Obscura Logo: Atlas Obscura
Welcome to Top 5, a feature dedicated to coupling community happenings with unusual (as well as official) holidays, wacky day/week/month themes and other fresh topics. Check back often to be regaled with tickling trivia and succinct suggestions on how to spend your time.
May 30 is International Obscura Day. Haven't heard of it!? Well shucks, let me enlighten you. This day is a real-world manifestation of Atlas Obscura, an online compendium of curious, wondrous and often overlooked places and oddities. You are encouraged to visit some of these curious and awe-inspiring places and to even discover new ones if you're so inclined. This year’s celebration includes more than 160 events throughout the world and Milwaukee (no surprise!) is taking part in the action. You can too by summoning your friends and family for a day of intriguing sights and peculiar places.
1. Shaker’s Cigar Bar
Self-proclaimed as one of the most haunted bars in Milwaukee (and possibly America), Shaker’s Cigar Bar plays up its freaky reputation with three historic tours on May 30. And if you aren’t totally alarmed afterwards, stop by the place for a drink and cigar. There is, of course, the possibility of a ghost sighting—it’s said Elizabeth haunts the bathroom—but the unexpected is what Obscura Day is all about.
- Learn about the rich lore of why Milwaukee was once one of America’s best convention cities by attending The Whoring 20’s tour, which is $18 and runs 6-7:30 p.m.
- The Milwauking Dead tour relays the tragic tales of City Hall suicides as well as stories from the great Newhall House fire and other dark disasters. Cost is $18 and it runs 8-9:30 p.m.
- Walk the exact streets that serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer picked up seven of his 17 victims on during the The Cream City Cannibal tour, which is $25 and runs 10-11:30 p.m.
2. Lost City Forest
In the southeast corner of the UW-Madison Arboretum isa large area of natural woods designated the “Lost City Forest.” The story behind the name? Concrete foundations were laid and roads and sidewalks delineated for development in the 1920s, but the marshy land was so unstable it sucked down the foundations before anyone ever managed to live there! The terrain is a little tilted and you can see some remains of a city never realized from the trails. Admission to the Arboretum is free.
3. “The Witch’s House” (Mary Nohl Residence)
floating_stump via Flickr and a CC License
For a drive-by experience you won’t forget, head up to Fox Point (7328 N. Beach Road) to observe Mary Nohl’s residence, dubbed “the Witch’s House” due to its unusual front yard sculpture garden. Though the grounds are not open to the public, you can view the massive concrete and found-object statues up close from the street—there are fish, monsters, humans and more.
4. American Science & Surplus
ulalume via Flickr and a CC License
If you’re a hobbyist, tinkerer, do-it-yourselfer, experimenter or anything in between, then American Science & Surplus (6901 W. Oklahoma Ave.) may be the Obscura Day wondersite for you. This massive outlet offers a unique mix of unusual and hard to find (as well as useful)industrial, military and educational items. Each item is accompanied by an entertaining, witty description and just perusing the store promises to be a real treat.
5. Kingdom of Talossa
King Robert I, Founder of Talossa, in 1980
The Kingdom of Talossa includes a majestic lake and an exceptional stretch of developed road called Brady Street. Sound familiar? That’s right, most of the East Sidelies within the territory lines of Talossa, a sovereign micro-nation founded in 1976 by a 14-year-old Milwaukee boy after his mother passed. The nation’s original territorial claim (the boy’s room) has expanded to also include the French island of Cézembre and a large chunk of Antarctica called Pengöpäts, Talossan for “Penguin-land.” (Yes, Talossa has its own language with a 28,000-word dictionary to show for it.) Anyone is welcome to become a citizen, though Talossa and its claims are not officially recognized by the UN or any ordinary nation. My recommendation: Visit establishments you’ve never been to in the Greater TalossanArea for Obscura Day!
Enjoy these wacky musings about ridiculously concocted themed days? Have a suggestion (silly ornot) for a themed day, week or month you’d like me to cover? Drop me a line at Amanda@shepex.com or call 414-292-3801.
This blog follows a specific limited list format and is by no means comprehensive. The opinions expressed are the author’s and guest bloggers’ own and do not reflect the views or opinions of the Shepherd Express. If you have any queries or grievances, email Amanda@shepex.com.
