Icy Plunge: John and Jodi Eastberg hosted their yearly New Year’s Day/post-Polar Bear Plunge at their cozy Cotswoldian East Side abode. Warming near the fire was a school of brave dippers, including the hostess, an Alverno professor; eco-builder Steve Servais, cheered on by his wife, Ellen, and daughter Adele, 10, and son Odin, 5; eight-time swim veteran Zachary Willenbrink, with his wife, Jodi’s sister, Jessica Bartley Willenbrink, heading his support team; Alverno Professor Chris Young and veteran dipper, foodie Kyle Cherek, whose fiancée, Nada Johnson, was there for a morale boost. The latter are counting the days until their Orient Express honeymoon in the fall.
Partiers included Cindy Lemek, executive director of the Society of American Travel Writers, and her husband, David Brooker, an Alverno political science professor. He and Eastberg will soon lead a Baltic coastal city tour with students to Sweden, Poland and Denmark. More Alverno pals included Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, a communication and technology faculty member, and her husband, Mike Mikulay, a freelance designer and certified beer judge, and artist and Alverno staffer Jinnene Ross.
Others included U.S. Judge J.P. Stadtmueller and his wife, Mary; Milwaukee Public Library Archival Projects Librarian Rachel Arndt and her husband, Adam Arndt, of Catalyst Construction; Kate Vogel Edwards and her husband, Robb Edwards; and the Chipstone Foundation’s Claudia Mooney, with husband, Mickey, on the Walmart management team.
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Nightclub-Do: The Mary Louise Mussoline/Jim Cope house was transformed into a nightclub at their annual Christmas soiree, now in its third decade. Mussoline, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s czarina, put together a station playlist that had everyone rocking. Station friends included Sarah and Steve Zimmerman and Carl and Eileen Cahill, plus Kris DeFelice and on-air staffers Sarah Fierek, Marcus Doucette and Tarik Moody.
Longtime partygoers included Mike Fabishak and his wife, Kathie Spencer, and their offspring Miles, Marla and Mia; Roger and Barbara Quindel; activist Ellen Bravo and MPS Board Member Larry Miller; Jackie Boynton and Peter McAvoy; Julia Taylor; Ed and Mary Hanrahan; Randy and Mary Jo Radowicz; Oscar Mireles; Carol Skornicka; MAM’s Sara Stum; Marci Pelzer; Marcia Sullivan and Tor Furumo; Sandi Anderson with her husband, Josh Adams; Katie Heil; and Anne Booth and her husband, developer Charlie Trainer. Neighbors included Michael and Margaret DeMichele and Mark Falci. There was also a mob of Madeline and Margaret Cope’s friends: Rosie and Brad Kwiatkowski, Justin Haggerty and Carly Hasler, Dan O’Connell, Kevin Carroll, plus Tom and Nell Mussoline.
Rockin’ Domes: While the wind howled outside, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory heated up, kicking off its 2014 Music Under Glass season. The performance by Semi-Twang included bandleader John Sieger and his brother, Mike. Plenty of family was there to cheer them on. Among them were John’s wife, graphic designer Linsey Sieger; his niece, Anja Notanja Sieger, known for her “La Prosette” letters; brother Bill and his wife, artist Jeanne DeSimone; plus Susan Begel, along with daughters Alli Smoko and Emily Begel-Bodendein.
Spotted on the dance floor were chanteuse Robin Pluer, who joined the band for a song, graphic designer Frank Ullenberg, food stylist Nancy Seaman, and art director Lynn Waite. Circulating were longtime fan Jan Eder and Paul Schmitz, with his adorable kids, Olivia, Maya and Max.
Bold Moves: The Skylight Music Theatre’s 2014 premiere, El Cimarron, is an exciting piece of avant-garde musical theater with operatic master Eric McKeever relating the story of Esteban Montejo, once a Cuban slave. McKeever displays an amazing vocal range, from the spoken word to baritone and on to falsetto. He was backed by four musicians, including Skylight’s Artistic Director Viswa Subbaraman.
The opening-night audience included a Skylight contingent consisting of Associate Artistic Director Ray Jivoff, Production Chief Mark Turner, Associate Production Director Ruth Conrad-Proulx, Marketing Director Jennifer Samuelson and Managing Director Amy Jensen. Artistic Director Michael Pink took time off from his busy schedule, there with his wife, Jayne, and Maxine Wishner. Looking on was the production’s visiting director Eugenia Arsenis, heading back to New York to produce the play in the Big Apple.
Stopping By: While out and about, B&D dropped in at the Comb Gallery in Walker’s Point, where managers artist Gary Miller and performance artist Khine (May) Hline were preparing for an upcoming Gallery Night show. The exhibition, titled “#FFFFFF,” showcases 10 local artists’ interpretations of the color white. Show curator “Chang” and artist Trevor Tagge helped paint the studio walls white for the display, as well as for a window performance by Nicholas and Patricia Nagowski.
Icy Action: The So-Gnar exhibition team held a chilly two-day snowboarding camp at the Sunburst Ski Area as part of a three-month national tour. The Colorado-based team owner, Pat Milbery, led the nine-guy contingent, including bundled-up Milwaukee team members Andre Colbert, Mitch Schmidt and Owen Liban.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Jan. 23 issue of the Shepherd.
