Be MKE: New entertainment and sports venues, a new brewery and a cheese cave
Who we are. Where we go. What we need to know.
The Big Gig is less than a month away. I repeat, the Big Gig is less than a month away.
In my gig, I feel very blessed that I get to report on events that I dreamed of covering one day. Summerfest is one of those.
On Tuesday, I attended a Summerfest preview party and got to check out some of the new foods, drinks, vendors and merch that will be at this year's installment, which runs June 23 to 25, June 30 to July 2 and July 7 to 9.
From German nachos to a Bubly Haybayhay mocktail, here's a look at what's new for 2022.
Let’s talk business
It was a big week for Milwaukee's entertainment and sports worlds. The Iron District — which would include an 8,000-seat professional soccer stadium, a 3,500-seat indoor concert venue, an upscale hotel, apartments and more — is planned for an 11-acre site on downtown's west side, according to Bear Development LLC, the Pabst Theater Group and Kacmarcik Enterprises LLC. This new sports and entertainment district expects to create hundreds of new jobs and draw 1 million visitors annually, according to developers. The project is scheduled to break ground by early fall.
Last week, we talked about how a proposed music venue would not be built next to Maier Festival Park in the Third Ward after all, per a joint statement from concert promoter FPC Live and Milwaukee World Festival Inc. There's already an update on that sitch. FPC Live is now proposing a $50 million two-room concert venue complex in Deer District. The facility would use 1.6 acres on the northeast section of the former Bradley Center site. The complex is expected to host more than 135 events annually, drawing around 200,000 people.
With brewing in his blood, Jeff Torzala dreamed of opening his own brewery for decades. His dream will become a reality in June, when he and his wife, Tricia, open Torzala Brewing Co. on the second floor of the Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. 1st St., in Bay View. The brewing company, which plans to open June 18, will focus on "traditional beers" to honor Milwaukee's deep brewing history.
Out and about
On Monday, reps from more than a dozen youth-serving agencies gathered with Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Police Chief Jeffrey Norman to highlight summer programs aimed at children, teens and twentysomethings. Here's a list of groups that spoke at the event and a glance at the summer programming they provide.
Here are a couple of the latest updates on the Wisconsin State Fair, which returns Aug. 4 to Aug. 14. The tradition that is the Milk House will be back for 2022 after being closed for two years due to the pandemic. It will serve up four flavors of milk for $1 per cup. Proceeds will go to the Wisconsin State Fair Park Foundation. It was also recently announced that Kansas will be headlining the main stage on Aug. 5 with Asia featuring John Payne opening the show. Reserved seats, at between $30 and $40, go on sale at 9 a.m. June 2 at wistatefair.com. They include general admission to the fair for Aug. 5.
Fun fact: I used to work in the “Waterpark Capital of the World." Since the Wisconsin Dells is about two hours from Milwaukee, here's a list of closer waterparks, from TOSA Pool at Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa to Great Wolf Lodge and Hurricane Harbor in Gurnee, Illinois.
Don’t go hangry
Kyle Knall, who has been Birch's chef for about a year, is now officially the owner. While Birch’s open hearth, live-fire cooking remains central to the menu, “the food is completely different, and it’s a whole different identity,” Knall said. The restaurant also now offers an informal, chef’s choice tasting menu at dinner, which includes three or four bites followed by savory courses and dessert. It’s available Wednesday through Saturday, perhaps Wednesday and Thursday in summer. The chef molds the menu to what’s available from area farmers.
Apparently, there's a cheese cave in Oak Creek. It's a refrigerated room set at 54 degrees that Alpinage Artisan Cheese uses to age its Wisconsin-made raclette. The wheels maturing in Oak Creek are made by Alpinage on a dairy farm in Kewaunee County and brought to Milwaukee County for finishing. What is raclette? An Alpine-style cheese with roots in France and Switzerland that's melted in a communal, convivial setting among friends and family at home, or served in a restaurant.
Here are the talkers
After only two kids showed up to their autistic son's 10th birthday party, Aaron and Kayla Sippel were searching for a way to make him feel better after a disappointing day. While they were going over what had happened, Aaron decided to post in a Milwaukee-area buy, sell and trade Facebook group, explaining the situation and offering up an exchange: Good karma for birthday cards for his son Andrew. Now, not only has Andrew received more than 70 cards, he's gotten an array of gifts, from a Nintendo Switch and footballs to Packers posters and cookies.
Voces de la Frontera Action, Power to the Polls, Milwaukee Area Labor Council, Never Again is Now and SEIU are calling for the city to reject the 2024 Republican National Convention that Mayor Cavalier Johnson has been working to win. Nashville is the other finalist vying to host the event. The Republican National Committee is expected to make a final decision later this summer. A key Milwaukee Common Council committee is due to vote on the contract Wednesday. Johnson said he expected the council to approve it. The full council meets June 1.
Despite their season being over, there have still been big Bucks happenings as of late. Giannis Antetokounmpo earned his fourth straight unanimous first team all-NBA selection on Tuesday night. Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday were recently named to NBA all-defensive teams. Antetokounmpo was named to the first team, which was the fifth career all-defensive team selection for him. Holiday was named to the second team and it is his fourth all-defensive team selection overall. For the second time, Holiday became a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award. While it was ultimately awarded to Dallas Mavericks guard-forward Reggie Bullock, the NBA will still be donating $25,000 on behalf of the other finalists to social justice organizations.
Be MKE,
Hannah
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To see what I'm up to around the city, follow me on Instagram @hannahhopekirby. Always keeping it pretty profesh over on Twitter @hannahhopekirby. Be MKE love or comments can be sent to hannah.kirby@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Be MKE: New entertainment/sports venues, new brewery and a cheese cave
