I took most of this from Patricia Jursik's latest newsletter, but I'm sure she won't mind me passing this list of things to do in the next month or so..

Saturday, March 6 – Family FREE Day at the Zoo, 9am-4:30pm

All visitors receive free admission. The parking fee remains in effect. At Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee. milwaukeezoo.org 256-5466

Saturday and Sunday, March 6 and 7 – Winter Pow Wow
Presented by Indian Summer Festivals. Traditional Pow wow with grand entries at 1 and 7pm on Saturday and 1pm on Sunday. Native marketplace, art, and traditional food. Prayer ceremony on Sunday at 10am with FREE entry for those who attend. Admission: general $7, ages 60+ $5, and children 12 and under FREE. At Wisconsin State Fair Park, Wisconsin Products Pavilion, 640 S. 84^th St. (gate 5), West Allis. 414-604-1000 or www.indiansummer.org

Sunday, March 7 – Inside the County Board, 9-10pm

Tune to 1130 WISN for an in-depth look at actions of the County Board of Supervisors. Airs the first Sunday of each month. This month will focus on the Lake Parkway 794. Podcasts will be available at county.milwaukee.gov/insidethecountyboard

Tuesday, March 9 – Friends of Mill Pond meeting, 6:30pm

Special guest Brian Russert will introduce the Milwaukee County Park's Natural Areas Program that is actively applying restoration ecology and engaging communities throughout the system's 10,000 acres of natural areas. Brian will use a slide presentation to overview the breadth of the program, where it is working, and how individuals can get involved with the management of "their" natural resources.  Brian will speak at 6:30pm, immediately before the meeting. At Marquette Manor (2409 10^th Av, South Milwaukee). 571-1191

Thursday, March 11 – Grant Park “Park Watch” meeting, 6pm

At Grant Park Clubhouse (100 Hawthorne Av, South Milwaukee). 764-7262

Thursday, March 11 – Friends of Grant Park meeting, 7pm

At Grant Park Clubhouse (100 Hawthorne Av, South Milwaukee). 764-0612

Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14 – Behind the Scenes at the Zoo

Visit the small mammals and aviary kitchens, the off-exhibit lion den, big cat toys, and the sensory safari. Tours are free with regular admission and are held 10am-2:45pm. At Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee. milwaukeezoo.org 256-5466

Saturday, March 13 – St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Noon

Parade route follows Wisconsin Av. east from 3^rd to Plankinton, north along Plankinton and 3^rd, and Juneau east to Water St. in Downtown Milwaukee. www.saintpatricksparade.org

Sunday, March 14 – Pullin’ o the Green, seatings at 4:30pm or 6:30pm

Join Friends of Grant Park in their annual benefit to preserve and enhance Grant Park. Admission gets you food, beverage or a beer, and an evening of great music by the Garlic Mustard Pickers. Regular admission: $12 adults, $3 children. Reduced-price tickets ($10) will be available in advance at local businesses, including Parkway Floral, Wild Flour Bakery, and Nona’s Café. At Grant Park Clubhouse, 100 Hawthorne Av., South Milwaukee. Contact 764-0612

Tuesday, March 16 – Cudahy Lions Blood Drive, 2-6pm

At Cudahy Family Library, 3500 Library Dr., Cudahy. Call 421-0276 for info / appointments.

Tuesday, March 16 – Music Under Glass, 6:30-8:30pm

Leroy Airmaster with Steve Cohen (blues, jazz). Enjoy the new lighting of the domes with light shows at the break and following the concert. At The Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd. Regular admission applies. 649-9830 www.county.milwaukee.gov/FloralShowampEventSc10360/MusicUnderGlass.htm

Wednesday, March 17 – The Garlic Mustard Pickers play at the Carlton Grange Pub, 6-9pm 3807 S. Packard Avenue, St. Francis (just north of Howard Av.) www.carletongrange.com

Thursday, March 18 – St. Patrick’s Day party at the Kelly Center, Noon

The party starts at Noon with entertainment by Pat Gong Duo, door prizes, and lunch served by South Woods at 12:30pm. Payment of $12 for lunch is due by March 10. At Kelly Senior Center, 6100 S. Lake Dr., Cudahy. 481-9611

Thursday, March 18 – The Garlic Mustard Pickers play at Sheridan’s Café, 6:30-8:30pm

5133 S. Lake Drive, Cudahy. Reservations recommended: 747-9800 www.sheridanhouseandcafe.com/TheCafe.htm

Sunday, March 21 – St. Francis Association of Commerce Spaghetti Dinner, 11am-6pm

At St. Paul Church Hall, 1720 E. Norwich Av., Milwaukee. Tickets can be pre-purchased at Fixx Coffeehouse, 3558 E. Sivyer Av., St. Francis (Just off of Packard Av., between the Carleton

Grange Pub & Foamation Cheesehead Factory).

Tuesday, March 23 – Frank P. Zeidler Memorial Lecture, 7pm

Media expert, associate editor of the Capital Times, and Washington correspondent for The Nation, John Nichols discusses the 2010 book that he co-authored with Robert McChesney, entitled “The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again.” At Centennial Hall, Milwaukee’s Central Library, 733 N. 8^th St., Milwaukee.

Saturday and Sunday, March 27 and 28 – Breakfast & Lunch with the Bunny at the Zoo, 9am-4:30pm Sponsored by Racine Danish Kringles. At Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 West Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee. milwaukeezoo.org 256-5466

Save the date! Saturday, April 10, South Milwaukee Downtown Spring Market and Business Fair, 10am-3pm At Bucyrus International, 1100 Milwaukee Av, South Milwaukee. www.smdowntownmarket.org

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ongoing:

Music Under Glass, Tuesdays and Thursdays until March 18, 6:30-8:30pm

Enjoy the new lighting of the domes with light shows at the break and following the concert. Regular admission applies. At The Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd. 649-9830. Check out the schedule of music at: www.county.milwaukee.gov/FloralShowampEventSc10360/MusicUnderGlass.htm

Taken from the southmilwaukee.org/eVents newsletter:

South Milwaukee’s "Fresh Water Days" Planned for Thursday and Friday

Interest Grows To Help Businesses Affected by Water Emergency

A few weeks ago my blog asked you to post what you are most proud of in South Milwaukee.  There were some great things listed.  A few that came up several times were:

Grant Park and our beautiful green spaces, our great festivals, the various clubs that do great things for the city and parks, the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, the Little League, our schools, and Bucyrus Erie.

I love all these things about South Milwaukee.  In high school I lived very close to Grant Park and spent a lot of time there. I walked to the lagoon to ice skate in the winter, watched the kids play at the little league park, marched through the city streets in the So Milwaukee High School Band, and my first job was at the BE Club (now Papa Luigi's II).  Bucyrus Erie employed my father and step-father - and many of my friend's dads.  A picture I painted still hangs in the library. I think what brought me back to live here as an adult is the small town feel and the friendly residents.  It's close enough to my job and it's easy to get there via the 794 Parkway.

All these sentiments were echoed in the comments listed at www.southmilwaukee.org/guestlog.htm . Won't you check it out and post some of your own?

Ever since CJ's Station House Bar and Restaurant opened in Cudahy, I've been getting requests from friends and readers to check it out and give it a write up.  So finally we stopped in for lunch on Saturday.  The place is nicely renovated and decorated with firefighter paraphenalia... firemen coats and hats, antique fire extinguishers, police patches from various places. 

Being late for lunchtime on a Saturday before a football game was to start made the bar pretty empty, but that was just fine with me. The smoking area is way in the back far from the tables where they serve food and the main bar area. The menu is relatively simple with daily specials added, and they also do a Friday fish fry. The prices are reasonable and our burgers were very good with many choices of toppings and presented on toasted kaiser rolls. The bar manager was also handling cooking that day and did a great job.  They list a couple of steaks on the menu with really good prices, I'll be going back for dinner sometime soon. Has anyone else been there lately? What did you think?

Cj's Station House

Recently I posted a blog about the things I remembered about the South Side that were my favorites and many of you responded with your own.  That was really fun!  Sometimes it's much too easy to focus on all the bad things that happen - so lets continue to focus on the good for a little while as we ring in the New Year. . .

Teaming up with Alderman Jim Shelenske, we thought we'd create a place for you to list all the things about South Milwaukee that you are proud of.  Post your comments here:  "Top 100" Things to be proud of in South Milwaukee.  We'll gather them up and create a summary.  We already added a few to start us off . . .

While you are there, check out the South Milwaukee.org website.  Jim put this together some time ago and updates it.  It is a great place to check out what's going on and when, city information and news, and he'll even send it to your email account if you sign up there.

Happy New Year to everyone, and THANK YOU for continuing to read my blog.

-Wende

Monday, December 21st, at 7:30 PM the annual South Milwaukee High School Yuletide Festival Concert at the South Milwaukee PAC 901 15th Avenue.  Free!

People will be on hand to collect items for Human Concerns also. 

If you love the Christmas Feaste, you’ll love this concert. This concert has a new format and features the performance groups from the Ye Olde Christmas Feaste, and will feature a new joint work by Clare Grundman called "Three Noels." In SMHS music tradition, the concert will end with the singing of Handel’s "Hallelujah Chorus". All are invited to attend, sing and to get yourself into the holiday spirit. 

I miss these things about the South Side. How many do you remember?

Gimbels and JC Penney Outlet at Packard Plaza, Lloyd's Lunch (in SM), Grebe's Bakery (SM), IHop (Cudahy), Greg's Pumpkin Tree (Cudahy), the 41 Twin Drive-In, Majestic theater, Garden Theater, the Spectacle of Music (the old way with the parade and competition), Big Boy's and Taco Bell (in SM), ice skating at the lagoon, walking the RR tracks to get from one end of SM to the other, the "pit" behind SM High, Miss Awe, the BE Club (my first job!), Ladish, when the City of South Milwaukee Offices was an elementary school, And the ROCKETS (especially when they beat the Packers), Black Bear Soda in Cudahy,  and picking apples in the abandoned orchard which is now Bender Park on Ryan Road.  Now that I'm thinking about it, there are way too many to mention them all here...Can you tell I went to So Milwaukee High School?  I'm not telling how long ago it was though!

Looking for a quick, but healthy meal this week? Dine at the Cousins in South Milwaukee on Thursday, December 10, and not only feed your hunger, but support the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. 10% of ALL sales will be donated to the SMPAC to assist with educational programming for the 2010-2011 Season.

Chck out the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center's website:   http://www.southmilwaukeepac.org/

There are a lot of things we are all thankful for, but I haven't had much time to pause and reflect on it lately, so here, I'm taking the time to acknowledge my blessings with the sincere hope that you all too have many things to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving Holiday!  In no specific order:

My family (including my darling granddaughters), my health, all the people in my life, finishing my class,  holiday gatherings, my job (and having 2 days off this week), a roof over my head, all the teachers I've had throughout my life, books, the South Milwaukee PAC, new beginnings, coffee, my kitties, wireless internet, the freedom we enjoy in the USA and the people in the armed forces that help keep it that way, all the opportunities I've had in the past that enabled me to travel and learn about the world, and last but not least....the bridge over the freeway on College Avenue is now open!

May your holiday be warm and happy, and filled with family and friends.

FIVE GUYS BURGER AND FRIES, BAY SHORE TOWN CENTER, 5800 NORTH BAY SHORE DR, 414-962-9560

I know this restaurant isn’t on the south side of town, but I was shopping at Bay Shore the other day and ran across it. We were hungry so we thought we’d try it. What brought us in were the large red and white signs outside that said Five Guys, Burgers $5. Well, I wanted to know what that was about!
 

The restaurant is very bright, all white and red tile, like a 50’s diner. The traffic pattern is organized well, with a clear path to lead you up to the ordering window. The path is actually a stack of bulk peanut bags laid out so that you must follow them in order to get to the window. Of course, you can indulge in all the peanuts you want while you wait to order. Keeps your hands busy too. Don’t eat too many though because they do not skimp on the portion sizes at this place.

They were true to their word, you can order burgers for $5 (the little burger they call it but it is not “little”), and there is a bigger burger too. And watch out, the small fry portion is a whole large Styrofoam cupful of fat skin-on seasoned fries, and the large fry is even bigger – plus they heap an extra portion of them into the bag they serve your food in. We thought we’d get a fry for each of us and the order taker said one large fry is enough for more than 2 people. He was right!
 

The store is full of advertisements for their other locations and all the accolades they have gotten since starting this business in 1986. They started to franchise in 2002 out east and grew so fast that they currently have over 450 locations in 30 states (per their website).
 

The place was busy and it looked like there were many happy customers. Their signs boast that they never freeze anything, everything is fresh and of the highest quality, they only use peanut oil, and all their products are trans-fat free. My burger was wonderful and the fries are scrumptious. My boyfriend kept eating the peanuts and we couldn’t even attempt to finish the fries they gave us.

Check out their website and see for yourself.  http://www.fiveguys.com/home.aspx

We went out with a friend for dinner recently and ended up at Ricardo's (due to a small fire at the restaurant we were going to try).  She had been there several times before and I had never heard of it.  I had no idea this restaurant was there because I had never hung out in the Greendale village before.   My friend said we may have to wait because it was a Saturday night, but it was worth the wait.

As we drove to the restaurant I noticed the village and that it was a strip mall, but very craftily arranged to look like a cute little English village.  The area has a quaint inviting look, created as a destination type of place to spend a few hours and browse around.  Near the holidays they have people strolling around in period costumes caroling and Santa waits for excited children.  She brings her kids down each year. There are restaurants, boutiques, craft stores, and is anchored by the Reiman Visitor Center.

But that night it was all about the pizza.  The restaurant was full, but not over crowded.  It has a nice bar area with many TVs broadcasting sports and it smelled wonderful.  In the back you can pick up food for takeout.  It's not very big but it is cute and cozy in the seating area.  The pizza was great, with a hand tossed thin crust that can't be found anywhere else in the area.  The sauce they use is excellent.  The menu had all kinds of unique pizzas along with other dishes. My boyfriend got a burger that he said was excellent.

The restaurant has been around over 10 years - I still don't know how I haven't heard about it before, but I'm sure going to go back to try one of their other pizza combinations and check out the rest of the stores.

Address: 5627 Broad St, Greendale, WI 53129-1812  Phone:  (414) 421-1980

I've always liked going to Goodwill or the Salvation Army stores to see what they have, pick up a few books, get some clothes for the grandkids.  Lately these stores have become very busy!  I pulled into the parking lot of the Goodwill store on 27th Street and almost every parking space was taken!  I know that around Halloween these stores are great places to put together a costume, but this started a few months ago.  Yes, the economy has prompted a lot of the business, but I also think that "thrifting" has become kinda trendy.  I'm on the young end of the baby boomer generation, but the nostalgia factor of the 1970's doesn't escape me.  It's really cool to see some of those old fashions. And, as my boyfriend points out, electronic equipment from that timeframe has become really valuable for collectors.  He's always scoping out the thrift stores for good quality speakers, old stereo equipment, and albums.  Just check out some of that old stuff listed on E-Bay, some of it goes for some serious coin. 

So we have hit up all the thrift stores we could find on the south side, but I was hoping we missed a few. We've stopped at Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village. I went looking for the few I knew of up by Mitchell Street, but they have been closed.  We also found a small one on Layton at 27th Street.  Are there any others?  Let me know! 

Coalition to Save the Hoan
Town Hall Meetings

Monday, September 21, 2009, 5:30 p.m.
South Shore Park Pavilion
2900 S. Shore Drive, Milwaukee
With Representative Sinicki and County Supervisors Dimitrijevic and Larson

Thursday, September 24, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
St. Francis Lions Community Center
3476 E. Howard Av., St. Francis
With Mayor Richards, Representative Sinicki and County Supervisor Jursik

Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Oak Creek Community Center
8580 S. Howell Av., Oak Creek
With Mayor Bolender and County Supervisor Jursik

Sign a petition to help save the bridge
Learn about the Wisconsin DOT’s desire to demolish the bridge
Give brief comments to elected officials

Testimony limited to 2-3 minutes per citizen, depending on meeting. Extensive written comments may be submitted to your elected officials.

Do not let this be decided behind closed doors! Make your voice heard! Join the Coalition!

For more information, visit www.county.milwaukee.gov/Jursik/SavetheHoanBridge.htm
or contact Supervisor Patricia Jursik, 414-278-4231 or patricia.jursik@milwcnty.com

Every Saturday from 12-2pm my friend Jim Selovich hosts “Tradio” on AM-1050 WLIP.  It’s like a radio rummage sale where people call in or email him with things they are looking to sell, buy, trade, or barter.  He gets callers from all over since they listen live through the website too.

Find his radio show on AM 1050 WLIP (Kenosha). Listen live streaming at www.wlip.com and call in at 262-694-1050.  They could be pre-empted now and then by Badger fooball games - don't be discouraged by that!

http://www.wlip.com/

I hope you never need to use this information, but I have needed an emergency vet once, and I sure wish I had one close to me at the time....

There is a new Emergency 24/7 Vet Clinic that is closer than Madison or the north side of Milwaukee.  Newly opened in June, this clinic is on Hwy 100 near Beloit Road.  There are several emergency vet clinics around, but very few that are always open and available to treat your pets.

Milwaukee Emergency Care for Animals (MECA), 3670 S 108th Street, Greenfield, WI (414) 543-7387. Twenty-four hour emergency service is provided by a team of experienced veterinarians and staff, concentrating on dogs, cats, exotics, reptiles and other small mammals. Critical care cases and surgeries may be referred to the ER seven days per week. Check out their website at:  www.erforanimals.com

These phone numbers are also good to keep handy also:

Phoning the 24-hour Animal Emergency Center Pet Hotline at (414) 540-6710 gives you immediate information about first aid and offers advice for safe transportation of your pet.  Animal Poison Control Center Hot Line (888) 426-4435.

Tomorrow night, South Shore constituents will have a chance to learn about plans for the Hoan and make their voices heard.  Don't let this change go by if you have something to say about it.

Coalition to Save the Hoan
August Town Hall Meetings

Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
South Milwaukee Council Chambers
2424 15th Av., South Milwaukee
With Mayor Tom Zepecki and Sup. Jursik

Thursday, August 27, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Cudahy Public Library, Winter Garden
3500 Library Dr., Cudahy
With Rep. Sinicki and Sup. Jursik

Sign a petition to help save the bridge
Learn about the Wisconsin DOT’s desire to demolish the bridge
Give brief comments to elected officials

Testimony limited to 3 minutes per citizen. Extensive written comments may be submitted to your elected officials.

Do not let this be decided behind closed doors! Make your voice heard! Join the Coalition!

For more information, visit www.county.milwaukee.gov/Jursik/SavetheHoanBridge.htm
or contact Supervisor Patricia Jursik, 414-278-4231 or patricia.jursik@milwcnty.com

I've stopped at Wendt's a few times over the past 2 years because it's half way between my house and one of my friend's houses.  The reason we first stopped there is because my friend wasn't looking very closely at the sign and she thought at first that it said Wende's, so she had to tell me there was a bar/restaurant with my name on it!  I set her straight, and we met there anyway just to try it out.  I'm so glad we did.  Their food is really good (especially for pub food).  They have wraps and burgers, and are well known for their Friday fish fries. Their criss cross cut fries are awesome!

Wendt's is very close to House of Harley-Davidson on Layton Avenue.  It's a nice south side pub with an open layout, plenty of seating area, and very friendly staff.

IRISH FEST STARTS THURSDAY!

I never miss Irish Fest.  I feel a pull to the music, the costumes, the culture, and of course, the brogue!  Being Irish is very important to me, and I think that is true of most people that are of Irish descent.  Ever since I made a trip to Ireland a few years ago, I feel such a connection.

And you can certainly make connections at Irish Fest.  Starting on Thursday night Where's Your Paddy kicks off Milwaukee's largest happy hour for young professionals.  Get your free tickets to the happy hour by joining Facebook and then going to this link:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112619445777 .  Admission to the fest is not free, but you can get in Thursday night for $5 with a school supply donation.

Admission is free Friday from 4-5:30 pm.  And there are many other ways to get in with discounts.  http://www.irishfest.com/festival/.  The fest closes on Sunday at 10pm.

Last year I took a Bodhran lesson (traditional Irish drums).  It was very cool!  We sampled some mead, and Shepherd's Pie, yum!  I'm looking forward to doing all this and more this year.  

If you are a Facebook member or want to get email updates, it is easy to join up so that you'll get all the latest updates.  And they will let you know what's going on all year.  The Irish Fest Milwaukee organization is active all year round.  Check 'em out!

With a name like Fun Fest, it's gotta be fun, right?  In fact this festival has been going on for 30 years.  Even though I'm writing this late, there is still today to experience a little fun.  Today's schedule has a wide variety of music, starting with a polka mass, then bagpiper music, swing, and rock (IMt. Olive 5 to 9pm).  

Roasted chicken dinners start at noon - stop early because they sell out every year.  While you eat your chicken, there is a beer special  today only from noon to 2pm, tap beer is $1!

A new addition, a pong tournament (with water, not beer) will be played with 32 teams on 8 tables.  Maybe the parents can beat the college kids!  :)  Starts at 1pm.

If you bought raffle tickets, the winners will be drawn at 8pm tonight.  You need not be present to win.  My mom buys tickets for all of us each year, so I think this year, it's my turn to win.  I just feel it.

http://www.dmfunfest.com/30th.php

Every year my friend and I meet on opening day of the State Fair in front of the Giant Slide - without fail.  We've been doing this for probably ten years now.  We don't have to call each other to schedule, it's a standing engagement.  Once we meet up we go to the cheapest beer vendor there, get our beer, then go look for dinner and some good music to listen to.

Over the years we've watched the number of items of food you can get on a stick grow from a few to over a reported 40 items this year!  I decided I'd try to find as many of these food items as I could but I vowed to not eat any of them.  If I did that I would have been sick by the time I went to bed.  The first thing I saw was the new bacon on a stick.  It doesn't look too appetizing to me, but people were gobbling it up.  I also saw cherry pie on a stick, corn dogs, cheese on a stick, and my friend saw the little sausages on a stick.  Of course we also saw various ice creams on a stick.  We ran out of time so I will be going back to finish my quest.

Today while writing my blog I decided to look for a list - I'm sure there is one.  I found it!  Of course, it's on Wisconsin State Fair's website.

I noticed that there is a lot less advertising this year, or else I just wasn't paying attention.  I had no idea that Foreigner was playing last night, so it was nice to be able to see and hear them as I was walking back to my car.  I am disapointed that the Stone's Throw Winery is not there this year.  They had brought in some great musical entertainment for a few years in a row.  I really miss them.  There are new vendors this year too, and we had a great time with the robot guy that dances as he strolls through the park.  He is really funny!

Take a look at their website, they did beef up ways for you to get information, from facebook to twitter and text messages.  See you at the Fair!