The PettitFoundation's Cecelia Gore and Randy Bryant, the East Side developer and president of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, exchanged wedding vows at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Louis Sibley III, with vocalist Carol Haywood. Gore's sister, Celeste, was the maid of honor and Dr. Abalo Nunyakpe served as best man. Gore's niece, Emmanuelle Haye, made a radiant flower girl and Bryant's nephew, Eric Barksdale, an adorable, tuxedoed ring bearer.
The ceremony was followed by a reception at the couple's stunning East Side home, where guests explored its four floors, dined on delicious Beans & Barley fare and later enjoyed holiday fireworks from the widow's walk and front porch. Friends from the philanthropic, business and political worlds packed the party: WE Energies' Thelma Siasand her husband, Steve Adams, celebrating 25 years of marriage; and Mildred and Reuben Harpole, nearing their 50th; plus Danae Davis, executive director of PEARLS for Teen Girls; June Perry; Jeanette Mitchell; Betty Quadracci; and Woo Connections' Genyne Edwards.
Circulating were Michael L. Morgan, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration; Mary Louise Mussoline, new executive director at 88Nine RadioMilwaukee, and her husband, Dr. Jim Cope; writer Reggie Finlayson; and Gail Groenwoldt and designer Martin Dietrich. The Vogel clan was well represented by Anne and Fred Vogel, with their son Eric and his wife, Megan Holbrook.
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Also seen were Barbara Wyatt Sibley, deputy secretary of Wisconsin's Department of Regulation and Licensing, and Frank Lloyd Wright preservationists Bob and Barb Elsner.
Bookies: Some 135 bibliophiles recently filled Hubbard Park's Shorewood River Club to kick off a membership drive geared at opening the Open Book co-op by this fall. Keith Schmidt, spearheading the project, hopes to raise $175,000 by Sept. 1. Thirty-seven members signed up the night of the gathering. Attendees included Lisa Zupke, the former Oakland Avenue Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop manager who will head up Open Book; Ann Saqr, a VP of marketing at Wheaton Franciscan; County Supervisor Gerry Broderick and his wife, Pat; former UW-Milwaukee nursing professor Betty Ritchie and her husband, Don; journalist Margo Frey; artists Suzanne and Adolph Rosenblatt; Shorewood High journalism teacher Mike Halloran and his wife, Judy; and Port Washington pol Doug Cvetkovich.
Brown Deer Doings: TAPCO (Traffic & Parking Control Co.) opened its expansive new corporate headquarters on Brown Deer Road, with the ceremonial cutting of an appropriately yellow caution tape. A two-day open house was launched with comments by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Brown Deer Village President Carl Krueger. The TAPCO team at the microphone included owners Richard Bergholz and John Kugel, plus sons Andrew Bergholz and Jason Kugel, for a third-generation thanks to vendors and 120plus employees. A snazzy '56 Cadillac in the parking lot signified the year the company was founded by Richard's father, Ray Bergholz. Phillip Katz, the architect and project developer for the 200,000-squarefoot building, circulated among staff and vendors. Katz was joined by old school pal Brett Solochek, now teaching culinary arts at the Ecole-Club Migros in Genève, Switzerland. Solochek was in town for the wedding of his stepbrother Evan Solochek and Emily Gray. Larry's Market in Brown Deer has also expanded its operations, opening the new Café in the lobby of the Wheaton Franciscan Services and Rite-Hite Family YMCA. From behind the counter, the personable Caitlin Flanagan and Chris Connors dished up Larry's famous soups, sandwiches and other delicious edibles and potables.
Riverwest Additions: Bliffert Lumber & Fuel, a five-generation business dating to 1904, grandly celebrated the opening of its new Riverwest expansion. The facility includes a lumberyard, a new hardware store and a fluorescent bulb recycling center.
The daylong celebration included a performance by the company's current patriarch, Fred Bliffert, and his band, The Blifftones. People cued up for a delicious Rio West Cantina buffet, hourly raffles were held, mini-massages were given by Phuntasha Brown and Maria Wheeler from the Lakeside School of Massage Therapy, and even a few clowns showed up: Richard (Bumbles) Dodge and Susan (Duff) Putman. The on-site Bliffert clan included Fred's sister Lory Bliffert; her son Eli and his kids, Devlin and Sophia, and son Michael with children Malachi and Noah; plus great-uncle Tom Bliffert; and uncle Bob Posorske.
Not in Kansas: The Third Ward's C.R. Davidson Art held the fourth of its five shows featuring the work of Ozaukee County artists, called “From the Land of OZ.” The art included delightful jewelry and “gentle women” fabric sculptures by Robin Fleming; beautiful landscapes by Wallis (Wally) Coffman and the colorful work of Sandra Pape, Susan Hale (wearing one of Pape's fun necklaces) and Lynn Rix, there with her husband, writer Paul Rix. Owner Catherine Davidson needed to leave early, so she put son-in-law Shawn Smith, a machinist at Middle West Manufacturing, in charge. Visitors included Prairie School teacher Susan Inbusch and Jane Musich, owner of The Family Farm in Grafton, who later scampered off for a Johnny Depp flick fix; and musician/ penguin artist Patrick Dougherty.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the July 30 issue of the Shepherd.
