If there’s one thing I love about America other than the song “Free Bird” and water skiing squirrels, it’s American tradition.

American traditions range from hot dog eating contests to chopping down a tree with your family during the Christmas season – something that almost led to disaster one year for my family as our tree tumbled off the roof of our car and onto the highway. Luckily, our tree did not hit a gas tanker and cause an explosion, and my dad was able to win a game of real-life Frogger as he dragged the tree from the middle of the highway without being hit by a car or semi-truck. You could say it was a Christmas miracle.

Throughout time, however, even the strongest traditions that motivate you to cross four lanes of traffic to retrieve a fallen tree evolve or fade away. This is something very sad to witness, and it seems as if the Mifflin Street Block Party is slowly fading away into nonexistence. This is why people should begin taking action to preserve the great Wisconsin tradition of Mifflin.

I consider the Mifflin Street Block Party not only a Wisconsin tradition, but also an American tradition because its origins are rooted in one of the oldest American traditions – war. The very first Mifflin Street Block Party was established to protest the Vietnam War. Although much of the original meaning of the Mifflin Street Block Party has been lost to the years, it still serves as a much-needed last hurrah. It comes as a nice break before the grueling onset of finals engulfs the entire campus like a zombie apocalypse fueled by 5-Hour Energy and overpriced snacks at College Library, where we pay two bucks for cheese sticks that don’t even peel well.

Throughout the past few years, the historic Mifflin Street Block Party has been getting a bad rap. People keep on focusing on the negative aspects of the block party, instead of the tradition graduates tell their kids about when they are old enough and some people share at confession with their priests. It is a shame that a few people who made poor decisions in the past have caused Mifflin to be altered, downsized and flooded with cops handing out tickets left and right, and with star running back Montee Ball topping off last year’s list of a record 167 arrests.

What used to be an actual block party where you could mingle in the street is now confined to the houses that line Mifflin, and if you cannot come up with the answer to “who do you know here, bro”? you could be cuffed and thrown in the slammer.

Instead of student leaders taking a step back in the planning process for Mifflin, they should become more involved because they know what the expectations are of the student body for the Mifflin Street Block Party. They can also work with police and city officials to reach a common ground that does not result in another year of record arrests. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, agrees with this position and is urging the student leaders of the Associated Students of Madison to play a larger role in the planning process.

An argument against further student and ASM involvement is that there are more important issues on campus to worry about. However, what that argument fails to realize is that a large proportion of the student body attends the Mifflin Street Block Party each year. Because of this, Mifflin is actually a very important issue here on campus. It will take time – but if the police, mayor and students work together to see eye to eye on the issue – the city could cut costs by being able to call on fewer policemen to patrol Mifflin, and fewer students would be arrested for reasons such as “trespassing.”

We should not stand back and watch the Mifflin tradition slip through the cracks. Instead, with the help of ASM, we should strive to reach a common ground with the city and police. I was sad enough to see my family’s tradition of chopping down a Christmas tree each year fall to the wayside. I do not want to witness the same thing happen to the Mifflin Street Block Party, an American and a Badger family tradition.

Hayes Cascia ([email protected]) is a sophomore with an undeclared major.