Almost 30 years ago, we moved to this “magical” neighborhood called Briarcliff. Our sons, Mike and Andrew grew up with a family of neighborhood parents who let them explore and play but watched over them . Our families gathered together celebrating life together – swam in the lake, played at the beach, rode bikes in the street, camped in the commons, crowded onto the paddleboats, played never ending volleyball games, skated, explored nature, spent weeks working on the Haunted Houses in our basement, danced, and built forts in the woods. And at the end of a summer day, the Roses’ would ring their dinner bell and the crowd would head home… only to head back after dinner to a game of “Ghost in the Graveyard at the Tennants.
And not all was always perfect in Briarcliff… together, we said goodbye to children, friends, and parents we loved. We stood by each other and still stand bye each other today.
Although our children are grown, we still want the safe, quiet, and charming neighborhood to stay strong. We want this not only for our grandchildren but for our “neighborhood” grandchildren who know, our home is a safe place but if you mess up and I see it – I will tell your parents!
I am not usually a political person. But today I need to be. The Mahomet Village is trying to annex our neighborhood. They will bring unwanted traffic threatening the safety of our children and families . They want to turn our recreational lake into a detention basin which can take away our summer playground and gathering place. They want to take away a “magical place” and I will do everything I can to fight it. #leaveBriarcliffalone
Margaret King White Mahomet
