The nonprofit Friends of the Domes, which operates the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory – aka the Domes – has a new name.
The Friends of the Domes is now the Milwaukee Domes Alliance.
According to an announcement issued Wednesday, "This evolution reflects the organization’s broader mission to inspire meaningful connections to nature and community, while advancing efforts to preserve and reimagine Milwaukee’s beloved horticultural conservatory."
The Milwaukee Domes Alliance operates the Domes and is working on the Domes Reimagined plan to save and reinvigorate the landmark.
The plan was unanimously approved in November by the Milwaukee County Board, which committed as much as $30 million toward the public-private partnership that would save, renovate and expand the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory Domes.
The plan includes an addition, a children's garden, nature learning center, cafe and expanded gift shop.
The Friends of the Domes was founded in 1989 and has, over the years, contributed to the educational programming and visitor experiences at the conservatory, including running the gift shop and coordinating field trips.
“The Domes are a national treasure and unique asset to Milwaukee and the state, offering a place of retreat, discovery, and inspiration,” said Milwaukee Domes Alliance Executive Director Christa Beall Diefenbach.
“Through our own experiences – and growing research – we can see how essential nature is to our well-being. We’re excited to move forward with a renewed focus on conservation, wellness, and community connection.”
For more information, visit MilwaukeeDomes.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.
