Author: Lee Matz

Sailboats race in Queen’s Cup to win one of oldest trophies in yachting world

Giant sails were scattered along the horizon of Milwaukee’s Lakefront as the annual Queen’s Cup, one of the most prestigious yachting events in the nation, launched across Lake Michigan on June 23. The sailing race stretched 76 nautical miles from the South Shore Yacht Club (SSYC) to the finish line about ten hours away in South Haven, Michigan with close to 150 vessels competing in 13 division classifications. “This is our 79th sailing of the Queen’s Cup Race,” said Jerry Kedziora, Vice Commodore and Special Events Committee chair. “The racers sail for an overall trophy called the Queen’s Cup,...

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Another 320 feet of track cemented along Streetcar route

As tracks are installed along the Milwaukee Streetcar route, crews cement them into place decades after the original line was covered. Along N. Milwaukee Street, workers poured an additional 320 feet of paving as construction of the new transit system moves through downtown. Recently, crews uncovered old rails from the 1800s that had been used for the original streetcar line along the same road. When that platform removed in 1958, much of the track length was paved over as the streets were reconstructed. Next year when the Milwaukee Streetcar begins operations in 2018, it will close the 60 year...

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Oar powered exploration offers unique water path through downtown

The Milwaukee County Historical Society and the Milwaukee Kayak Company have partnered for another year of tours along the waterway that transformed the former immigrant settlement into a major industrial hub. While efforts to utilize the Milwaukee River as a recreation destination have finally gained momentum in recent years, going near the river was unthinkable even a generation ago. The river had helped establish the city, and allowed it to prosper economically. But the industrial pollution and sewage diversion took its toll on the precious resource. The Milwaukee River is now what city planners envisioned over a century ago,...

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