A week after the press and local VIPs got a sneak peek, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, 1721 W. Canal St., unveils its expansion to the general public at a Grand Opening on Thursday, June 19, beginning at 8 a.m.
Two years of construction have added a half-million square feet to the Menomonee Valley casino, bringing two new restaurants -- RuYi and Wild Earth -- and new, expanded spaces for Dream Dance and The Buffet. The center of the new space is home to the eye-catching Bar 360.
There are now 1,500 more slots and 60 more table games, along with off-track betting a new, larger poker room. Outside, there is a new six-story parking structure.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, Las Vegas-style showgirls will roam the casino throughout a day that features 100 prizes of $1,000 each and a top prize of $100,000.
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.
