I grew up with dogs. First we had Woody, a Lhasa Apso mix we named after Woody Allen. We should have been suspicious of a 2-year-old pure-bred dog at the humane society, but the chance to have a dog that required me to put ponytails and bows in his hair to keep it out of his eyes was too appealing for the 9-year-old me and so we took the underbite-y Tibetan-rooted pooch home.

Sadly, Woody contracted or already had a terrible disease called distemper and he went into fits of rage, once trapping a friend and me in my dad’s La-Z Boy chair while we were alone in the house and my parents were grocery shopping. It was terrifying: the dog was charging at us and running in circles and making devil dog noises.

Where’s Lassie when you need him?

So Woody was euthanized and I was heartbroken and so we got Emma, a little rat Terrier mix of some kind that mostly slept under a mini afghan my grandmother knitted for her.

Emma had, quite possibly, the least personality of any animal, vegetable or mineral ever, but she became as much a part of my parents’ home as the gold-flowered wallpaper in the kitchen.

RIP, sweet Emma.

Years later, I had a parade of dogs and cats and rodents, including a Samoyed named Red Sonja who moved with an ex-boyfriend back to Idaho and a couple of cats that I left with a roommate when I rented a pet-free abode. (I still feel crappy about this.)

Another roommate and I had a parakeet bird with bum wings – we named him "Ned The Walker" – and my son had three hamsters: Lavender 1, Lavender 2 and Lavender 3. For some reason, we had bad luck keeping those wheel-runners alive and they usually passed within a year or so. My son insisted that each hamster death required a hamster funeral complete with soulful weeping, candle lighting and paper plates marked with their names over the dirt next to the garage when they were buried.

Lavender 2: March 2006 - August 2006

Then there was a chocolate lab named Clay who I loved for 13 years. This is the d…

This year, Bugfest – sponsored by Mofoco automotive manufacturing – celebrates 20 years as the Midwest’s most popular event for Volkswagen enthusiasts.

Bugfest, scheduled for Saturday, July 13, is a VW swap meet, drag race and car show at Great Lakes Dragaway.

New Mofoco owner Roy Henning, who purchased the business from his father last year, announced today that he is restoring a 1970 Beetle and will give it away – along with partner sponsor WKLH – at the Paul McCartney concert at Miller Park on Tuesday, July 16.

"It’s a really nice, drivable vintage Beetle," says Henning.

People can register to win the car at Bugfest or soon through mofoco.com and WKLH.com.

Bugfest attracts up to 5,000 Volkwagen owners and fans who pick the best Beetles in two categories, vintage and new model. The winners will each receive a pair of tickets to the McCartney show.

Bugfest car owners and drivers get in free. Tickets for those 15 years and older are $15. Kids ages 10-15 are $10 and under 10 are free.

Henning’s father Randy started Mofoco in 1971 and currently owns Great Lakes Dragaway. Mofoco is the only company in the world that manufactures air-cooled Volkswagen cylinder heads entirely in the United States.

"Even though my dad’s retired, I’m sure he’ll stop by to ‘bug’ me," says Henning. "I’m taking this company into the next century."

In January, I reported that a Bay View-based, indoor playground was in the works.

Last week, Shannon Knapp received approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) and will open Up, Up and Play this summer at 2535 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. – above the Down & Under Pub.

"We’re shooting for July 1," says Knapp. "We are still working on the space. The trees are going up on the walls, the stage is being built and the swingset is getting installed."

Up, Up and Play will feature a large play space and lounge area. It will have a natural theme.

Knapp plans to have a large fundraiser / rummage sale in the near future to offset costs and is currently taking donations. Go to the Facebook page for more information.  

This is great news for Milwaukee, a city with long winters and few indoor play options. Wish this were around when my kids were younger and time seemed to stand still in January. 

Cafe La Paloma, a new Mexican restaurant in Walker’s Point, will soon open at 606 S. 5th St. – across the street from La Fuente.

Owner Jose Chavez is hoping for a mid-May opening. The menu items will be from numerous regions of Mexico and many of the recipes are Chavez’s own.

He says the restaurant will be more like Riverwest’s Cafe Corazon and Brady Street’s Cempazuchi than the other Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood.

Chavez, who is an artist of many different mediums, plans to showcase his collection of more than 70 Mexican masks inside the restaurant. It will also have a "Day of the Dead" theme and will feature his own art as well.

"It will not have serapes or sombreros," says Chavez.

Chavez moved to Milwaukee in 1993 from the state of Michoacán in Mexico. He received a masters in business from Marquette and is a life-long artist who has curated the Walker’s Point Center of the Art’s Dias de los Muertos show for the past three years.

Stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.com for more information when it becomes available.