – 9:00 pm Food Carts & Beer
4:00 – 7:00 pm House Tours (Preregistration is required. Sign-up now.)
6:00 – 7:30 pm Live Music by Mark Croft Band
7:30 pm - Movie (Just Go With It)
Food and Beer
Several food trucks will be available for purchasing food and water. Please bring cash for purchasing beer. Papa’s BBQ, Jakarta Café, Jason’s Jerk, & El Alegre Mexican Restaurant are scheduled to attend.
Small Group House Tours
House tours will be provided by Friends of San Damiano volunteers from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. For safety reasons, these are small group tours of 26 people total – space is limited. Preregistration is required for house tours. Sign-up now. Please sign up for the Friends of San Damiano newsletter and follow us on social media for updates.
Live Music
The Mark Croft Band takes inspiration from a variety of musical styles and blends them into his own Roots, Rock & Americana-based approach to songwriting, infusing soulful performances with infectious rhythms and unforgettable melodies.
What to Bring
· Blankets or Lawn Chairs
· Cash for Beer and Food - Food cart items cost between $5-$9 each (Most food carts accept Debit/Credit Cards).
· Bug Spray
· Comfy clothes and extra layers for the evening
· Beverages – The food carts will have some drinks, and Parks & Rec will be selling beer. You are welcome to bring your own beverage if it's not in a glass bottle.
· Small flashlight for after the show.
Parking
Parking at San Damiano is very limited and will be reserved for handicapped parking. We recommend walking or biking. If you drive, please drop off guests and materials, then park on Winnequah Rd or local streets, and walk to the San Damiano entrance at 4123 Monona Drive. Give yourself plenty of time to get to San Damiano, we are expecting a good turnout.
Join us for the August Biergarten at San Damiano on Thursday, August 11th from 5:00 to 8:00 pm hosted by the City of Monona Parks and Rec and Friends of San Damiano. You do not want to miss this event! Not only will there be beer, live music, house tours, food trucks, and yard games, but we will be celebrating the City of Monona’s purchase of this amazing property with a ribbon cutting and a Friends of SanDamiano check presentation that the City will use to fund the community engagement and master planning process. All funds raised at this Biergarten event by Friends of San Damiano will be used to support the conservation of the San Damiano property for public use and enjoyment. We look forward to seeing you!
5:00pm – Beer, Food, and House Tours Begin
6:00pm – Live Music Begins – SunSpot
6:40pm – Mayor O’Connor’s Comments, Ribbon Cutting, Friends of Damiano Check Presentation
8:00pm – Biergarten ends
Small Group House Tours
House tours will be provided by Friends of San Damiano volunteers from 5:00 to 8:00. For safety reasons, these are small group tours of 26 people total – space is limited. Due to popular demand, we recommend signing up for the house tours at the Friends of San Damiano table at the event starting at 4:45pm for tours that begin at 5:00, 5:15, 5:30, 6:00, 7:00, and 7:15pm. If you do not secure a tour at the event, there will be more opportunities in September. Please sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media for updates.
Food and Beer
Several food trucks and a brat/hotdog stand will be available for purchasing food and water.
The beer will be flowing! You may purchase beer tickets for $6 each in advance and redeem your tickets for beers at a will-call area. Purchase beer tickets HERE.
Ribbon Cutting & Check Presentation
The City of Monona Mayor, Mary O’Connor, will provide comments and perform a ribbon cutting to commemorate the historic purchase of the San Damiano property that now provides public access to 10 acres of land and 1,500 feet of Lake Monona frontage. Andy Kitslaar, Friends of San Damiano Board President, will present a $150,000 check to Mayor O’Connor from funds raised by our community to finance the community engagement and master planning process.
Live Music
Sunspot is a rock band that embodies the spirit of pushing the edge of entertainment and technology while creating big fun rock anthems. This band has won numerous Madison and Wisconsin awards and is sure to get us rockin’! Check out their Facebook page for more information.
What to Bring
Lawn chairs or blankets. Cash for food and beer.
Parking
Parking at San Damiano is very limited and will be reserved for handicapped parking. We recommend walking or biking. If you drive, please drop off guests and materials, then park on Winnequah Rd or local streets, and walk to the San Damiano entrance at 4123 Monona Drive.
Join us for the first Biergarten at San Damiano! Enjoy amazing views, beer, food trucks, yard games, live music, & house tours.
Tours of the house will be provided in small groups of up to 20 people starting at 5:00 pm and every half hour up until 8:00 pm. You may sign up for a tour at the Friends of San Damiano table when you arrive.
Slow Burn, a harmony-driven cover band combining soul, R&B, folk, and fun, will be playing from 6:00-8:00 pm. These seasoned musicians and songwriters will get you out of your seat and dancing.
Lawn chairs or blankets. Cash – this is a cash-only event.
There is very limited parking at San Damiano. We recommend walking or biking. If you drive, please drop off guests and materials, then park on Winnequah Road or local streets, and walk to the San Damiano entrance on Monona Drive.
This event is co-hosted by Monona Parks & Recreation and the Friends of San Damiano. We cannot wait to see you!
Snow Snake consists of creating a stocky, long berm of packed snow with a semi-circle down the middle. Players create their own snow snakes from sticks, old broom handles, or whatever creation they design and compete to see who tosses their snake the farthest down the track.
There is no parking on the property, however, a shuttle will be running between the Monona Grove High School (4400 Monona Dr.) parking lot and the San Damiano property (4123 Monona Dr.) throughout the event. We are looking forward to community building and camaraderie while we enjoy story telling, bonfires, hot cocoa, cider, and 'smores throughout the day.
Join us as we learn, watch, and compete in the Snow Snake Games brought to you by the Ho-Chunk Nation, Friends of San Damiano, and Monona Parks and Recreation.
Come and get involved with a volunteer clean-up event on the San Damiano property.
