Love in the Air: Holly Haebig (now Holly Wake) celebrated both her new CD, In Love We Trust, and her birthday at Shank Hall with a roomful of adoring fans. The evening showcased her beautiful originals with performances by many of the musicians featured on the disc. There was also a whole lotta dancing going on, spurred on by a nexus of Milwaukee musicians, including Holly's husband, David Wake from Kings Go Forth, recently back from a European tour; her brother, singer and guitarist Jeff Bray; Jahmes Finlayson from One Drum; Dena Aronson, Cherylann Kelly and Jodi Simerl of DevaNation; plus mother-daughter dancers Michelle and Zaida Hatfield and much more.
In the audience was Holly's sister-in-law Laura Bray, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners; puppeteer Max Samson and his wife, Nancy Pinter; Mike Hoffmann, who produced her CD; reformer George Martin, who presented a dozen roses to the birthday honoree; author and spiritual teacher Jack Allis; activist Bill Sell; and Bob Boucher and Dr. Mary Washburn, soon leaving for a three-week Grand Canyon trek.
Bingo Blast: At a recent Drag Queen Bingo fund-raiser at Fluid, “Karen Valentine” was irrepressibly gorgeous in her glam Lucite heels and flowing pink, acting as a hysterical emcee for Maple Day, in honor of Maple Veneer's 41st birthday. Maple's sexy Pleaser boots added inches to her 6'6” frame, while her mom Janet Strange sported a foxy merman pin. The cozy bar was filled with bar patrons, including Off the Wall Theatre's Dale Gutzman; Watts' manager Lance Kleeba and his partner, Tim Steffen; Jen Pollock; Kathy Fond; and Teresa Benson.
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Lucky bingo players included multiple winner Andy Cicero; Dino Petrowsky in his stylish fedora; Jim Ruff; and Coa's GM, Enrique Torres, with friends Eric Reidy, Cathy Lovelace and John Wiley. Fluid owner Bill Wardlow helped keep the glasses full. Donations were earmarked for the Fluid Flaming Aardvarks softball team and its upcoming trip to Tampa, Fla.
Chilly Waters: Local photographers Jim Brozek and Christopher Winters, who have both spent time on Great Lakes freighters, showed their stunning photographs at a joint “Lake Boats” exhibit at the Grohmann Museum. The opening reception brought an overflow crowd to hear the artists discuss their work. Grohmann staff on hand included Director John Kopmeier, Assistant Director James Kieselburg and Visitor Services Coordinator Ann Rice.
Perusing the gripping images were Brozek's wife, artist Pat Hidson, and her daughter Meighan Bentz and partner Jen Murray, UW-Milwaukee LGBT Resource Center director; fellow photographers J. Atteberry and Philip Krejcarek and his wife, Kristine Gunther; Denny Darmek and Patsy Tully; and musician/poet Harvey Taylor, there with Susie Krause.
House Party: Association manager extraordinaire Jane Svinicki was atypically in town for her January b-day, so her sister-in-law Mary Edwards threw her a champagne brunch at her East Side digs. Helping her celebrate were Joan Parsley, artistic director of Musical Offering Ltd., and her husband, German culture expert Sy Kreilein; writer Barb Abel; Paul and Debbie Novotny; David and Yvonne Bennett, the executive director of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association; Nick Desien, CEO at Ministry Health Care, and his wife, Joanne; Svinicki staffers Annette Schott, Jenni Rodriguez and Tiffany Taticek; and longtime friends Nan Arnone and sister Cindy.
Hide 'n Seek: With every intention of making the Gallery Night rounds, B&D got as far as the Hide House and never left, first stopping at photographer Mike Krukowski's studio, where he and his wife, Yo, greeted a steady stream of guests and shared space with Tony Sell, displaying his exquisite plein-air oils. Along those admiring the works were longtime pal Bob Scheidt, his wife, Sarah, and daughters Katie and Emily, a 15-year-old budding photographer; Tina Hetzel; fellow photographer Steve Gatewood; IT guy Mark Lambert and Krukowski's studio manager, Shanna Stackle.
The 6,000-square-foot digs of Telecom & Data across the hall were also hopping. Owner Ricardo Trinidad and his wife, Dianna Maldonaldo, a Riverside High teacher, hosted the event, showcasing the work of Allison Gipp and debuting painter Anton Carter, from Elsa's. The evening was bittersweet for Carter, who dedicated his works to his late girlfriend, Corrie Damske.
Guitarist Neil Davis entertained, there with his girlfriend Erica Passey. Also in the crowd was Amanda Smith from Mawicke & Goisman; Ian MacDonald; columnist Ricardo Pimentel; massage therapist Lori Schroeder and Jay Passey; Scott Schloemer and his wife, Shorewest Realtor Debbie Doro-Schloemer; and guitarist Dan Palkowski.
War Redux: History buffs gathered at the Wisconsin Club to hear a Civil War roundtable lecture by Lawrence Lee Hewitt about the war's wrongly accused deserters. In the crowd were retired West Point history professor Lt. Col. Jim Blake and Doug Dammann, curator of the Kenosha Civil War Museum. A St. John's Northwestern Military Academy contingent was led by President Jack Albert, joined by the school's executive vice president, Roy Berwick,and Crain Bliwas, board chair. Several students from Craig Montessori School joined their teacher, Mandie Heidenreich.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Feb. 10 issue of the Shepherd.
