A couple weeks ago my son wanted to check out the Halloween Express pumpkin "dome" at State Fair Park and, especially, the advertising blimp next to it.
So, last week when we heard the giant inflatable pumpkin of a Halloween shop had been deflated by a nocturnal slasher, we were both quite alarmed.
I immediately had a vision of a sad-faced, deflated pumpkin on the outside, and the aisles of costumes and Halloween decorations inside, draped in saggy orange fabric like, perhaps, Elton John's childhood memories in an outbuilding at one of his dozen estates, lying sad and lonely.
The morning that we heard about this horrific holiday attack, my son tried to get his mom to drive past and check it out, but she hadn't heard and didn't understand what he was talking about -- "Popped pumpkin?".
But I knew because we had heard the news together, so in the car later in the day, ready to be shocked, we drove past to view the carnage and were pleasantly surprised to see the pumpkin was alive and breathing again, albeit with a fence around it now. We just hope they catch the miscreant(s) that committed the devilish act.
Turns out the Halloween Express staff worked long and hard and fast to get the pumpkin repaired, re-inflated and ready to open as soon as possible. Now that's the kind of Halloween spirit that should unite this country as we move into the new ... oh wait, that's for my Election Day blog. Sorry.
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.
