ALTON - Many people from near and far are familiar with the historic and beautiful Haskell Playhouse located in the heart of Alton.

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The Haskell Playhouse is located within Haskell Park and directly next to the Haskell House, which will hopefully be transformed into the Haskell House Children’s Museum of Alton.

The neighborhood surrounding these historic locations have understandably called themselves Friends of Haskell for nearly 20 years and have planned events, helped to raise funds for necessary repairs, and bring awareness of the Haskell name to Alton and the surrounding towns.

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While each of these locations and organizations are their own entities, most people associate the term “Haskell” with all of them collectively for obvious reasons. On Thursday, November 2, Friends of Haskell met to discuss the future of this historic area. Many new families have moved into the area recently, bringing youth and excitement with them. Some of these new families attended the meeting and it was quickly evident many of the new neighbors had the same confusion of the separate Haskell entities as most people do.

It was proposed that the name Middletown Neighbors replace Friends of Haskell. The term “Middletown” is, in fact, a designated historical area within Alton, IL., and is home to all of the Haskell properties. Middletown Neighbors is inclusive of all of Middletown, not just the immediate homes around Haskell Park.

Middletown Neighbors will not be altering the name of any of the beloved, historical Haskell entities and will continue to support and promote all of the Haskell events and remain a volunteer organization. Middletown Neighbors adopted the mission Connecting People, Improving the Neighborhood and Honoring the History of Middletown. In order to further include all of our Middletown Neighbors, look for a hand-delivered postcard to your home to let you know you are a member.

If you are interested in participating in any events or simply want more information regarding Middletown Neighbors or any events involving Haskell, visit Middletown Neighbors on Facebook or Email us at friendsofhaskellpark@gmail.com. Keep your eyes and ears open for all of the wonderful events coming to you at Haskell from Middletown Neighbors.

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