Wauwatosa Village BID hosts its annual tree lighting on Friday, Dec. 4, but this year’s event is a little different.
You can drive through the Wauwatosa Farmer’s Market parking from 5:30 until 7 p.m. and donate food items or cash to be donated to the Tosa Cares food pantry.
You’ll see Santa there and you’ll be able to drop off letters to him in a mailbox. Kids will get a free glow candy cane, while supplies last.
Then drive up to Root Common Park at Wauwatosa and Harwood Avenues to see the Village Christmas tree, which Mayor Dennis McBride will light at 6 p.m.
There will be no ceremony this year due to the pandemic. You can drive or walk past the tree at your leisure.
Meanwhile, a festive music bandwagon will wend its way around the Village streets.
Holiday Cheer stations around the Village will have Kids Coloring Contest Entries and Holiday Cheer Passports. You can find a list of locations at wauwatosavillage.org.
Kids can then turn in their pages and passports at participating Village retailers by Dec. 15 and they’ll be entered into a drawing for prizes.
A number of retailers have special deals and more on tap during the tree lighting evening.
You can find a complete list and details here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
