As the Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market (MWFM) edges closer to wrapping up its ninth season, it has announced that it’s looking for a new home.
The market, which takes place on Saturdays from November until April, closes on April 15. And, so, after five years in the Greenhouse Annex at The Domes in Mitchell Park, it must find a new location for next year.
"The Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market is a robust market with great history," said Katie Hassemer, director of farmers markets for the Fondy Food Center, which runs the winter market.
"The market has moved in the past, and has proven that the customers and vendors remain committed no matter where we’re located. We look forward to a future space that is centrally located, easy for vendors and customers to access, has free parking and can accommodate our flourishing market. We can’t wait to see where this new opportunity takes us."
According to the announcement, "The Milwaukee County Parks ... will be changing direction with its use of the Greenhouse Annex as an event space. This simply means the Annex will not be available next season as a venue for the MWFM. The space is going to be increasingly used for rentals such as weddings, as well as accommodating the expansion of existing Domes public weekend events."
Before it set up at The Domes, the market – founded in 2009 as the Milwaukee County Winter Farmers Market, sponsored by the Wisconsin Apple Growers Association – was held at the youth center in Wisconsin State Fair. Fondy Food Center assumed management of the market in 2015.
The Fondy Food Center is currently putting together a committee to lead the search for a new location.
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.
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