Author: Lee Matz

The 20th annual Canadian Pacific Holiday Train made a stop at Milwaukee’s Intermodal Station on December 6, as it passed through Wisconsin to bring holiday cheer, Saint Nicholas, and live music to families across North America. For 2018, Milwaukee native and legendary musician Willy Porter headlined a portion of the rail tour. The 14-car train was decorated with thousands of lights and visited stations in 13 Wisconsin communities. Each stop was treated to a concert by Porter, the band The Trews, and singer Kelly Prescott. The train made a grand entrance at the Milwaukee station by transforming an ordinary...

Governor-elect Tony Evers made his first trip to Milwaukee City Hall since winning his election to meet with Mayor Tom Barrett and address the Common Council on December 4, while the Wisconsin Legislature’s extraordinary session in Madison took aim at altering the state’s democratic process. Sitting with Governor-elect Evers in his office, Mayor Barrett said that the meeting was the first time in years that a governor or governor-elect had taken the time to make a visit. He was also thankful that the Governor-elect saw Milwaukee was a part of Wisconsin, not a rival entity. “I think it is...

Milwaukee officially ushered in the 2018 holiday season with the city’s Christmas tree celebration and Holiday Lights Festival on November 15, events that took place on both sides of the Milwaukee River that once divided the early settlements of Juneautown and Kilbourntown in the 1840s. Staff from the Department of Public Works decorated the 105th annual Christmas tree, positioned across from City Hall by the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, with more than 5,000 lights and 150 ornaments. Milwaukee’s Christmas tree lighting is the second oldest celebration of its kind in the United States, behind New York City. This...

The city’s first rainbow crosswalks were installed at the intersection of Jefferson and Wells streets at the southwest corner of Cathedral Square on November 3, recognizing the LGBT heritage of the location. Milwaukee joins dozens of communities worldwide who have established permanent and visible tribute to their local LGBT communities. Milwaukee Pride, in partnership with the East Town Association and with the support of 13 LGBT organizations, began negotiations with the City of Milwaukee in August 2018. “We are a community that accepts people, and embraces people that we want to be together,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “I think...