Lakefront Brewery debuted its Maifest last year with a barrel-aged gluten-free beer release, a makers' market and more, to great success.
This year, the return of the event – on Sunday, May 21 – will be among the first events to show off the Commerce Street brewery's upgraded riverfront patio space.
That area includes an overlook deck, a great new riverside entrance to the brewery with a vintage copper brew kettle and more.
The outdoor festival with food, drink, live music, arts and crafts and more, takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1872 N. Commerce St. with more than 20 local vendors of gluten-free products.
Being the brewery that created the world’s first certified gluten-free beer – New Grist – it makes perfect sense that Lakefront's Maifest is gluten-free focused.
There will be an entirely gluten-free bar with specially made gluten-free cask beers, as well as Bloody Marys made with potato vodka. The event's nine food vendors will offer exclusively gluten-free menus.
Maifest-branded tasting glasses for beer sampling will be for sale.
For entertainment, there will be the S.V.E.V. D’Oberlandler traditional German dancers, who will raise the Maypole at noon and perform throughout the event. Pete McDermott of Ladybird will also perform, as will Josh Quinn’s “From Sinatra to the '60s.”
Lakefront will also hold a clearance sale of classic swag, décor, and other knick-knacks.
No tickets are required for this kid-friendly event. Well-behaved dogs are welcome outside, too.
For a full list of vendors, visit lakefrontbrewery.com. For more information, call (414) 372-8800.
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.
