2024 Cirque du Lake Park was a major success! But wait, there’s more…

Thanks to our amazing sponsors, guests, supporters and auction and raffle donors, the event raised $87,000 — just $13,000 shy of our $100,000 goal for lights on the Ravine Road Concrete Footbridge. In an effort to bridge the gap, we are extending our fundraising efforts. Interested in making a donation? Click here.

Activities

Full Calendar of Activities

Click here to see our CALENDAR.

2024 Free Flick Fridays

Kick back under the stars and enjoy some timeless ’90s classics on the last Friday of each month, June through September, at the Lake Park Summer Stage. See our events calendar for specific movie information.

2023 Annual Report

Looking Back, Looking Forward — 2023 was a good year and 2024 promises to be even better!  Please enjoy the Lake Park Friends 2023 Annual Report. Click here

News

LPF Calls on Milw County to Open Ravine Road to Cars

The Road was closed in 2014 due to issues with the pedestrian bridge, which has since been repaired. Read all related documents here.

 

Updates

Ravine Road and Footbridge

12/7/19 – With an eye on both historic preservation and modern day concerns, and after thoughtful debate and research, the Lake Park Friends Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution on Ravine Road. Read the full post here.

1/6/20 – Keep Ravine Road Open to All: In support of this resolution, LPF started an ONLINE PETITION to save the road. Please sign and share the petition: Go to change.org to add your voice by clicking here.

6/30/20 – Milwaukee County Parks held a virtual information session on June 17 regarding progress on the bridge’s design. To watch a video of the meeting, click here.

3/11/21 – The long awaited construction on the bridge will begin in August 2021 and will last until fall 2022.

10/1/21 – Construction has begun. 

10/29/2022 – After years of closure and construction, Lake Park Friends, along with County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, and Milwaukee County Parks staff, is excited to announce that the historic Ravine Footbridge in Lake Park has reopened to the public. While the road running underneath remains off limits for now, everyone who visits Lake Park will once again be able to cross the bridge, a connector to two important areas of the park.

3/2023 – The bridge project still has an open and active punch list of items and work will continue in spring 2023. 

8/2023 – LPF calls on Milwaukee County to reopen Ravine Road to cars immediately. For all related documents, click here.

Our Lake Park Projects

Planting Trees

We have the good fortune of having a fabulous Frederick Law Olmsted historic landmark park in our back yard. Preserving it and enhancing its beauty and usefulness for all our enjoyment requires the work of many people, but most importantly it requires financial support from our community members.

Learn more | Support this project

The Park’s Full of Rich History

What do Lake Park and New York’s Central Park have in common?

Frederick Law Olmsted was the leading landscape architect of the second half of the 19th century, and the architect of Lake Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Olmsted is perhaps best known for the design and creation of Central Park in New York and the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C.

Learn more | Learn our history