Author: Lee Matz

The 2018 Milwaukee Air & Water Show took place along the city’s lakefront under poor weather conditions on July 21 and 22, limiting the public performances for each day. Unlike the thick fog in 2014 that grounded the entire show, this year was still able to feature some of the scheduled attractions. Families and enthusiasts gathered along Bradford Beach and Lincoln Memorial Drive in the hopes of watching the US Air Force Thunderbirds, despite the cloudy conditions that rendered visibility unfavorable for many hours. The two-day show is one of the largest free public events in the city. The...

The Lake Michigan Classic Diving Organization (LMCDO) hosted Wisconsin’s first Classic Diving Event on Milwaukee’s lakefront from July 13 to 15, between the South Dock of Discovery World and Lakeshore Park. Participating divers had to be PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) or NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) certified in order to suit up and go underwater. Each was fitted with vintage-style, hard-helmet diving suit that weighed more than 160 pounds. Portions of the three-day dive event were open to the general public, allowing area residents the opportunity to wear and dive into Lake Michigan with the classic...

With waves up to eight feet battering hulls from multiple directions, the Queen’s Cup sailing competition set course from Bay View’s South Shore Yacht Club (SSYC) for its 80th annual race across Lake Michigan on June 22. While inclement weather conditions did force a few smaller vessels to withdraw from the race, 160 boats and more than 1,000 sailers battled a choppy Lake Michigan that made the start of the physically demanding journey a bit more unpleasant. It was noted by Queen’s Cup veterans that the conditions were the most challenging in recent memory. Celebrating its 80th year, the...

The 2018 Night Market season started on June 13 for the fifth consecutive summer, converting the city’s main street from frantic automobile traffic to groups of leisurely strolling families and friends. The Night Market is a monthly, open-air emporium that offers a wide variety of experiences for people of all backgrounds and ages. The area from West Wisconsin Avenue, between 2nd and 4th streets, and Old World Third Street, between Wisconsin Avenue and Wells Street is transformed to host the event. NEWaukee founded the Night Market in the summer of 2014 with the goal of creating a free, vibrant,...

Inclement weather on June 19 could not dampen enthusiasm and excitement for Milwaukee’s 47th Annual Juneteenth Day Festival, along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive between Center and Burleigh Streets, attracting crowds of thousands to celebrate the end of slavery that still lacks recognition as an official federal holiday. The annual Juneteenth Day Celebration is the oldest known commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth marks the African American proclaimed of freedom to all slaves in the South by Union General Gordon Granger on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas. The news came nearly two...