The Hostess with the Mostest: Monthly at Club Charlies in the Third Ward, Karen Valentine hosts an over-the-top afternoon of hilarity featuring vintage musicals, old-time advertising tunes and entertainment blasting on the pub’s mega-screens. Valentine meets, greets, entertains and lip synchs, sometimes atop the bar with energized patrons singing along. Her rendition of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” had the crowd waving handkerchiefs. Bon-Ton’s Brian Reinkober pulled together the amazing playlist.
On hand were Charlies’ owners Craig and Dawn Bloomfield; plus Craig Quinn and Howie Vendrell; Lisa and Scott Hooper, owner of Doggy Office; Martha and Ben Switalski; a gang of regulars including Brian Fell, Rick Derksen, Michael Bucholz and Michael Ulatowski; and Darren Schlenvogt and Jeff Witthuhn, sporting his “homolicious” David Mason T-shirt.
More Musical Marvels: Wisconsin’s music world converged at Turner Hall for the 35th Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) awards with an abundance of performances, kudos and networking. Among the winners were Milwaukee’s GGOOLLDD, Field Report, Tweed Funk with Joseph “Smokey” Holman accepting the nod, The Squeezettes and Andy Spadafora for his reeds skills. Best studio was Menomonee Falls’ Cherry Pit with Eric LaBrosse sharing the engineer honors with Tony Anders.
People’s Choice awards for the southeast included Derek Machan from the Waterford Union High School voted as top teacher. Best venue in our area was Waukesha’s Cue Club of Wisconsin, with owners Mike and Holly Remitz celebrating with their music coordinator, Timm Dunn, and his wife, Michelle.
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WAMI Hall of Fame inductees included Sigmund Snopek III, who received a standing ovation for his lengthy eclectic career, ’80s psychedelic garage rock band Plasticland and Oconomowoc’s fabled The Robbs.
Awards presenters were a Who’s Who of music aficionados: co-show producers Zoy Begos, WAMI president, and James McMahon, The Bay restaurant owner, plus bar czar Jim Linneman, Shepherd Express editors Dave Luhrssen and Evan Rytlewski, Barbara Wagner, and Miller Brewing’s David Ryder.
Enjoying were Shank Hall’s Peter Jest and his wife, Karen; Mud River Lee; Dan Mullin; Marcella Jones; Trolley guitarist Paul Wall; and Brew City Beard Alliance members Steven J. Miller, Rob Woelfl, Larry Chess, Doug Gouthro and Adam Zelmer. The best hair in the house adorned songwriter Dave Wacker of Blue Light Scene, handing out CDs.
Feeding the Masses: More than 600 hungry people poured into MATC’s annual Five Star Food and Wine Festival to support hospitality scholarships. Roaming from Mediterranean to seafood to wild game to baked goodies, no one departed unsatisfied.
Richard Busalacchi, associate dean of hospitality and food science, hosted and culinary arts instructor John Reiss circulated as did Brian Moran, there with his wife, Judy. Tuxedoed sommelier Richard Yahr shared a special Margaux 2005 with Chef Tom Peschong and the venerable Knut Apitz of the renowned Grenadiers. Student winners of the cake contest with their “Nature in Full Bloom” cake were greeters Kelsey Combs and Abby Diedrich.
Grazing were Kendall (The Weld Guy) Polster and Heather Lotz; Dan and Valerie Stefanich; Paula and Andy Holman from RitzHolman CPAs; Christel Henke and Jim Moy; and Lou Ann and Philip Schils. Mary Jo Bodden and her husband, Dennis, were with her brother, John Kaminsky, and his wife, Judy, and their daughter, Allison Kaminsky, and her husband, Sean Patterson.
Other diners were Conor McChesney; Kathy and Jim Daly; Celine Wong and her son, Chris; Maple Creek Farm’s John and Lori Rodenkirch, who supplied the event’s delicious pork; and MATC grad Va’Na Barki of Romaines Hair Images, there with her mother, Maureen Okunbor-Barki, now a student in the program, and her sister, Hembadoon Barki.
Glitterati Gathering: A sea of beautiful people packed the sold-out 55th annual Bal du Lac at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Co-chairs Jane and Tom Lacy and Susanna and Justin Mortara greeted guests. Jane and Susanna’s proud parents, John and Susan Scripp, and Mary Lacy with Dr. Tom Russell were on hand. The 400 guests donned black ties and designer dresses, with Champagne flowing at a reception followed by a gourmet feast in Windhover Hall.
Among the guests were Pfister Hotel GM Tim Smith and Marcus Hotels and Resorts’ Peggy Williams-Smith. At the Burke Properties table were Rory and Chris Foley and Stacy and Blair Williams. Sarah and Steve Zimmerman sat with Roger and Judy Smith and their NYC-based daughter, Katie. Mingling were Maggie and Ben Brown, Laura and John Emory, glam gals Neille Hoffman and Sarah Meaney, plus MAM curator Tanya Paul with her husband, attorney Eric Defort.
Celebrating “the art of building, building for art,” the evening highlighted the vision of Milwaukee innovators. Remarks by Judson Snyder from the presenting sponsor BMO Harris and MAM chief Dan Keegan were followed by a hysterical “ask” from Tom Lacy and Justin Mortara, high above the crowd on a scissors lift. The pair raised more than $100K. Après-fun continued with music by Platinum Events way past the bewitching hour.
Art Score: Milwaukee artist Bruce Dorow scored a major artistic coup with his one-man show and a grand opening May 1 at Chicago’s R.S. Johnson Fine Art gallery. Prior, back home in Milwaukee, John Oberwetter and Sarah Dean hosted a reception and show of Dorow’s work at their across-the-hall apartments in The Newport on Prospect. Dorow discussed his creative philosophy and artistic process, while his wife, Taffnie Bogart, an author, ceramicist and manager of River Boutique and Yarn, charmed attendees.
Newporters on hand included Shepherd Express Publisher Louis Fortis plus Jane Brite, Joan Zeiger, and the irrepressible John Savage, back from Mozambique, where his daughter is working for the U.S. Foreign Service. Many of Oberwetter’s friends stopped by, including poet Janet Leahy and Cedarburg’s Greg Johnson and Heather Vande Sande.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the May 14 issue of the Shepherd.
