Monday Music: Despite threatening weather, Musical Mondays opened its 13th season on a perfect summer's eve at Lake Park. More than 300 people brought picnics and libations, enjoying Dan Dance and his trio. The pianist's fan club included wife Jen and baby Mabel, in-laws John and Betty Horvath and friends Tom and Mary Mayr, Melody Umbs and Rick Swanstrom, there with his wife, Deb, and her sister Kelli.
Thallis Drake, sporting her signature chapeau, and event chair Jim Cope welcomed the crowd. Cope picnicked with daughters Madeline and Margaret, nephew Tom Mussoline and the latter's baseball fanatic 3-year-old son Joe.
Manning the info table was volunteer Judy Van Till, on the park's nature committee with Dolores Knopfelmacher, Gil and Edie Walter, Mary Schley, Lenore Lee and Anne and Jon Bales. Enjoying Dance's tunes were Tom and Barbara Marshall; artist Steve Horvath, a 20-plus-year MIAD teacher; Phil Rozga; and Richard Gallas and his wife, poet Louisa Loveridge-Gallas.
Bey's Delight: A sultan would have loved Louise and Alexander Kempe's latest soiree. Their East Side back yard was transformed into an Ottoman delight, complete with hookahs, harem décor, a belly dancer, delicious Gracious Events catering fare and über-adequate bar offerings. Imported from Elements East, a Buddha statue smiled on the event.
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Most guests heeded the suggested Dress White Fusion invitation. Mary and Bob Joehnk were stunning in their designer garb, while a pompadour-wigged Tom Metcalfe arrived in a white sequined Elvis jumpsuit complete with a suggestive inflatable guitar. Metcalfe, accompanied by his self-described “long-suffering” wife, Anne, is project director for We Energies' Oak Creek power plant expansion.
The guest list included a contingent of the Kempes' fellow Swedes: Lena Carlstedt, a Swedish consular assistant, and her husband, Anders, who's with the ABB Group; Bengt Hagstrom; and Maud and Erik Siljestrom. Also spotted were Christine Manna, a yoga assistant at Riverwest Yogashala; Popeyes restaurant mogul John Brodersen; photographer David Larson and his fiancée, model Jemme Hartwig; man-about-Milwaukee Adam Burbach; Kate Venne; Jake and Colleen Price; and Jake Provan, owner of Jake's Big Dog on Downer and executive director of the Downer Avenue Business Improvement District. Heading home, B&D snacked at his Downer Avenue joint, with it immediately becoming another favorite hot dog purveyor.
Numerous neighbors dropped by, including Jeff Bentoff after the wedding of Pabst and Riverside talent buyer Matt Beringer and Sara Yaeggi;Cassidy Turley Barry's president, Jim Barry, and his wife, Nora, came after a Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist fund-raiser; Shorewest's Inga and Christian Barry; Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Richard Sankovitz and his wife, attorney Kathryn West; David and Roberta Remstad; Ross and Angela Williams; and Michael Ogrodowski, Marcus Theatres' retired head film buyer.
French Connection: B&D enjoyed a Bastille Days fix, bumping into pals Kathy Flanigan and Duane Dudek; Jane Collis-Geers and Paul Norton, off to Racine's DeKoven Center for a no-talking retreat; and Clara and Mitchell Lechter, enjoying the music of Michelet Innocent.
Having a Gallic good time were Jim Brill, his wife, Chris, and their 13-year-old daughter, Shannon;Realtor Bernie Gallas; Jamie and Tamara Hummert, just back from a Wisconsin honeymoon; Whitefish Bay's John and Beth Schroeder; runners Sarah Heidenand her husband, Bob Pligge; Linda and Brian O'Connell, Racine's city development director. Keith Schmitz, readying for his 60th birthday, rode in on his bike to meet his daughter Giselle Schmitz and her husband, Brian Piepgrass, director of SEO (search engine optimization) at UpTake.com, a travel website. Complementing a champagne sip, B&D indulged in Roger and Cherie Reitman's tasty French pecans. Helping at their stand was nephew Scott Oberthaler.
East Side Transplant: Former East Side fixture Jack Eigel is now living in Wauwatosa, enjoying his almost one-year-old heart and readying for the upcoming National Kidney Foundation's U.S. Transplant Games. Looking fantastic, Eigel is training for a 5K run/walk along Lake Monona and competing in the 500-meter freestyle and the 100-meter breaststroke, plus hoping to meet his donor family. B&D bumped into him at Le Reve, his favorite Tosa hangout.
After an advertising and marketing career, Paula Metzger-Altamirano has a new life, that of an artist. An assemblage of her beautiful watercolors was shown recently at Gallery 2622. At the door, husband Rolando Altamirano greeted family and friends: Metzger's sister Linda Rosewarne and her aunt and mentor Kay Smith from Chicago, Sen. Herb Kohl's staffer Barb Smith, Nancy Noeske, Jill Barney, Kathy Moeschberger and Holly Tischner. Loretta and Daryl Laatsch purchased Metzger-Altamirano's The Barn. After the show, John Korom, gallery owner with his wife, Nancy, was departing to Denver at 3 a.m. with his son Nicholas for a weeklong photo shoot.
Summer Sounds: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Kyle Feerick has been popping up on patios around town, including NSB Bar and Grill, where he plays regularly on Thursdays. He was joined there the other evening by Evan Leahy, whose prized bodhran was made by famed Cuban-Haitian drum-maker Albert Alfonso. He'll be at Irish Fest in August, with the extended Leahy's Luck clan.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the July 29 issue of the Shepherd.
