By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Apr 27, 2022 at 11:33 AM

Once again the Lake Express Ferry is seeking donations of gently used bicycles to help support bike charities for Earth Day and will give the first 500 donors a free round-trip passenger ticket for the Lake Michigan ferry as a thank you.

Lake Express will collect bikes to benefit Dream Bikes and health programs provided through the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers on Friday, April 29 from 8 a.m. until noon at its Bay View terminal, 2330 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr.

A typical round trip ticket runs about $177, and the ferry’s 2022 season kicks off on May 6.

Since it began collecting bikes 12 years ago, Lake Express has helped distribute more than 5,000 bikes via nonprofits in Milwaukee, Madison, Chicago and around the globe.

For more information on the ferry, visit www.lake-express.com.

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 can be heard weekly on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories.