Bronzeville Week kicks off its sixth annual festival on Saturday, Aug. 4 with the HaRUNbee 5K walk and run at 9 a.m. on the corner of King Drive and North Avenue, followed by the new LIVE on King Drive event with music, food and family fun from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Registration for the run/walk begins at 7:30 a.m.
On Sunday, Aug. 5, check out the Bronzeville Arts and Cultural Festival from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. with food, vendors, a kids’ zone and three stages of live entertainment.
"Bronzeville Week has become synonymous with arts, culture and commerce and thousands have enjoyed its diverse events and offerings each year. It has truly become an enjoyable and enriching August tradition in Milwaukee, and one that is welcoming to families and people of all ages and backgrounds," said Ald. Milele Coggs in a statement.
There is a full slate of events Monday through Friday, all of which you can find here, before the event wraps up Saturday, Aug. 11 with a Pancakes & Poetry events at Rise & Grind Cafe, 2737 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., at 9:30 a.m.; a 10 a.m. Bronzeville bike ride; the Bronzeville Black Food Truck Fest from noon until 6 on Garfield Avenue between 2nd Street and King Drive; and the Bronzeville Art Walk along King Drive between Hadley Street and McKinley Boulevard, from noon until 6 p.m.
A highlight will be the ceremony held Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 11 a.m. to celebrate the renaming of North 4th Street to North Vel R. Phillips Avenue, in honor of the groundbreaking politician, judge and civil rights leader.
All week long there will also be free health screenings at the MLK Health Center, 2555 N. King Dr., from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Appointments are required for Friday screenings.
"Official health records show the Harambee neighborhood, in which Bronzeville is located, very recently had the second highest rate of infant mortality in the City of Milwaukee," said Coggs. "HaRUNbee will again bring together residents of Milwaukee, from both within and outside of the Harambee community, to participate in a 5K Walk/Run as an effort to increase infant mortality education and to support each other in this important public health endeavor."
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.
