Slurp up these festival stories packed with vitamins, minerals and everything you need to spike your summer fun. The Summer Festivals Guide is brought to you by Punch Bowl Social. Come on in – it's time we all win at adulting.
China Lights will return to Boerner Botanical Gardens for the fourth time this fall, with a mostly new show called "Treasures of China" that will run from Sept. 13 until Oct. 20.
This year’s displays – 95 percent of which are new – will include a lantern interpretation of the iconic Terracotta Warriors.
In addition to the striking lanterns – sometimes as much as three-stories tall, made by hand by craftspeople who come from China – China Lights also has an expanded interactive exhibit area, two stages hosting Asian folk and cultural performances, a vendor marketplace and two dining areas with a mix of Asian and Western foods options.
"China Lights is a visionary festival that brings Milwaukee’s legacy of public art and iconic public parks onto the world stage," said County Executive Chris Abele in a news release. "This year’s festival is sure to help reshape the way people interact with Milwaukee County parks."
Tickets for the festival go on sale at 10:08 a.m. on Aug. 8, a date and time packed with lucky eights. Tickets will be valid for any night of the festival. Exclusive preview tickets, VIP packages and season passes to the garden can also be purchased.
The colorful festival will be open from 5:30 until 10 p.m. – but you know the illuminated lanterns will look their best after dark.
Free parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In addition to having seen the previous China Lights shows here, I saw the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival last month and it was as great as ever, though – despite the fact that it’s produced by the same company, Tianyu – it won't likely be identical to this Milwaukee China Lights festival. But it’ll definitely be good.
"On a recent visit to China, I went to what is considered one of the greatest archeological discoveries of modern times: the terra cotta warriors. Seeing thousands of clay soldiers and horses guarding the tomb of China’s first emperor was an amazing experience," said Ralph Garity, the event producer and president of Festival Pro.
"Working with Tianyu, we’ll be bringing this and other cultural treasures of China to Milwaukee — in the form of lantern displays."
For more information, visit ChinaLights.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.
