Now that the Muellner Building in Wauwatosa's Hart Park is all spiffed up, the Spielmannszug Milwaukee Drum and Bugle Corps brings the BockBierFest back to the park on Saturday, April 26.
After four years celebrating in Okauchee, the 43rd annual beer festival returns to the restored Muellner Building, 7300 W. Chestnut St.
One of the longest-running festivals of German heritage in the area is a one-day event with food, drink, contests, dance performances and music.
Kicking off the festivities is Starkbierfest, a VIP event focused on bock, maibock and doppelbock beers.
From noon until 2 p.m. there will be unlimited sampling of Wisconsin and German beers. Tickets include a tasting glass, beer tasting, a food voucher and admission to the Bockbierfest.
Then, at 2 p.m., BockBierFest kicks off.
The Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band helps transition between the events as it performs from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
A musical fanfare and procession by Spielmannszug Milwaukee, keg tapping and Blessing of the Bock follows at 2:30 p.m. There will be free beer until the keg runs out.
The fest also includes Schuhplattler performances by D’Oberlander dance club, including the famous Maitanz dance weaving ribbons around a Maypole; a stein-holding contest; a beer drinking contest; crowning of the BockBierFest King and Queen; live music by Freistadt Alte Kameraden Band and Alpine Blast.
In addition to beer there will be wine and soft drinks, Usinger's brats and hot dogs, homemade red cabbage and Bavarian pretzels.
The event is put on by the Spielmannszug Milwaukee Drum and Bugle Corps, founded in 1957 to keep German music and clulture alive in the United States.
For more information, visit bockbierfest.org and szmke.org.
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.
