Melissa Cook Spring Ride | May 7, 2022
In honor of the woman behind the first 20 years of Hank Aaron State Trail
The Friends of Hank Aaron State Trail (FOHAST) invite you to participate in the annual Melissa Cook Spring Ride to kick off the spring trail season. This is a fun, family-friendly group ride and can be done safely while social distancing!
Whether you have or haven’t ridden the distance of the trail, this is a great way to see where it goes, how it connects, and just enjoy a spring day in this urban wilderness. More than 100 acres of green space runs along the Hank Aaron State Trail.
We will meet in the Menomonee Valley Community Park (212 S 36th Street where W Canal Street and W Milwaukee Road meet). From here, we’ll ride 3 miles out to the west end of the trail where it ends at Underwood Creek and connects up with the Oak Leaf Trail and ultimately connects to the new Berlin Trail. See the trail map here.
Some highlights along this route:
Historic Soldiers Home and the VA Center - the DNR will install a new bench just west of Gen Mitchell Blvd later this year
Wisconsin State Fair
Access to the Milwaukee County Zoo
Murals on Kelmann Restoration's buildings
New bench at 64th Street - contact angela.vickio@wisconsin.gov if you’re interested in sponsoring a bench along the trail. The sponsorship period for 2022 installations has closed on April 1, but bench sponsorships are now being accepted for summer 2023 installations.
New sapling and revegetation from the Dickinson Volunteer Planting Day on April 16. There will also be additional tree saplings planted with a community group by the end of April and prairie plantings by late May. By the Melissa Cook ride, there will be 90 three- to five-year trees, 100 saplings, and 108 shrubs recently planted between Hawley Rd and 68th St.
Copper shelter at the Trail’s west end
Upon your return to the Menomonee River Valley, grab a drink and snacks at a number of local businesses:
MOTOR Bar & Restaurant at the Harley-Davidson Museum
Orenda Cafe - pop over to Silver City (closes at 3pm)
Restaurant to Be Named Later at American Family Field
QUESTIONS: E-mail FOHAST@gmail.com with any questions.
Who is Melissa Cook?
Melissa Cook was the first manager of the Hank Aaron State Trail. The annual event began in 2019 as a way to honor Melissa’s contribution to the development of the Trail over its first 20 years in existence.
Melissa started with the DNR in 1994 and served as the first Hank Aaron State Trail Manager until 2019, retiring from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources after 25 years. She took the idea for a rail-trail cutting across Milwaukee County from the Lakefront to the Waukesha County Line from an odd concept (at the time) to a fully built-out urban multi-use Trail that connects neighborhoods, destinations, communities, and people. What began as a few disconnected segments in various places in the Menomonee River Valley is now a major public amenity enjoyed by thousands of people every year. And as much as we appreciate Melissa’s contribution to this fantastic physical asset, her impact goes well beyond the asphalt and landscaping of the Trail. Melissa touched many lives through her work with the DNR, from the volunteers she worked with to bring the land back to life, to the children who learned to ride on the Trail to those who enjoy its many public art and historical features. Remember that THE TRAIL WILL TAKE YOU THERE and it wouldn’t be what it is without Melissa Cook’s persistence, diligence, and thoughtfulness.