This is how I know John Galewski — as the guy who took time out of his day in 2019 to cheer up my son after he broke his arm a week into his freshman year at South Milwaukee High School.
John barely knew him, had never coached him, yet here he was in our living room, sharing some positive thoughts with a kid who just had his cross-country season ended early.
It meant a lot to Christian and meant a lot to me. And it was just another example of a man who I have come to respect so much during my time in South Milwaukee — as a parent, as a community leader, as a fellow coach, as a role model, as a friend.
Simply put, John Galewski is a Hall of Fame person.
He is also a Hall of Fame coach in two sports: baseball (in 2012) and now football after being named to the 2024 Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame class, announced earlier this month.
What an amazing accomplishment, and richly deserved honor.
Always check the Events page on the blog for the latest list of local events.
This month’s lineup is quite impressive — from traditions like Heritage Days and the South Milwaukee Downtown Market to some really cool new events at Grant Park (a special campfire-side play, a beachside bonfire, and art show) and two South Milwaukee Youth Theater productions.
Get out and enjoy South Milwaukee!
Thursday, July 6: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Music by Bluegrass All Stars. Details
Sunday, July 9: Last day of Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden.
Thursday, July 13: Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival: Bonfire at the Beach, hosted by NEWaukee, 6 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Thursday, July 13-Saturday, July 15: “Embers,” a play by Tim Backes, presented by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Council. 7:30-9:30 p.m. each night, around a campfire outside Wulff Lodge at Wil-o-Way Grant. Details
Thursday, July 13: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Music by Sonic Boomers. Details
Saturday, July 15: South Milwaukee Youth Theatre Junior Cast presents “Peter Pan,” shows at 1 and 3:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Sunday, July 16: Suburban Soles Nature Walk: “Native/Non-Native Plants of Grant Park,” Grant Park Picnic Area 5, 10 a.m. Details
Thursday, July 20: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Performance by South Milwaukee Youth Theater and music by Hankerins. Details
Thursday, July 20: Community Dinner, 5-6:30 p.m., First Congregational United Church Christ. Details
Friday, July 21-Sunday, July 23: South Milwaukee Youth Theatre Senior Cast presents Disney’s “The Little Mermaid Jr.,” shows all three days, South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Sunday, July 23: Friends of Grant Park Art Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Picnic Area 5 and 5A. Details
Monday, July 24: South Milwaukee Police Department DARE Golf Outing, Grant Park Golf Course. Details
Tuesday, July 25: Veterans Appreciation Day at Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home. Details
Wednesday, July 26: South Milwaukee Fire Department Brat Fry, 4-7 p.m. Details
Thursday, July 27: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Music by Radiation. Details
Friday, July 28-July 30: South Milwaukee Lionsfest. Car Cruise on July 28. Details
Saturday, July 29: South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade. 11 a.m. Details
Saturday, July 29: Great Duck Race, presented by Friends of Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse, 1 p.m., 15th and Milwaukee Avenues. Details
Launching a Legacy co-chair Jeffery Dess and SM Football Booster President and Launching a Legacy Committee Member Tom Spaltholz accept a 2023 Impact Grant check from the Green Bay Packers Foundation.
Really exciting news for this transformational local project — and the volunteers behind it. Congratulations!
Here is the press release from the South Milwaukee School District …
SOUTH MILWAUKEE – Packer Pride is alive in South Milwaukee. On Wednesday, The Green Bay Packers Foundation announced it has awarded $100,000 to help the South Milwaukee School District complete the renovation of its football field, track, and baseball and softball fields.
The gift is part of a total of $1.5 million in impact grants to eight Brown, Dane, and Milwaukee County nonprofit organizations.
“We’re so excited that the Green Bay Packers Foundation saw the promise in our project,” Interim Superintendent Jim Shaw said. “We’re working hard to provide our students the facilities they deserve. We know that academics and athletics go hand in hand in a school system. You lift up one and the other follows.”
The project was launched with a $1 million grant from the Bucyrus Foundation to rejuvenate Spaltholz Field and convert it from a grass playing field to one with cutting-edge artificial turf. The grant spurred the District to include the other facilities that also needed renovation in its $3.8 million Field Surface Improvement Project.
“Our fields and track have served us well, but they’ve become increasingly delicate and problematic over the years. Teams couldn’t practice on them for fear of damaging them before games, and upkeep became a real problem,” Athletics and Activities Director Ante Udovicic said. “With artificial turf on the football field and infields of the softball and baseball stadiums along with improved drainage, we’ll get more use out of them – and not just for our athletes but for our physical education and recreation departments.”
While the School Board has committed to paying for the entire $3.8 million project – it won’t have to. The $100,000 Packers Foundation Impact Grant will be added to the $1 million Bucyrus grant. The Launching a Legacy Campaign – a committee of community leaders has fundraised to help pay for the project. The committee has a goal of raising $1.4 million and recently cut a check to the District for $250,000.
“This project is about more than playing fields,” Launching a Legacy co-chair Jeffery Dess said. “There’s a lot of pride that comes with this type of investment in our community. Our students have something new and exciting to be proud of, and so do our residents. So many local businesses and alumnae have pitched in to help us meet our goal. We’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s obvious to me how important our students are to this community.”
Construction began In April and is nearly a month ahead of schedule. The centerpiece, the football field is nearly completed. Asphalt has been poured for the track and field facilities with the new, modern track surface to come later this summer. The baseball field excavation is underway, as is the leveling of the outfield, with work on the softball field to start in the fall.
“We’ve got something more than just a new football field and new ball fields. There’s nothing like this in our region – maybe even in our state. Our students and other teams are going to be excited to play here, and we get to show them our Rocket pride,” Udovicic said.
The Green Bay Packers Foundation announced this week it has awarded a total of $1.5 million in impact grants to eight Brown, Dane and Milwaukee County nonprofit organizations.
A record total amount awarded at one time for the impact grant program, which first began in 2013, the grants are aimed at directing significant funds toward organizations that serve their communities each day. The grants of varying amounts were awarded to three organizations in Brown County, one in Dane County and four in Milwaukee County. Some grants are matching grants, which require each recipient organization to raise the same amount in order to secure the donation.
In Milwaukee County:
Journeys Lutheran School received a $100,000 matching grant for their playground relocation and upgrade project.
Just One More Ministry Inc., received a $225,000 grant for their new initiative to add new community partners and new Mobile Meal Outreach sites in Racine, Kenosha and Waukesha counties.
Medical College of Wisconsin received a $225,000 matching grant for their MCW Health Equity Scholars Program.
School District of South Milwaukee received a $100,000 grant for their South Milwaukee Field Surface Improvement Project.
“We are proud to award these grants to eight different worthy organizations throughout the state of Wisconsin,” said Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy. “We have been fortunate to be able to enhance our charitable giving through the Packers Foundation since our impact grant program began, and we’re pleased to award these significant donations to these nonprofits. These funds will help care for our most vulnerable neighbors and ensure kids, families and individuals in our communities have what they need to learn, grow and thrive.”
Learn more about Launching a Legacy here, and please consider a donation.
The Traveling Beer Gardens are managed by Milwaukee County Parks in partnership with Sprecher Brewery. Revenue from the beer gardens goes back into improving the parks.
Our beer partner, Sprecher Brewery, offers an ever-changing selection of Sprecher craft beer at each tour stop. Cider, gluten-free options, and non-alcoholic beverages are available as well. While Sprecher remains the featured beverage at the TBG, we will also be offering City Lights, Lakefront & Eagle Park Breweries this summer.
South Milwaukee Alderman Tim Backes has graciously volunteered to write regular updates for the blog.
You can see his latest installment here. It has information on the future of the former Everbrite site, July 4th festivities, and a downtown mural update.
Thanks, Tim, for bringing this idea to the blog! I am always looking for content to further our mission of keeping South Milwaukeeans informed on key issues, while also providing important context and depth where possible. It is why I started this blog as an alderman in 2009, and why I continue it today.
Please note: All content is written by Alderman Backes, and shared verbatim through the blog. Any opinion offered is Tim’s and Tim’s alone.
I love the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, and its Season Series lineup truly sets it apart.
We should all treasure the performances that come to our city each year. The PAC lineup may be second to none among similar venues in the region, if not the state.
The PAC announced its 2023-24 lineup recently. In addition to the image in this post, also coming is an Oct. 14 show by The Zombies, presented by ACG.
Learn more about the project and fundraising effort here.
And please consider a contribution.
This a significant investment in the entire community, sparked by the Bucyrus Foundation and being brought to life by the school district and a dedicated group of volunteers working to Launch a Legacy for future generations of South Milwaukeeans. Go Rockets!
I try my best to keep a full list of local events updated on my blog. See it here, and bookmark it.
Here are some of my top picks for the summer, from that list, including a couple new events during Heritage Week. It’s quite an impressive list for our city …
Thursday, June 22: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Music by All About Jazz/Kal Bergendahl, sponsored by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Details
Saturday, June 24: South Milwaukee Historical Society & Garden Club Garden Tour, 9 a.m. Details
Wednesday, June 28: Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden opener, 5 p.m., Grant Park Brown Pavilion. Beer garden runs through Monday, July 9. Hours vary. Details
Thursday, July 13-Saturday, July 15: “Embers,” a play by Tim Backes, presented by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Council. 7:30-9:30 p.m. each night, Wulff Lodge at Wil-o-Way Grant. Details
Thursday, July 13: Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival: Bonfire at the Beach, hosted by NEWaukee, 6 p.m., Grant Park Beach. Details
Sunday, July 23: Friends of Grant Park Art Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Picnic Area 5 and 5A. Details
Monday, July 24: South Milwaukee Police Department DARE Golf Outing, Grant Park Golf Course. Details
Tuesday, July 25: Veterans Appreciation Day at Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home. Details
Wednesday, July 26: South Milwaukee Fire Department Brat Fry. Details to come.
Thursday, July 27: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Music by Radiation. Details
Friday, July 28-July 30: South Milwaukee Lionsfest. Car Cruise on July 28. Details
Saturday, July 29: South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade. 11 a.m. Details
Saturday, July 29: Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse Great Duck Race. Details to come.
Thursday, August 3: South Milwaukee Community Night Out. Details
Friday, August 11: “A Starry Night Dance,” presented by the Mt. Meru Tumaini Health Clinic, a fundraiser event supporting the Ndoombo Community Dispensary. 5:30-11 p.m. at the Bucyrus Club. Details
Thursday, August 24: South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 3-7 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Car show planned, and music by American Graffiti Band. Details
Saturday, August 26: Cheaterama hot rod and custom car show, noon, Bucyrus Commons. Details
Centerline Design & Fabrication, a company offering turn-key solutions for end-to-end manufacturing, has signed a lease to move their operations from Waukegan, IL to 1123C E. Rawson Avenue in South Milwaukee at the former Bucyrus campus. The company had outgrown their space in Illinois and reached out to Milwaukee 7 and the City of South Milwaukee for assistance.
The new space will allow them to expand operations, attract new projects, and potentially add staff.
“Centerline Design and Fabrication, Inc. provides high quality turn-key manufacturing of commercial and industrial goods to regional and national markets. With the expansion and relocation of our headquarters to downtown South Milwaukee, we will now be able to offer even more high-volume production, while also providing gainful employment opportunities to the Milwaukee area economy. We at Centerline are excited to now call South Milwaukee our new home,” said Adam Buckley, President of Centerline Design & Fabrication.
I’m told Centerline will be leasing space not currently occupied on the campus, and will be bringing approximately 10 employees to South Milwaukee initially, with plans to grow.
The $10 million contribution from the Bucyrus Foundation is a rare legacy gift that will make a difference in our community for generations.
You’re already seeing its impact, from the South Milwaukee School District’s Launching a Legacy effort to Streetscaping, grant programs, and other improvements downtown.
The latest investment of foundation funds is just as exciting: tens of thousands of dollars in donations to local nonprofits each year. From the press release …
In 2021, the Bucyrus Foundation awarded the City of South Milwaukee and the School District of South Milwaukee with $10 million. In addition to project goals like downtown redevelopment and STEM education, the Bucyrus Foundation also asked that a grant program be created for South Milwaukee nonprofit organizations.
In November 2022, the South Milwaukee Common Council created an annual civic grant program that invited nonprofit organizations to apply for up to $25,000 to address a community need, improve community support, solve a problem, or enrich the people of South Milwaukee. A five-member Civic Grants Commission of stakeholders was created to help determine how funds should be disbursed.
In total, 11 nonprofits submitted funding requests. The Civic Grants Commission narrowed this list down to seven and recommended the below 2023 allocation:
South Milwaukee Police Department K9 Program – $5,000 for the new K9 unit program.
Friends of Grant Park – $1,600 for new trail entry signs at Seven Bridges, educational wayfinding, work progress announcements, and relevant County and City information maintained by Friends of Grant Park.
South Milwaukee Lions Foundation – $6,000 for new and upgraded electrical service for Lionsfest event space.
Bucyrus Museum – $1,825 for large format scanner for scanning historical collections and contributing to “Recollection Wisconsin Program” online catalog.
Friends of the South Milwaukee Public Library – $16,300 to create a multi-use lab and learning space to enhance technology and training opportunities and to create a more friendly post-COVID-19 children’s play area for ages 6 and under.
South Milwaukee Historical Society – $4,500 to create a new website and new Ancestry.com subscription.
Warm Up South Milwaukee – $14,775 to develop plans for a new fire extinguisher program for seniors and other future projects.
I can’t thank the foundation enough for this investment, which is in addition to the Bucyrus Club, Bucyrus Museum and Bucyrus Commons — all a reality thanks to a separate $2 million contribution from the foundation in 2020.
I can’t think there are many — maybe any — communities in the country who are doing a better job celebrating their heritage in this way, ensuring through a public-private partnership that the story of its proud past is told for generations to come.
What a weekend! Thanks to all of the volunteers who made the event a success, as thousands (tens of thousands?) gathered at the new Bucyrus Commons for an amazing celebration of a man and his legacy.
The energy events like this bring to our city is real, and with the Commons our downtown now has a first-class venue to host them. The venue was up to the task.
Da Crusher Statue went into the ground in 2019. I can’t wait for the fifth-anniversary party, as we celebrate our most famous native son in a way that is uniquely South Milwaukee.
It’s Da Crusher, of course! Shot the night of Crusherfest, as we unveiled this statue to the world. Do you have a photo you’d like to share on the blog? Send it along.
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