T he December Neighborhood Association meeting was, without a doubt, the most festive this year. Over fifty neighbors brought a surprisingly diverse array of goodies. Everything from homemade breads and candies to chocolate con pan dulce and sushi, the mouth-watering morsels filled several tables. This secretary personally made three trips to the beautifully spread buffet and cleared my plate each time!
    These fun and informative meetings take place the first Monday of each month at the Hyde Park Methodist Church on Speedway at seven in the evening.
    There was no formal agenda for this meeting and the resulting conversations and fellowship were a great opportunity to get to know our neighbors even better. Several neighbors, not surprisingly, have a political axe or two to grind, a few of which/whom are running for public office. Long- time meeting attendee Nancy Hohengarten was present once again, and asking for support in her race for County Court # 5. Candidate Gisela Triana was also beaming with holiday cheer and news concerning her election campaign for District Judge. Finally, resident Celia Israel is running for County Commissioner Court, Place One, and answered questions and concerns about her position. Precinct One includes the northern half of Hyde Park.
    Though January's meeting is not expected to have the same level of culinary enthusiasm, you won't want to miss it. The Neighborhood Conservation & Combining District, or NCCD, draft for the Hyde Park Annex (north of 45th) will be presented by Planning Chairwoman Karen McGraw. So much hard work has gone into this effort, and its planning and hopeful passage affects us all.