Saturday afternoon, I joined the crowd at Discovery World and Pier Wisconsin to welcome home the S.V. Denis Sullivan schooner. Under a sunny sky filled with fluffly, majestic clouds, well-wishers gathered outside Pier Wisconsin, all throughout Discovery World and the luckiest enjoyed the lovely 360-degree view of the lake and Downtown at the top of the building.
As the ship could been seen in the distance coming closer and closer, guests noshed on hamburgers and brats downstairs and on a Bartolotta-catered spead upstairs and everyone appeared to be enjoying perhaps the most beautiful hours of what would turn out to be a weird weather weekend.
When the schooner arrived, there were orations and tours of the vessel. There was also live music by two bands and a generally festival atmosphere.
Discovery World knows how to do aquariums and fascinating science labs and exhibits, but it also clearly knows how to do events, too.
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.
