Our pledge to you is to keep our collective finger on Milwaukee's pulse. Every month OMC brings buzz, scoop, tid bits and interesting factoids that help you be a better Milwaukeean. Here's the OMC June Buzz.
FADED GLORY
The Sydney HIH Building on the corner of Old World Third Street and Juneau Avenue has lost its washed out melange of colors and is now painted in a yellowish off-white. The new paint job might help to attract buyers as the property has been on the market for quite some time, but it certainly means the end of a rather unique Milwaukee sight.
A LEGEND DIES
Legend's, across from the Bradley Center, has closed. Its tinted windows always made the joint look closed anyway, so its shuttering doesn't come as a surprise to the Buzz. Watch for it to re-open in early fall as an "upscale" lunch and dinner bistro type joint.
HORIZON PICKS MILWAUKEE
UWM will host the Horizon League basketball tournament next March 7-11. The Panthers, who play at the Klotsche Center during the regular season, will host the tourney at the U.S. Cellular Arena.
GOODWILL GOES CENTENNIAL,GRAND
Goodwill Industries has selected Milwaukee for its 100 Year Celebration at the end of the month. This event is the culmination of a year-long national celebration for Goodwill. A huge event is planned for June 27 at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Michael Feinstein will play and event goers will celebrate by watching the Big Bang. President Bush also has been invited. To celebrate Goodwill's Anniversary, Boston Store at the Shops of Grand Avenue has decorated its windown with historical garments retrieved from the Goodwill archives that look back on the organization's 100 years of service and commitment.
NEW DOORS FOR VELVET ROOM
The Velvet Room has caught garage door fever and replaced its Old World Third St. façade with new sliding doors that will give the place an open air feel in the summer.
NEW COLORS, SAME COFFEE
Over the past year, Stone Creek Coffee has been updating its packaging and company logos. You may have seen the new colors on their store cups and store signs. This month, new bag packaging will appear in the stores and in the mail order boxes. The bag is different, the coffee is the same!
MORE COFFEE BUZZ
Starbucks is looking to downtown's Red Arrow Park for a potential new location. Boom Brothers and Dunn Bros. are both scouting out city locations, too. And Alterra continues to eye July as opening of its new Lakefront location.
BIG MAY FOR MAM
While many local media were busy stirring up news on Milwaukee Art Museum funding issues in May, other cities continued to praise and marvel at the beautiful addition to our lakefront. Both The Boston Globe and Minneapolis Star Tribune penned glowing reviews of the Calatrava.
SPIRIT OF MILWAUKEE
The Spirit of Milwaukee, a private non-profit corporation whose mission is to educate the public, both locally and nationally, about greater Milwaukee will release conclusions and recommendations from its recent survey "What people who count think about Milwaukee?" at its June 10 board meeting. Watch OMC for more details.
ALL'S WELL AT VILLA TERRACE
Although the fire at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum barely affected the permanent collection, museum officials said on June 4 they are now estimating that repairs to the building itself will take approximately 6 to 8 weeks. Nonetheless, the Gardens are still open and more beautiful than ever. Upcoming events that are continuing as planned are: Café Sopra Mare, held in the front courtyard of the museum between 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on summer Sundays beginning on June 9, "Great Gatsby-Great Gardens," Greening Milwaukee's fourth annual garden party, June 9, The Garden Gala on July 20, and several private rental events. Until the museum is re-opened, admission to the garden has been reduced to $3 for adults and $2 for people over 65 and students with a valid ID. As always, admission is FREE for children under 13 and museum members.
VALLEY PARK
The four potential landscape and architectural designs for a new 70-acre park in the Menomonee River Valley are on display at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University. The winner will be selected on June 16.
MAMMA MIA!
The musical "Mamma Mia!" based on the songs of ABBA, that in just one year has become one of the most successful musicals of all time, is coming to Uihlein Hall of the Marcus Center, beginning Tues., July 2. Marcus Center officials tell us tickets are selling quickly, so get yours today!
MAYOR CUTS THE CAKE
Mayor Norquist took a knife to a huge cake shaped like the Park East Freeway on May 30 at Riversplash. The cutting of the cake symbolized the beginning of the destruction of the downtown eye sore.
NEW YMCA PREVIEWS
The Buzz had a chance to tour the new YMCA on 13th and North Avenue. It's simply amazing with a huge gym, indoor water park and a charter school. It should be a big help to its North Side neighborhood.
WHEELS 'N HEELS
OnMilwaukee.com is a proud sponsor of the July 18 Wheels 'N Heels Run on Festa. It's a 5K run and wheelchair race. We encourage and welcome your participation. More at www.onmilwaukee.com/wheels
BEST CARE IN THE AIR
Midwest Express Airlines has been named "best economy/coach class" airline by Official Airline Guide and its frequent business travelers.
THREE BROTHERS GROWS BEARD
Three Brothers, 2414 S. St. Clair St., was one of four restaurants to receive a James Beard Award called the Bertolli Olive Oil America's Classics Award presented to locally owned and operated restaurants renowned for their timeless appeal and quality food. If you have never been to Three Brothers, skip breakfast and lunch one day and get there for some amazing burek.
AU BON VIEW
Brady Street's Au Bon Appetit is opening a Bay View location on South Kinnickinnic Avenue, across from Faust Music on the 2200 block. A banner on the façade announces the new restaurant.
BUTTER BURGERS SHOREWOOD-STYLE
Culver's is opening on East Capitol Drive in Shorewood, just east of Wilson Drive.
JOHN IN JUNE AND BEYOND
Milwaukee boy John McGivern brings his unique one-man comedy show back home for a Saturday evening performance on June 22 at The Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse Theatre. Call (414) 224-9490 for tickets. McGivern will return to Milwaukee again later in the year also to reprise his role as Tony the hairdresser in "Shear Madness" running October 15-January 19 at Vogel Hall.
MANHATTAN LOVES MULLETS
The mullet has broken out of West Allis! According to USA Today, the mullet is cropping up on Prada-sporting dudes in Midtown Manhattan. Says one salon owner, "It's the downtown I-haven't-had-my-hair-cut-in-two-months look. It's also the antithesis of the uptown bond trader I have-my-hair-trimmed-every-two weeks look."
MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE IS GOLDEN
Milwaukee Magazine nabbed the Gold Award for General Excellence at the 17th annual City Magazine Awards competition held in May in San Diego. The awards were sponsored by the City and Regional Magazine Association.
BARTOLOTTA FAMILY STILL BRINGING THE BANG
There was some buzz about the Bartolotta family getting bumped from the U.S. Bank Fireworks Show since Clear Channel Entertainment now manages and produces the July 3 event. Don't you worry, the family is still slated to bring the bang and the ahhs. Clear Channel does plan to increase the live music, vendors and over all caliber of the annual lakefront event.
JUST SAY NO
Walter Kulash, a traffic engineer from Orlando, Fla. was brought to Milwaukee in late May to speak. The Buzz had a chance to see him and we cheer his critical review of the freeway-widening plan recommended by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. As he stated, trying to solve freeway congestion by widening freeways is like trying to solve obesity by loosening one's belt. Think about it, it makes a ton of sense.
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP) 96th Annual Convention is coming to Milwaukee July 9-14, 2005. More than 12,000 people are expected and civic leaders are citing the fact that we beat out Los Angeles in the bidding process. Congrats to Milwaukee and the GMCVB for this major convention coup.
BLUE DAWG TO EXPAND
Blue Dawg Bagels is looking to expand to the Washington Heights area.
BLOODY FAST, I'D SAY
In response to more than 1,000 e-mails requesting another Fastdater party in the month of June, the company has announced its first "Bloody Mary Sunday." Watch OMC for a chance to win VIP passes and check out fastdater.com for all the details.
BIG DROP FOR BIG UNIT
Newsradio 620 WTMJ's Bill "Big Unit" Michaels continues to get smaller. He is down 110 pounds as of June 3. He started his weight loss challenge in November.
