This is an excerpt from a story written in honor of Town Square Community Center’s 10th anniversary. It tells the tale of how a couple went from weekend visitors to lake home owners to community superstars… and the guiding light that drives their passion. Read the full version on Town Square’s website.
One morning Sean Madden rose from bed, walked to the bathroom, and found a picture from a magazine taped to the mirror. Alongside it, a handwritten note.
This is what I want. A generational place we can pass down one to the next. Please reconsider.
The picture, cut from a home decorating magazine, depicted a grandfather, son, and grandson gathered around a campfire roasting marshmallows at a lake house. An image that would tug on a caring father’s heartstrings.
The message, of course, was from Sean’s wife, Jo Ellen.
Her plea came in response to the couple’s conversation the day before. It was the end of Labor Day weekend in 2002 and the Maddens—with their three pre-teen sons in tow—were driving from Green Lake, Wis. to their home in Evanston, Ill.
The two and a half hour journey had become a familiar one over the past 10 years as they’d spent weekends fishing in the pristine water and golfing at favorite courses. They were following in the footsteps of Sean’s parents, John and Mary, who’d fallen in love with Green Lake and bought a condo in 1991.
After more than a decade of staying at her in-laws’ cozy quarters, the boys were growing and Jo Ellen knew they needed a bigger place of their own. That weekend they’d discovered an estate sale with a property overlooking Mill Pond right in the heart of downtown.
While other potential buyers were daunted by its need for TLC, Jo Ellen saw potential. Her heart sank on the drive home as Sean gently explained the timing wasn’t right. Work was just too busy for him to delve into something like this.
Less than 24 hours later, after finding the message on the mirror, Sean tucked his worries to the side, walked back to the bedroom, and looked at his wife.
“Okay. Fine. You can pursue it. But I don’t have time to help.”
Town Square is an award-winning community center located in the historic county courthouse buildings in the heart of downtown Green Lake, Wisconsin. Its mission is to enrich the lives of community members, family, and friends by providing cultural, social, recreational and educational opportunities for people of all ages.
Town Square is 100% community-funded, receiving no tax dollars.
