Another season of summer fun falls as the 2020 NEWaukee Night Market season has been canceled, along with the annual Urban Island Beach Party in Lakeshore State Park.
The monthly festive gathering of vendors, performers and artists along West Wisconsin Avenue has drawn big crowds, which is exactly why it won't happen this year.
"The health and safety of our staff, vendors, sponsors and attendees are our highest priority," says Angela Damiani, CEO and co-founder of NEWaukee.
The Urban Island Beach Party had been slated for July 31, while the markets were set for June 10, July 8, Aug. 19 and Sept. 9.
According to a statement issued Monday morning, "NEWaukee is closely monitoring the situation surrounding COVID-19. NEWaukee will continue to work in tandem with public officials and health professionals as new developments and learnings evolve. If alternative event plans are possible in the future, NEWaukee will share updates via social media and online at newaukee.com."
The Night Markets are expected to return in 2021, as is, presumably, the beach party, though the release did not specifically mention it.
"We hope that the NEWaukee Night Market will be back and better than ever next summer, and we cannot wait to once again gather together with the community," says Damiani.
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.
