Thanks to Mother Nature, Independence Day still isn’t quite over, even three weeks after July 4.
As we prepared to toss a blanket and a cooler into the trunk and head over to Hart Park in Wauwatosa that first Wednesday of this month, the skies darkened and nature put on a fireworks show of its own, leading to the cancelation of the Tosa fireworks, which were rescheduled for tonight.
We stayed in and watched, through the window, the surprisingly elaborate (and illegal) fireworks our neighbors set off.
Now we get a second chance. (But, uh oh, the forecast, again calls for rain!)
The Hart Park pyrotechnics – which are traditionally some of the best around – will be queued up to fire at 9:15 p.m. tonight after the scheduled Tosa Tonight concert wraps up on the bandshell near 68th and State Streets.
Opening the night at 6 p.m. is Racine band Well-Known Strangers, who played at nearby Enderis Park a couple weeks ago, drawing an impressive crowd. Afterward, Cincinnati indie rockers Motherfolk take the stage.
As always, a wide range of food and beverage vendors will be on hand to slake whatever thirst overtakes you.
If you can squeeze it into your itinerary, tonight is also Market Night in Elm Grove village, from 5 until 8 p.m. with entertainment, food, retail vendors and more.
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.
