Archive for June, 2010
Apparently Mama Baby tastes are a little more "Mama" than "Baby"
Now Milwaukee has its own hyperlocal version with the arrival of Where is Mama Baby? Since Mama Baby just got started this week, her backstory is brief: after living in a box for the last 4 decades, she has re-emerged to enjoy a summer in Milwaukee meeting people and being photographed the whole time. Where will she be found? Based on the early displays, we can expect a mix of adult and childish pursuits: stops at alcohol filling stations and restful moments on diminutive objects.
Stay tuned.
Yes, you will get a heavy dose of whimsy with your beer.
What to expect? Lots of costumes, modified bikes, sideshow acts, all washed down with a range of New Belgium beers served in biodegradable cups (they’ve thought of everything, huh?). Someone will even be trading their car in for a swanky new bike. No shit!
There is a bike parade at 10 am (arrive beforehand so you have time to register for that). Music and beer will be in full-swing by noon. Music and carnival antics provided by Yard Dogs Road Show and Mucca Pazza.
No cover charge for spectators. Just pay for your beers. The beer is poured by volunteers and all proceeds are donated to the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin.
Mucho Milwaukee can vouch for the fun that New Belgium brings.
Tour de Fat
Humboldt Park. 3000 S. Howell (Bayview)
Saturday, July 3, 2010. 9:00am – 4:00pm
Free!
More info: Tour de Fat, Bike Fed of Wisconsin.
Want to kill your shopping urge without spending any of your drinking and lottery ticket allowance? Then craigslist’s free section is for you! Your friends, neighbors, and dreaded co-workers all have a bunch of crap that they don’t want anymore. Why not take it off their hands for free and save your money for more important things like an Apple product that will be obsolete in 9 months?
1964 Kimball organ is waiting for you!
- 1964 Kimball organ! OK, this one might actually be cool since it works. Grab a truck and pick it up in Muskego
- 30 (THIRTY!) High flow toilets. They say “all or nothing” but what are they gonna do if you only take 15?
- Old textbooks. Perfect for a kooky Christian homeschool marm who will spare any expense to educate her children.
- Drive to Germantown for something called an “Exersaucer!” Or don’t and just drop the word “Exersaucer” in your next conversation.
- Two $5 gift cards for American Apparel. Subsidize your thigh-high athletic sock habit.
- There’s a tape deck available in Pewaukee. “Not working”….yeah, that’ll move fast.
- Old Encyclopedias! You can pretend it’s a 20th century version of Wikipedia and write your own edits in the margins!
- Pool table. You can re-create “The Color of Money” every day after work.
- “Fridge!” (with exclamation point)
- Free couch and records on the East side. Those crazy college kids always putting things out on the curb.
- Recliner “Working and Very Comfy.” Also, very ugly.
- “Never used Cub Scout Academics and Sports Program Guide” leads one to imagine that there is a dumb, out-of-shape, former Cub scout behind this ad.
The Humboldt Ave. Bridge is ready for you to come on it. Photo by Nicole Braunsdorf via ThirdCoast Digest
After 19 straight days of couch-plus-beer activity, there are NO World Cup games on Wednesday. Maybe you should use that free time to catch up on some local happenings. Or just turn your brain off and veg out. Either way, here are some damn links:
Obviously, we hope any bomb threat is a hoax but apparently the Fire Dept. is dealing with a potentially-dangerous one right now at the Federal Building downtown. The Journal Sentinel and some twitter folks report that it’s a suspicious package that’s led to an evacuation.
No telling yet if the package is suspicious because it’s just looking lonely or if it’s one of those ticking boxes with a bunch of wires sticking out. Either way, here’s hoping everything ends well and everyone gets to leave work early!
Update: 4:55 pm: Twitterer @SueSpaight reports: “Holy crap hearing it is confirmed to be a bomb, folks in our office told to stay away from windows. Scary.” And @twitertwotter says “Nelson Schmidt building being evacuated across from Federal Courthouse w/ the suspicious package that bomb sniffing dog is taking seriously”
Update: 5:05 pm: Suspicious package was apparently found “near” the courthouse building according to reporter Brendan Conway who’s just given an update on WISN. Wisconsin Ave. closed for several blocks.
Update: 5:43 pm: Rather quiet on the news front. US Marshals are on the scene and traffic in the area has been diverted. WISN has a slideshow of images.
Update: 5:53 pm: Brendan Conway shares “MPD Chief Ed Flynn expected to give update about courthouse evacuation at 6pm.” Set your DVRs!
Update: 6:04 pm: Crisis over. Poof! That was the sound of the story going up in smoke. Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn basically says “nothing to see here” as the suspicious package was determined to be harmless and, in fact, contained school supplies.
Hope everyone enjoyed the little bit of excitement! Now on to more important matters like which Summerfest concert tonight is most likely to see a cop get punched? Our money is on Weird Al!
Holy crap. It’s Friday afternoon already. How did we get here from last weekend? Well, let’s check the ledger:
First, there was Monday…and following that was Tuesday. Good day, that Tuesday. Afterward, Tuesday begot Wednesday. Then there was that Thursday and the start of Summerfest and the concrete collapse. Add to that the fact that Mucho Milwaukee worked late and woke up early for World Cup games and quite naturally we’re already running into Friday afternoon sleep-deprived and nary a clue about what to do after work. See? That’s how we got to where we are now.
Look for more calendar explanations only here at Mucho Milwaukee!
Wednesday, June 23rd. A day that will live in (sports) infamy…
Face it...life was more interesting in olden times.
With summer in full-swing, you may be tempted to spend as much time as possible beating the heat in a nice air-conditioned building. There’s no doubt that a movie theater can provide cool, dark relief on a sweltering day.
But at Mucho Milwaukee we are solidly advocates of the bygone movie trend of Drive-In movie theaters. The experience of a drive-in movie doesn’t compare to sitting in a theater. Hanging with friends, eating food, teens and adults making out in cars, looking up at the stars when the movie gets boring…this kind of fun is the epitome of summer and you can do it all at the drive-in.
Unfortunately, like most urban areas, Milwaukee doesn’t have a drive-in super close. As real estate costs rose in past decades, these theaters couldn’t bring in enough revenue to pay high prices for city or even suburban locations. So, most drive-ins are in out-of-the-way areas and, even then, they often host flea markets during the day to offset their real estate costs. (Although, driving around Milwaukee it looks like they’re a plenty of areas where a drive-in could be squeezed in. Maybe we can attract some entrepreneur here to start one. I’m going to ask my alderman). Anyhow, the closest theater to our burg is the Keno Drive-In in Pleasant Prairie.
Keno Drive-In in Pleasant Prairie (Image borrowed from "MinnesotaDriveIns.com"...ironic, huh?)
Keno Drive-In is the oldest continuously operated drive-in Wisconsin. It’s been around since 1949! It’s got one screen and the cost for a double feature this summer is $8 per person. The movie times start at 8:30, which, at this time of year means it’s still kind of light out during the opening minutes of the movie but since drive-in movie fare is usually brainless summer blockbusters, you won’t lose a lot of nuance. The ambience of the surroundings feels like a parking lot so if you want to sit outside, bring a folding chairs or a good blanket. A portable radio with batteries is also good to make sure you can hear the movie in case you’re far away from your car radio.
West of Milwaukee there is the Hi-Way 18 Theatre near Jefferson, Wisconsin. Can’t speak to the quality of that place but considering they have two different pages of rules it seems that this place may be run by a bit of an eccentric who will come around tapping on your window asking if you have beer or marijuana cigarettes in your car. But hey, that’s the risk you run at a place like a drive-in. Think of them as the dive bars of movie theaters: owner-operated, non-corporate, with a dash of unique character.
For more drive-ins throughout Wisconsin, check out this site for a current list and some great 1998-era web design. (EDIT: the good people at Travel Wisconsin have a list of Wisconsin drive-ins that has a more contemporary feel but we’re leaving the original link up since it has some anachronistic charm about it).
Remember: even if the movie is bad, it’s still a lot of fun when you’re at the drive-in.
With the impending smoking ban just around the corner, everyone is bracing themselves for its effects and our local media are doing a good job of covering it all.
You’ve likely noticed the Shepherd Express ashtray cover which quite clearly shows smoking getting snuffed out. The main article is a rather straightforward account of where we are now and how the law will change your drinking experiences.
ThirdCoast Digest is doing a rather interesting series called, appropriately, “Smoke ‘em while you got ‘em.” It’s a profile of different bars in the area and the opinions that owners and patrons hold in anticipation of the ban. So far, they detailed fears of infringement on personal freedoms and others who are preparing themselves for reluctant compliance with the law. With more profiles coming every weekday until July 2nd, expect more coverage showing wide variety of attitudes that made this such a hot-button issue: from those who feel like they are losing something to those who are hopeful that this will be a great shift in the health of our whole state. This will surely provide a great snapshot of attitudes that exist in the days before the ban…and likely will serve as a great read in the future when we look back at this critical shift in Wisconsin bar culture. Will expectations match the results? Look for more bar profiles each weekday.
Milwaukee Downtown (the organization not just a general description of the area) has announced the following: “Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 and Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful are partaking in a national program, the Keep America Beautiful® Cigarette Litter Prevention Program, to reduce the impact of cigarette butt litter in downtown Milwaukee.” You may have heard that they were handing out “pocket ashtrays” today. These are small containers that fit in a pocket, purse, or backpack and are meant to encourage smokers to think of the impact of their littered butts. Even the most environmentally-minded smoker usually has to fight the urge to do the satisfying butt-flick when they’re done smoking. Here’s hoping that litter abatement efforts are a success.
By the way, MCTS wants to remind you that, besides the much-publicized prohibition in bars, smoking will also no longer be allowed at bus shelters. So, uh, stand a couple feet away or be prepared to give the whole “Aw, come on…” speech when a cop goes to write you a ticket.
Try as you might, you will never win a starting contest with these Polish dolls.
OK, your Friday work day (or unemployed day) is winding down and it’s time to get your weekend started. What to do this weekend, buddy?
All weekend. $12 for most people. Summerfest Grounds
Sat. June, 19th. 11am – 5pm. Begin at Tripoli Shrine Temple. 3000 West Wisconsin Ave.
Sat., June 19th, 3pm – 7pm. Cost: $15.00/person (Club Members $10.00). 12910 W. Bluemound Road, Elm Grove
Sat., June 19th, 6pm – 10pm. No cover charge. Sprecher Brewery. 701 W. Glendale Ave, Glendale
Sat., June 19th, 10:30am-4:00pm. $3 admission. Turner Hall Ballroom 1034 N 4th St.
State St. from behind the handlebars (photo from Over the Bars in Milwaukee)
Well, you spent your morning huddled around a TV watching the US make a great comeback from a 2-0 deficit. It could’ve been a US victory except for one odd ruling from the head referee. Regardless, the game’s over, we didn’t lose, and we still have a chance of advancing to the next round. If you’re a true soccer geek, you know that the outcome England-Algeria game later today affects our chances of moving on.
But if you’re tired of sitting inside, you probably just realized that it’s, oh, EIGHTY-SEVEN degrees outside on a Friday morning. Come on, people go outside! If only for a couple hours. Tell your boss you have a Vitamin D deficiency or something!
Weather forecast from Weather Underground.
On a recent weekend morning, we did some hungover wikipedia reading. You know…learning about countries no one’s ever heard of, checking the Recent Deaths section, and guessing how old certain celebrities are…all from the comfort of lying on the couch while wearing the previous night’s clothes. Well, this path lead to an article about Hollandale, Wisconsin (Don’t ask how this happened. It was a hungover weekend so the details are fuzzy anyway) and it listed a notable resident named Warrington Colescott. After some more research, it was evident that this little town’s notable resident is actually a rather remarkable artist who’s been creating amazing prints since the 1950s. Further googling brought up some great examples of his multilayered works that combine social commentary with whimsy.
Well, imagine Mucho Milwaukee’s surprise on a not-so-hungover day to see OnMilwaukee highlighting the fact that the Milwaukee Art Museum is currently exhibiting some of Colescott’s works. This news means so much more than it would have before the aforementioned hungover morning. An up close and personal viewing of Colescott’s visually captivating pieces! This should not be missed. It ought to be much better than staring with bloodshot eyes at photos of the prints on a crappy laptop. The exhibit runs until September 26, 2010.
Warrington Colescott: Cabaret, Comedy & Satire
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Museum Drive
This is one of only 20 "Polish Fest Milwaukee" photo results on Yahoo search that allows re-posting on other websites. Thanks, mjuzenas of flickr
This Friday through Sunday (6/18 – 6/20), the Summerfest grounds will be abuzz with the noises, smells, and nasty hip-hop associated with Polish fest. Let me check the schedule to verify that last sentence.
http://www.polishfest.org/schedule.html
OK…so it’s going to be Polka Central, but you know what? Embrace it! What else ya gonna do? Try to hack your iPad to show flash-based porn sites? No, you’re gonna drag yourself down to the grounds, eat some Polish grub, drink some Tyskie beer, and dance to some polka music. Sure, you may not be Polish at all but in Milwaukee you can probably fake it for a least a few hours.
Polish Fest 2010. Friday through Saturday. $12 at the gate.
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Mucho Milwaukee…now more than ever!
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