What are the opening hours?

Monday 6am - 10pm Tuesday 6am - 10pm Wednesday 6am - 10pm Thursday 6am - 10pm Friday 6am - 10pm Saturday 6am - 10pm Sunday 6am - 10pm

Bender Park Friends

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Oak Creek, WI
Bender Park Friends

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All-volunteer, nonprofit group formed in 2025. We are officially associated with The Park People - Friends of Milwaukee County Parks.

Mission: Preserve, Improve and Celebrate Oak Creek’s Bender Park via community-led stewardship, advocacy & collaboration. Bender Park Friends is a newly-formed, all volunteer, non-profit group that is officially associated with the Park People - Friends of Milwaukee County Parks. Our Mission is preserving, improving and celebrating Oak Creek's Bender Park through community-led stewardship, advocacy and collaboration. Our Vision is to create a welcoming, clean and connected park where nature thrives, all visitors feel safe and valued and neighbors come together to support a shared public space. Our current activities include monthly planning and collaboration meetings, work events in the park (trail maintenance, w**d pulling, clean up, clearing sand from paths, etc. We are looking for more community support and donations.

10/31/2026

Our next Bender Park Friends meeting is:
Wednesday, November 4 from 6:00-7:00pm

Lakeshore Commons Clubhouse,
9377 S Breakwater Blvd, Oak Creek
(Just north of Bender Park)

Please park on the street, unless you have a resident pass for the lot.

We had a great brainstorming session in October with lots of ideas for making Bender Park even better!

At our November meeting, we will start turning those ideas into action with two working groups—one focused on advocacy and the other on hands-on park projects.

Join the conversation that interests you most, or both, and bring a friend! Everyone is welcome.! This is a great opportunity to get involved and help shape what comes next for Bender Park.

10/29/2026

Congratulations Milwaukee Brewers!
* * * WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! * * *

THE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP BELONGS TO MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/25/2026

What a great weekend in Southeast Wisconsin! The sun was shining, trees showing their beautiful colors AND the Milwaukee Brewers won the first two games of the World Series!!!! Lots of positive vibes all around. How about sharing some of that positivity about Bender Park?

What do you love about Bender Park?
* Beach area
* Boat launch
* Oak Leaf Trail (newly paved)
* Natural surface hiking trails
* Something else

10/10/2026

Bender Park's newest natural‑surface trail opened in the northwest corner of Bender Park in June of 2026. This 1.25‑mile path winds through peaceful prairie habitat. Some areas may still be uneven, but they’ll smooth out over time. The mowed path is about 4' wide. The abundance of animal footprints, droppings and trails indicate the wildlife enjoys the area too!

Trailhead markers show the entrances to the path from the road. As a reminder, in all areas of Bender Park, dogs must be leashed (under 6 ft) at all times. Thank you for being responsible pet owners and helping keep the park clean. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on any trails in the park.

We hope you enjoy this new addition to Bender Park!

10/08/2026

Bender Park has a lot of natural, soft- surface trails for all to enjoy. With the beautiful fall weather and colors, we encourage you to get out and enjoy the park. This link will take you to the interactive trail map for Bender Park! (enter Bender Park in the search bar) See printscreen of maps below.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/1eb50ff41ab64e43879ea468c7434514

10/07/2026

Join Bender Park Friends for their monthly meeting tonight! ALL ARE WELCOME as we celebrate how far we have come—and start thinking about what is next!

Wednesday, October 7
6:00–7:00 PM
Lakeshore Commons Clubhouse
9377 S Breakwater Blvd
Please park on the street, as the lot is reserved for residents.

🌳 We have A LOT to celebrate! In just 18 months, Bender Park Friends has grown from an idea into an active community making a real difference in Bender Park. We will start with park updates, then take a quick look back at everything this group has accomplished.

Then it is time to look forward! We will break into small groups to brainstorm where we want to focus our energy next: Pick the group most meaningful to you.

🛠️ Work Days & Park Projects
📣 Advocacy
🌳 Community, Events & Outreach

Come with your ideas! What do we want to be able to say we accomplished by this time next year?

And we are not quite finished getting our hands dirty this year! Watch for additional fall work days outside our usual first-Wednesday meeting schedule.

See you around the park!

10/04/2026

Update: Thanks to Brad, Paul, David and Patti for helping to trim a trail on this beautiful Tuesday. We came across several soft surface trails that have been closed by the Milw. Cty. Parks Dept. for restoration to return to their natural state. If you encounter a trail that has branches, trees or logs blocking the trail please stay off the trail. Plenty of trails still exist and the new prairie trail on the northwest part of the park is beautiful!

Stay tuned to our page for future work events in the park!

Trail Trimming Event: Join us Tuesday, Oct 6 between 10am - noon to help trim bushes and small tree branches near the edges of some of the soft surface hiking trails. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Date: Tuesday, Oct 6
Time: 10 am - noon (stay as long as you want)
Bring: Work gloves, hand clippers, loppers, etc. (we only have a few of each item available to share)
Park: gravel lot near park entrance or Lake Vista Road
Meet: Where the Oak Leaf Trail crosses Bender Park Road.

10/02/2026

Looks like today will be a beautiful fall day in Oak Creek to enjoy a hike or bike ride in Bender Park! Thanks to Bender Park Friends member Pat for sharing these photos.

09/22/2026

UPDATE: Bender Park Friends appreciates the $1000 donation from Village Farmstead as a result of this wonderful dinner on a rainy Saturday evening. Bender Park Friends thanks you for your support!

09/19/2026

Beach Hazards Statement extended through Wednesday, September 23. Please stay out of the water at Bender Beach and in the surrounding areas!

Address

4503 E Ryan Road
Oak Creek, WI
53154

Opening Hours

Monday	6am - 10pm
Tuesday	6am - 10pm
Wednesday	6am - 10pm
Thursday	6am - 10pm
Friday	6am - 10pm
Saturday	6am - 10pm
Sunday	6am - 10pm

Website

https://benderparkfriends.my.canva.site/bender-park-friends-website, https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=TZ8

Alerts

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