Celebrate the Greenbush neighborhood March 24

In Madison’s early years, the old “Greenbush” neighborhood was home to a mix of Italian and Sicilian immigrants, Jews and African Americans. The area was bounded by the triangle of three streets: Regent Street, Park Street and West Washington Avenue.

A common immigrant story, they often found they were unwelcome in other parts of the city. They lived in the “Bush,” side-by-side in harmony, until urban renewal displaced them in the early 1960s — all in the name of progress.

The residents of the Bush were scattered as their homes came down. A few remnants of the old neighborhood still exist, such as the Italian Workman’s Club and the shell of Josie’s restaurant, vacant since a fire there in 2004.

The triangle area is now home to the Bayview Apartments and a new batch of multicultural and multiethnic residents. The feeling of community is still strong in the neighborhood. The Bayview International Center for Education and Arts serves families with roots in the cultures of Laos, Mexico, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Columbia, China and many countries in Africa, as well as African Americans and Native Americans. Some 20 different languages are spoken in and around Bayview. The triangle is also home to many elderly residents and persons with disabilities.

The Greenbush neighborhood lines have been redrawn to include Regent Street on the north, Randall Avenue on the west, Park Street on the east, and Vilas Park/Haywood Avenue on the south, as well as the area north of Regent Street, whose residents were also part of the Bush community before the 1960s. The university is also a new neighbor in the area north of Regent Street.

An indoor block party of sorts to honor the Greenbush’s past and celebrate the ongoing thriving community will be held from 3:30–6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, at UW–Madison’s Welcome Center, 21 N. Park St. The third annual Greenbush Day Celebration is free and open to the public. Parking will be available on the 2nd floor of the parking ramp adjacent to the Welcome Center.

This year’s celebration will include music, dance and exhibits and will feature a special performance of “Mangia! Mangia!” the popular (and usually sold out) play based on the historical Greenbush community, staged by TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater.

Inspired by real-life reminiscences and recipes, the play brings to life the good times and tastes of the Greenbush. An intergenerational cast takes audiences inside the kitchens, homes and even the imaginations of the women who kept the Greenbush clean and well-fed.

This celebration will also include music and dance performances by Woezo, featuring Ghana West African drums; the Madison Yiddish Choir; and Salaam Shalom with Güzel Allaire, featuring Arabic music and dance. There will also be exhibits, including historical photos depicting life in the Bush.

Light refreshments characteristic of the old and new neighborhoods will be served, such as Italian cookies, sweet potato pie and spring rolls.

Words of welcome will be offered by Julie Underwood, interim provost at UW–Madison; Dan Nerad, superintendent of schools for the Madison Metropolitan School District; and Julia Kerr, the district’s representative on the Common Council.

Ruth Olson, from the university’s Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures, says the event is a bit of a reunion for the original residents of the Bush; there are a lot of repeat old-timers who always come.

She hopes that the university community, also part of the neighborhood, will attend the celebration. “I hope that students will come by. They know the university, but not the city beyond State Street,” says Olson. “Here is a neighborhood that is a has examples of social justice, diversity and harmony.

For more information, visit Greenbush Day.