Two events make for a great Milwaukee weekend
Chilly or not, rainy or not, this weekend is the kind of weekend that makes the Milwaukee summer great for me.
At some point this weekend, we'll hit two festivals on our side of town.
First up is the church festival at Sts. Connie and Helen, 2160 Wauwatosa Ave. (aka 76th Street), in Wauwatosa, which is now one of my favorites. Here's what I said about it two years ago:
"I grew up around the corner from a Greek church and remember going every year for the deep fried dough balls with honey (I never know the names, I'm sorry) and the saganaki (OK, I know that one). There were also games, rides and great Greek music.
"That about sums up Sts. Connie and Helen's fair, too. Outside, there's a tent with vendors selling beer, corn, honey balls, baklava, saganaki (stand back when they throw the booze on the bubbling hot cheese) and more. There were also a couple carnival games and a dj spinning Greek music (probably a lot like the music at the small table of the vendor selling CDs).
"Adjacent to the tent, a clutch of older men -- talking animatedly in Greek -- keeps the two dozen spits -- which hold whole chickens and pigs -- turning above a blazing hot brazier.
"Inside, in the gym, there were young Greek dancers, a raffle, more vendors selling jewelry and the like, and dinners, including a Friday fish fry, chicken dinners, stuffed grape leaves and more."
Last year, my son discovered his love for the inflatable bouncy house at this festival, so you can be sure he'll shed his Vans for a bounce or two before we leave.
The other event on tap is the church festival at Christ King, 2604 N. Swan Blvd. (aka 92nd Street), also in Wauwatosa. My neighbor runs the music tent there and his band plays a couple times, so I'll try to head over for one of those shows, but if my son's aha moment for bouncy houses came at Sts. Connie and Helen last year, it was cemented by the two fine examples at Christ King.
So, a daytime visit will also be key.
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