Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications (and beyond) for bits of news we missed throughout the week.
• That cheering sound you heard earlier this week wasn’t the sound of a tired and hungry populace celebrating the news of KFC’s fried chicken and pizza mashup; no, it was the sound of Milwaukee crying out in joy after making yet another list of “best places to live” or whatever. Yes, Milwaukee landed at No. 47 on US News & World Report‘s annual “best places” roundup, beating out other bustling urban powerhouses like Cincinnati, Ohio and Lakeland, Florida. Milwaukee came in at No. 72 last year, proving that affordability, development, and something about millennials goes a long way. Great job, Milwaukee! [US News & World Report]
• The lineup for the third annual Eaux Claires festival was unveiled this week, and it’s a doozy: Chance The Rapper, Paul Simon, Wilco, John Prine, Feist, Sylvan Esso, Collections Of Colonies Of Bees (with Marielle Allschwang), and more will play the Justin Vernon co-curated fest June 16 and 17. [Tap Milwaukee]
• San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick donated a cool $25,000 to Milwaukee youth program Urban Underground. Kaepernick, a sore subject for angry football-watching dads and uncles nationwide, was born in Milwaukee. [Today’s TMJ4]
• The Milwaukee Bucks announced plans for an LED message board the will wrap around the northwest corner of their new arena. The board will be 15 feet high and 85 feet wide, and will be used for “community messaging.” [Milwaukee Business Journal]
L.A. Story (1991) – Talking to Signs from jamie allen on Vimeo.
• In more Bucks news, the team announced it will own and operate an NBA Development League in Oshkosh. The new D-League will come complete with the construction of a 3,500-seat arena. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• In not-so-great Bucks news, well, yeah, you’ve already heard. [ESPN]
• Midnight Basketball League will return to Milwaukee. Milwaukee Public Schools will host three 10-week leagues—open to men between 17 and 25—at Bradley Tech beginning March 1. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says the league is “about basketball over bullets.” [FOX6]
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will give a speech at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee March 2, as part of UWM’s Distinguished Lecture Series. The basketball legend, author, and activist will sign books, but not memorabilia, and will remind you that he’s been hearing that crap ever since he was at UCLA. He’s out there busting his buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes. [OnMilwaukee]
• Hold on to your Dunwich Legacy expansions for Arkham Horror: The Card Game, Milwaukee tabletop gamers: Board Game Barrister is opening a new location—its fourth—in the Mayfair mall on March 1. The local chain’s Bayshore location, meanwhile, will be moving to the former New York & Company storefront in April. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Hold on to your Sailor Moon outfits, Milwaukee anime fans: Anime Milwaukee will return for its 10th year February 17-19. The gloriously geeky convention will once again set up shop at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Wisconsin Convention Center, much to the bafflement of folks getting a bite to eat at the Grand Ave. food court. [88Nine RadioMilwaukee]
• Wisconsin Avenue is set to get some sweet, sweet murals—10 of them, to be exact. But, as Urban Milwaukee drolly notes, they will be “small ones. On utility boxes. Made by artists. Paid by Downtown BID.” The project hopes to “bring awareness of Milwaukee’s creative community as well as establish Wisconsin Avenue as the city’s historic main street.” Look for them this June. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Milwaukee Magazine explored the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who designed Manhattan’s Central Park—and, oh yeah, Milwaukee’s Lake, Riverside, and Washington parks. [Milwaukee Magazine]
• Mayor Barrett unveiled plans for a new, “super-green” park on the vacant lot next to the Fondy Farmers Market. The so-called Fondy Park will “reinvent the block as well as create a gathering place for residents of the Lindsay Heights neighborhood and other nearby neighborhoods.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• This year’s Wilson Center Guitar Festival will give away $32,000 in prize money, up $10,000 from last year. The increase is thanks to Milwaukee philanthropists and guitar enthusiasts Mark and Sharon Cameli, in memory of John Cameli. The fifth annual fest will take place August 17-19, and will feature Kevin Eubanks as the opening act. [Wilson Center Guitar Festival]
• Joey Grihalva got to know “the genius behind bliss & alice.” [Wisconsin Gazette]
• Milwaukee outlaw country band Liar’s Trial released its third album, Armadillo By Morning. The group’s next show is February 26 at Kochanski’s. [Bandcamp]
• WMSE’s Rock-N-Roll Bowl will return for its third year March 19. Oh, and the 15th annual Rockabilly Chili Fundraiser will take place March 5. [WMSE]
• Valhalla, Milwaukee’s “much anticipated Scandinavian bar and restaurant,” is gearing up for a March opening on Old World 3rd St. [OnMilwaukee]
• Central Standard Craft Distillery will expand into a new building west of Marquette University. The $1.1 million expansion is expected to open in July. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Vennture Brew Company signed a lease on two storefronts in Washington Heights. The “multi-faceted, community-centric micro-brewery and coffee shop” hopes to open a new establishment this summer. [OnMilwaukee]
• Have a great weekend, Milwaukee!