Last week I did a deep dive on the history of Wick Field, 4929 W. Vliet St., which also took a look at the extensive renovations that were recently completed.
The ribbon will be cut on those renovations on Tuesday, May 6 at 4:30 p.m. and afterward, Caradaro Club – which was the first pizzeria in Milwaukee when it was located in the Third Ward – will host a pizza party fundraiser.
The pizzeria, 5010 W. Vliet St. is teaming with Martin Drive Neighborhood and West Vliet Street Neighborhood Associations, to give away 100 pizzas to the public at no charge as part of an effort to raise funds for the Bob Uecker historical marker across the street in Wick Field.
The event will also feature live Dixieland jazz by the Rassamatazz.
The plaque – noting that it was the location of Uecker's switch from pitching to catching when he was a teen playing there – will cost roughly $2,000.
You can read more about the plaque, Wick, Uecker and more in this Urban Spelunking article.
"Let's celebrate," says Caradaro Club owner Wally Kutch.
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.
