By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Dec 12, 2023 at 7:02 AM

Snuggle up with some holiday cheer as OnMilwaukee shares stories of everything merry and bright in the spirit of the season.

The OnMilwaukee Ho Ho Holiday Guide is brought to you by Educators Credit Union, Harley-Davidson Museum and MolsonCoors

For a number of years, Extra Space Storage, alongside the Marquette Interchange at 999 W. Mt. Vernon Ave., in the Menomonee Valley, would turn off the initial “S” in its big green SELF STORAGE sign, to advertise ELF STORAGE for the holiday season.

Last year, however, that never happened.

And, yea, disappointment was on the land.

"I’ve been waiting for the 'S' to go dark," Corey Zetts, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners, told me at the time, "and then time flew by.

"My daughter was sad it hasn’t changed yet, and I’m sure there are lots of others in her camp."

Try as I might, I couldn't reach anyone at Extra Space Storage who could explain and so, some feared, the storage of (or for) elves was gone forever.

But, rejoice, Milwaukee, because for at least a week now, ELF STORAGE has been back.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.