Shepherd Express - November 2021

NOVEMBER 2021

IN THIS ISSUE: HOLIDAY ARTS GUIDE, HOLIDAY FOOD, & HOLIDAY GIFTS GUIDE

2021

nominees listed inside!

finalist voting nov. 4-Dec. 2

see pages 50-59

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NEWS 08 Freeway Blues - WisDOT’s Proposed I-94 Expansion Sounds Like Déjà Vu (All Over Again) 09 This Modern World 12 Republicans Want to Continue Their Corrupt Destruction of Democracy for 10 More Years — Taking Liberties 14 Partisan Justices Decide Redistricting?

— Issue of the Month 16 Val Lopez is a Healer and Mender of Hope — Hero of the Month 18 Black Public Historian Reggie Jackson — Off the Cuff

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FOOD & DRINK

24 Beaujolais-Villages and Cru Beaujolais — Beverages

26 Holiday Arts Guide 2021

BUSINESS MANAGER: Peggy Debnam (ext. 3832)

EVENT SALES COORDINATOR: Carrie Fisher (ext. 3823)

SALES MANAGER: Jackie Butzler (ext. 3814)

SPONSORED BY

42 No Muss, No Fuss Thanksgiving — Holiday Dining

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Chuck Hill (ext. 3822)

44 Holiday Gift Guide 2021

IN MEMORY OF DUSTI FERGUSON (OCTOBER 18, 1971 – NOVEMBER 20, 2007)

48 How Small Business Saturday Supports Milwaukee's Economy 50 Best of Milwaukee Finalists

CULTURE 60 Still a Milwaukeean - Paul Cebar Reflects on 45 Years of Music

WEBMASTER: Barry Houlehen (ext. 3807) WEB WRITER: Allen Halas (ext. 3803) STAFF WRITER & CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: Blaine Schultz (ext. 3813)

62 This Month in Milwaukee

LIFESTYLE 64 Restoring a Sense of Wonder and Mystery — Out of my Mind 66 Drug Use Under Covid Is Approaching Historic High, Alcohol Consumption Is Falling for College Students — Cannabis 68 Set Yourself Up for A Successful Renovation — Domicile

HEAR ME OUT

SPONSORED BY

70 Milwaukee: Should I Stay, or Should I Go? — Dear Ruthie 72 Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church Celebrates 50 Years — My LGBTQ POV

ART FOR ART'S SAKE

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MANAGING EDITOR: David Luhrssen (ext. 3804)

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Bridgette Ard (ext. 3811) Tyler R. Klein (ext. 3815)

SPECIAL SECTION

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GENERAL MANAGER: Kevin Gardner (ext. 3825)

EVENT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR: Casey Trotter (ext. 3816)

22 Birds: It's for the Stuffing — Flash in the Pan

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PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Louis Fortis (ext. 3802)

74 From the City that Always Sweeps

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Cover: Orange barrel photo by Virynja/Getty Images. Ramp photo by ake1150sb/Getty Images. Construction sign photo by Xtremest/Getty Images. Composition by Michael Burmesch. Illustrations by Sophie Yufa.

PUBLISHER'S LETTER

Courtesy, Fair Play and Decency Seem to be a Thing of the Past in Governing

T

here was a period just a couple of decades ago when the Wisconsin State Legislature was, in addition to being its usual political self, also civil and functioned with a sense of fair play. I distinctly remember in my first term in the Assembly, I made a procedural error with one of my bills that would have knocked it off course, at least for a few days and maybe for the rest of the term since there were only a couple of days left of floor debate.

This was a time when Tom Loftus was Democratic Assembly Speaker who eventually went on to be Ambassador to Norway and David Prosser who was Republican minority leader and who went on to be a State Supreme Court Justice. They were both very talented and successful in the political world. They also loved and respected the institutions of state government. So, when my error became clear, the proceedings stopped and there was a unanimous consent resolution which allowed the speaker to walk back the procedures on my bill and make the correct procedural move where I messed up. The bill got back on track, and it eventually passed. A majority of the Republicans voted against my bill, but they were gracious toward a first term legislator of the other party and allowed my bill to move forward to a final vote.

IT’S MORE THAN THE CONSTITUTION AND THE LAWS American democracies at all levels abide by their constitutions and laws, but there are also many unwritten customs and traditions that are necessary for democracies to flourish. The United Kingdom, for example, does not have a written constitution. They function very successfully with a combination of some laws and many unwritten customs and traditions. Healthy democracies flourish with a certain level of trust and belief in the bigger vision of protecting the wellbeing of the citizenry, providing for the everyone’s safety, and promoting a robust economy with an albeit imperfect system, representative democracy.

Unfortunately, those days are over in Wisconsin. Since the 2010 redistricting left Wisconsin with what a three-judge Federal Judicial Panel labeled “unconstitutionally gerrymander legislative districts,” the

Republican leadership set aside any sense of decorum and fair play and made everything into a bare-knuckle fight.

Unwritten customs and traditions that helped make Wisconsin’s legislature one of the top three in the country were tossed aside. It is now do whatever you can to win every issue in a scorched earth approach and not care how much it damages our democracy. The graciousness of the Republican leadership toward me and my mistake would not happen today.

At the end of a football game, the quarterbacks will often embrace, they might complement one another for a particular good play, and the losing team accepts the loss. That’s part of the custom and tradition in sports. We need some of that civility back in our political life.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR EVERYDAY POLITICAL ACTIVITY? In Wisconsin, the lack of fair play has been manifesting itself in many different areas. For example, when it comes to many executive positions such as cabinet secretaries, the Governor appoints, and the state senate is supposed to vet the candidates through background research and direct questioning and then either confirm the nomination or not. It should also be done in a timely manner so the positions are filled by a secretary or commissioner and not by an acting secretary or acting commissioner so the work of the state can robustly proceed.

If someone is an acting secretary, then they are not totally working for the administration and supporting the governor’s agenda because they have to be careful not to offend the majority leader of the state senate who can schedule a vote on the acting secretary’s confirmation and force the candidate out of their job. That happened a couple of years ago with Gov. Ever’s first Department of Agriculture selection.

Months into his position as Acting Secretary of Agriculture Brad Pfaff, a qualified and well-respected public servant, was lobbying for monies for mental health services for farmers who were seeing a spike in suicides. The senate majority leader didn’t like that and made it clear that Pfaff would not be confirmed so the governor pulled the appointment.

Was it illegal, no, but it was not what the framers intended? Does it violate the constitution’s separation of powers?

Probably. What there is no question about is that it violates one of the many unwritten rules that make the institutions function. There are many other examples like the chair of the Department of Natural Resources, a Walker appointee, who wouldn’t leave his position after his term expired. A 1964 State Supreme Court ruling said that a board member can stay in their position until their replacement is confirmed. Using this ruling not as the court intended, the Republican controlled state senate would not confirm any new appointees. Is it legal? Probably. Is it the way a democracy is intended to function?

Absolutely not.

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? These are just a couple of examples of efforts to undermine democracy which are small in comparison to the big lie where the clear loser in the presidential election won’t accept the vote count or participate in the peaceful transition of power even after over 60 court rulings made it clear that he lost. Now the Trump operatives are encouraging their followers to disrupt every unit of government especially school boards and even condo boards in their efforts to discredit democracy. This may sound trivial but when a few thousand of them are happening across the country, they begin to cause the average person to question whether democracy can still work.

In Germany and Italy in the 1930s, there were hundreds of examples of these type of aggressions against German and Italian democracy and its customs and traditions. In the how to be an autocrat handbook, all these efforts begin to set the stage for a system where the losers in upcoming elections can just refuse to accept the vote count and call the whole process rigged. So, when you read about these various actions by our state legislature, it’s more serious than it may look.

Louis Fortis Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

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NEWS

F

ail to learn from the past and you’re doomed to relive it, or so historians tell us. Regarding the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Milwaukee freeway system, much needed lessons have historically fallen on deaf ears and may continue to do so given the proposed round of freeway improvements.

Currently at issue are WisDOT plans to attempt once again to relieve congestion on the I-94 stretch between the Marquette and Zoo interchanges by expanding the 3.5-mile stretch running from 17th to 70th streets from six to eight lanes. The freeway, built in the 1960s, now far exceeds its original capacity of 115,000 vehicles per day with a crash rate two to three times the state average, WisDot says. New businesses that have grown around previous freeway improvements will only complicate the aging roadway’s future.

A memo from Gov. Tony Evers sent earlier this year paints a rosy picture of what sounds like a seamless transition to the new design. In his memo, Evers stresses that all development will occur within the existing right-of-way or on public land, without destroying freeway-adjacent homes or businesses in the process. Funds from the Federal Highway Administration will underwrite the estimated $1.1 billion in improvements.

Sound good, or at least better than past Milwaukee freeway projects that decimated entire neighborhoods? Maybe, but that’s not the end of the story. A subsequent Evers memo offering “corrections” to his original communique contained some significant changes, according to Mike Pyritz, spokesperson for WisDOTS’ southeast region.

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“The project will be a blend of federal and state funds, with federal dollars covering a large portion of the project cost,” Pyritz says. “That percentage depends on the way funds are allocated in future state budgets.”

The freeway’s current right-of-way, it turns out, will not be sufficient after all. Whether the repair work maintains the current six lanes or expands to eight lanes, cannibalizing nearby properties will be necessary. “At this time there are 14 homes and businesses that could be impacted,” Pyritz says. “Depending on the final design, it’s possible that number will be lowered.”

WisDOT plans to hold public hearings on the project later this year or early next year. For freeway watchers and community members, especially those in Milwaukee’s central city, this is an all too familiar refrain that focuses more on the transportation needs of suburban commuters than it does the health and wellbeing of freeway neighbors. Few, if any, are happy about it.

WILL PAST BE PROLOGUE? Milwaukee’s freeway history, like that of many U.S. cities, started in the wake of the post-World War II economic boom with the need to move growing numbers of cars more quickly through increasingly gridlocked surface streets. And like cities such as St. Paul, Detroit and New Orleans, Milwaukee’s concrete ribbons of highspeed pavement rode roughshod over the city’s neighborhoods of color, destroying and displacing entire communities so that the growing number of suburban commuters could reach their downtown offices more efficiently.

In the 1960s the combined construction of I-43 and the Park East freeways devastated Bronzeville, the historic center of Milwaukee’s Black community. A thriving residential and commercial district with retail stores, professional offices and theaters that hosted the likes of Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, Bronzeville was destroyed in favor of freeway access stretching to the city’s affluent North Shore suburbs.

The freeway construction appetite continued. The Zoo Interchange, part of the 1960s building frenzy, undertook a $1.7 billion upgrade in 2012 to improve its admittedly dangerous configuration. The effort sparked significant controversy when planners failed to consider other forms of transportation as part of the package.

The Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope and the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit in federal court against WisDOT, claiming the project would benefit white suburbanites with cars and discriminate against an inner-city community reliant on public transportation. The suit was settled in 2014, with WisDOT agreeing to pay $13.5 million toward public transit improvements.

The Inner-city Congregations emerged once again as a plaintiff in a 2017 suit filed in federal court to halt the initial effort to expand the I-94 stretch currently under consideration. Joining the suit was the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin filing behalf of fellow plaintiffs NAACP Milwaukee and the Sierra Club John Muir Chapter. The lawsuit followed in the footsteps of its 2014 predecessor, contending that the project’s impact analysis failed to consider racial, social and environmental concerns caused by the expansion.

Orange barrel photo by Virynja/Getty Images. Ramp photo by ake1150sb/Getty Images.

Construction sign photo by Xtremest/Getty Images. Composition by Michael Burmesch.

In October 2017, Judge J.P. Stadtmueller dismissed the case without prejudice, a legal term that allows for out-of-court settlements.

Given the history, it’s no wonder that Milwaukee’s Black community expects only the worst outcome from the current plan which, despite its best intentions, will bring with it continued social and environmental challenges for urban residents.

“This is yet again a mayoral move to accommodate spending and travel into downtown for folks outside the city, rather than investing in things the city needs and has needed for decades,” says community activist Vaun Mayes, head of Program the Parks MKE and Community Task Force MKE. “We still somehow find money to pay what will likely be predominantly white and outsider companies to come in and do that work, while people in the inner city sit jobless watching others work in our city. I sincerely hope the next mayor will truly get input from stakeholders, such as myself, before doing whatever they think is best for the city.”

ENVIRONMENTAL AS WELL AS SOCIAL ISSUES ARE AMONG THE KEY PROBLEMS OF THE WISDOT PLAN Multiple calls and emails seeking comment from other Black community leaders, including Common Council President Cavalier Johnson, County Supervisor and school board member Sequanna Taylor, and NAACP Milwaukee President Clarence Nicholas received no response.

‘ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE’ The disproportionate distribution of value characterized by WisDOT’s I-94 redevelopment plan, which favors suburban commuters’ transportation needs over those of central city residents, is only one aspect that plan critics find unacceptable.

Research shows that, in most cases, more traffic lanes lead to more traffic, increasing carbon emissions that further damage the health and wellbeing not only of area residents, but also the environment

itself. Given climate change’s increasing rapidity, the last thing anyone needs is more exhaust fumes in the air, according to a 43-page report by a consortium of environmental groups issued in response to WisDOT’s plan.

“Fix at Six: A Sustainable Alternative to Expanding I-94 in Milwaukee” was authored by transportation consultant Mark Stout at the request of environmental and social rights groups 1000 Friends of Wisconsin; the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin; Midwest Environmental Advocates; the Sierra Club-Wisconsin Chapter; Wisconsin Environment; and WISPIRG, the state chapter of the federation of Public Interest Research Groups. Released in September, the plan advocates for repairing the current six freeway lanes, but then spending the balance of budgeted funds on transportation alternatives that preserve the environment while better serving community needs, including health needs.

“Global warming is more acutely felt in urban areas with lots of concrete,” says Tony Wilkin Gibart, executive director of Midwest Environmental Advocates. “[WisDOT’s] plan is compounding harm done to communities of color and folks living in urban areas because of the way heat is trapped in urban geography.

“We also know increased traffic decreases air quality and is associated with severe health consequences in communities in and around freeways,” he adds. “The highway’s expansion will not benefit those communities, but encourage more traffic to move into and through the city, which is an environmental injustice to residents.

The current plan simply repeats the injustices of the past.”

The Fix at Six plan supports repairing existing roads and bridges as needed, but also includes adding a bus/rapid transit lines along National and Greenfield avenues, creating walkable and bikeable neighborhoods along the eastwest I-94 corridor, reducing the existing Stadium freeway to a boulevard, and maximizing other sustainable options, including creation of commuter rail lines to Milwaukee’s western suburbs and, eventually, to Madison.

“There has been strong opposition to the WisDOT plan since its inception in 2012,” says Gregg May, transportation policy director for 1000 Friends. “Particularly egre-

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NEWS

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gious is the $1.1 billion to add an additional lane in each direction. It’s a project that doesn’t offer any benefit to people who don’t or won’t drive. We could build a commuter rail system between Madison and Milwaukee for less money than that.”

Environmental as well as social issues are among the key problems of the WisDOT plan, agrees Saadie Ali, interim director of ACLU Wisconsin. According to the National Environmental Protection Act, WisDOT is obligated to fully assess all social impacts of their development plans, he adds.

“The interstate system is an infrastructural cornerstone in Milwaukee’s racial segregation,” Ali says. “A highway of this magnitude creates physical barriers that devastate minority neighborhoods. At the same time, it reifies the economic, social, and spatial mobility of wealthy white suburbanites.”

The Fix at Six plan takes a more holistic approach to transportation needs, Ali explains, calling for options available to all community members while evaluating the intersection between transportation and housing needs. Such evaluation can lead to more effective and equitable housing and zoning practices.

“I’ve seen estimates that roughly $250 million could be saved by bringing the size of the project down from eight to six lanes,” Ali adds. “Reinvesting that quarter of a billion dollars back into bus, biking, and housing infrastructure would be a huge win on its own.”

ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM? More equitable distribution of assets also would go a long way to reduce “environmental racism,” a part of environmental injustice that has been exacerbated largely by freeway site selection and the general destruction of communities of color across the U.S., Gibart explains.

“The state has a choice about which path to follow and whether it will continue down the path of past environmental inputs that are burdensome to communities of color,” Gibart says. “For a city like Milwaukee that’s historically been highly segregated, the plan would make it possible for community members to move more easily about the city. In the process, the community’s cohesion would improve, leading to a more diverse, communicative and equitable community.”

“These kinds of projects are meant to last for generations and we’re in the position now to build a more just economic and equitable future for Milwaukee and for Wisconsin,” he adds.

Reggie Jackson, former lead griot for America’s Black Holocaust Museum and co-owner and lead trainer for the newly minted consulting firm Nurturing Partners, agrees.

“We all need to become better listeners,” Jackson says. “Elected officials need to stop telling people what they are going to do and rather ask them what they should do. A collaborative approach will get the project done more quickly and with better results. I am hoping things will be different this time.”

Michael Muckian was the banking and finance writer for the Milwaukee Business Journal and is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Financing and Accounting and The One-Day MBA in Finance and Accounting.

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NEWS TAKING LIBERTIES

Photo by benkrut/Getty Images.

Ten years later, raucous tea party rallies waving racist slogans and caricatures of Obama as an African witch doctor have grown into lawless mob violence against American democracy itself.

An unethical TV celebrity seized the dark undercurrent of racial hatred in the Republican Party to win election as the first openly white supremacist president in modern history.

MOB VIOLENCE Donald Trump’s single term began with mob violence by notorious Klansmen and neo-Nazi supporters in the streets of Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. It ended with another violent mob attack Jan. 6 on the U.S. Capitol bludgeoning police senseless and threatening to murder members of Congress and Trump’s own vice president.

After those deadly riots, Trump praised supporters who participated as “very fine people” and “very special.”

Republicans Want to Continue Their Corrupt Destruction of Democracy for 10 More Years

BY JOEL MCNALLY

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t’s no surprise Republican legislators want to perpetuate for 10 more years the corruptly gerrymandered legislative and congressional Wisconsin voting districts they created a decade ago, but it’s absurd.

The governor and the legislature are required by law to draw new voting districts every 10 years to reflect population changes after every census. And population’s not all that’s changed dramatically in state and national politics over the past decade.

The racist tea party election of 2010, an anti-government white backlash to the 2008 election of Barack Obama, America’s first African American president, elected extreme rightwing Republicans in Wisconsin and many other states. Wisconsin’s reputation as politically progressive was transformed overnight with the election of Scott Walker as governor and Ron Johnson as U.S. Senator.

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The largest voter turnout in history defeated Trump after four years, but Republicans continue passing voter suppression laws and gerrymandering elections to disenfranchise voters in 2021 just as they did in 2011.

Gerrymandering requires “packing and cracking”—packing Democrats into the fewest possible voting districts while scattering others into so many different districts they will always remain a powerless minority. Sophisticated computer algorithms can draw voting maps producing lopsided majorities for Republicans even when more votes are cast for Democrats.

In 2011, Walker and Republicans had total control of redistricting to shamelessly destroy representative democracy in Wisconsin.

Three federal appeals court judges ruled Republicans unconstitutionally violated voting rights by gerrymandering boundaries to assure Republicans would retain a majority of 54 seats in the 99-seat Assembly even if they won only 48% of the vote.

HOW LOSERS ‘WIN’ ELECTIONS That actually underestimated the Republican corruption. The disputed maps were used in 2012 while Republicans appealed and ultimately prevailed. As predicted, Republicans won only 48% of the vote but it resulted in Republicans winning 60 Assembly seats. Despite winning more Assembly votes, Democrats won only 39 seats.

Even during the disastrous 2018 midterms for Republicans when Democrats won every statewide election led by Gov. Tony Evers’s defeat of Walker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s re-election, the Democratic sweep did nothing to reduce what had grown into a 63-seat Republican Assembly majority. Demographic experts estimate Democrats would have to defeat Republicans by 10 or 12 percentage points statewide to have any chance of winning an Assembly majority. That’s not how democracy is supposed to work.

Wisconsin Republicans are trying to pretend they’re not the minority party that lost the last two statewide elections. It’s long past time to replace a dishonest voting map created 10 years ago that never truthfully reflected the choices of Wisconsin voters

for the legislature or Congress. The only thing worse than 10 years of corrupt Republican gerrymandering would be 20 years of corrupt Republican gerrymandering until 2031.

Fortunately, Walker’s now gone. Evers can veto corrupt Republican gerrymandering that renders the choices of Democratic voters meaningless. Evers already has vetoed a barrage of new voting restrictions by Republicans desperate to join their party’s national free-for-all assault to destroy voting rights and American democracy. “I’ve learned to play goalie in this job,” Evers told the New York Times.

WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO PRETEND THEY’RE NOT THE MINORITY PARTY THAT LOST THE LAST TWO STATEWIDE ELECTIONS.

erts eagerly joined by Trump appointees Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh ruled federal courts should play no role in outlawing corrupt gerrymandering. “The fact that such gerrymandering is ‘incompatible with democratic principles’ does not mean the solution lies with the federal judiciary,” Roberts wrote.

Get that? Corrupt gerrymandering violates the principles of democracy, but federal courts shouldn’t do anything about it.

State Republicans are already trying to block federal lawsuits on redistricting and refer political disputes to the partisan Wisconsin Supreme Court, which almost always backs the Republican legislature against Evers. Even if cases remain in the federal courts, Trump and Mitch McConnell’s Republican Senate rushed confirmation of nearly 250 federal judges, many woefully unqualified.

The dangerous new Trumpian majority on the Supreme Court is growing more ominous every day. After watching Trump’s destruction of the Republican Party, no one in America should ever take democracy’s survival for granted.

CORRUPTION IS LEGAL? Unfortunately, what happens next in a standoff between Evers and the legislature isn’t clear. Trump’s perversion of the Supreme Court was obvious in 2019 when Chief Justice John Rob-

Joel McNally was a critic and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal for 27 years. He has written the weekly Taking Liberties column for the Shepherd Express since 1996.

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NEWS ISSUE OF THE MONTH

REDISTRICTING HAS BECOME A FRONT BURNER ISSUE AND A NUMBER OF SMART PEOPLE ARE BECOMING REDISTRICTING EXPERTS, BUT THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL WHO HAVE BEEN A LEGISLATIVE LEADER AND ACTUALLY MANEUVERED EITHER THE STATE ASSEMBLY OR SENATE THROUGH THE REDISTRICTING PROCESS. WE WENT TO ONE OF THE SMARTEST, FORMER STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK CHVALA, WHO IS CURRENTLY A PRACTICING ATTORNEY AND BUSINESSMAN.

Partisan Justices Decide Redistricting?

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veryone understands why Republicans and Democrats in safe, heavily Republican and Democratic districts respond largely to the most extreme elements of their partisan bases. This ensures that they are not defeated in a primary, which is their only chance of losing an election. In a hyper-partisan gerrymander, these tendencies are exacerbated dramatically, and overwhelming partisan majorities are created in a large percentage of individual districts. Remember, Republicans in Wisconsin are trying to pack as many Democrats into the fewest seats possible while packing a comfortable majority in as many Republican seats as possible.

Left out of the equation are moderates of both parties, independents and swing voters who generally want middle-of-theroad policies.

The hyper-partisan gerrymander pushes legislators on both sides to the extremes and disincentivizes institutional leaders to reach bipartisan agreement or to moderate the views of their own members, even if they craft policies without the other party’s involvement.

Wisconsin has the worst partisan political gerrymander of its legislative districts of any state in the U.S. according to numerous national political analysts. We are a 50-50 state in terms of partisan vote in statewide elections. Yet Republicans hold more than 60% of legislative seats in both the state senate and assembly.

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BY CHUCK CHVALA Normally, in a 50-50 state such as Wisconsin, maps are fairly drawn with enough seats at stake that partisan majorities are at risk in every election.

In that situation, legislative leaders and other institutional leaders are strongly incentivized to be more moderate to win elections in those swing districts.

If you wonder whether this moderation is needed, look at the groundless questions in Wisconsin and nationally regarding whether the election of 2020 was legitimate. These questions, and even investigations, are not just raised by some goofy crackpot but by leaders in both the Wisconsin legislature and Congress.

WHY WE SHOULD CARE? Let’s cut to the chase. Fair and balanced maps force politicians to respond to the will of the people, not the fringe elements of political parties. Redistricting will determine whether there is even a chance to make historic investments in K-12 education, property tax reduction, healthcare expansion, health insurance premium reduction and rebuilding our transportation infrastructure.

WHO WILL DECIDE WISCONSIN’S LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT MAPS? The final decision on Wisconsin legislative maps will be made by either the Wisconsin Supreme Court or a three-judge federal panel which has already been appointed.

For the past 60 years, a three-judge federal panel has made these decisions in Wisconsin when a redistricting map was not adopted by the legislature and signed by the governor. A decision by the federal panel this time would seem even more likely given the past statements of Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Zeigler and Justice Roggensack on Wisconsin Supreme Court's involvement in redistricting prior to 2010.

See this link to the Zeigler and Roggensack comments as the court, meeting in its administrative capacity, considered rules for the 2010 redistricting. (https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/ fajaCJ67MYfNokZCVNH9o/) and (https:// wiseye.org/2009/01/22/supreme-courtopen-administrative-conference-3/).

You can see that both justices including the current chief justice were vigorously opposed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court involvement in this process.

Fast-forward to 2021. The federal threejudge panel set a trial date to decide the Wisconsin redistricting case. The next day, conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court decided to take the case. The federal three-judge panel quickly deferred to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and set in place an alternative schedule that would move forward only if the Wisconsin Supreme Court failed to move expeditiously to resolve this case.

PARTISAN GERRYMANDER BY WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT? Many attorneys and political analysts following the redistricting process are deeply concerned about a partisan gerrymander by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Conservative justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court have had their campaigns run by Republican political operatives for many years. Progressive Supreme Court justices have had Democratic operatives running their campaigns. These nonpartisan Supreme Court elections were Constitutionally designed to eliminate partisan decision-making by the court.

Given the hyper-partisanship of Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, many observers strongly believe it is not possible for the court to make an independent and unbiased decision in this quintessentially partisan case. Recently, a conservative justice literally ran his campaign out of the Republican Party headquarters in Madison.

IS THERE ANY HOPE? First, there is a long-shot chance that former Chief Justice Roggensack may want to leave a legacy of enhancing the court’s independence by either (1) adopting a fair and balanced map for the legislative districts, or (2) writing an opinion deferring to the federal three-judge panel, who have lifetime appointments, and who, unlike the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, do not face an election dependent upon partisan campaign advisors and contributors.

The few observers raising this potential outcome recognize it is a very slim chance.

More thoughtful analysts point to a much stronger possibility, citing the independence which conservative Justice Hagedorn has shown occasionally in cases decided by the court.

Justice Hagedorn could use this opportunity to further establish himself as the intellectual heavyweight and pivotal decision-maker in a Supreme Court which is in danger of being perceived as an enforcement arm of the Republican Party.

Justice Hagedorn could craft a decision which gives both parties an opportunity to win the senate or the assembly.

One path Justice Hagedorn, who is a constitutional textualist, could go down is by relying on Article 4, Section 3 of the Wisconsin Constitution, which requires the legislature to “apportion and district anew.” Justice Hagedorn should be loath to adopt the Republican legislature’s proposed map that seeks minimal change from the currently gerrymandered map given this Constitutional provision.

Not only would a balanced map burnish Justice Hagedorn’s reputation, it would also restore the credibility and independence of the court. Unfortunately, he faces enormous pressure, including pressure from partisan politicians and large corporate donors. If Justice Hagedorn delivers a fair and balanced map for the Wisconsin senate and assembly, it will be a fearless decision in defense of the independence of the Wisconsin judiciary.

Our ability as Wisconsin voters to impact the future of public policy in our state in this hyper-partisan environment depends upon at least one profile in courage.

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NEWS HERO OF THE MONTH

Val Lopez is a Healer and Mender of Hope

BY ERIN BLOODGOOD

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al Lopez has always been one to take care of others and now as an occupational therapist at the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute, she truly puts her heart into her work. Lopez helps people who have mental health problems, disabilities, and other impairments participate in their communities by teaching them rehabilitation exercises, job readiness and other everyday life skills. Building a trusted connection with her patients and making them feel safe is her first step in finding a path for healing.

For many people, the story of how they found their way to their professional career starts with their schooling, but Lopez’s story starts with her

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mother. A strong loving woman who raised eight children on her own, her mother taught her children the importance of treating others with respect and dignity. Lopez took her mother’s lessons to heart and from a young age, she found a passion in caring for others.

The oldest of her eight siblings, Lopez chose to push back her college education and instead work full time to help her mother support the family. Later she got married and had two children and when her daughter was two years old, she started her part-time college career while continuing to work a full-time job.

Photo by Erin Bloodgood.

LOVE AND PRIDE So much of Lopez’s devotion to bettering others’ health comes from the love and pride that her mother showed her. “I want to make [my mother] proud and my kids proud and I know that I am. I get my strength and my courage from her to be able to speak my truth and help others heal, the way I healed throughout the years,” she says.

Through much of her life, Lopez has struggled with depression and personally understands how mental health can impair people’s everyday lives. This experience led her to the field of occupational therapy and the unique approach HIR Wellness takes to healing mental health and intergenerational trauma.

At HIR Wellness Institute, Lopez works with Black, Indigenous and people of color who suffer from trauma that occurred through generations of oppression—a critical part of mental health that is often ignored in today’s mental health field. Lea S. Denny, the founder and CEO, developed a model for healing this intergenerational trauma called the Circle of Care. The patients at the wellness institute, or relatives as they are called, have the option of seeing multiple therapeutic specialists: an occupational therapist, a counselor (like Xavier Smart who we featured last month), and a trauma specialist.

Because HIR Wellness offers care for free, they don’t have to adhere to the restrictions that insurance companies enforce, like making it too expensive to see multiple specialists. Instead, they can offer an integrated medicine approach that meets the needs of the people they are serving. Denny developed this model in response to how Indigenous communities heal—often in a communal way and with caregivers of different specialties.

Lopez is one part of that circle, bringing her compassion and dedication to the healing spaces. She describes her role in the Circle of Care: “a mender of hope, dignity and function who helps people reach their utmost potential through methods as dynamic as they are. Occupational therapists help the person be their best self so they can participate in activities that are important and meaningful to them.” It’s clear Lopez is making a significant impact on many people’s lives and helping them heal. “That’s what my purpose in life is.”

Learn more about HIR Wellness Institute at www.hirwellness.org.

Erin Bloodgood is a Milwaukee photographer and storyteller. See more of her work on her website at www.bloodgoodfoto.com.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 17

NEWS OFF THE CUFF

Black Public Historian Reggie Jackson “IT TOOK A LONG TIME TO BREAK MILWAUKEE AND IT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME TO FIX MILWAUKEE”

BY TOM JENZ

R

eggie Jackson calls himself a “public historian.” In his lectures, radio and television appearances, he educates his audiences on Black history and how American policy and social structure has often failed African Americans. He comes across soft-spoken but certain like a favorite teacher.

You’ve become Milwaukee’s resident intellectual on civil rights and diversity. You’re a writer, speaker, and consultant. You appear in print, on radio and television. How did you end up in this position? Tell me about your history.

I was born in 1965 in a segregated hospital in Charleston, Mississippi on the northern edge of the Mississippi Delta. In 1973 when I was eight, my family moved to Milwaukee for the good jobs. I was a very quiet kid but curious. My favorite books were the Curious George series and the encyclopedia. I’d go to people’s houses not to play with their children but to read their books. We lived on 18th and Meinecke and then we moved to 14th and Ring. the central city, almost all Black residents. I attended Parkman Middle School and then Milwaukee Tech on the

18 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Photo by Tom Jenz.

South Side—took the city bus to get there every day. At Tech, I made white friends, but those friendships ended with the school day, and I went back to my Black neighborhood the north side. I graduated from Tech in 1983.

What did you do after college high school?

I spent six years in the Navy as an electrician. After the Navy, I wanted to be a history teacher. In 1993, I moved back to Milwaukee and went to UWM, but I was also working as an electrician, doing 12 hour shifts and going to college full time.

I burned myself out and quit college. I got involved with the Black Holocaust Museum and the director, Dr. James Cameron, who later became kind of a mentor and father figure to me.

In 2002, I became a griot, giving tours.

In 2005, I joined the museum’s board of directors. After Dr. Cameron died, I became the board president, but in 2008 we had to close the museum for lack of funds. I went back to college at Concordia University and got my degree in Business. In 2009, I was hired at MPS as a special education teacher, and I taught for eight years.

Meanwhile, you got into a private business, Jackson-Kaplan Consulting.

Your firm does business as Nurturing Diversity Partners.

Yes, that was 2017. At Nurturing Diversity Partners, we focus on diversity, equity inclusion, consulting and training. We’ve done work with Milwaukee Public Schools, Shorewood Schools, Wauwatosa Schools and Greendale Schools, many faith-based organizations, also Milwaukee County and Wauwatosa city employees. We travel the state and have done work in 50 different communities and in 20 different states.

Our goal has been to go to the whiter areas and talk about race and racism.

We’ve found that white people want to have these conversations and work on the issues. We talk about American history including the Black experience, slavery, Jim Crow segregation and the ugly parts of history seldom taught in schools.

We do interactive workshops, work on empathy building, on what people can do as individuals to deal with prejudice and racism. We have 22 facilitators that work with us.

In 2015, the Sherman Park police killing of Sylville Smith sparked days of unrest and destruction. That incident prompted you to begin your writing career.

I had been doing public speaking, but I wrote my first article for the Milwaukee Independent. It was called, Evidence of Things Unknown, and the article went viral. After that I did interviews with local, national and international media. That gave me a platform to speak about the history of segregation in Milwaukee, mainly a lecture series I call the Hidden Impact of Segregation. I’ve given that talk probably 150 times. The redlining map in 1938 and racially restrictive covenants in the suburbs are part of what I share.

Blacks were even kept out of some Milwaukee neighborhoods.

In 1930, Milwaukee had 7,500 Black citizens, 8,800 in 1940, 21,000 in 1950, 62,000 in 1960, and 105,000 in 1970. They came as part of the Black migration to the north for the good manufacturing jobs, A.O Smith, Allis Chalmers, Briggs & Stratton, and the beer companies.

Right now, Milwaukee has about 40% Black population.

When the manufacturing jobs left for Mexico and other parts of the world, that left many of Milwaukee’s segregated Blacks without work.

In 1970, Blacks in Milwaukee had one of the best standards of living of any city in America. Thirty years later, it was one of the worst for Black people to live. This is all part of my lecture series.

Your knowledge of Black history is impressive. If you could simplify the plight of Black citizens through American history, how would you do that?

The first Black Africans were brought to the British colonies in Jamestown in 1619. There were no slave laws until 1664 in Massachusetts, then later in all 13 colonies. By the late 1780s when the Constitution was written, there were about 700,000 Blacks enslaved in America.

Over the course of the 246 years, about 10 million Blacks lived in enslavement. In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but there were still four states who kept slavery. The 13th amendment in 1865 ended slavery except as punishment for a crime—as an example,

for loitering. You and I could have been sitting here, and I could be arrested for loitering because I am Black.

What was ordinary life like for Blacks throughout history?

The worst time was the 90 years between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Blacks were second class citizens and treated horribly especially in the South. Lynchings, vigilante justice, suppression of voting rights, dozens of anti-Black race riots.

The military services were segregated all the way through World War II, I believe until 1948.

My ancestors served in segregated units.

All this historic inequality made Blacks unable to make their way economically.

They were left out of the good jobs and left out of a good education. Some wanted to become homeowners, but the federal government created redlining maps that said if you live in a certain neighborhood, you can’t get a home or business loan. Milwaukee and other cities had restrictive covenants stating that Blacks are not allowed to live in certain subdivisions and neighborhoods.

We thought we had citizenship rights but in many cases we weren’t allowed to use those.

Jazz is America’s classical music and has been mostly created by Black musicians and composers, the addictive rhythms and improvisations combined with European chord structures. White people loved watching and listening to the great Black jazz players, but when the Black musicians traveled, they couldn’t even stay in most hotels.

When Black musicians performed in Milwaukee, they had to stay in the homes of Black families. Hotels wouldn’t allow them.

Let’s talk about today’s world. In Milwaukee, most Blacks are still geographically segregated. You are quite opinionated when it comes to the current issues Blacks are dealing with. Can you explain your position?

The Black condition in the Milwaukee community is not good. What has caused this? The biggest factor is systemic racism.

Fifty years ago, Blacks were doing well because of the family-supporting wage

NOVEMBER 2021 | 19

NEWS OFF THE CUFF

jobs. In 1970, over 50% of Black men worked the industrial jobs in Milwaukee.

When the jobs went away, no political leaders or companies did anything to replace those high-quality jobs. People began losing their homes. In 1970, the poverty rate among Blacks was 22% below the national average for Blacks. Today, it’s 38% above. In the last 50 years, there was little investment in our community, and our elected officials and business leaders haven’t done much to help.

Hard to believe this decline actually happened to thriving Milwaukee.

Tom, you’ve been on the streets. You’ve seen what happened to the central city infrastructure. You’ve talked about this issue in what you’ve written. You and I walked a part of the deteriorating 27th Street a while back. We saw the broken streets, the empty buildings, the criminal element. You talked about how these conditions would never be allowed in a white community.

Any city that loses high quality jobs, then everything falls apart, the same as in Detroit, Baltimore and Milwaukee.

Starting in the late 1980s, the central city’s economy kind of went underground.

Drugs entered the community. Gangs from Chicago came here. Everything got real bad. In 1991, we had the highest number of murders in our city’s history prior to last year. Black people have been struggling to have access to the American dream. If you walk out your front door and see poverty or crime, you don’t feel good. You lose faith in your leaders.

If you can get a job, are you gonna work for 10 bucks an hour at Popeyes or are you gonna deal drugs and make more money for your family who may not have a dad?

Many Blacks are still working but at low paying jobs: Walmart, Burger King, McDonalds. Some even have two jobs to make ends meet. Used to be the main breadwinner was the husband in a traditional family, but now a lot of women are heads of households. If you’re a man and you don’t have a good job, you might resort to criminal activity to take care of your family. The sad part is a lot of capable Black people have left the city and will never come back. They say there is too much trauma. They say the Milwaukee Public Schools are ineffective.

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Let’s focus on the controversies with the police. The biggest issue regarding police controversy happens in the Black areas of Milwaukee. On one side, Police Chief Norman and the beat cops tell me they are trying to institute communitybased policing, more interactions with residents, better listening skills.

On the other side, Black inner city street leaders and residents are trying to get the word out as to what life is really like for Black citizens, the dangers. Those residents do not want the crimes and violence in their neighborhoods. They would like police protection, but the irony is they don’t trust the police and will rarely agree to be a witness in a crime incident. It’s kind of a paradox. You want police protection and you don’t. Currently, there has been a 38% increase from last year in overall crimes committed in Milwaukee. What are your thoughts?

The lack of trust in the police comes from a history of police behavior. How can you trust the police when you’ve seen how they don’t protect your community like they do in white communities. A Black person might say to a cop, “You want me to be a snitch about a crime I witnessed when you won’t snitch on your fellow cop who gets out of line?” All of us Black people want the same level of protection as in the white communities, but we know they don’t treat us the same. It is now well known that Blacks are pulled over at a much higher rate than whites. For years, young Black men have felt like they have a target on their backs. This type of policing aggravates the Black community.

I think that’s changing. I’ve witnessed arrests where the cops are behaving fairly to suspects, asking questions, listening.

I’ve seen that, too. Chief Norman is trying to build trust, not the ‘us against them’ style of policing.

Chief Norman now tells his police force that even if suspects or onlookers are acting hateful, cops still have to stay calm and listen.

What I learned as a teacher is you get respect by giving respect. If you’re a cop who gets cursed at, you shouldn’t take it personally. Policing is a tough job because you are dealing with people in stressful circumstances. Emotions run high and anger can erupt.

A majority of whites have supported Black Lives Matter issues, posting yard signs, wearing T shirts, shouting slogans, even marching in protests.

But currently, whites seem to have retreated into their walled-off communities. The noted Milwaukee Black journalist, James Causey, told me, “Black people are exhausted talking about what racism has done to our lives. It’s really up to white people to not want to be racist anymore.” Do you agree with this?

I do agree with James. He and I have talked about this. Last year, I wrote a piece aimed at whites, “It’s great that you are woke, but will you get out of bed and do something?” A white person who supports Black Lives Matter has to be an active anti-racist. It can be a challenge because maybe some of your friends and neighbors don’t agree with you. Look, America’s always been divided, but the division we see now because the George Floyd incident brought many whites out of the woodwork who support racial justice.

The division I see is white people who actively support racial justice issues and those who want to maintain the status quo.

And there is so much misinformation delivered on social media, which only foments the racial divide.

Racism was created by white people, and they are the ones who should fix it in all walks of life: business, social, government and faith. People of color are still in the same camp. We just need whites to cross over into our camp.

If you are white, it could be as simple as getting to know one person of color. Joining a mixed ethnic organization, charity or church.

Or going to the park and talking to someone foreign to you.

Absolutely. These are the things I teach when I talk to white communities. They might say, ‘Reggie, there are no Blacks in our community.’ I respond that you still can learn about the Black culture without living in that culture. Books and memoirs written

by Black authors. Movies and TV shows about Black culture. The irony is that we are bombarded about white culture all the time. I say to whites that you can bombard yourself with information about Black culture. It’s hard to hate an entire race of people when you see a person of that race as a friend of yours.

What is your position on reparations for Black people? If you support that concept, how would it work in practice in Milwaukee?

I am absolutely in favor of reparations.

The root word of reparations is repair, repairing damage that’s been done. To simplify, if you broke it, you need to fix it. For 246 years, America had enslaved millions of Black people, forced them to work for free and never compensated them after they were freed. A big part of reparations is financial restitution. For example, the Japanese interned in World War II camps were given $20,000 each in the 1980s. For Native Americans whose treaties were broken, they were given reparations eventually.

It’s more like righting the wrongs done to Blacks over many generations.

Yes. You whites have kept Black people in a lower position, and I believe you have to repair that. And it’s not just giving every Black citizen a check. America needs to invest in creating the same opportunities that whites take for granted. The G.I. bill, social security, Federal home loans, many Blacks were left out of these benefits.

What do you see in the future for overcoming racism? Are you hopeful?

As a result of all the unrest last summer, I think America is in a much better place in race relations. More people are wanting change. But woke people are starting to realize how hard it is to change. It’s like turning around a battleship.

I’m a realist. When I see that our suburban schools are starting to teach true history about Blacks, that’s a good thing. I think people are willing to do more things they might have been scared to do a generation ago. I also like that people of color are making their voices heard. It took a long time to break Milwaukee, and it will take a long time to fix Milwaukee. We need more leadership at all levels, private and public, who don’t just use words but practice deeds. In other words, stop talking and start acting. I always compare Milwaukee to being a human. If the Black central city community is the city’s heart, the city will be unhealthy. A bad heart will impact other organs in the body.

Let’s repair the heart, and everybody in Milwaukee will benefit.

But how would reparations work for Blacks in Milwaukee?

You once wrote, “How do we Americans of all color look at ourselves honestly?”

As a Black person, if your ancestors were slaves, you are eligible for reparations.

Even more, it’s about creating programs to invest in people of color on the local, state, and federal government levels.

The paradox is that creating these types of programs would appear to be discriminating against white people under current laws.

There is a mythology about America as this perfect place. We should not embrace that mythology. Too many people want to hold onto that mythology of the founding fathers that all men are created equal. Ask women, ask Blacks, ask Native Americans or Latinos if that is true. We all just need to admit to ourselves that we can do better as a country.

If you are a Native American living on a reservation, you are entitled to a free college education. Shouldn’t that work for Blacks?

I want America to be like a mixed salad, ingredients separate but mixed together. We embrace diversity in our food, Italian, Greek, French, Chinese, soul food. Let’s embrace diversity when it comes to people.

It could work. Free access to college.

Access to secondary education from the building trades to liberal arts.

Apprenticeship programs for Blacks in white-owned businesses that might be located in the suburbs or white cities.

Reparations might also include investing money in fixing up the vacant buildings and houses in the central city. The City of Milwaukee owns thousands of foreclosed properties and they just sit there. Why doesn’t the city train and hire Black workers to repair these properties?

Tom Jenz is a Milwaukee writer and photographer. For his Central City Stories column, visit shepherdexpress.com.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 21

FOOD & DRINK FLASH IN THE PAN

Birds: It’s for the Stuffing

BY ARI LEVAUX

T

hanksgiving, as we observe it today, doesn’t have much in common with the original feast of 1621.

The temperature of the vibe between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag was above comfort level at the dinner table, with some participants arriving ready to rumble. Come to think of it, maybe today’s Thanksgiving table hasn’t strayed too far, being notable for bringing together people from warring political tribes to break bread together, with notoriously mixed results.

There was no pumpkin pie, because butter and flour were unheard of or sorely missed, depending on ones’ affiliation, but wild fowl was likely on the menu, which leads me, among others, to conclude there was stuffing. Historians point to their evidence, while I point to the simple fact that both Pilgrims and Indians are human beings, and human beings know how to cook. And cooks don’t let an empty body cavity go unstuffed, especially during a three-day feast.

Unfortunately, we seem to take this for granted in today’s America, where we think nothing of passing around side dishes filled with savory bread pudding called “stuffing” that has never seen the inside of a bird. That’s the fight I’ll pick this year.

experimentations, I decided it would be a good idea to stage a clambake inside a bird. To make it taste more like stuffing, I add breadcrumbs, herbs, lemon and aromatic veggies: onions, carrots and celery.

This recipe depends on a diversity of quality seafood. It’s good to have at least one with the shell on, like clams or mussels, because that makes it seem more like a real clambake. Scallops and shrimp work great too. I must have a jar of oysters, like you can get at the seafood counter of many stores. And I really like imitation crab, like what you get in a California roll.

It soaks up the juices like a thirsty sponge.

Chickens, ducks and turkeys all work fantastic. Rabbit tastes like chicken, so that should work too. But whatever bird you are able to stuff, large or small, you might find yourself with more stuffing than you can possibly cram into your bird.

The easiest thing to do is to stuff it around the bird, along with the potatoes, and let it melt in the pan juices. Although not literally stuffed, it sucks up enough of the juices to potentially rule out gravy and tastes like all the flavor and fat it absorbs.

Another option for too much stuffing: pull the skin away from the bird and stuff it on

Technically, this never stuffed material is “dressing,” not “stuffing.” The reason this distinction is important is because the stuff that comes out of the bird is so much better than the side pan, even if the same went into both vessels. The juices from a baked bird impart an unmistakable, irreplaceable joy to the stuffing.

22 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

And finally, we can do the almost unthinkable: bake that excess stuffing in a side pan. Put it in a pan as if you are making a dish of dressing. Put a bunch of chicken wings on top and cook it until they melt into the dressing. And just like that, after all of my huffing and puffing, I have figured out a way to make it taste like stuffing.

But my favorite part of this fishy bird dish is the clam juice brine. You’ve probably heard of clam juice as a mixer, adding deep umami notes from earth and sea to your Bloody Mary. And we can thank James Beard for nationalizing the idea that you should brine a chicken before baking it, because the salt gets in the meat, and salty meat absorbs more water than non-salty meat, so it stays moist.

My salty clam brine combines the two concepts and brings them deep into the meat. It flavors the stuffing via the fat and adds delicious authenticity to the feast.

It may not dissolve the animosity at the table, but perhaps it will at least help keep everyone’s mouths too stuffed with food to talk. And that, my friends, is the true point of Thanksgiving.

THE RIGHT STUFFING Since chicken tastes good with lemon, and seafood tastes good with lemon, I add a lot of lemon.

On the east coast, the local diet was heavy on seafood like clams, scallops, seaweed, oysters, mussels, eels and fish. I grew up in coastal Massachusetts, where we would sometimes dig a hole in the beach and fill it with ingredients like those above, and hot rocks, and have a clambake.

Somewhere along the way, in my Thanksgiving ruminations and

up between the skin and bird. If basted properly, this layer of stuffing can help keep the bird moist. The skin might split, especially if you cram shells up there, but the crusted stuffing becomes a new skin, absorbing as many bastings as you care to pour.

Photo by Ari LeVaux.

Some clam juice is salty, some isn’t.

Sometimes the salty ones don’t mention salt in the ingredients, but it will show up in the RDA values for sodium. I’ve seen it with zero grams, 40 grams and 100 grams of added sodium, with different bottle sizes.

So, the salt can be a little tricky. Taste your clam juice, and if it’s really salty, reduce the added salt by a teaspoon or two.

Illustrations by Mellok/Getty Images.

Serves 6 • 1 4 pound bird • 1 10-oz bottle clam juice • 6 teaspoon salt • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 cups minced onion • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 cup chopped celery • 1 cup chopped carrots • 1 apple, red or green, chopped • 1 teaspoon black pepper • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage • 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary • 2 pounds seafood (for example; 1 pound mussels or clams on the shell, 1 10-oz tub of oysters and the juice, 6 ounces scallops, 6-oz imitation crab) • ½ cup white wine • 1 cup crouton-sized breadcrumbs • 3 lemons, cut into quarters • 4 potatoes, cut into quarters, to surround the bird Rinse the bird, take out any giblets stashed in the cavity, and brine the bird in the clam juice with the salt and two cups of water.

Push down on the bird hard, so the body cavity fills with brine. Turn it occasionally and marinate for at least four hours in the fridge.

Rinse the bird, pat it dry, and put it in a roasting pan. Add the oil to a fry pan and sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and apple with the black pepper, thyme, rosemary and sage on medium heat. After 10 minutes, add the seafood, wine and lemon juice and squeezed lemons, and cook a few minutes longer, but don’t try to cook all the seafood. Add the breadcrumbs, stir it all together and stuff it into the bird. Place the potatoes around the bird, along with extra stuffing if you go that route.

Cover with foil and place in the oven preheated to 350.

After 90 minutes remove the foil. The skin of an extrastuffed bird will have receded like the tide, leaving a bunch of mussels clinging to the bird like it’s a beach rock. The stuffing on top, including the seafood, will hold the baste like a sponge. Turn the oven down to 300. Baste every 15 minutes until done. After about an hour, use a meat thermometer to make sure the bird’s internal temp is at least 165. Rest, serve and eat.

Ari LeVaux has written about food for The Atlantic Online, Outside Online and Alternet.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 23

FOOD & DRINK BEVERAGES

Beaujolais-Villages and Cru Beaujolais

CHIROUBLES

BY GAETANO MARANGELLI

Thanksgiving dinner is culinary chaos.

Turkey, Tofurky, or possibly ham, served with dishes of stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes or yams, Brussels sprouts, mashed or baked Idaho, Russet, or Yukon Gold potatoes, cranberry sauce, and butternut, acorn or pumpkin squash. Savory next to sweet next to fatty next to sour next to buttery next to bitter next to creamy next to tart. A dinner you could serve in five separate courses.

CHÉNAS

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Chénas and Chiroubles photos by Michel PERES/Getty Images. Road sign photos by ricochet64/Getty Images.

We like our Thanksgiving dinner with all its dishes on a table before us. And we like servings from its dishes all on our Thanksgiving plates. But which wine could possibly bring harmony to our Thanksgiving chaos of American flavors?

The answer is Beaujolais.

No, not that Beaujolais. Not Beaujolais Nouveau, s’il vous plaît.

Beaujolais Nouveau is the Beaujolais released on the third Thursday of November. It’s the kind of Beaujolais synonymous with poor quality.

The history of Beaujolais Nouveau begins in the 19th century.

Local winegrowers would ferment grapes from the new harvest for days or weeks and send the young wine down the Saône River to the bistrots of Lyon, which served the fresh, fruity new wine to celebrate the year’s harvest. Beginning in the later half of the 20th century, corporate wineries of the region turned the local custom into a worldwide holiday for impotable wine. Wine made from inferior grapes which companies cultivate with pesticides and herbicides, vinify with chemical additives, and bottle for release to the world in November. Wine made like soda in a factory.

WINES OF CHARACTER No, the kinds of Beaujolais you want for your Thanksgiving table are Beaujolais-Villages or Cru Beaujolais, both of which are wine appellations in the south of Burgundy. The wine grape of Beaujolais is called gamay, a grape known for its fresh fruit qualities. As with any wine grape, the qualities of gamay vary with the quality of its vineyards’ soils. The gamay vines of the Beaujolais-Villages and the Beaujolais Crus thrive in the regions’ rolling hills of granite and schist. Gamay has an affinity for granite, which makes for wines of greater character than those from the sandy Beaujolais Nouveau vineyards further south.

Thirty-nine villages make up the Beaujolais-Villages. These wines have ripe, fruity aromas and flavors of raspberry and cherry, a light body, a sensuous texture, moderate to high acidity, low tannins, and moderate to low alcohol. Ideal qualities for any wine you charge to navigate the chaos of your Thanksgiving dinner plate.

Even better than the wines of Beaujolais-Villages are those called Cru Beaujolais. The Beaujolais Crus are ten villages which produce wines of identifiably distinct character. They are, from north to south, Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly and Brouilly: Saint-Amour: A sexy red raspberry of a wine.

Juliénas: Named after Julius Caesar. Distinguished by its red cherry character. Chénas: Fresh, gentle, and delicate.

Moulin-à-Vent: The richest and most powerful wine of Beaujolais. Chiroubles: Complex, velvety, and floral.

Fleurie: Fleur, of course, means flower in French, and these wines have a lovely violet character.

Morgon: Earthy wines with a deep, rich character evocative of good Burgundy.

Régnié: Bright and spicy.

Côte de Brouilly: Rich and elegant.

Brouilly: Light and fruity. A classic bistrot wine.

Every one of these Beaujolais Crus offer wines worthy of your Thanksgiving table. They’ll play along nicely with all of the foods on your Thanksgiving plate. They’ll make your Thanksgiving dinner taste even better.

WHICH BEAUJOLAIS TO BUY AND WHERE Waterford Wine & Spirits’ owner Ben Christiansen and manager Scott Miner offer these fine examples of Beaujolais-Villages and Cru Beaujolais: Domaine Jean Foillard, Beaujolais-Villages, 2019, $26.99: The introductory wine from a legendary Beaujolais estate. A crystalline example of great Beaujolais-Villages. Organic. No sulfites added.

Domaine Dufaitre, Beaujolais-Villages, Prémices, 2018, $21.99: Light and anything but simple. Elegant, minerally, and complex.

Organic. No sulfites added.

Domaine Chignard, Fleurie, Les Moriers, 2018, $26.99: Love at first taste. Fresh and playful, with deep ripe fruit and serious character. Lutte Raisonnée. (The estate uses pesticides or herbicides if absolutely necessary.)

Château Thivin, Côte de Brouilly, 2019, $32.99: A wine described by its importer as “a country squire who is not afraid to get his boots muddy. Handsome, virile, earthy, and an aristocrat.” Organic.

Domaine Dufaitre, Brouilly, 2019, $26.99: Like bowls of fresh fruits and flowers. A Brouilly with more finesse and more muscle than most wines from its appellation. Organic.

No sulfites added.

Gaetano Marangelli is a sommelier and playwright. He was the managing director of a wine import and distribution company in New York and beverage director for restaurants and retailers in New York and Chicago before moving to Wauwatosa.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 25

SPECIAL HOLIDAY ARTS GUIDE | SPONSORED BY UNITED PERFORMING ARTS FUND

HOLIDAY ARTS GUIDE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021

F

or some it’s Handel’s Messiah with a full orchestra and chorus, for others it’s the costumed spectacle of The Nutcracker or the Christmas redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge. This year brings the return of holiday cheer to many of Milwaukee’s performing arts venues.

Be sure to mask up and observe all COVID protocols.

ACACIA THEATRE COMPANY

BACH CHAMBER CHOIR

BOERNER BOTANICAL GARDENS

acaciatheatre.com

bachchoirmilwaukee.com

boernerbotanicalgardens.org

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Nov. 19-Jan. 9, 2022 He’s baaaack! And just in time for the holidays. Jacob Marley, that is. Playwright Tom Mula escorts us through the cracked looking class of the traditional tale to the other side, where we see what “the otherworld” is like for the miserly Jacob Marley.

But here’s the holiday rub—Marley now has a chance to escape his fate if he can meet one condition: redeem Scrooge. And by doing so, Marley can free himself from the chains he built, “link by link,” But can he do it in 24 hours? Acacia brings back its excellent 2017 production now featuring Jason Will in the one-actor show and lead role. (Harry Cherkinian)

“We Are Bach,” Nov. 7

“Winter Wonders,” Nov. 19-Jan.22, 2022

BEL CANTO CHORUS

BOULEVARD THEATRE

belcanto.org

milwaukeeboulevardtheatre.com

“Christmas in the Basilica,” Dec. 10-12 BLACK ARTS MKE marcuscenter.org/series/black-arts-mke Black Nativity, Dec. 9-12

BREW CITY OPERA brewcityopera.wixsite.com BRONZEVILLE ARTS ENSEMBLE facebook.com/BronzevilleArtsEnsemble CABARET MILWAUKEE facebook.com/cabmke Cream City Crime Syndicate: Pick Your Poison, through Nov. 5

ALFONS GALLERY

CARROLL COLLEGE THEATRE

alfonsgallery.org

carroll.edu

ALL IN PRODUCTIONS allin-mke.com APERI ANIMAM aperianimam.com

Shrek The Musical, through Nov. 14 She Persisted 2021: Student-Produced Works by Female Authors, Dec. 2-5 CARROLL PLAYERS carrollplayers.weebly.com

ARTS @ LARGE

Some Enchanted Evening, Nov. 18-20

artsatlargeinc.org

10x12: A 10-Minute Play Festival, Dec. 3

AURA THEATRE COLLECTIVE auratheatre.com 26 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

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CATEY OTT DANCE COLLECTIVE

Photo courtesy of Early Music Now.

cateyott.com

DEAD MAN’S CARNIVAL facebook.com/Dead-Mans-Carnival

“On Display Global,” Dec. 3 It’s happening on this day at different sites the world over. In Milwaukee, the live performance runs from 6-7 p.m. at the Haggerty Museum of Art (and will also be streamed). The 12 member cast will include “movers” from the Catey Ott Dance Collective and from Milwaukee Ballet's Tour de Force program, along with community folks of all ages and abilities. Scattered through the museum, they’ll move as living statues, very, very slowly, if at all. The now-annual global performance honors the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Everybody’s body is an art work. (John Schneider)

EARLY MUSIC NOW earlymusicnow.org “Parthenia Italia Mia: Music of Renaissance Venice” at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Nov. 13

 “Newberry Consort: A Mexican

CEDARBURG PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

cedarburgartistsguild.com

Christmas” at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Dec. 4 Celebrate the holidays with the vivacious rhythms and jubilant sounds of 17th-century Mexico. This program features 28 musicians, including a street band of guitars, violins, and percussion, all joined by vocalists and instrumentalists of Chicago’s famed Newberry Consort. This original and fresh holiday concert presents all the exuberance and diversity of Mexican musical tradition. A video with super-titles will be projected during this multi-media event. (Paul Masterson)

cedarburgpac.com

DANCECIRCUS

EX FABULA

Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone: An Olde English Christmas, Dec. 17

dancecircus.org

exfabula.org

CHANT CLAIRE CHAMBER CHOIR

danceworksmke.org

chantclaire.org

Fight or Flight, through Nov. 7 This is Christal Wagner’s first concert and first season as the new artistic director of Danceworks Performance MKE. No wonder she’s a little nervous, but her decision to create a show about the workings of the human nervous system has much more to do with what we’ve all been through since COVID-19 hit. She’s been studying the science behind anxiety and nerve-induced exhaustion. It’s the subject of this concert. She hopes it helps to heal her dancers and the audience. The whole outstanding crew of choreographers and dancers assembled before the pandemic

by Wagner’s predecessor Dani Kuepper will perform. (John Schneider)

CEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER cedarburgculturalcenter.org COVERED BRIDGE ART STUDIO TOUR

CHARLES ALLIS ART MUSEUM charlesallis.org “Delight, Inspire, Educate: The Allis Collection as Catalyst,” through Dec. 31 THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS THEATER thecompanyofstrangerstheater.com THE CONSTRUCTIVISTS theconstructivists.org Wink, through Nov. 6

DANCEWORKS PERFORMANCE MKE

CONCORD CHAMBER ORCHESTRA concordorchestra.org

DAVID BARNETT GALLERY

“Utopia StorySlam,” Nov. 4 “Brave Space ‘Ancestors’,” Nov. 9 “StoryStretch Workshop,” Nov. 20 & 27 “Brave Space ‘Food’,” Nov. 30 “The Experience ‘Hoops’,” Dec. 14 FALLS PATIO PLAYERS fallspatioplayers.com Christmas Carol, Dec. 3-5 FESTIVAL CITY SYMPHONY festivalcitysymphony.org “Mendelssohn and Mozart,” Nov. 20-21 FIRST STAGE firststage.org A Charlie Brown Christmas, Nov. 20-Dec. 26

davidbarnettgallery.com CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

FLORENTINE OPERA

cuw.edu

florentineopera.org

“Christ the King Concert,” Nov. 21

“Florentine Presents: Quartet X 2,” Nov. 19-20

COOPERATIVE PERFORMANCE

“Florentine Presents: Carols and Classics,” Dec. 10, 11, 14

cooperativeperformance.org

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Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

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FRANK JUAREZ GALLERY

INSPIRATION STUDIOS ART GALLERY

KETTLE MORAINE SYMPHONY

fjgmke.com

inspirationstudiosgallery.com

kmsymphony.org

“Artdose Magazine x Honey and Ace Exhibition,” through Jan. 22, 2022

“In My Mind’s Eye: Davney Herriges Stahley & Carol Glaser,” Nov./Dec.

“Santa’s Christmas Journey,” TBD

FRANKLY MUSIC

IRISH CULTURAL AND HERITAGE CENTER

ko-thi.org

ichc.net

LAKE ARTS PROJECT

Rory Makem, Dec. 4

lakeartsproject.com

KO-THI DANCE COMPANY franklymusic.org GREENDALE COMMUNITY THEATRE greendaletheatre.org GROHMANN MUSEUM msoe.edu/grohmann-museum “The Railroad and the Art of Place: Photographs by David Kahler,” through Dec. 19 GROVE GALLERY gallerygrove.com HAGGERTY MUSEUM OF ART marquette.edu/haggerty-museum “Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons: Sea and Self,” through Dec. 19 “Double Vision: Art from Jesuit University Collections,” through Dec. 19 “Mary L. Nohl Fellowships for Individual Artists,” through May 22, 2022 “J. R. R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript,” through Dec. 12, 2022

Eileen Ivers, Dec. 19 The New York Times called her “the Jimmy Hendrix of the violin,” and Billboard magazine dubbed her “a sensation." Grammy winning, Emmy nominated, and the original music star of Riverdance, Iver’s recording credits include over 80 albums and many movie scores. She’s performed with numerous symphony orchestras around the world and been hailed as a great innovator and promoter in the Celtic and world music genres. And she’s given many performances at Milwaukee Irish Fest, including in 2021. (John Schneider) JAZZ GALLERY CENTER FOR THE ARTS jazzgallerycenterforarts.org

LATINO ARTS, INC. latinoartsinc.org “Day of the Dead Ofrendas,” through-November 12 Out of Spain’s conquest of Mexico grew a rich, colorful culture from indigenous as well as Spanish roots. One example is the Mexican observation of Dia de los Muertos, coinciding with the Roman Catholic All Saints Day. The remembrance of the dead is celebrated by home altars with offerings of food (ofrendas) baked in the shape of skulls. The Latino Arts exhibition includes installations from Milwaukee’s Mexican consulate as well as the University School of Milwaukee and other local artists.

(David Luhrssen)

JEWISH MUSEUM MILWAUKEE jewishmuseummilwaukee.org “Scarp Yard: Innovators of Recycling,” through Jan. 30, 2022

LILY PAD GALLERY WEST lilypadgallery.com LYNDEN SCULPTURE GARDEN

JOHN MICHAEL KOHLER ARTS CENTER

lyndensculpturegarden.org

jmkac.org/home.html

“Komerican,” through Dec. 22

“Off-Road Harley-Davidson,” continuing

“Annabeth Marks: Extender,” through Jan. 9, 2022

MAD ROGUES

Building a Milwaukee Icon: HD’s Juneau Ave. Factory, continuing

“Jennifer Levonian: Cinnamon, Thunderstorm,” through Jan. 23, 2022

Tsunami Motorcycle Display, continuing

“Allison Wade: The Good Parts,” through Feb. 6, 2022

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MUSEUM harley-davidson.com

H. F. JOHNSON GALLERY OF ART carthage.edu/art-gallery “Declassified,” through-Dec. 5 “Senior Exhibitions,” Dec. 3-11 HOVER CRAFT

“High Touch,” through Feb. 13, 2022 “Ingrained in Wisconsin,” through Feb. 20, 2022 “Collection Highlights: The Alchemists,” through Feb. 27, 2022

Historic Pritzlaff Building, Dec. 5

“Bernard Langlais: Live and Let Live On,” through March, 2022

HYPERLOCAL MKE

KACM THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS

hyperlocalmke.com

kacmtheatrical.weebly.com

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Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

madrogues.com

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MARCUS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

MASTER SINGERS OF MILWAUKEE

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

marcuscenter.org

mastersingersofmilwaukee.org

mam.org

“Thomas Blanchard featuring the E-Collective with Turtle Island Quartet,” Nov. 4

“Make Our Garden Grow,” Nov. 20

“The Quilts of Pauline Parker,” through Dec. 5

MATERIAL STUDIOS + GALLERY

“Pilobolus Big Five Oh!” Nov. 18 The highly original, highly gymnastic dance company is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a tour show composed of some of its greatest hits. This is truly you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it choreography. Rightfully famous, celebrated the world over, the company’s dances are variously beautiful, witty, sexy, goofy and breathtaking. Or so it was when I saw them some decades ago doing several of the pieces they’ve revived for this occasion. (John Schneider)

materialstudiosandgallery.com

“First Impressions: Early Printed Books in Europe,” through Dec. 12 The Internet didn’t launch the first information revolution. That distinction belongs to the printing press. The new technology that developed in 15th century Germany supplanted hand-copied manuscripts, spurring the spread of philosophical, theological and scientific ideas and contributing to the Protestant Reformation. The 25 objects on view provide an opportunity to explore the art and context of early printed books. (David Luhrssen)

Aaron LaVigne and the company of the North American Tour of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Photo by Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman – MurphyMade.

“American Memory: Commemoration, Nostalgia, and Revision,” through Jan. 16

Jesus Christ Superstar, Nov. 23-28 u MSO with Stewart Copeland, Dec. 2

MILWAUKEE BALLET

“The Second City's It's A Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life.,” Dec. 2-4

milwaukeeballet.org

John Blasucci, "That Star," Dec. 3-18 “José Feliciano Feliz Navidad,” Dec. 4 Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience—A Parody by Dan and Jeff, Dec. 21-Jan. 2, 2022

MEMORIES DINNER THEATRE

Shen Yun, Dec. 31-Jan.2, 2022

Catfish Moon, through Nov. 5

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY THEATRE

Assisted Living – The Home…for the Holidays, Dec. 3-12

marquette.edu/communication/ theatre-arts.php Melancholy Play, Nov. 12-21

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memoriesballroom.com

MENOMONEE FALLS SYMPHONY A Jazzy Christmas, Dec. 5

The Nutcracker, Dec. 10-26 Music was Tchaikovsky’s solace and the yearning for unfulfilled romance of his compositions has drawn many otherwise uninterested listeners to classical music.

The Nutcracker (1892) came toward the end of his life. The wonderous melodies with their inevitable sense of lilt and lift provide the framework for en pointe finesse as well as fairytale pageantry. The Milwaukee Ballet’s performance has long been a beloved part of the city’s holiday season. (David Luhrssen)

Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

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MILWAUKEE CHAMBER THEATRE

MILWAUKEE FESTIVAL BRASS

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER

milwaukeechambertheatre.org

mfbrass.org

milwaukeerep.com

The Thanksgiving Play, Nov. 19-Dec. 19 MILWAUKEE CHILDREN'S CHOIR milwaukeechildrenschoir.org “All Choir Concert,” Nov.6 “Virtual Mini Holiday Concert,” Dec. 14 MILWAUKEE COMEDY

MILWAUKEE INSTITUTE OF ART & DESIGN miad.edu “Reimagining the Global Village,” through Dec. 4 “Constant Practice: New Work from MIAD Faculty,” through Dec. 4

milwaukeecomedy.com

MILWAUKEE MAKERS MARKET

Matt Braunger, Nov. 18

milwaukeemakersmarket.com

John Dore, Nov. 26-27 MILWAUKEE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP milwaukeeentertainmentgroup.com

MILWAUKEE MUSAIK milwaukeemusaik.org “Small Shop Saturday,” Nov. 27 “Holiday Pop-Up,” Dec. 19 MILWAUKEE OPERA THEATRE

Dad’s Season Tickets, through Jan. 2, 2022 Steel Magnolias, Nov. 9-Dec. 5 The 1987 play and 1989 hit film makes its debut on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage. Steel Magnolias tells the tale of six Southern ladies who gather once a week in Truvy’s Beauty Shop for all their needs-cosmetic and otherwise. A beehive (hairstyles included) of gossip and the very latest, Steel Magnolias also showcases the resilience and enduring friendships as the women support one another. Health issues, relationship issues find their way in and out of the beauty shop. Robert Harling’s celebrated play has its highly comedic side while depicting the underlying poignant and serious moments that life brings us all. (Harry Cherkinian) A Christmas Carol, Nov. 30-Dec. 24

milwaukeeoperatheatre.org “The Aria Project,” through April, 2022 (virtual)

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MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA mso.org “Andreas Delfs Returns,” Nov. 5-7 I called him “Milwaukee’s Millennial Maestro” as the last century wound toward its conclusion and with good reason: Andreas Delfs was the MSO’s uniquely personable music director (1996-2009).

He seemed entirely at home in contemporary Milwaukee while leading the orchestra through dramatic renditions of 19th century classics. Delfs returns for three evenings of Wagner, Humperdinck and Grieg (plus present-day composer Sarah Kirkland Snider) with Olga Kern on piano.

(David Luhrssen) “Fountains of Rome,” Nov. 12-13 “Bolcom Violin Concerto,” Nov. 19-20 “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” Nov. 26-28 “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Dec. 3-5 “Chanticleer,” Dec. 9 “Holiday Pops,” Dec. 10-12 “Handel’s Messiah,” Dec. 16, 18, 19 “Canadian Brass Holiday,” Dec. 17 MILWAUKEE YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MOWA | DTN (SAINT KATE-THE ARTS HOTEL) “Anwar Floyd-Pruitt / Retina Records: Self-Portraits of a Time Traveler,” through Nov. 14 “Suzanne Rose / Blind Spot: To Pass among Them,” Nov. 20-Feb. 22 u MOWA ON THE LAKE (ST. JOHN’S ON THE LAKE) “In the City,” through Dec. 5 NEXT ACT THEATRE nextact.org Red Herring, November 24-December 19 With that rat-a-tat delivery, hardboiled crime fiction and film noir can easily be spoofed. That’s one avenue into Michael Hollinger’s Red Herring, which stars a tough homicide cop (she’s a dame!), a crime boss and an FBI agent on the trail of spies. Oh, and there’s Joe McCarthy’s daughter who’s just about to marry a Communist. Satire clings like a tight skirt to this Eisenhower era story. Will marriage and microfilm intersect on the dark side streets of the American Dream?

(David Luhrssen)

Suzanne Rose, 45°9'35"N 87°14'10"W, 2019. Courtesy of the artist.

OIL GALLERY MILWAUKEE oilmilwaukee.com

NŌ STUDIOS

OPTIMIST THEATRE

nostudios.com

optimisttheatre.org

“Founders Concert,” Nov. 6

NORTH SHORE ACADEMY OF THE ARTS

OUTSKIRTS THEATRE

MILWAUKEE YOUTH THEATRE

facebook.com/ northshoreacademyofthearts

facebook.com/outskirtstheatre

myso.org

milwaukeeyouththeatre.org The Hobbit, Nov. 5-7 MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART wisconsinart.org “The Studio Glass Movement: The Hyde Collection,” through Jan. 23, 2022 Studio glass —three-dimensional artworks produced by artisans in small workshops — originated in the 19th century and has recently gained significant popularity.

MOWA’s exhibit showcases the work of 30 different Wisconsin glass artists. The groundbreaking techniques of Prof. Harvey Littleton and his students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison gives way to more contemporary and conceptually driven works from the “hot shops” of Beth Lipman and Jeffrey Stenbom for a comprehensive overview of this striking art form.

(Michael Muckian) 36 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

“A Night in Tuscany,” Dec. 3

OVER OUR HEAD PLAYERS overourheadplayers.org

NORTHERN SKY THEATER

Every Brilliant Thing, Nov. 5-20

northernskytheater.com

Kringle Karol…the Musical?, opens Dec. 3

Naked Radio, through Nov. 6 OCONOMOWOC ARTS CENTER oasd.k12.wi.us “The Everly Set with Sean Altman & Jack Skuller,” Nov. 7 ComedySportz, Nov. 13 OHS Players: “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas,” Dec. 3-11

PENINSULA PLAYERS peninsulaplayers.com PORTRAIT SOCIETY GALLERY portraitsocietygallery.com “Lois Bielefeld: To commit to Memory,” through Nov. 13

MainStage Academy of Dance and BrayBallet: The Nutcracker, Dec. 17-19 “Christmas with Lori Line,” Dec. 20

Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

PRESENT MUSIC

RACINE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SAINT KATE - THE ARTS HOTEL

presentmusic.org

racinesymphony.org

saintkatearts.com

“Thanksgiving: Circle Unbroken” at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Nov. 21 Of Milwaukee-native Michael Torke’s Four Proverbs, composer Steve Reich said, “If you don’t like it, go to an ear doctor.” Four Proverbs is part of Present Music’s annual Thanksgiving concert, which Co-Artistic Director Eric Segnitz calls a “celebration of community and gratitude which will mean even more than usual, rebounding from a forced hiatus due to the pandemic.”

Also featured is a new work by Navaho composer Raven Chacon and a performance by Native American drummers.

(David Luhrssen)

“Musical Flights,” Nov. 19

"Visual Sirens: Collections of Final Warnings," through Jan. 23, 2022

Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night, Dec. 1 (at St. Kate-The Arts Hotel) QUASIMONDO PHYSICAL THEATRE quasimondo.org RACINE ART MUSEUM ramart.org “RAM Artist Fellowship and Emerging Artist Exhibition 2021,” through Nov. 27 “Collection Focus: Mara Superior,” through Jan. 15 “Alien Invasion: (Un)Familiar Forms in Contemporary Art,” through Jan. 22, 2022 “Alien Invasion: RAM Virtual Community Art Show,” through Jan. 22, 2022

“Holiday Pops,” Dec. 3 RACINE THEATRE GUILD racinetheatre.org

SCULPTURE MILWAUKEE sculpturemilwaukee.com

A Christmas Story, Dec. 3-19

SHARON LYNNE WILSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS

RENAISSANCE THEATERWORKS

wilson-center.com

r-t-w.com The Cake, Oct. 22-Nov. 14 Playwright Bekah Brunstetter was inspired by the news story a few years back about a baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. In this play, the baker, a God-fearing Christian woman, is asked to make a cake by her beloved goddaughter, who is marrying a woman.

Director Susan Fete says, “What I love is that it shows what happens when people think really differently but love each other.

It’s about the journey everyone in the story takes. They come out better at the end, I think. And there’ll be cake for everybody in the audience.” (John Schneider)

“David Burnham: Celebrating Tom Jones,” Nov. 3 “Christmas with Cantus: Three Tales of Christmas,” Nov. 27 MSO Holiday Concert, Dec. 17 SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE Skylightmusictheatre.org Little Shop of Horrors, Nov. 19-Jan. 2, 2022 Roger Corman’s 1960 cult flick stuck in the imagination (and not only for introducing Jack Nicholson). In the ‘80s the story was adapted Off-Broadway into a musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. “It’s a love story, Audrey comes from an abused background and Seymour grew up without self-esteem,” explains Skylight’s Artistic Director Michael Unger, But what about that ravenous plant? “It’s a message about megalomania and power-hungry people,” he continues. “It’s a warning about not letting those behaviors get water and sunshine.” (David Luhrssen)

“Get a Bead On: Jewelry and Small Objects,” through Jan. 22, 2022 “Component Parts: Artworks Made of Multiple Elements,” through Feb. 12, 2022 “Playful/Pensive: Contemporary Artists and Contemporary Issues,” through July 9, 2022 NOVEMBER 2021 | 37

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SOUTH MILWAUKEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

THIRD AVENUE PLAYHOUSE, STURGEON BAY

UW-WHITEWATER CROSSMAN GALLERY

southmilwaukeepac.org

thirdavenueplayworks.org

uww.edu

Shake & Holla Tour, Nov. 19 Studio K: The Flamenco Nutcracker, Dec. 4 The Texas Tenors, Dec. 12 Emmy Award-winning Texas Tenors, (country singer JC Fisher, pop singer Marcus Collins and opera singer John Hagen,) blend pop, classical and Broadway tunes and more into a unique program of seasonal favorites. Considered the most successful touring group in the history of television’s America’s Got Talent, the trio’s concert ranges from “O Holy Night” and “Joy to the World” to the crowd-pleasing original hit “Bootdaddy.” The Texas Tenors bring a unique blend of music to the stage with thrilling harmonies and award-winning arrangements. (Blaine Schultz) SUNSET PLAYHOUSE sunsetplayhouse.com Wait Until Dark, through Nov. 7 Most of us know the story from Audrey Hepburn’s starring role as a blind woman in a New York apartment, terrorized but ultimately outwitting the criminal she can’t see. Hepburn won an Oscar nomination and costar Alan Arkin should have earned one too for his performance as an evil hipster heroin dealer. Wait Until Dark was based on a play by Frederick Knott and returns to the stage in a version set during the film noir era. (David Luhrssen) School House Rock Live! Jr., Nov. 13-14 Winnie The Poo, Kids, Nov. 20-21 “Jayne Taylor Christmas Show,” Nov. 27 She Loves Me, Dec. 2-19 “Rockin’ in a Winter Wonderland,” Dec. 7 “Ella Meets Mel, Holiday Edition,” Dec. 8-12 THEATRE GIGANTE theatregigante.org Thanks A Lot!, Nov. 19-21

THRASHER OPERA HOUSE, GREEN LAKE

“Hyphenated,” through Nov. 5

thrasheroperahouse.com

UW-WHITEWATER THEATRE

Peter Rowan’s Free Mexican Airforce, Nov. 5

uww.edu

Judy Collins, Nov. 11

She Kills Monsters, Nov. 15-21

Darrell Scott, Nov. 12

VAR GALLERY & STUDIOS

Carsie Blanton, Nov. 13

vargallery.com

The Second City: “It’s a Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life,” Dec. 11 Switchback: “A Midwestern Christmas,” Dec. 18 TORY FOLLIARD GALLERY toryfolliard.com Rodger Bechtold, through Nov. 13 Aniela Sobieski, through Nov. 20 UW-PARKSIDE THEATRE uwp.edu/the rita/ theatreperformances.cfm The Mad Ones, Nov. 19-20 The Thanksgiving Play, Dec. 3-12 UW-MILWAUKEE PECK SCHOOL OF THE ARTS uwm.edu/arts/events Music: UWM Percussion Ensemble, Nov. 7 Jazz Ensemble, Nov. 18 UWM Symphony Orchestra: “Baroque and More,” Dec. 3 University Community Orchestra Concert, Dec. 5

VILLA TERRACE DECORATIVE ARTS MUSEUM villaterrace.org VOICES FOUND REPERTORY voicesfoundrep.com WALKER'S POINT CENTER FOR THE ARTS wpca-milwaukee.org WATER STREET DANCE MILWAUKEE waterstreetdancemke.com “Solstice II,” Dec. 17 WAUKESHA CIVIC THEATRE waukeshacivictheatre.org Death Trap, through Nov. 7 “Sweet Dreams and Honky Tonks,” Nov. 11 Sister Act, December 3-19 “Joel Kopischke’s I Got Yule, Babe,” Dec. 15-16 Four Guys in Dinner Jackets: “The Supper Club Tour,” Dec. 30-Jan. 2, 2022

University Community Band, Dec. 6 UWM Choir: “Sounds of the Season,” Dec. 11 UWAY Concert #2, Dec. 12 Jazz Ensemble, Dec. 14 Dance:

THEATRICAL TENDENCIES

“New Dancemakers 2021,” Nov. 17-20

theatricaltendencies.com

Theatre: Hamlet,, Nov. 17-21

38 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

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WEST ALLIS PLAYERS

WILD SPACE DANCE

WINDFALL THEATRE

westallisplayers.org

wildspacedance.org

windfalltheatre.com

WEST PERFORMING ARTS CENTER nbexcellence.org/community/ westpac.cfm Community Youth Theatre: You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Nov. 4-7 West Theatre Arts Program: The Man Who Came To Dinner, Dec. 3-4 New Berlin Community Band Concert, Dec. 10 NBW Orchestra Concert, Dec. 16 Anita’s Dance Studio: The Nutcracker, Dec. 18-19 NBW Band Concert, Dec. 20-21 WISCONSIN CRAFT wisconsincraft.org

“A Year of Dancing Dangerously,” Dec.2-4 “It actually should be the 18 months,” Deb Loewen says about her new show’s title.

She spent those months creating outdoor dance performances in parking lots for audiences watching from inside their cars.

Together with her dancers, she’s rethinking all of that in a full-length indoor theatre performance about “our longing for presence, touch and connection.” She’s thinking of the challenges an audience faces now just getting to an indoor seat, then feeling safe enough to give themselves to the performance. “The theater becomes a site for shared vulnerability,” she says. The show is at UWM’s Mitchell Hall Studio 254.

(John Schneider)

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE CENTER FOR ARTS AND PERFORMANCE wlc.edu “WLC Christmas Festival Concert,” Dec. 3-5 “WLC Winter Band Concert,” Dec. 10 WLC Theatre: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Nov. 12-21 “Christmas with the Glenn Miller Orchestra,” Dec. 12 WISCONSIN PHILHARMONIC wisphil.org “A Sparkling Holiday,” Dec. 12 WOODLAND PATTERN BOOK CENTER woodlandpattern.org

Illustrations and background by Sophie Yufa.

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NOVEMBER 2021 | 41

SPECIAL HOLIDAY DINING

No Muss, No Fuss Thanksgiving

WHERE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY WITH A DINE-IN MEAL

BY SUSAN HARPT GRIMES Photo by bhofack2/Getty Images.

W

hile many of us hold an image of a Norman Rockwell style Thanksgiving table in our heads, the reality is that not every family has the time, space, or ability to prepare and host a big turkey day meal. Some folks opt to carry-out a meal from a local restaurant.

That works well, but if you just don’t have enough space or simply don’t want to contend with a pile of dishes when everyone leaves, an even better option may be to visit one of those local restaurants for a dine-in meal. Leave your Thanksgiving stress behind, relax, and enjoy a delicious meal prepared by professionals. The following are only a sampling of the many fine establishments offering dine-in this year.

FLEMING’S STEAKHOUSE 15665 W. Bluemound Road 262-782-9463 flemingssteakhouse.com/ experience/thanksgiving On Thanksgiving, Fleming’s is giving top billing to their three-course traditional herb-roasted turkey dinner. If you’d rather take advantage of being at a steakhouse, and tuck-in to what they do best every other day of the year, you may choose to go with a special three-course filet mignon or bone-in ribeye dinner instead.

Either way, you’ll be treated to a delicious, expertly prepared meal, served in a sophisticated, yet unpretentious dining space. Fleming’s is also known for their excellent wine list, so why not round out your pampering with a glass, or bottle, of vino with your meal? Three-Course Dinner $49, Children’s menu available. Serving 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Call or go to their website to make reservations.

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GRAND GENEVA RESORT 7036 Grand Geneva Way, Lake Geneva 262-249-4788 grandgeneva.com/ other-dining-options/special The Grand Geneva Resort is going all out to make your Thanksgiving dinner unforgettable. As they have more than one restaurant on site, they are offering brunch and dinner options. The threecourse brunch, served in the Geneva ChopHouse, is a hybrid of family style and buffet. There’s a lot to choose from; noted highlights include the honey and lavender roasted turkey with all the trimmings, a prime rib carving station, and a tempting dessert station. The Grand Cafe, Ristorante Brissago, and Geneva ChopHouse offer evening Thanksgiving plated specials as well as their regular menu for folks who are avoiding tryptophan sleepiness. Brunch menu Adults: $75, Children: $55. Serving 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Plated Dinner Adult: $35, Children: $20. Serving 4 p.m.-9 p.m. in Grand Cafe, and 5 p.m.-9 p.m. in Ristorante Brissago and the ChopHouse.

Call for reservations.

MASON STREET GRILL 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. 414- 298-3131 masonstreetgrill.com The Mason Street Grill is renowned for its impeccable service and phenomenal food.

Thanksgiving diners at Mason Street will be pleased to find the same is true for their holiday meal. Enjoy a prix fixe menu featuring expertly prepared traditional Thanksgiving dinner favorites or choose Mason Street specialties like wood-grilled steaks and seafood. There are also three private dining rooms available for groups of different sizes. Prix fixe menu Adults: $48, Children 12 and under: $17. Serving 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Call for reservations or reserve at opentable.com.

PFISTER HOTEL 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. 414-935-5950 thepfisterhotel.com Hoping to treat yourself to an elegant and truly memorable Thanksgiving brunch?

Look no further than the opulent Grand Ballroom at the Pfister Hotel. The dazzling display of food on offer will include the traditional turkey, stuffing, and cranberries, but also so much more. Plentiful fresh seafood, mouthwatering carved meats, a cheese station featuring Artisan Wisconsin cheeses, chef prepared eggs, salads, and pasta dishes almost guarantee the bird won’t be the only one “stuffed” this Thanksgiving! Be sure to save room for the irresistible sweet treats and freshly baked delicacies of the Grand Pastry table.

Adults: $69, Children 3-10: $27, 2 and under: Free. Serving 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Call for reservations or reserve at opentable.com.

THE PACKING HOUSE 900 E. Layton Ave. 414-483-5054 packinghousemke.com A truly traditional Thanksgiving dinner experience awaits diners who choose long-time Milwaukee favorite, the Packing House, for their holiday meal. Friendly servers will bring heaping plates of delicious roast turkey, house-made mashed potatoes and stuffing smothered with gravy, green beans almondine, brown sugar glazed sweet potatoes and fresh cranberry sauce for every member of your party. Most people will find the generous portions will yield enough to bring home much coveted Thanksgiving leftovers. The Packing House also offers a first come, first serve, Turkey dinner drive-thru which is very popular for folks who aren’t able to come inside. Dining Room Adults: $28.99, Children $15.99. Serving 12 p.m.-8 p.m.

Call for reservations. Drive Thru: $25 cash per person. Serving 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

THUNDER BAY GRILLE N14W24130 Tower Place, Pewaukee 262-523-4244 thunderbaygrille.com Thunder Bay Grille is ready to welcome your family for a tantalizing Thanksgiving buffet experience. The fully loaded buffet features roasted turkey and ham, as well as all of your favorite holiday sides like creamy mashed potatoes, stuffing, plenty of gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, dinner rolls, and pies for dessert. The sizable dining space offers plenty of room for everyone, meaning no one needs to be relegated to a “kid’s table.” Buffet Adult 11 and up: $30, Child 5-10: $16, 4 and under free. Serving 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Call for reservations.

If you do choose to dine out and give yourself a break from toiling in the kitchen this Thanksgiving, pleas remember that your servers, kitchen staff, and other restaurant employees are working really hard to deliver an excellent holiday experience for you. Be patient, tip well, and perhaps, simply be thankful it’s not 2020 again.

Susan Harpt Grimes is a longtime restaurant and features writer for the Shepherd Express NOVEMBER 2021 | 43

SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

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Holiday Gifł Guide

ART*BAR

BRADY STREET

C3 DESIGNS

722 E. Burleigh St., Milwaukee 414-372-7880 facebook.com/artbarmke/

bradystreet.org

2110 10th Ave., South Milwaukee 414-764-3892 C3-designs.com

Give the gift of Original Art this Holiday.

“MINI” TINY ART @ TINY PRICES, is the largest local small art show of its kind.

Over 150 juried talented artists have created small art pieces (under 8” x 8”) and everything is priced under $100.

View from over 700 pieces on display and 1,500 items in back-up stock, the show is replenished daily and has something for everyone. Art Bar is open daily at 3 p.m.

Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m. on weekends.

Please mask if not vaxed. All credit cards accepted; the show runs until Dec. 31.

BBC LIGHTING 2015 W. St. Paul Ave., Milwaukee 414-933-0808 Shopbbclighting.com Milwaukee’s largest lighting showroom has something for every style and taste.

Wander the aisles and find unique treasures that you can find only at BBC Lighting. Ask about our gift cards which will brighten the lives of family and friends this Holiday Season!

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Brady Street offers gift options for all the people (and animals) in your life. From retail stores, to restaurants, nail salons, hair salons, barbers, tattoo parlors, and even a pet store—Brady Street is a onestop shopping destination for the gifts that will delight your family and friends.

Shop local. Shop Brady.

C3 Designs and their custom design team just celebrated winning their 25th jewelry design award. They specialize in crafting all of your one-of-a-kind jewelry needs for the holidays, and every occasion!

FISCHBERGER’S VARIETY 2445 N. Holton St., Milwaukee 414-263-1991 Fischbergers.com There’s so much in stock this holiday season at Fischberger’s Variety! Celebrating our 15th year, we mean to bring you the funnest, freshest gifts, free gift wrapping and you’re done! Gifts for the whole family, always edgy and wholesome. Always at the lowest possible price!

HISTORIC THIRD WARD

PIZZA MAN

Shop Local, Shop the Ward!

Locations in Milwaukee, Mequon, & Wauwatosa Pizzamanwi.com

Shop the small, locally owned businesses in the Historic Third Ward on Saturday, Nov. 27. Don’t miss the gift car giveaway the week leading up to Small Business Saturday. Enter to win by checking the Historic Third Ward's Instagram stories - @historicthirdward.

KNUCKLEHEADS

Pizza Man knows pizza is on everyone’s list, so give the gift of pizza! For every $100 in Pizza Man gift cards that you purchase during November and December, you get a $20 bonus gift card. Give Pizza Man gift cards, because wrapping a pizza is just weird.

2949 N. Oakland Ave., Milwaukee 414-962-3052 knuckleheadsCBD.com

SPARROW BOUTIQUE

Stop by Knuckleheads and check out their large variety of Wellness products! An updated product menu is available on their website. Visit on a Saturday or Sunday and enjoy discounted Wellness products! Discover why Knuckleheads was voted “Best of Milwaukee” Best Head Shop, Vape Shop and CBD Shop in 2020!

Locally owned boutique and gift shop featuring contemporary women's clothing, handmade jewelry and accessories, art gifts and more! Shop online at sparrowboutiquemke.com or shop in person, seven days a week!

MB SQUARED PHOTOGRAPHY mbsquaredphotography.square.site Instagram: @mbsquaredphotography Easy to frame 8”x8”, 12.5”x12.5” photography art prints, as well as drink coasters/magnets are available.

Milwaukee, state of Wisconsin, and Midwest region is highlighted.

2260 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Bay View Sparrowboutiquemke.com

SPARROW COLLECTIVE 2224 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Bay View 414-747-9229 Sparrowcollective.com Brick-and-mortar artisan gift shop featuring tees, home goods, body care, jewelry, art and gifts sourced from locally and independently owned brands across the United States. Follow @sparrowcollective for all the latest goods.

THE JEWELERS GUILD 2408 E. St. Francis Ave., St. Francis 414-488-2727 Jewelersguild.biz Located in South Bay View just off KK on St, Francis Ave., The Jewelers Guild does custom design, repairs, appraisals, as well as very special Make Your Own Wedding Rings along with classes and workbench rentals. Offering a selection of beautiful bespoke jewelry. More information and pix on their IG @jewelersguild, online or phone.

MILWAUKEE MAKERS MARKET MilwaukeeMakersMarket.com Home to your one-stop-shop local experience! The local Makers gather to bring you amazing art, gifts, clothes, jewelry, soaps, candles, goodies and more!

Shop Small Business Saturday, Nov. 27 with us. The final Market for the Holiday Pop-Up Shop is Dec. 19. Both events at Discovery World. Admission to the market is free.

Illustrations by Sophie Yufa.

TACKY GRANNY UGLY SWEATERS facebook.com/tackygrannysweaters Show off your local pride at your holiday parties with a sweater from the Tacky Granny! Our sweaters show off all you have to love about your city, with the added ugly sweater flair! Designed and printed locally in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Custom designs are also available.

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SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

WONDERLAND OF LIGHTS AT RACINE ZOO 200 Goold St., Racine Racinezoo.org Marvel at the sight of dazzling illuminations from your vehicle! Drive through Racine Zoo's Wonderland of Lights enchanting light show featuring delightfully decorated trees, charming characters, and abundant holiday adventure. We are OPEN on all holidays including Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Enjoy a fun night out with the family for the holidays! Nov. 19-Jan. 2 TRALEE IRISH IMPORTS

VERDANT

5423 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee 414-662-7175 traleeirishimports.com

2680 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee 414-763-3762 Verdantcbd.com

Located just West of Wauwatosa on Vliet Street, Tralee brings you every food item from the Emerald Isle and the United Kingdom that you’ll ever want. From candy and potato chips to sausage and breads, Tralee offers the widest selection of Irish and British foods in Wisconsin. Stop in today for the leprechaun on your list or just treat yourself to the many selections of candy!

Ring in the holidays with the finest quality DELTA 8 THC and CBD products and enjoy complimentary gift wrapping!

Founded by a family with an extensive background in the Health Care Industry, Verdant CBD is dedicated to providing only the highest quality CBD and DELTA 8 THC products for health and wellness on the market. Each of our hemp-based products undergo stringent testing for quality, assuring that you’re buying products you can trust. Free shipping on orders over $25 when you visit us 24/7 at VERDANTCBD.com.

URBAL TEA 3060 S. 13th St., Milwaukee 414-231-3970 Urbalhealth.com Urbal Tea, on Milwaukee’s Southside, offers teas that are formulated with positive energy and health benefits. They’re full of nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants that help you stay healthy. With full leaf herbs and high quality ingredients, Urbal Tea focuses on big benefits and bold flavors. The cafe offers tea themed Advent calendars, gifts, and a variety of beverage options.

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WINTER WONDERS Boerner Botanical Gardens in Whitnall Park 6751 S. 92nd St., Franklin Winterwonders.org Boerner Botanical Gardens is enhancing the 2021 Holiday Light Show with new effects, bigger displays and new technology tricks! Santa will be on site to share his holiday wishes. Tickets for full carloads are $25; limited nightly “skip the line” tickets are $35. Tickets should be purchased in advance online. All carloads receive a free gift bag with coupons, ornament, and other items on certain nights. COVID-19 safety guidelines followed. Open nightly 5-10 p.m. including holidays, Nov 19-Jan 2.

Illustrations by Sophie Yufa.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 47

SPECIAL SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

How Small Business Saturday Supports Milwaukee’s Economy

S

BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

mall Business Saturday began in 2010 as a nationwide event to raise public awareness of the importance of shopping at locally owned businesses.

This year, Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 27, is more important than ever.

2020 was a rough year for America’s small businesses. While Amazon prospered, 70% of small businesses were shut down last March under COVID-19 restrictions. Many found it hard to reopen. But small can also mean nimble and small businesses, from bookshops to fine dining restaurants, found new ways to serve their customers.

Owners often rolled up their sleeves, delivering meals or merchandise in their own cars or figuring out curbside pickups. Many found newrevenue online while continuing to maintain a physical presence in their community.

This is no small matter. According to a 2019 statistic, small businesses create 1.5 million jobs annually, accounting for 64% of new jobs in the U.S. Community is also crucial. Most small businesses are locally focused and develop relationships with their customers. The money those customers spend helps employ their neighbors and support the economy of their hometown rather than the portfolios of distant shareholders.

To read the rest of this article, visit shepherdexpress.com.

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Illustrations by Sophie Yufa.

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SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE

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LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ART GALLERY (NON-MUSEUM) Dream Lab Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel Var Gallery & Studios The Warehouse ART MUSEUM Grohmann Haggerty Art Museum Milwaukee Art Museum Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum ART & CRAFT FAIR/ MAKERS MARKET Cream City Creatives Milwaukee Makers Market The MKE Youth Collective Fair West Allis Farmers Market CHORAL GROUP Bach Chamber Choir Bel Canto Chorus Kids From Wisconsin Master Singers of Milwaukee CHURCH FESTIVAL St Mark's Episcopal Church St. Dominic Catholic Parish St. Gregory the Great Parish St. John Vianney Catholic Parish St. Robert's Parish St. Roman Parish

CLASSICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLE Bach Chamber Choir Frankly Music Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Present Music

MILWAUKEE AUTHOR Britney Morgan John Gurda Mikey Cody Apollo Steven Binko

STAGE ACTOR Andrew Varela John McGivern Lee Ernst Norman Moses

COMEDIAN Charlie Berens Dana Ehrmann John McGivern Myron Jewel Ton Johnson William Krolowitz

MOVIE THEATER Avalon Atmospheric Theater Downer Theatre Marcus Majestic Cinema Oriental Theater

STAGE ACTRESS Amber Smith Anna Marie Zorn Carrie Hitchcock Gabriella Ashlin Isabelle Kralj Jennifer Vosters Laura Gordon Laura Gray Marcee Doherty-Elst Marti Gobel Mary MacDonald Kerr Rana Roman Samantha Sostarich Sandra Hollander Tami Workentin

DANCE COMPANY Catey Ott Dance Collective Danceworks, Inc. Milwaukee Ballet Company Signature Dance Company LOCAL RADIO PERSONALITY Bob & Brian Dori Zori Gene Mueller Mandy Scott Tarik Moody LOCAL TV PERSONALITY John McGivern Mark Baden Steve Chamraz Ted Perry Toya Washington

MUSEUM (NON-ART) Discovery World Harley-Davidson Museum Jewish Museum Milwaukee Milwaukee Public Museum MUSIC EDUCATION Isharai Artist Management Kids From Wisconsin Milwaukee Jazz Institute Music Together North Shore OUTDOOR FESTIVAL Irish Fest MusiConnect Summerfest Wisconsin State Fair

THEATER COMPANY Milwaukee Repertory Theater Next Act Theatre Renaissance Theaterworks Skylight Music Theatre

RADIO STATION 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Jammin' 98.3 Milwaukee's NPR 89.7 WUWMFM WMSE 91.7 FM NOVEMBER 2021 | 51

SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE

LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

BOUGHT & SOLD

ACUPUNCTURIST Acupuncture & Holistic Health Associates Epic MedSpa Milwaukee Community Acupuncture MKE MindBody Wellness

ADULT RETAIL STORE Super Video II Temptations The Tool Shed After Hours Lingerie & Gifts

ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL CLINIC Lakeside Natural Medicine MKE MindBody Wellness Thrive Holistic Medicine Zuza's Way Integrative Care BOUTIQUE FITNESS Armored Athlete Health & Performance Legacy Gym MKE Pete Mueller Group Shred415 East Side CROSSFIT-STYLE GYM Badger CrossFit BrewCity CrossFit CrossFit 100 Evolution Fitness Legacy Gym MKE GYM Burn Boot Camp Legacy Gym MKE Peak Physique Personal Training Wisconsin Athletic Club MASSAGE THERAPIST Jay by the Bay Massage and Wellness MKE MindBody Wellness Muscle Alchemy Zen Garden Bodywork PERSONAL TRAINER Alex Rosencutter Ambrose WB Michael McVicker Tim Mikulance PILATES STUDIO Club Pilates East Side Pilates Flying Squirrel Pilates Kinetic MKE REIKI STUDIO Ascended Gifts, Llc Kristine Joy MKE MindBody Wellness The Zen Dragonfly SPA Epic MedSpa High Brow Boutique Love Based Beauty Neroli Salon & Spa Well Spa + Salon YOGA STUDIO Embody Yoga Empower Yoga Healium Hot Yoga Tosa Yoga Center

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ANTIQUE STORE Antiques & Uniques On Main Antiques On Pierce Barbie's 2nd Time Around BC Modern Clocktower Antiques AUTO DEALERSHIP DOMESTIC Boucher Chevrolet Heiser Ford Mike Juneau’s Buick GMC Soerens Ford, Inc. AUTO DEALERSHIP - IMPORT David Hobbs Honda Rosen Nissan Milwaukee Schlossmann Honda City Schlossmann Subaru City of Milwaukee Umansky Motor Cars AUTO DEALERSHIP PREOWNED John Paul's Buick GMC Manyo Motors Car Sales Rosen Kia Milwaukee Schlossmann Honda City Wilde Toyota BIKE SHOP Dream Bikes - Milwaukee The Bikesmiths Truly Spoken Cycles Wheel & Sprocket BOOKSTORE Boswell Book Company Downtown Books Bought & Sold Lion's Tooth Rainbow Booksellers Voyageur Book Shop BOUTIQUE CLOTHING Bandit MKE Fayes Haus of Oge SoHo Boutique by Stephanie Horne Sparrow Collective CAMPING EQUIPMENT Sherper's Yellow Wood CARPET/FINE RUGS Kerns Carpet One Floor & Home Persian Rug Gallery Shabahang and Sons Persian Carpets Suri Persian & Oriental Rugs

CBD RETAIL SHOP Canni Hemp Co. Milwaukee's CBD Shop Kind Oasis Premium CBD & Delta 8 from Milwaukee Knuckleheads CBD & Vapes TerraSol Dispensary CLOTHING - CHILDREN'S BlackBear Children's Boutique Creatively Yours Gift Baskets Little Monsters Sparrow Collective CLOTHING - MEN'S Beard MKE Haus of Oge MILWORKS Moda3 CLOTHING - WOMEN'S All About Workout Bandit MKE Fifth-Main Haus of Oge COMIC BOOK STORE Collector's Edge Comics South Lion's Tooth Lost World of Wonders The Turning Page EYEWEAR Be Spectacled Metro Eye Milwaukee Eye Care Optix On Downer Quality Optical Service FASHION ACCESSORIES Beard MKE Bandit MKE Sparrow Collective The Bronzeville Collective MKE FINE JEWELRY STORE A Trio Jewelry Design Studio Cival Collective MKB Jewelry Rohr Jewelers Tobin Jewelers Mequon FLORIST 414loral Belle Fiori, Ltd. Flowers for Dreams Parkway Floral Inc. Unordinary Omen Floristry FURNITURE - NEW BILTRITE Furniture-LeatherMattresses Colder’s Furniture, Appliances, and Mattresses Penny Mustard Furnishings Warren Barnett Interiors FURNITURE - RESTORED Barbie's 2nd Time Around Cream City Restoration Ormson Supply

GARDEN CENTER Bayside Garden Center Minor's Garden Center, Inc. Plant Land Stein's Garden & Home GIFT SHOP Beard MKE Oniomania Sparrow Collective The Bronzeville Collective MKE HARDWARE STORE Bliffert Hardware Elliott Ace Hardware Village Ace Hardware Village Ace Hardware Prospect HEAD SHOP Closet Classics Knuckleheads CBD & Vapes Pipe Dreams LLC VCT Vape LIGHTING SHOWROOM BBC Lighting Brass Light Gallery Elektra Lights & Fans Inc. Luce Lighting MATTRESS STORE BILTRITE Furniture-LeatherMattresses Colder’s Furniture, Appliances, and Mattresses HassleLess Mattress Verlo Mattress MOTORCYCLE DEALERSHIP House of Harley-Davidson® Suburban Motors Wisconsin Harley-Davidson MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE Cream City Music Lincoln Music House Music Go Round Wade's Guitar Shop NEW RETAIL STORE (OPENED IN (2021) Bandit MKE Maranta Plant Shop ReNew Sports and Fitness Supply NOVELTY / VARIETY STORE American Science & Surplus Art Smart’s Dart Mart & Juggling Emporium Beard MKE Fischberger's Variety Winkie's PET RETAIL STORE Bark N' Scratch Outpost Bentley's Pet Stuff Mac's Pet Depot Barkery Pet Supplies Plus Glendale Skilos, A Family Pet Store

RECORD STORE Acme Records Record Head Rush-Mor Ltd Music & Video The Exclusive Company

MILWAUKEEAN OF THE YEAR Giannis Antetokounmpo Judge Derek Mosley Samer Ghani Steven Binko

PLACE TO WORK FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE Alice's Garden Milwaukee Riverkeeper Urban Ecology Center

BURGERS AJ Bombers Crafty Cow Kopp's Frozen Custard Oscar's Pub & Grill

SHOE STORE Allen Edmonds DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse Milwaukee Boot Company Performance Running Outfitters Stan's Fit For Your Feet

MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESS Cream City Print Lounge Funky Fresh Spring Rolls Maranta Plant Shop Ruby’s Bagels The Bronzeville Collective MKE

RISING STAR IN POLITICS Cavalier Johnson David Crowley Mandela Barnes Ryan Clancy

BURRITO Botanas Restaurant Café Corazón Electric Lime Taqueria Jalisco Restaurant Mr. Señor's

TOBACCO SHOP Famous SmokeShop Knuckleheads CBD & Vapes Uhle Tobacco Company

MOST BELOVED POLITICIAN Gwen Moore Mandela Barnes Tammy Baldwin Tom Barrett

VAPE SHOP Knuckleheads CBD & Vapes TerraSol Dispensary The Glasshouse Vape and Smoke VCT Vapes VINTAGE/THRIFT STORE Alive and Fine Bandit MKE BC Modern Lost & Found MKE Plume

CITY CONFIDENTIAL LOCAL ACTIVIST Dr. Monique Liston Elle Halo Frank Nitty Steven Binko LOCAL CHARACTER John McGivern Milverine Ryan Laessig Steven Binko LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR Chauntel McKenzie Geoff Hoen Lilo Allen Ryan Laessig LOCAL PODCAST Experience MKE Geekset Podcast Local First Podcast Tell Them You Mean Business by Hupy and Abraham MILWAUKEE ALDERPERSON Cavalier Johnson Marina Dimitrijevic Milele A. Coggs Nik Kovac MILWAUKEE COUNTY SUPERVISOR Jason Haas Marcelia Nicholson Priscilla Coggs-Jones Ryan Clancy

MOST DESPISED POLITICIAN Robin Vos Ron Johnson Scott Walker Tony Evers

STATE LEGISLATOR Chris Larson David Bowen Jonathan Brostoff WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS Bandit MKE Jen's Sweet Treats Maranta Plant Shop MKE Style Concierge The Bronzeville Collective MKE UBUNTU Research & Evaluation

MOST TRUSTED PUBLIC OFFICIAL Derek Mosely Hannah Dugan Marina Dimitrijevic Ryan Clancy Tom Barrett

DINING OUT

ORGANIZATION SUPPORTING VETERANS Center for Veterans Issues Disabled American Veterans Dryhootch Coffeehouse Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce

BAR FOOD Camino Pete's Pub Steny's Tavern & Grill The Stillery

NON-PROFIT/HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATION Ignite The Spirit Love on Black Women Mattie's Memory Planned Parenthood Street Angels PHILANTHROPIST Chris Abele Daniel Bader Herb Kohl Shavonda Sisson PLACE TO PICK UP THE SHEPHERD EXPRESS Colectivo Coffee Metro Market Milwaukee Public Market Outpost Natural Foods - Bay View Pick 'n Save Piggly Wiggly PLACE TO WORK FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOC (Black Leaders Organizing Communities) Citizen Action of Wisconsin UBUNTU Research & Evaluation Voces de la Frontera

AFRICAN RESTAURANT Alem Ethiopian Village Blue Star Cafe Ethiopian Cottage Restaurant Immy's African Cuisine

BARBECUE Double B's BBQ Restaurant & Timbers MKE Style BBQ Food Truck Heaven's Table BBQ Iron Grate BBQ Co. Smoke Shack BREAKFAST Blue's Egg Honey Butter Cafe Mad Rooster Cafe Sweet Diner BREW PUB Eagle Park Brewing Company Faklandia Brewing Lakefront Brewery The Explorium Brewpub Third Ward BRUNCH Blue's Egg Sweet Diner The Noble Sabrosa Cafe BUFFET Casablanca Golden Corral Buffet & Grill India Garden Maharaja New China Buffet Singha Thai Restaurant

CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT Island Jam Mobay Cafe Sabor Tropical Uppa Yard CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICAN RESTAURANT Chef Paz Restaurant C-viche El Salvador Restaurant MKE Noche Restaurant & Bar Triciclo Peru CHEAP EATS George Webb Restaurant Louie's Char Dogs & Butter Burgers Real Chili Taco Mike’s CHEF Adam Pawlak Chris Ghobrial Gregory Leon John Chandler CHICKEN WINGS Limanski's Pub Points East Pub Steny's Tavern & Grill TomKen's Bar & Grill CHINESE RESTAURANT DanDan Emperor of China Jing's Momo Mee Asian Cuisine Sze Chuan Restaurant COFFEE SHOP Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. Colectivo Coffee Lakefront Dream Lab Valentine Coffee Co. DONUTS Cranky Al's Donut monster Grebe's Bakery Sugar Cube Donuts FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT Meyer's Restaurant Bar & Banquet Hall Papa Luigi's Pizza SafeHouse The Stillery

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SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE

FARM-TO-TABLE RESTAURANT Braise Restaurant & Culinary School Morel Odd Duck Parkside 23 FISH FRY Kegel's Inn Lakefront Brewery Sandras On The Park The Packing House The Stillery FRENCH RESTAURANT Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro Le Reve Pâtisserie & Café Pastiche Bistro Sanford Restaurant FRIED CHEESE CURDS AJ Bombers Camino Faklandia Brewing Lakefront Brewery FROZEN YOGURT SHOP My Yo My Smart Cow Yogurt Shop Yo Factory Yo Mama!

GELATO SHOP Cold Spoons Gelato Divino Gelato Cafe Ltd Golosi Gelato Cafe GERMAN RESTAURANT Kegel's Inn Mader's Restaurant The Bavarian Bierhaus Von Trier GLUTEN-FREE/FRIENDLY RESTAURANT Cafe Manna Electric Lime Taqueria Lazy Susan MKE Wauwatiki Bar & Grill GOURMET RESTAURANT Ardent Coco's Seafood and Steakhouse Lake Park Bistro Sanford Restaurant GREEK RESTAURANT Apollo Cafe Cosmos Cafe Oakland Gyros Ouzo Cafe HOT DOG Dr. Dawg | Glendale Martino's Italian Beef and Hot Dogs Real Chili Riley's Good Dogs The Vanguard

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LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

HOTEL RESTAURANT ARIA – The Restaurant at Saint Kate Eldr+Rime Kimpton Journeyman Hotel Mason Street Grill The Iron Horse Hotel Tre Rivali

MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT Aladdin Casablanca Middle East Side Pita Palace Mediterranean Cuisine Taqwas Bakery and Restaurant

ICE CREAM/FROZEN CUSTARD STAND Gilles Frozen Custard Kilwins Milwaukee Bayshore Kopp's Frozen Custard Leon's Frozen Custard

MEXICAN RESTAURANT Botanas Restaurant Café Corazón Electric Lime Taqueria Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant

INDIAN/PAKISTANI RESTAURANT Cafe India Cafe India Bay View India Garden Maharaja IRISH RESTAURANT County Clare Irish Inn & Pub McBob's Pub & Grill Mo's Irish Pub Wauwatosa Mulligans Irish Pub & Grill ITALIAN RESTAURANT Papa Luigi's Pizza SALA - Modern Sicilian Dining Tavolino | Wine + Pasta + Pizza Tenuta's Italian Restaurant JAPANESE RESTAURANT Fujiyama (West Allis) Hungry Sumo Kawa Ramen and Sushi Kyoto JEWISH/KOSHER-STYLE RESTAURANT Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette Benji's Deli Jake's Deli North KITCHEN OPEN AFTER 10 P.M. Blackwood Brothers Restaurant & Social Club Electric Lime Taqueria Pete's Pub Real Chili The Vanguard KOREAN RESTAURANT Char'd Lucky Ginger Merge | Korean Fried Chicken + Soju Bar Momo Mee Asian Cuisine Seoul Korean Restaurant Stone Bowl Grill LOUISIANA/SOUTHERN RESTAURANT Crawdaddy's on Greenfield Maxie's Southern Comfort On the Bayou Tupelo Honey

MIDDLE EASTERN RESTAURANT Casablanca Damascus Gate Restaurant Middle East Side Taqwas Bakery and Restaurant NEW RESTAURANT (OPENED IN 2021) Blackwood Brothers Restaurant & Social Club Electric Lime Taqueria Fool's Errand MKE Middle East Side Tupelo Honey OUTDOOR DINING Café Benelux Electric Lime Taqueria Lakefront Brewery Sandras On The Park Zócalo Food Park PIZZERIA - DEEP DISH Falbo Bros Pizzeria Fixture Pizza Pub Lou Malnati's Pizzeria Rosati's Pizza Tenuta's Italian Restaurant PIZZERIA - THIN CRUST Balistreri's Italian-American Ristorante Ned's Pizza Papa Luigi's Pizza Zaffiro's Pizza & Bar PIZZERIA - WOOD-FIRED OVEN Flour Girl and Flame San Giorgio Pizzeria Napoletana Santino's Little Italy Wy'east Pizza PLACE TO EAT ALONE Beerline Cafe Electric Lime Taqueria Pete's Pub Real Chili Taco Mike’s RAMEN Hungry Sumo Kawa Ramen and Sushi Red Light Ramen Tanpopo Ramen & Sushi Restaurant

RESTAURANT OPEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY Andreas Family Restaurant Pallas Restaurant The Packing House RESTAURANT SERVICE Coco's Seafood and Steakhouse Electric Lime Taqueria Sandras on the park Steny's Tavern & Grill The Stillery RESTAURANT WITH A VIEW Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro Harbor House Lake Park Bistro Lakefront Brewery RIBS Double B's BBQ Restaurant & Timbers MKE Style BBQ Food Truck Pitch's Lounge & Restaurant Sandras On The Park Smoke Shack ROMANTIC RESTAURANT Lake Park Bistro Onesto SALA - Modern Sicilian Dining The Pasta Tree Restaurant & Wine Bar SANDWICH Bavette La Boucherie Benji's Deli Boo Boo's Sandwich Shop Cousins Subs Riley's Sandwich Co. SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Coco's Seafood and Steakhouse Harbor House St. Paul Fish Company Third Coast Provisions SOUL FOOD Daddy's Soul Food & Grille Maxie's Nino's Southern Sides Perkins Boyz On Tha Grill SOUPS Benji's Deli LOUP - Soup with a Local Twist Pete's Pub Soup Bros.

Soup Market STEAKHOUSE Carnevor Coco's Seafood and Steakhouse Five O'Clock Steakhouse Mason Street Grill STREET FOOD VENDOR Pedro's South American Food Shorty's Grilled Cheese That Taco Guy Vocado MKE

SUB SANDWICH Cheba Hut Toasted Subs Cousins Subs Riley's Sandwich Co. Suburpia SUPPER CLUB Five O'Clock Steakhouse Joey Gerard's - A Bartolotta Supper Club Sandras On The Park The Packing House SUSHI Hungry Sumo Kyoto Rice N Roll Bistro Screaming Tuna Milwaukee TACO Blue Bat Kitchen & Tequilaria Café Corazón Electric Lime Taqueria Paloma Taco and Tequila TAKEOUT/CURBSIDE PICKUP Electric Lime Taqueria Sandras On The Park The Stillery Twisted Plants TAPAS (SMALL PLATES) Balzac La Merenda Movida at Hotel Madrid Odd Duck THAI RESTAURANT Bangkok House Restaurant EE-Sane Thai-Lao Cuisine Kim's Thai Restaurant Siam Express Singha Thai Restaurant Thai A Kitchen Thai-namite on BRADY St. VEGAN-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT Beerline Cafe Cafe Manna Electric Lime Taqueria Twisted Plants

VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT Beans & Barley Cafe Manna Electric Lime Taqueria Twisted Plants

HOME BUILDER Bielinski Homes J&J Contractors I LLC LaBonte construction Lakeside Development Companies

VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT Hué Vietnamese Restaurant - Bay View PHO 4 U Vietnamese Cuisine Pho Cali Pho Viet

HOME REMODELING Allrite Home & Remodeling J&J Contractors I LLC LaBonte Construction Refined Renovations

WINE LIST Balzac Coco's Seafood and Steakhouse Milwaukee ChopHouse Onesto

HOME IMPROVEMENT ARCHITECT HB Designs Justin Racinowski Design, LLC Kahler Slater Lakeside Development Companies Source 1 Project Solutions Inc BASEMENT/REC ROOM REMODELER J&J Contractors I LLC LaBonte Construction Refined Renovations S.J. Janis Company, Inc. BATHROOM REMODELER Design Tech Remodeling J&J Contractors I LLC LaBonte Construction Refined Renovations CLOSET DESIGN Closet Concepts Design Tech Remodeling LaBonte Construction ELECTRICIAN Current Electric Co. Edge Electric Pieper Electric, Inc. Roman Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

KITCHEN REMODELER Design Tech Remodeling J&J Contractors I LLC LaBonte Construction Refined Renovations LANDSCAPER/LAWN MAINTENANCE Cream City Landscaping J L Blohm's Landscaping MC Green Services Turf Tech Elite PLUMBER Alpine Plumbing Inc Bontempo Plumbing Budiac Plumbing Inc Milestone Plumbing, Inc. Schoofs Plumbing Co Inc Viking Plumbing ROOFER Allrite Home & Remodeling J&J Contractors I LLC Reimer Roofing & Remodeling WINDOW & SIDING Allrite Home & Remodeling J&J Contractors I LLC Reimer Roofing & Remodeling Weather Tight Corporation

LGBTQ DRAG SHOW D.I.X Drag Queen Bingo at Lakefront Brewery Hamburger Mary's Milwaukee This is it!

LGBTQ ADVOCATE Aichelle S. White Arika Kaosa Elle Halo Steven Binko LGBTQ EVENT Hamburger Mary's Milwaukee March With Pride for BLM Pridefest LGBTQ-INCLUSIVE BUSINESS Beard MKE Dead Bird Brewing Company Isharai Artist Management The Bronzeville Collective MKE LGBTQ-OWNED BUSINESS Beard MKE Isharai Artist Management Maranta Plant Shop This Is It!

LOCALLY-OWNED FOOD & DRINK BAKERY Aggie's Bakery & Cake Shop Jen's Sweet Treats Rocket Baby Bakery Simma's Bakery BEER SELECTION Avenue Wine & Liquor Discount Liquor Inc Otto's Wine & Spirits on Oakland Ray's Wine & Spirits BUTCHER SHOP Becher Meats Bunzel's Meat Market Ray's Butcher Shoppe South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats CHEESE SELECTION G. Groppi Food Market Glorioso's Italian Market Larry's Market West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe Wisconsin Cheese Mart

NOVEMBER 2021 | 55

SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE

CHOCOLATIER Freese's Candy Shoppe Indulgence Chocolatiers Kilwins Milwaukee Bayshore Tabal Chocolate FARMERS MARKET Shorewood Farmers Market South Shore Farmers Market Tosa Farmers Market West Allis Farmers Market GROCERY - ALL PURPOSE Festival Foods Fresh Thyme Market Metro Market Outpost Natural Foods - Bay View Sendik's Food Market Woodman's Food Market GROCERY - ETHNIC Cermak Fresh Market El Rey Glorioso's Italian Market Pacific Produce GROCERY - GOURMET G. Groppi Food Market Glorioso's Italian Market Sendik's Food Market Whole Foods Market GROCERY - ORGANIC Beans & Barley Fresh Thyme Market Outpost Natural Foods - Bay View Whole Foods Market LIQUOR STORE Consumer Outlet Beverage Discount Liquor Inc Otto’s Wine & Spirits Ray's Wine & Spirits MEAT SELECTION Becher Meats Bunzel's Meat Market Kettle Range Meat Company Ray's Butcher Shoppe SAUSAGE SHOP Bunzel's Meat Market Foltz Family Market Ray's Butcher Shoppe Rupena's Fine Foods South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe TAKE-OUT DELI Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette Beans & Barley Benji's Deli Bunzel's Meat Market Danielle's Deli G. Groppi Food Market Glorioso's Italian Market Rupena's Fine Foods West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe 56 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

WINE SELECTION Corvina Wine Company Discount Liquor Inc Nonfiction Natural Wines Ray's Wine & Spirits Thief Wine Shop & Bar

MEDICAL ALCOHOL & DRUG REHAB CENTER Rogers Behavioral Health Shorewood House Zusa’s Way Integrative Care CHIROPRACTOR Ascent Sports & Wellness Chiropractic Brookfield Chiropractic Company • Milwaukee East Monica Maroney, DC Shorewood Family Chiropractic COSMETIC DENTIST Eastside Dental Major Dental Clinics of Milwaukee Stephanie Murphy, DDS COSMETIC SURGEON Bonness MD Cosmetic Surgery Lorelle L. Kramer, MD Thomas G. Korkos, MD Visage Facial Plastic Surgery DENTIST American Dental Professionals Firefly Family Dentistry Harris Family Dental Robe Ralph S DDS Stephanie Murphy, DDS The Dentists South Shore EYE DOCTOR Metro Eye Milwaukee Eye Care MyEyeDr. HOME MEDICAL CARE Comfort Keepers Home Care Exceptional Living Adult Family Homes LLC Hearts To Home Senior Home Care Horizon Home Care & Hospice HOSPITAL Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Aurora St Luke's Medical Center Froedtert Hospital West Allis Memorial Hospital LASIK SURGEON Jason N. Edmonds, M.D. Milwaukee Eye Care LasikPlus Milwaukee Eye Care OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST Aurora St Luke's Medical Center Freedom Physical Therapy Services Watertown Regional Medical Center

ORTHODONTIST Bell Orthodontic Solutions Grafton Orthodontics Holzhauer, Hewett & Barta Orthodontics PERIODONTIST Carlos Mendez Dale A. Newman DDS, SC Eddie Morales, DDS Jarzembinski, Cynthia T DDS PHYSICAL THERAPIST Chiropractic Company • Menomonee Falls Chiropractic Company • Milwaukee East Freedom Physical Therapy Services Wisconsin Orthopedic Physical Therapy PSYCHIATRIST/ PSYCHOLOGIST Carlyle H. Chan, MD Lakiesha Russell New Insights, LLC Lakeshore Psychology Services TELEMEDICINE PROVIDER Aurora St Luke's Medical Center Mark G. Eberhage, PHD Shorehaven Behavioral Health Thrive Holistic Medicine Zuza's Way Integrative Care WOMEN'S MEDICAL SERVICES Moreland OB-GYN Associates, S.C. Planned Parenthood Thrive Holistic Medicine Zuza's Way Integrative Care

MILWAUKEE FOOD & BEVERAGES ARTISANAL CHEESE Clock Shadow Creamery The Village Cheese Shop West Allis Cheese & Sausage Shoppe Wisconsin Cheese Mart BACON Becher Meats Bunzel's Meat Market Held's Meat and Cheese Market Kettle Range Meat Company Patrick Cudahy by Smithfield Culinary Ray's Butcher Shoppe Usinger's™ Famous Sausage BRATWURST Karl's Country Market (World Famous Sausage) Kettle Range Meat Company Ray's Butcher Shoppe South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats Usinger's™ Famous Sausage

CHEESE CURDS Binary: Games, Foods & Spirits Clock Shadow Creamery Crafty Cow Faklandia Brewing Lakefront Brewery Water Street Brewery CRAFT BEER Black Husky Brewing Faklandia Brewing Lakefront Brewery New Barons Brewing Cooperative CUPCAKES Aggie's Bakery & Cake Shop Classy Girl Cupcakes CupKate Jen's Sweet Treats DISTILLED SPIRITS Central Standard Craft Distillery Eagle Park Brewing & Distilling Great Lakes Distillery & Tasting Room Twisted Path Distillery FROZEN PIZZA Cedar Teeth Foltz Family Market Palermo's Pizza GOURMET POPCORN Goody Gourmets Kilwins Milwaukee Bayshore Lush Popcorn Pop's Kettle Corn HARD CIDER Cache Cider Lakefront Brewery Lost Valley Cider Co. MobCraft Brewing HOME COOKING MEAL KITS Funky Fresh Spring Rolls Kettle Range Meat Company Miltown Eats Simple Eats MKE The Real Good Life SAUSAGE Ray's Butcher Shoppe South Milwaukee Sausage and Meats The Vanguard Usinger's™ Famous Sausage SODA Dead Bird Brewing Company Sprecher Brewery Lakefront Brewery TEA HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary Rishi Tea Tippecanoe Herbs and Apothecary Urbal Tea

MILWAUKEE MUSIC ACOUSTIC MUSICIAN Catelyn Picco Jake Williams Matt Davies Peter Thomas ALT COUNTRY Bella Cain RAT BATH Rebel Grace Richie Allen The Midnight Purchase BLUEGRASS BAND Chicken Wire Empire The MilBillies The Whiskeybelles Thriftones BLUES BAND Altered Five Blues Band Blues Disciples Milwaukee Blues Rock Collective Tweed CLUB DJ DJ Kenny Perez DJ King James DJ Shawna Mr. New York COVER/TRIBUTE BAND Failure to Launch FM Rodeo Smart Mouth The Now ELECTRONIC ARTIST Immortal Girlfriend LUXI Moonbow Ronco FOLK BAND Chris Haise Band The Midnight Purchase Thriftones JAZZ COMBO Ellen Winters Group J. Ryan Trio The Carlos Adames Group We Six METAL BAND Conniption Illusion of Fate Sam McCullough snag MUSIC PRODUCER Moonbow Rizzy B SpaceCrime Vincent Van Great POLKA BAND Copperbox November Criminals The Happy Schnapps Combo The Squeezettes Val Sigal

RAP/HIP-HOP ARTIST B.U. Browns Crew Ernie Z Gego y Nony ROCK BAND Sam McCullough Tigera Wonderful Bluffer Xposed 4Heads VOCALIST - FEMALE Amanda Huff Ashley Patin (Smart Mouth) B~Free Valerie Lighthart VOCALIST - MALE Adam Fettig Austin Riche (Smart Mouth) Jü Steven Binko

OUT & ABOUT ALL-AGES VENUE Bud Pavilion Cactus Club Hangout MKE Café & Lounge X-Ray Arcade ARCADE/GAMING Binary: Games, Foods & Spirits Faklandia Gaming Up-Down MKE X-Ray Arcade ART STUDIO/CLASSES (NON-BAR) Cream City Print Lounge Cream City Clay, Inc. Pottery School & Art Studio Neighbor Art Studio Splash Studio ATTRACTION FOR OUT-OFTOWN GUESTS Lakefront Brewery Milwaukee Art Museum Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory NorthSouth Club AXE THROWING BAR AXE MKE Bounce Milwaukee NorthSouth Club BAR FOR QUIET CONVERSATION Bryant's Cocktail Lounge Charles E. Fromage Creed's Foggy Dew Draft and Vessel Sugar Maple The Tin Widow Tied House Milwaukee BAR ON A BUDGET Landmark Lanes Ray & Dot's Tap Redbar The Newport

BAR TO BE SEEN IN Elsa's On the Park Moran's Pub Nettie's Irish Pub - NIP’S The Bar at Saint Kate The Stillery BAR TO WATCH SOCCER Moran's Pub Nomad World Pub The Highbury Pub Three Lions Pub BAR WITH A PATIO Boone & Crockett Charles E. Fromage Nettie's Irish Pub - NIP’S Nomad World Pub Tied House Milwaukee BEER GARDEN Estabrook Beer Garden Franksville Craft Beer Garden Hubbard Park Beer Garden South Shore Terrace Kitchen & Beer Garden BLOODY MARY Café Benelux Centraal Grand Café & Tappery Sobelmans Steny's Tavern & Grill The Wicked Hop BREWERY TOUR Black Husky Brewing Lakefront Brewery Milwaukee Brewing Company Sprecher Brewing Co. COCKTAIL LOUNGE At Random Bryant's Cocktail Lounge Giggly at Saint Kate Tied House Milwaukee COCKTAIL KIT Bittercube Bazaar Lost Whale Style Up Group The Stillery CRAFT BEER SELECTION AT A BAR Binary: Games, Foods & Spirits Draft and Vessel New Barons Brewing Cooperative Sugar Maple DANCE CLUB District on Water Freight 38 LaCage NiteClub Mad Planet Points View Boîte Room Seven RWB Milwaukee ESCAPE ROOM 60 to Escape Escape the Room Milwaukee Seven Keys to Escape | Escape Room TeamEscape 262

HAPPY HOUR Duke's on Water Mason Street Grill Maxie's Moran's Pub HOOKAH LOUNGE Casablanca Dream Lab Hookah Live Revel Bar HOTEL LOUNGE Blu The Bar at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel The Iron Horse Hotel The Pfister Hotel IMPORT BEER SELECTION AT A BAR Benno's The Brass Tap The Drunk Uncle Von Trier IRISH PUB County Clare Irish Inn & Pub Moran's Pub Mulligans Irish Pub & Grill Nettie's Irish Pub - NIP’S JAZZ CLUB Caroline's Sam's Place Jazz Cafe The Jazz Estate KARAOKE BAR Bremen Cafe Faklandia Brewing Grainger's Pub & Grill Landmark Lanes Lincoln Pub The High Note Karaoke Lounge LIVE MUSIC VENUE Bud Pavilion Cactus Club Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon Summerfest MARGARITA Café Corazón Charles E. Fromage Moran's Pub Tied House Milwaukee MARTINI Blu Elsa's On the Park JoJo's Martini Lounge Tied House Milwaukee MICROBREWERY/TAPROOM Black Husky Brewing Enlightened Brewing Company Faklandia Brewing New Barons Brewing Cooperative

NOVEMBER 2021 | 57

SPECIAL BEST OF MILWAUKEE

LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER.

MILWAUKEE TOUR City Tours MKE Gothic Milwaukee Milwaukee Paddle Tavern Milwaukee Pedal Tavern Tippecanoe Herbs (Herb Walks)

WHISKEY SELECTION AT A BAR The Stillery The Vanguard Tied House Milwaukee Trailer Park Tavern

NEW BAR (OPENED IN 2021) Bad Moon Saloon Creed's Foggy Dew Stalley Cats Upper East Bar

REAL ESTATE

PAINT & WINE BAR Cream City Print Lounge Painting with a Twist The Farmhouse PET-FRIENDLY ESTABLISHMENT Black Husky Brewing New Barons Brewing Cooperative Riley's Sandwich Co. Sip & Purr Cat Café The Hounds & Tap PLACE FOR FAMILY FUN Hangout MKE Cafe & Lounge Co. Little Sprouts Play Cafe Nine Below Safehouse ROCK CLUB Cactus Club Paulie's Pub & Eatery Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon Shank Hall ROMANTIC BAR At Random Blu Charles E. Fromage Tied House Milwaukee SPORTS BAR Kelly's Bleachers Moran's Pub SportClub Steny's Tavern & Grill STRIP CLUB Heart Breakers On The Border Gentlemen's Club Rickey's on State Silk Exotic Downtown MKE Gentlemen's Club TRIVIA NIGHT Black Husky Brewing Blackbird Bar Lakefront Brewery Moran's Pub Mulligans Irish Pub & Grill Painting With a Twist Pete's Pub VIDEO ARCADE Binary: Games, Foods & Spirits Dead Bird Brewing Company Landmark Lanes Up-Down MKE X-Ray Arcade 58 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

REAL ESTATE AGENCY Founders 3 Real Estate Services Mahler Sotheby's International Realty Mid-Coast Realty Shorewest Realtors REAL ESTATE AGENT/BROKER Brandon Tyler Real Estate Mahler Sotheby's International Realty Caitlin Dennis, Shorewest Realtors Emily Bear Marie Janzen RENTAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GROUP Bielinski Management Founders 3 Real Estate Services My Dwelling Vandelay Group

SERVICES RENDERED ACCOUNTANT/TAX ADVISER CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) Daroda Accounting Jaquilla Ross KLM Accounting and Tax Associates Nelson AESTHETICIAN Dear Dahlia District 108 Salon & Spa Epic MedSpa High Brow Boutique ANIMAL WELFARE ORGANIZATION Elmbrook Humane Society Humane Animal Welfare Society - HAWS of Waukesha County Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission Wisconsin Humane Society Milwaukee Campus AUTO BODY SHOP Leonard Auto Body Inc Manyo Motors Schlossmann Honda City VCA Auto Body, Repair & Sales AUTO DETAILER Detail Doctors Full Service Car Wash Metro Car Wash Schlossmann Honda City

AUTO SERVICE & REPAIR Manyo Motors REIS Automotive Riverside Automotive Service Schlossmann Honda City BANK Associated Bank Bank Five Nine North Shore Bank U.S. Bank BED AND BREAKFAST Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast County Clare Irish Inn & Pub Dubbel Dutch Hotel Manderley Bed & Breakfast Inn Sanger House Gardens Schuster Mansion Bed & Breakfast The Muse Gallery Guesthouse BODY PIERCING STUDIO Atomic Tattoos Avant-Garde Bay Street Tattoo Co. Body Ritual Golden Crystal Body Piercing BOUTIQUE HOTEL Dubbel Dutch Hotel Kimpton Journeyman Hotel Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel The Iron Horse Hotel CATERER Bunzel's Meat Market Emerald City Catering/The Enchanted Forest Event Venue Over the Moon Bartending Tall Guy and a Grill Catering COLLEGE / UNIVERSITY Alverno College Marquette University Milwaukee Area Technical College Downtown Milwaukee Campus Mount Mary University University of WisconsinMilwaukee CREDIT UNION Educators Credit Union Landmark Credit Union Summit Credit Union UW Credit Union DOGGY DAY CARE/BOARDING Bay View Bark Central Bark Doggy Day Care: Downtown Dog City Hotel & Spa Playtime Doggy Daycare FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FOR GETTING A BUSINESS LOAN Educators Credit Union Summit Credit Union Total Mortgage U.S. Bank

FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FOR GETTING A HOME MORTGAGE Educators Credit Union Landmark Credit Union Summit Credit Union Wisconsin Mortgage Corporation FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FOR OPENING A CHECKING ACCOUNT Associated Bank Educators Credit Union North Shore Bank Summit Credit Union UW Credit Union FINANCIAL INSTITUTION PROVIDING BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Educators Credit Union Landmark Credit Union Summit Credit Union UW Credit Union FINANCIAL PLANNER/STOCK BROKER Annex Wealth Management Educators Credit Union Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor Matthew R. Wolf Summit Credit Union GREEN BUSINESS Bounce Milwaukee Everything Grows Tippecanoe Herbs Vance Global HAIR REMOVAL District 108 Salon & Spa Epic MedSpa European Wax Center High Brow Boutique HAIR SALON - MEN'S Beard MKE District 108 Salon & Spa Stag Barbershop VitaBella Salon HAIR SALON - WOMEN'S District 108 Salon & Spa Marie & Ebe Salon Monarch Loft, LLC VitaBella Salon HOTEL ROOMS Dubbel Dutch Hotel Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel The Iron Horse Hotel The Pfister Hotel INSURANCE AGENCY Cream City Insurance Reilly Insurance Services Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC

INSURANCE AGENT / BROKER Bob Vitt - State Farm Insurance Agent Claudia Reilly Jerad Steinfeld Joe Woelfle - State Farm Insurance Agent LAW FIRM - BANKRUPTCY Bankruptcy Law Office of Richard A. Check S. C. Debt Advisors Law Offices Milwaukee Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Peter Francis Geraci Law L.L.C. LAW FIRM - BUSINESS Fox, O'Neill & Shannon Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Hansen and Reynolds OVB Law & Consulting, S.C. LAW FIRM - CRIMINAL DEFENSE Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Jacob Manian Jones Law Firm LLC Kim & LaVoy, S.C. LAW FIRM - DIVORCE Gagne McChrystal De Lorenzo & Burghardt Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Nelson, Krueger & Millenbach, LLC Schmidlkofer, Toth, Loeb & Drosen, LLC LAW FIRM - ESTATE PLANNING Fox, O'Neill & Shannon Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Bruce A. Tammi von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

LAW FIRM - FAMILY LAW Gagne McChrystal De Lorenzo & Burghardt Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Hansen & Hildebrand S.C. Nelson, Krueger & Millenbach, LLC

LAW FIRM - FULL SERVICE Fox, O'Neill & Shannon Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Inc. LAW FIRM - PERSONAL INJURY Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Groth Law Firm, S.C. Gruber Law Offices, LLC Hupy and Abraham, S.C. PET GROOMING/SERVICES Community Bark Dog Wash & Groom - Bay View Embark Pet Spa Petlicious Pet Spa SideKick Dog Training PHOTOGRAPHER Ashley Beller: Peachy Paradigm Portraits Azure Mahara Photography Eric Ellis Jamie Robarge Photography PICTURE FRAMING GALLERY Bresler Eitel Framing Gallery Noble Arts SB Framing Gallery South Shore Gallery & Framing NAIL SALON Gloss Nail Spa Nail Bar Milwaukee - Walker's Point Studio Nails Well Spa + Salon RIDE SERVICE Bublr Bikes Lyft Milwaukee County Transit System The Hop MKE Uber Yellow Cab Co-Op Milwaukee

TATTOO PARLOR Atomic Tattoos Ghost Light Tattoo Parlor Good Land Tattoo Honey Wraith Tattoo Str8 Klownin Ink Walker's Point Tattoo Co. VETERINARIAN Bayshore Veterinary Clinic Brentwood Animal Campus Community Veterinary Clinic Integrative Veterinary Service Milwaukee Vet Clinic WEDDING VENUE Story Hill FireHouse The Gage The Ivy House The Pfister Hotel

SPORTS & RECREATION BOWLING ALLEY Bay View Bowl Classic Lanes Greenfield Landmark Lanes South Shore Bowl ENDURANCE EVENT Ice Age Trail 50 Joe's Run Milwaukee Beer Run 5k & .05k Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon Riverwest 24 Scenic Shore 150 USA Triathlon

FAVORITE PACKERS PLAYER Aaron Jones Aaron Rodgers Davante Adams Randall Cobb GOLF COURSE Brown Deer Park Golf Course Grant Park Golf Course Lake Park Morningstar Golf Club Muskego Lakes Country Club Washington County Golf Course MINI GOLF COURSE Moorland Road Golf Center Nine Below Prairieville Park River Falls Family Fun Center PADDLESPORTS - RENT OR BUY Brew City Kayak - Milwaukee Kayak Rentals and Tours Lakeshore Paddle Sport Rentals Milwaukee Kayak Company Sherper's ROCK CLIMBING VENUE Adventure Rock Bounce Milwaukee The Rock Turner Hall Climbing Gym

FAVORITE BREWERS PLAYER Christian Yelich Corbin Burnes Lorenzo Cain Willy Adames FAVORITE BUCKS PLAYER Bobby Portis Giannis Antetokounmpo Jrue Holiday Khris Middleton NOVEMBER 2021 | 59

CULTURE

Słill a Milwaukeean PAUL CEBAR REFLECTS ON 45 YEARS IN MUSIC

Photo courtesy of Paul Cebar.

Photo by Kathleen Hill.

BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

Photo courtesy of Paul Cebar. Photo by Kathleen Hill.

A

lthough he is one of Milwaukee’s most recognized musicians, and one of the most recognizable for his retro-future style sense, Paul Cebar was seldom seen in public from March 2020 through August 2021. The pandemic lockdown, however, never silenced his voice, heard on his Wednesday show on WMSE in between spinning records by other artists.

Despite leading the band that was formerly called The Milwaukeeans, Cebar doesn’t sound like he comes from these parts.

Whether speaking or singing, his words are steeped in an easy warmth and good humor that suggest life along Lake Pontchartrain more than Lake Michigan.

The native Milwaukeean first appeared on small stages around town, sometimes playing solo, sometimes singing with Robyn Pluer and backed by saxophonist Rip Tenor. By the mid-‘80s he co-commanded (with John Sieger) a regionally popular touring and recording act, The R&B Cadets. When the Cadets disbanded in 1986, he continued as Paul Cebar and The Milwaukeeans, a band that traveled a circuit of music festivals each year from coast to coast.

During the first decade of the new century, he changed the band’s name to Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound. “The studies that talked about Milwaukee as the most segregated city in the country played into it,” he said, adding that it was also simply time for a change. “By calling us The Milwaukeeans, I took the example of Duke Ellington’s band, The Washing-

tonians,” he explained. “It should have been cautionary to me that Ellington soon changed his band’s name to the Jungle Orchestra—and I failed to make the Jungle Orchestra move.”

The Milwaukeeans were a racially integrated band as they toured the U.S. in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. The lineup has changed since then; Tomorrow Sound shrank to quartet-size with bassist Mike Fredrickson joining longtime saxophonist Bob Jennings and drummer Reggie Bordeaux alongside Cebar on guitar. Like the compact R&B combos of the 1940s that supplanted the swing orchestras of the 1930s, economics is a factor. “Part of me would love to have a conga player back and another horn player, but it’s been a strong consolidation,” Cebar says.

“Tomorrow Sound relies on less of us to make the rhythm emphatic. Given the nature of club work and travel, the fourpiece made it possible to travel in one van instead of two.”

Despite the changes, Tomorrow Sound continues along The Milwaukeeans’ path.

In his early years Cebar emulated the uptempo fervor of ‘40s R&B but has long since evolved a distinctive sound that blends rock energy with Latin rhythms and classic ‘60s soul in songs that amplify his love of succinct, vivid language. The Tomorrow Sound name captures the idea that while historically rooted, the music is striding towards the future. Altogether, Cebar has released a dozen albums, several of them for niche labels with national recognition.

60 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

THE LAST YEAR “I was holing up like the rest of us,” Cebar said, recalling 2020. He spent the year looking after his father, age 98, and recording at home. Neither task was new. “Over the past 20 years I’ve been doing home recordings,” he said. “I’ve got the bones of a bunch of useable recordings in there. Some of them will turn into fullfledged songs,” possibly for a Paul Cebar solo album.

The pandemic thwarted plans for a new Tomorrow Sound album.

“We had a very collective vision for it, vaguely gospel in terms of sound—and inspired by New Orleans street music,” he said. Cebar plans to restart the project, to be recorded at Chicago’s Reliable Recorders by Alex Hall, whose resume includes Robbie Fulks, The Cactus Blossoms and others. “He’s got a good sense for the history of music and for nailing a mood,” Cebar said.

Dormant since March 2020, Tomorrow Sound ventured outdoors this summer for shows in Wisconsin as well as a few festivals around the country as they began to rebuild their network. This fall, the occasionally regrouped R&B Cadets as well as Tomorrow Sound have returned to playing clubs.

Sharing music remained central to his life during the long absence from the stage through hosting “Way Back Home” on WMSE, 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays. In any random hour of programming, Cebar might wander from lively Trinidadian calypso to melancholy Francophone soul from neighboring Guadeloupe, from obscure gems of ‘60s American soul to Brazilian Tropicalia and back round again to muggy New Orleans blues in improbable but meaningful transitions.

“It’s a corrective to blinkered American radio—the horrible thing of it now,” Cebar said. “Radio used to bring Little Richard into everyone’s house. Now it brings Sean Hannity. I’m on a free-form station so the least I can do is play exactly what moves me.”

Although selections are largely driven by music from the African diaspora, “there’s not a lot of forethought. I bring along a lot of records to the station and I make it up as I go along.”

Yes, Cebar considered leaving Milwaukee for one of those fabled musical meccas where careers are forged. “We were talking about it 40 years ago,” he began. “Rip [Tenor] and I were theoretically moving to New York—but then came the nuts and bolts of actually moving there. In New York, I’d have to wait tables while I waited for my couple of gigs.” With The R&B Cadets, he was headlining shows across the Midwest in the ‘80s. Why leave?

And now? “I feel comfortable living here. I support the dream of a multicultural Midwestern life with some sophistication to it,” Cebar concluded, before refecting, “As the realization of life sets in, you realize how much progress has been made in some ways and how little in others. I dedicated my first single to the memory of Ernest Lacy,” a young black Milwaukeean who died in police custody. “That was 40 years ago.”

David Luhrssen is coauthor (with Bruce Cole and Philip Naylor of Milwaukee Rock and Roll 1950-2000: A Reflective History and coauthor (with Steve Nodine, Eric Beaumont, Clancy Carrol) of Brick Through the Window: An Oral History of Punk Rock, New Wave and Noise in Milwaukee, 1964-1984.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 61

CULTURE

Milwaukee Ballet 8 x 4.875

This Month in Milwaukee

BY ALLEN HALAS, DAVID LUHRSSEN AND MICHAEL MUCKIAN

SIX THINGS TO DO IN NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 11

NOVEMBER 15

NOVEMBER 20-FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Mustard Plug with Something To Do and Size 5’s X-Ray Arcade Midwest ska legends Mustard Plug are back on the road, and they’ll be coming to Cudahy’s X-Ray Arcade. The band brings nearly three decades of music with them, having toured the world multiple times over. They’ll be assisted by local breakout ska act Something To Do, as well as skate punks Size 5’s. Tickets are available now at XRayArcade.com.

Gastro Osbscura: A Food Adventurer’s Guide Boswell Books Ever wonder what they eat during those long winters at Antarctic base camps? Antarctica is one of the seven continents whose cuisine is explored in Gastro Obscura. Authors Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras scoured the world looking for odd foods and odd food stories, going beyond the “signature dishes” of nations and regions. It’s not a cookbook and that’s just as well. Some of the entrees fall under the heading of “Don’t try that at home.” The event will be virtual. Register at boswellbooks.com.

Suzanne Rose I Blind Spot: To Pass among Them, Museum of Wisconsin Art Fine arts photographer Suzanne Rose brings her environmental concerns to the forefront in her striking photos of majestic trees that have been decimated or destroyed by mankind’s cruel intervention. The blackand-white imagery, styled to invoke crime scene photos, are accompanied by GPS coordinates of each tree’s location, creating a map of ongoing, and seemingly unending, environmental violence that gallery goers can view firsthand after seeing the exhibit.

(Michael Muckian)

NOVEMBER 17

NOVEMBER 26

Driveway Thriftdwellers, Paisley Fields and The Sapsuckers Cactus Club A trio of twangy Americana comes to Bay View when Milwaukee’s own Driveway Thriftdwellers headline a bill with Brooklyn singer/songwriter Paisley Fields and fellow Wisconsinites The Sapsuckers. Driveway Thriftdwellers have released a pair of albums to date, and in since 2018 have established themselves as one of the city’s premier country acts. Tickets are on sale now at CactusClubMilwaukee.com.

Playboi Carti The Eagles Ballroom One of contemporary rap’s heaviest hitters is coming to The Rave/Eagles Ballroom for a show that will more than likely draw a capacity crowd. Playboi Carti first rose to prominence with “Magnolia” off of his 2017 self-titled album and has since amassed hundreds of millions of streams for a slew of big records, both for himself and collaborations. With a rabid following online, Carti is definitely bringing a party like none other. Tickets are available now at TheRave.com.

NOVEMBER 12 Mr. Nice Guy Presents North Warren, The Panoptics, SSAANN, The Midnight Purchase Cactus Club Since the development of the Mr. Nice Guy Podcast, host Ben Slowey has curated a series of concerts that showcase the up-and-coming acts in Milwaukee’s music scene. On Friday, November 12, Cactus Club will host four newer names in indie rock with North Warren, The Panoptics, SSAANN, and The Midnight Purchase. A portion of the proceeds from the show will also benefit a charity of choice. Tickets are on sale now at CactusClubMilwaukee.com.

62 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

NOVEMBER 2021 | 63

LIFESTYLE OUT OF MY MIND

Restoring a Sense of Wonder and Mystery

BY PHILIP CHARD

I

“

’m mourning the loss of wonder, of mystery,” Peter told me, hands folded, eyes down.

A vacancy tinged with sadness inhabited his gaze. With almost 70 years on the planet, this man had lived a full life, one populated with purpose and goodness.

But as he made his way through his 60s, his outlook soured. Not because some awful event or condition took him hostage, but due to his increasing sensitivity to what’s broken in our species and how we treat each other and the planet. Peter is a “highly sensitive person,” belonging to a subset of our population who feel more deeply than the norm, whatever that is.

64 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

They are highly empathic and tuned in to emotions and states of mind in others; a capacity that proves both a blessing and a curse.

It becomes a curse when they lock on to pain in others, as well as the collective emotional tone of their community, be that local, national, global or the entirety.

Over time, this can create what psychologists call a “negative cognitive bias.” The brain becomes accustomed to scanning for what’s wrong, unfair, frightening and hurtful, while overlooking or discounting what’s right, just and good. Unless facile in self-care and emotional healing, these folks gradually but inexorably accumulate

the weight of the sorrow, angst and tragedy they absorb from the world. Peter was such a soul.

“As a kid, I was full of wonder and curiosity,” he told me. “Especially anything to do with nature, like astronomy, biology, the microscopic world and the sciences in general. They connected me with the mystery of it all.”

SENSE OF AWE Peter’s longing to explore what eludes our cognitive grasp was a powerful force shaping his personality. He described how his fascination with the physical world seemed to whisper to him through his

Illustration by Benjavisa/Getty Images.

senses, beckoning him to look deeper. And the deeper he gazed, with reading, classes and experiences in the natural world, the more he sensed the presence of forces hiding within so-called physical reality.

This created a sense of awe and wonder.

It’s what we feel when gazing, awestruck, at a magnificent sunset, a dazzling rainbow, a whale breaching over open sea or the gaze of a newborn child. We sense the mystery but, in trying to describe it, mostly stumble. It is, as the philosophers remind us, ineffable (too profound for words).

“Besides my family and close friends, it was the most important thing in my life. I’m not sure how to live without it,” he explained.

To lose touch with something so precious and life-giving can be tragic. Einstein told us, “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.” Unfortunately, my profession displays a predilection for labeling this spiritual malady as merely psychological. Peter endured this when the first two counselors he visited pronounced him “clinically depressed,” while a psychiatrist added the term “dysthymia.” It was during

a conversation with his spouse that he discovered what truly ailed him. She shared how it seemed as if he had lost his sense of “wonder,” and, in its place, occupied a state of being bereft of mystery. Her pronouncement evoked an immediate “Aha!” in his brain.

“Is it even possible to bring this kind of consciousness back?” he wondered.

Well, one can’t summon what lyricists call “the eyes of a child” by brute force of will or sneaky sleight of mind. We can’t go find it. Rather, we need to create conditions that help it find us. But how? Mostly, it comes down to two key factors; setting and set. We need to inhabit physical settings that possess the sensory richness and beauty capable of eliciting awe and wonder. Often, these are in the natural world, but not always. Architectural spaces can cultivate an ambience of wonderment, as well. The other factor — set — refers to one’s mindset while in a beatific setting. Creating a conducive state of mind, or set, requires exercising intentional influence over one’s thoughts and actions.

Peter didn’t require any suggestions on settings. An outdoor type, he quickly identified several locales he planned to inhabit. When it came to set, however, he needed some guidance. I encouraged him to restart his meditation practice, as well as begin yoga and gratitude journaling, all to promote positivity and mindfulness.

What’s more, I suggested he develop an artistic pursuit that required collaborating with nature. He selected photography.

Sound like a lot of effort? Granted, but well worth it. One’s soul is at stake. As the Irish poet W.B. Yeats reminded us, “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

For more, visit philipchard.com.

Philip Chard is a psychotherapist and author with a focus on lasting behavior change, emotional healing and adaptation to health challenges. For more, visit philipchard.com.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 65

LIFESTYLE CANNABIS

Photo by KatarzynaBialasiewicz/Getty Images.

Drug Use Under Covid Is Approaching Historic High, Alcohol Consumption Is Falling for College Students

BY JEAN-GABRIEL FERNANDEZ

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“

arijuana use among young adults (ages 19-30) increased to alltime highs in 2020, which was true for annual use, 30-day use and daily use,” according to the federal government’s Monitoring the Future annual study.

Among young adults, 42% used marijuana in the past year, 27% used it in the past month, and nearly 10% reported consuming marijuana daily throughout 2020. The 21-26-year-old cohort, largely comprised of college students, uses marijuana at higher-than-average rates.

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Monitoring the Future has been chronicling substance use across the nation for nearly 50 years. The newest edition, published in September 2021, contains data gathered in the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, from March to November 2020. While the study is usually a hallmark of slow and steady cultural shifts, the newest edition addresses the effects of a worldwide pandemic on the demand for mind-altering substances.

Indeed, the study notes a significant dampening effect on alcohol consumption among young adults. Although alcohol use is usually steady from year to year, researchers found an uncharacteristic drop in 2020. People were significantly less likely to drink any alcohol at all, and they were even less likely to have experienced being drunk. The number of young adults reporting having been drunk in the past month fell five percentage points, to 31% of surveyed individuals. Researchers point to “a possible pandemic effect in terms of reduced social time.”

BINGE DRINKING DROPS “We clearly see that young people use alcohol as something to be taken at parties and gatherings. With the pandemic, those weren’t happening, so the alcohol intake and binge drinking dropped,” explained Dr. John Schulenberg, lead researcher of the study, in an interview for The Washington Post. The impact of the pandemic on alcohol intake is particularly marked among college students, he notes. “Historically, college students have reported the highest levels of binge drinking compared to same-aged youth who are not enrolled in college. This is the first year where binge drinking was similar between the two groups. While binge drinking has been gradually declining among college students for the past few decades, this is a new historic low, which may reflect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of reduced time with college friends.”

Among college students specifically, alcohol consumption fell from 62% in 2019 to 56% in 2020, while binge drinking went from 32% in 2019 to 24% in 2020. Among college students, marijuana use in the past year was higher than for other groups at 44%, up from 38% of college students in 2015. Additionally, 8% of college students report consuming marijuana daily, up from 5% five years prior.

“The pandemic seems to have actually made marijuana into an alternative to escape the monotony of isolation. It’s made

Photo by Rawpixel/Getty Images.

life become more boring, more stressful. So, if drugs let you experience that completely different mental state, I wonder whether that would be a factor that leads people to use them,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

MORE MARIJUANA USE The reduction in social activities, the increase in isolation and pandemic anxiety did not just impact alcohol and marijuana intake rates, although those are most prominent due to the sheer popularity of both drugs. Another effect has been to nearly double the reported use of hallucinogenic substances such as LSD, MDMA and magic mushrooms among college students.

The prevalence of college students using any illicit drug increased from a recent low of 34% in 2006 to 47%, primarily due to the exponential popularity and legalization of marijuana.

Interestingly, it is not the highest rate recorded by the Monitoring the Future series: In 1980, 56.2% of college students reported using illicit drugs, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2020. Marijuana use was as high as 51%, as opposed to “only” 44% today. Cocaine use was significantly higher in 1980, too.

Between 1980 and 1991, annual drug use fell consistently year after year; then, it stagnated around 35% during the 1990s and early 2000s; ultimately, it has been going back up in the past two decades. The year 2020 has catapulted substance use to levels not seen since the early 1980s, and it seems likely that the pandemic effects observed in the first year of Covid will ripple through 2021 as well. Next year’s Monitoring the Future study will cast a light on the full consequences that years of quarantine can have on the human psyche and the need for artificial paradises.

Jean-Gabriel Fernandez is a journalist and Sorbonne graduate living in Milwaukee NOVEMBER 2021 | 67

LIFESTYLE DOMICILE

Set Yourself Up for A Successful Renovation THINKING ABOUT REMODELING? SAVE TIME, MONEY AND YOUR SANITY

BY CONSIDERING A FEW SIMPLE STEPS EARLY IN THE PROCESS.

BY MARK HAGEN Photo by strixcode/Getty Images.

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enovating your home can be overwhelming, expensive and stressful. Whether gutting your kitchen, creating a finished lower level or updating a bathroom, a little planning goes a long way. Before knocking down walls, tearing out cabinets or hiring contractors, run through these tips to help things go as smoothly as possible.

GETTING STARTED Decide what you want and run the numbers. It’s easy to muse about picture-perfect living spaces and dream-house amenities but turning those wishes into reality can come with a hefty price tag. Nail down what you want, run the numbers and be sure the improvements fit your budget.

Check the calendar. Not only can remodeling drain your bank account, but renovations can tax your time as well. Set a reasonable date the job will be done, padding the timeline for setbacks such as delays in receiving materials, problems with permits and sore backs.

Photo by ginosphotos/Getty Images.

Make alternate plans. Where will the family bathe when the shower is gone? How will you prepare meals without an oven ... without a kitchen? Create a plan that keeps daily life as normal as possible. Be sure to account for how small children and pets will remain safe and sound during the construction.

BRING ON THE EXPERTS Consider the pros and cons of outside help. You might have experience installing a tile backsplash but creating an upstairs laundry room could be out of your DIY wheelhouse. Decide early on what you can accomplish yourself and when you need to bring in a contractor, designer or other professional. Get a few quotes from the pros, rerun your numbers and adjust your budget accordingly.

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Photo by artisteer/Getty Images.

Vet any contractors. If you decide to hire, check the contractor’s license and proof of insurance. Get their bond number and certification. Investigate lien history and look for testimonials.

Be sure you’re hiring someone you trust ... and someone you like.

You’re going to spend a lot of time with your contractor so it’s key you “click” professionally, personally and creatively.

Create a solid contract. It’s key that all parties agree to a timeline, price, payment schedule and details on the work to be done. For instance, document how many outlets will be installed and where, how many feet of flooring are to be laid and the like. Verify what days and hours the contractor will be there to maintain as regular a household schedule as possible.

KEEP YOUR COOL Order samples. From paint to countertops, collect samples to be sure you’re getting what you want. You’ll be living with these decisions for a long time and making the wrong choices could be costly ... and unappealing. Samples will help you feel more confident in your decisions and alleviate a lot of regret down the road.

Get (and stay) organized. Set yourself up for success by creating files and folders (both digital and physical) specifically for the project. Having permits, contracts, bills and receipts at the ready

will come in handy when things get crazy. Keep a notebook specifically used to jot down design ideas, important dates and the like.

Store valuables. You’re about to have multiple strangers in your home regularly. Securing passports, jewelry and other valuables can help reduce anxiety and keep things organized when other areas of the house are in chaos.

Create a no-stress zone. Pick a spot in the home that’s completely renovation free, creating an area where you and the family can relax and feel a bit of normalcy when the home gets messy.

Planning is key to any project, and renovations are no exception.

With some time and cost budgeting, a bit of forethought and an ounce of organization, you’re sure to set yourself up for remodeling success.

Mark Hagen is an award-winning gardener whose home has been featured in numerous national publications.

His work has appeared in Fresh Home, Birds & Blooms and Your Family magazines.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 69

HEAR ME OUT DEAR RUTHIE | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION

MILWAUKEE: SHOULD I STAY, OR SHOULD I GO? The happiest time of the year is just around the corner, and when it comes to having a happy time, Milwaukee is loaded with options. From theater and shows to gallery-, shop- and bar-hopping, you’ll always find cool-weather fun in Cream City. And speaking of Cream City, let’s read a letter from a lovely but lonely lady who thinks Milwaukee might be the source of the problems in her life.

DEAR RUTHIE, I’m a 61-year-old woman who lived in Milwaukee her entire life. I thought I loved this city, but I have little to show for living here. I’m not married and have no children. The job I held for 33 years downsized me out. I rent; I don’t own. I can’t imagine moving at this age, but this city doesn’t hold anything for me. Call me a bitch, but I’m thinking it’s time to leave Milwaukee and search for greener pastures.

TOO LATE TO TEACH THIS OLD DOG NEW TRICKS?

Lonely Laura DEAR LONELY,

You’re never too old for a new adventure. After all, 60 is the new 40...or so says 70-year-olds.

Milwaukee doesn’t owe you anything, sugar, and certainly not a hubby or babies. You decided to make this your home, and if you think it’s time to move on, then go for it!

Cream City will always be here if things don’t work elsewhere. Just remember, your happiness is up to you...not up to the city where you hang your hat.

XXOO

Ruthie Have a question for Ruthie? Want to share an event with her? Contact Ruthie at dearruthie@shepex.com.

Follow her on social media, too!

Facebook: Dear Ruthie | Instagram: RuthieKeester | Twitter: @DearRuthie

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DEAR RUTHIE BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Ruthie's Social Calendar NOVEMBER 6 STEIN & DINE AT WISCONSIN STATE FAIR (640 S. 84TH ST.): Whether you consider yourself a beer aficionado or simply enjoy tossing back a few cold ones, this beer, wine and food tasting promises to be a highlight of the year! Your $45 ticket gets you samples from Wisconsin’s top breweries, distilleries, cideries, wineries and restaurants. Check out www.shepherdtickets.com for more information on this crazy-popular 2-6 p.m. event.

NOVEMBER 9 STEEL MAGNOLIAS AT PRIDE NIGHT AT MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER (108 E. WELLS ST.): After 18 months, the Milwaukee Rep is back with its first production in the Quadracci Powerhouse, Steel Magnolias. Join me, BJ Daniels and Karen Valentine at 6 p.m. in the lobby for cocktails and appetizers before the 7:30 p.m. performance. Use the discount code “PRIDE” for $25 tickets when ordering at www.milwaukeerep.com/pride, and I’ll see you at the show.

NOVEMBER 13 MR. & MISS LACAGE PAGEANT AT LACAGE NITECLUB (801 S. SECOND ST.): Pageants are back, and there’s no better way to celebrate the state’s best in drag than with this glamor-filled gala. Which kings and queens will walk away with tiaras? Attend the 10 p.m. pageant and find out.

NOVEMBER 13 THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW AT THE ORIENTAL THEATRE (2230 N. FARWELL AVE.): The team at Sensual Daydreams brings back a Milwaukee tradition with this midnight showing and live performance of the infamous Rocky Horror Picture Show. Be sure to see www.sensualdaydreamscast.com for more, including the theater’s COVID policies.

NOVEMBER 16 SCREEN QUEENS AT THIS IS IT (418 E. WELLS ST.): Get cozy with the queens for a night of campy classics. There’s something for everyone to enjoy since the bar plays a different movie each Tuesday but the drink specials and good times remain the same. Show time is 7:30 p.m.

NOVEMBER 20 “NIGHT OF A THOUSAND STARS” DRAG SHOW AT PYRAMID (117 S. MAIN ST., LAKE MILLS): Join me for a night of celebrity impersonations during Pyramid’s Pride Night. I emcee two shows (7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) as the late, great Joan Rivers while my gal pals play Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Selena and others.

Reserve your table at www.pyramidlakemills.com/reserve, and I’ll see you in Lake Mills!

NOVEMBER 26 MADISON MAKERS BLACK FRIDAY MARKET AND PUB CRAWL AT OLD SUGAR DISTILLERY (931 E. MAIN ST., MADISON): Shop ... and drink...local with this change-of-pace take on Black Friday fun. Sample Madison’s breweries, nosh Madison eats and knock a couple of names off your holiday list with this noon to 5 p.m. shop-a-thon. Simply swing by www.madisonmakersmarket.com for a list of participating pubs and stores.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 71

HEAR ME OUT | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION

Milwaukee Metropoliłan Communiły Church Celebrates 50 Years

BY PAUL MASTERSON

A

s the LGBTQ liberation movement began to mobilize in response to the Lavender Scare of the 1950s, the community’s infrastructure from athletics to political advocacy and healthcare developed as well. Spirituality, too, would be addressed. For some LGBTQ Christians, the alternative to enduring oppressive condemnation from the pulpits of their mainstream churches would be to form their own, ones based on purer values of acceptance, compassion, love and social justice.

Founded in 1968 by Troy Perry, a Baptist minister defrocked because he was gay, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches addressed the spiritual needs of those LGBTQ individuals who sought positive Christian fellowship. In 1971, a Milwaukee congregation, Prince of Peace Metropolitan Community Church, was organized under the leadership of Reverend Paul W. Sydman. Over the following two decades, the church went through various periods of growth, contraction, and reorganization, frequently changing venues for its worship services as well as name changes of the church itself. A number of pastors and co-pastors came and went with lay parishioners filling the void when necessary.

Over the years MCC developed a broad range of programs that address the spiritual and other community needs. These include community and congregational support, HIV/AIDS and 72 | SHEPHERD EXPRESS

Photos courtesy of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church.

prison ministries, and a Trans ministry. MCC’s Helping Hands Ministry works with various organizations like Vivent Health and Courage MKE supporting their efforts through donations and volunteerism.

ANGELS OF HOPE Notable pastors include Rev. David Callentine who became MCC’s pastor in November of 1986. A regular contributor to Milwaukee’s LGBTQ newspaper, Wisconsin Light, Rev. Callentine was known for managing concurrent dual pastorships upon the charter of a new UFMCC church, Angels of Hope, in Green Bay (it celebrates its 35th anniversary this year). Callentine presided over worship in both churches, each Sunday shuttling from Milwaukee to Green Bay and back again. He died of complications due to HIV/AIDS in 1988.

Rev. Lewis Broyles became pastor in 1993. His tenure brought closer ties between the MMC and the greater Milwaukee community. As a member of the PrideFest Task Force, acting chairman of the board of SAGE (Services and Advocacy for LGBTQ Elders), board member of the Holiday International Bowling Tournament (HIT) and host of a cable access TV program, “Gay by God’s Will,” Broyles became a well-known and highly respected personality. He also made history blessing committed same-gender couples decades before marriage equality became the law of the land in 2015.

It was under Broyles that the Milwaukee MMC becomes the city’s (and the state’s) first LGBTQ entity to purchase property, a front gabled house built in 1880 and located at 1239 W. Mineral Street in Walker’s Point. The purchase was celebrated by a grand dedication service.

Broyles died suddenly in 2005 and was succeeded by Rev. Wendy Woodruff the next year. While her pastoral style is not as publicly engaged as her predecessor’s, MCC carried on and was able to pay its mortgage in full in 2011. A celebratory burning of the mortgage marked a historic moment for the church and for Milwaukee’s LGBTQ community.

VIGILS AND COUNSELING Following Woodruff’s resignation in January 2016, Rev. Tory Topjian was appointed the congregation’s pastor, beginning his pastorate in June. Within days, on the Sunday of Milwaukee’s PrideFest weekend, the Pulse Night Club shootings in Orlando, FL, shook the LGBTQ community nationwide. Along with other local faith leaders, Topjian helped lead the Greater Milwaukee area’s LGBTQ faithful in vigils and grief counseling.

Since then, he raised MCC’s profile to build his congregation, developing outreach and cooperative programs with various LGBTQ organizations.

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, MCC reverted to a virtual presence. It has since returned to in person services.

Over the decades, mainstream churches began to rethink their positions towards LGBTQs, making tentative steps towards accepting them within their congregations. However, their welcome would often be conditional and based on a “love the sinner, hate the sin” compromise. Some faced internal struggles with factions in support of accepting the realities of sexual identity that others opposed. The United Methodist Church now faces a schism over matters of doctrine, in particular same-sex marriage.

Still, for many, MCC’s Christian theology, buttressed by its focus on social justice and an embrace of LGBTQ inclusion, provides a spiritually and emotionally supportive locus that other denominations do not.

As Milwaukee’s oldest continuously functioning LGBTQ organization, the Metropolitan Community Church now celebrates its golden anniversary and continues to fulfill its mission of providing a vibrant, diverse and inclusive faith community that welcomes everyone.

Paul Masterson is an LGBTQ activist and writer and has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Milwaukee Pride, GAMMA and other organizations.

NOVEMBER 2021 | 73

ART FOR ART'S SAKE

From The City That Always Sweeps

BY ART KUMBALEK

I

’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a?

So, I hear the November is upon us, which means that winter’s coming. And about that, all I can say is that you best crank up the thermostat and mix another hot focking toddy. Survival guaranteed, what the fock.

And let’s not forget that toward the rear-end of the month, we’ve got Thanksgiving on the platter—the day a guy or gal is supposed to figure out what to be thankful for. Personally, my Thankful List runs pretty much A to A—I’ll be thankful I never had to hear myself say, “But she told me she was 18, your honor. I swear.” Or, “Hey, is that a shrunken head hanging from the string around the neck of the guy standing next to the guy who’s holding a blow gun to his lips?” Or, “Wait. I thought you said the red ones were fatally poisonous.” Or, “OK, so if I squeal like a pig just once, you promise you’ll give back my canoe paddle, right?” And I’ll be thankful that I’m not serving hard time with no chance for parole. That about does it, I kid you not.

Of course, there are things that could happen in the future that I would be thankful for: Former President Trumpel-thinskin finally gets sent to jail where he belongs. Yours truly is elected mayor of Our Town, because I could really use the dough. Aaron Rodgers leads the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl 56.

Oh, and before I forget, to those of you’s who plan to jump the gun on the holiday shopping season: I take a 42-44 regular in a nice sports coat, god bless you.

And speaking of jumping-the-gun, given these bifurcated times, as a safety tip allow me to suggest that wherever you may go for the holiday, besides perhaps bringing a dish to share, do not forget to pack a piece ala concealed-carry protection in the event some in-law at a get-together has too much eggnog, gets a little cranky and all of a sudden whips out a heater and wants to blow your head clean off ’cause he just remembered you didn’t come by to lend a hand and help take his focking pier out up at his crappy cottage by Crivitz last Labor Day because you were too damn busy wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.

Which reminds me, how ’bout I give you a little something you can take along and share at your gathering of thanks so’s you don’t show up empty-handed like some kind of freeloading fockstick.

If you’re too damn lazy to bring a dish or gallon of bourbon, a humorous story would be a nice alternative, you betcha.

There’s this group of hunters who always go up to the same neck-of-the-woods every year for a three-day beer-drinking shootout. Each morning they’d pair off in twos for the hunt. Well sir, one evening one of the guys came back alone, dragging a huge 10-point buck. The other guys wanted to know where Jerry

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was, and the guy dragging the deer said that Jerry had a stroke or maybe a heart attack, couple miles back. “Cripes, you left Jerry lying there in the cold and the dark and dragged the deer back instead?” And the guy says, “Yeah, it was a tough call, but I figured no one would steal Jerry, so what the fock.” Ba-ding!

Yes sir, that ought to bring down the house gathered ’round ol’ Tom Turkey, ain’a? As for me, I’ll be gathered ’round something other than a turkey ’cause I never touch the stuff, no sir. For my Thanksgiving feast, I enjoy to boil up a nice ring baloney because I cannot eat turkey out of respect for our Founding Fathers who dang near made it our National Bird for christ sakes—I’m guessing because of the turkey’s much ballyhooed beauty and intelligence, what the fock.

And I guess had they made that decision, today we would be basting and carving the traditional eagle come the fourth Thursday each November. Well, maybe not necessarily the eagle, but whatever bird it would be, it sure as hell wouldn’t be the turkey ’cause you just don’t cram a thermometer up the butt of the National Bird, I don’t care who you are.

But if it were to be the eagle, you know what? I got a sneaking hunch that it doesn’t “taste just like chicken,” no sir. In fact, I got a funny feeling that the eagle tastes just like a woman’s saddle shoe, size seven, shoelace included. So yes, I’m thankful that the Founding Fathers failed to make the gobbler our nation’s fowl symbol for all that’s noble and strong about our country. Besides, the turkey carries enough symbolic weight as it is anyways, witnessed by the fact that we elect so goddamn many of them to Congress every couple years, ain’a?

And in conclusion, let me say that wherever you find yourself this Thanksgiving holiday, god speed and remember to fight the good fight ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so.

For more of Art Kumbalek, visit shepherdexpress.com.

Photo by cglade/Getty Images. Illustration by Alisa Pravotorova/Getty Images.