Author Archives: Erik Brooks

Well, this is officially a thing. And I love it.

A few updates on the now-viral effort to erect a Crusher statue in South Milwaukee …

• In about a week, fundraising has surged to almost $20,000 — almost halfway to the goal — thanks in part to a $10,000 donation on Friday from Craig Kasten, who told organizer Chris Smith “that when he heard about the campaign he wanted to do something because he was a huge Crusher fan when he was young and the statue is something that simply needs to happen.”
• Sal from Papa Luigi’s also gave $1,000!
• In all, more than 130 people have donated on the GoFundMe page.
• Media interest has also been high. If you didn’t see Jim Stingl’s column on this, check it out here. And check out Gene Mueller’s blog post, and coverage from Fox 6.
• There is a new fundraising event, too, next week. Here is a list …
  • Thursday, Feb. 8: Crusher Kickoff Fundraiser, 7:30 p.m. at Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, 1920 S. 37th St. Details here.
  • Thursday, Feb. 22: Crusher Night at The Vanguard, 2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., starting at 4 p.m. Look for a special Crusher sausage! Details here.
  • Thursday, March 15: Look for more details soon on an event at The Tap Room, 1301 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee. Proceeds from sales that day — the first day of the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament — will go toward the statue.

Thanks to all the fans who have gotten behind this. I’m one of them — I’m excited to see the community rally behind this effort to memorialize a South Milwaukee icon.

How ’bout dat!?

More details at DaCrusher.org. 

Exciting news today, as the Bucyrus Foundation announced a $200,000 grant to aid in the redevelopment of South Milwaukee.

This is a unique and innovative partnership between South Milwaukee and the iconic company that called us home for more than a century.

As I say in the press release …

In many ways, the story of South Milwaukee is the story of Bucyrus, and vice versa. For many years, we were a  company town – shovels used to build the Panama Canal were built here. Bucyrus proudly defined us. This grant is a reflection of that, and we are so thankful to have attracted these funds. … South Milwaukee is at a crossroads, and the choices we make today will shape the redevelopment future of the city. These funds mean Bucyrus will help shape that future.

I can’t be more excited about this, and I thank City Administrator Tami Mayzik and Economic Development Director Stephanie Hacker for their work in pulling the grant materials together. I also thank Tim Sullivan for his leadership and advocacy in helping secure these funds. As he says, “We hope to continue to support the city that provided us with so much success over so many years as long as we can.”

We have to earn that support, and we are and will.

Check out coverage from BizTimes.

Learn more about Sunday’s South Milwaukee Winter Market here.

And some news from the South Milwaukee School District …

This Saturday night, see Delta V and The PopRockets compete in the International High School a Cappella Quarterfinals right here at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center!  Please come and cheer loud for your friends to show your support.  Buy your tickets online, since tickets usually sell out in advance and might not be available at the door. https://varsityvocals.com/event/2018_ichsa_midwest_qf_south_milwaukee/

Ten high school a cappella groups will be competing:  

• Delta V | South Milwaukee High School, South Milwaukee, WI
• The PopRockets | South Milwaukee High School, South Milwaukee, WI
• Acafellas | Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL
• Echo Effect | Niles West High School, Skokie, IL
• Incognito | Mayville High School, Mayville, WI
• Knight Club | Oak Creek High School, Oak Creek, WI
• Ladies Knight | Oak Creek High School, Oak Creek, WI
• Minor Renovation | Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, IL
• Nothin’ But Treble | Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL
• Unaccompanied Minors | Brookfield East High School, Brookfield, WI

From the South Milwaukee Health Department …

Citizens need to be mindful of the increase in coyote activity. Especially if they have small pets, they should keep a close eye on their pets when outside. Adult coyotes typically mate in February so residents may see an increase in activity.

Here is a photo of a coyote spotted in the 1700 block of Blake … I’ve also seen reports of them near Grant Park.

I got the text message Saturday afternoon: “Hi Erik. Care to see the improvements here at the bakery anytime this weekend?”

It was from Josh Mertens from Wild Flour Bakery.

Of course I would, I replied, and we (and his father, Greg) met a few hours later at their South Milwaukee store, 1205 Milwaukee Ave.

I’m glad I stopped by, as I got a chance to see and hear about Wild Flour’s growth plans.

The headline: Wild Flour is consolidating all of its baking operations in South Milwaukee in coming weeks, bringing more than a dozen new employees to town. They are also exploring ways to enhance their retail operations locally.

With the new equipment and people (growing from five to around 20 employees), Wild Flour may produce as many as 2,000 loaves of bread a day in their 7,500 square-foot South Milwaukee store, and 3,000 cookies per week, and other treats.

What comes from South Milwaukee ovens will be bound for their farmers’ markets (they do around 25, including the South Milwaukee Downtown Market) and stores like Sendik’s and Woodman’s, as well as retailers like Oscar’s Pub & Grill (Wild Flour makes the brioche buns for the South Side restaurant’s award-winning hamburgers) and Valentine Coffee Co. (they make baked goods for their three busy airport kiosk locations).

I want to thank the Mertens and Wild Flour for investing in downtown South Milwaukee — the latest example of local businesses choosing to grow locally. Heck, it’s second our bakery expansion alone. Look for more sweet success stories soon.

I have humbly accepted a nomination to join the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Board of Directors. I am excited to step up and play a leadership role with this organization, one that I have been very impressed with in my time as mayor.

But it’s not about me. This is really good news for our city.

As they say in this press release, the League is poised to propose sweeping reforms to “examine and reform the state/local partnership” in coming years, and this appointment means South Milwaukee will have a seat at the head table.

Additionally, as I said in the release …

“We are stronger together, and the League’s work is a reflection of that. Now more than ever I’m excited to help guide their efforts in providing a strong, unified voice for cities and villages in Madison, and in sharing best practices we can all learn from.”

Let’s get to work.

Learn more about the League here, and its agenda. 

You may have heard — it’s gone viral in the last 24 hours — there is an effort underway to build a statue of Reggie Lisowski (aka “Da Crusher “) in South Milwaukee. Please consider supporting this project and honoring perhaps our most famous native son. As I told a reporter this week …

I love the idea of honoring Da Crusher. Reggie Lisowski is an iconic figure in this city, inside and outside the ring, and we’re proud he was a lifelong resident of South Milwaukee. I’m excited to see this effort gain momentum, but it’s early. We’ll work on details with the organizers later, maybe over a beer.

Here is the Go Fund Me site.

More details on this website (DaCrusher.org) and this Facebook page. NOW had a story yesterday, and TMJ4 did a piece interviewing the Lisowski family last night. Organizer Chris Smith was also on WTMJ (interview starts at the 12:15 mark on today’s online rebroadcast here) and WKLH radio this morning.

And mark your calendars for two local fundraising events ….

• Thursday, Feb. 22: Crusher Night at The Vanguard, 2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., starting at 4 p.m. Look for a special Crusher sausage! Details here.
• Thursday, March 15: Look for more details soon on an event at The Tap Room, 1301 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee. Proceeds from sales that day — the first day of the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament — will go toward the statue.

Much more to come on this. I have a feeling this effort will really take off.

Don’t remember Da Crusher? Here is a good story on his life and legacy … and just Google his name and you’ll see some great videos from his wrestling days. 

Just a quick plug for a couple terrific local dinners this weekend …

• On Friday, Trinity Lutheran Church (my church) is hosting its annual Meatball Supper. It’s always a fun event, with some great food and fellowship. All are welcome. Dinner is served from 4 to 7 p.m., and takeout is available. Trinity is located at 2507 5th Ave.
• On Saturday, the Heritage Days Parade Committee is hosting its annual Spaghetti Dinner starting at 2 p.m. at Jack’s of All Trades, 2616 5th Ave. Details here.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On Saturday January 20th, 2018 at about 8:56pm the SMPD received a 911 call from the Sunrise Restaurant located at 2418 10th Avenue reporting that they had just been robbed. The suspect depicted below is described as a male white, 506-508, 180-200, blue eyes, medium build, wearing a black hoodie with an unknown white logo on the right side, dark blue nylon pants with a wide white stripe on the legs, and black slip-on shoes who then fled on foot. A weapon was implied. The suspect may have an issue with their right leg or hip. The SMPD is reaching out to the public for their assistance in helping to identify the person responsible for this incident and are encouraged to contact the South Milwaukee Police Department at 414-768-8060 with any information. Thank you.

That is the best way to describe weeks like we just had in South Milwaukee.

On one hand, it’s hard to say good-bye to longtime employees who have spent decades making a positive difference in our city, such as we did in recognizing Police Chief Ann Wellens and Fire Captain Glen McCoy on their retirements.

We wish them well, and thank them for their service, feeling disappointed they are leaving us, while also remembering the contributions they made over decades.

At the same time, we officially swore in William Jessup as our next police chief on Tuesday. He’s a first-class leader who will be a terrific replacement for Chief Wellens, building on the strong foundation she laid.

So, we move ahead, focused on the future but never forgetting the people who worked tirelessly to deliver our proud past. Thanks, Ann and Glen. And welcome, Bill!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• Authorities: Convicted Sex Offender Cut Off GPS Bracelet, May be in Kenosha/South Milwaukee Area (CBS 58)
• Car Slides into South Milwaukee Pond During Slippery Morning Commute (WISN)
• Caterpillar Consolidating All Operations in South Milwaukee North of Rawson Avenue (NOW)
• Magician Vitaly Beckman Discusses the Wonder of the Unknown (Shepherd Express)
• Froedtert Unveils New Drexel Town Square Health Center in Oak Creek (BizTimes)
• Oak Creek Schools to Spend $17.5 Million on Building Improvements — But Not All Are on Board (NOW)

And NOW has published new police blotters here and here.

Reminder: Like my Facebook page, if you haven’t already. I’ll often share these stories on there before I get around to posting them here.

Thanks to all of the City of South Milwaukee employees who are stepping up to serve this month’s meal at First Congregational. Details below.

Spread the word, and bring a friend or three!

Thinking of baseball on a snowy winter day, with some news from one of my favorite local institutions …

We are excited to announce that we are accepting registrations for the 2018 Season. We are accepting players from 4 – 16 years old.

The programs that we offer are as follows:
Rookie Ball – 4-6 Year olds ($90.00)
Age as of 8/31/18

Early Bird Registration 
If registered prior to 3/15/2018 the registration is ONLY $70.00

AA Baseball/Softball – 6-8 Year olds ($140.00)
Baseball age as of 8/31/18
Softball age as of 12/31/17

AAA Baseball/Softball – 9-10 Year olds ($140.00)
Baseball age as of 8/31/18
Softball age as of 12/31/17

Major Baseball/Softball – 11-12 Year olds ($140.00)
Must be born between 5/1/2005 and 8/31/2007
Softball age as of 12/31/17

Senior Baseball/Softball – 13-16 Year olds ($140.00)
Baseball age as of 8/21/18
Softball age as of 12/31/17

Intermediate Baseball – 11-13 Year Olds — This is in addition to Major or Senior Baseball
Must be born between 9/1/2004 and 8/31/2006

High School Baseball players that are 16 years or younger are eligible to sign up to play Senior baseball until High school baseball Starts. Then players will play for their high school. Players will be eligible to play all stars after the High School season has been completed. ($50.00)

Early Bird Registration by CREDIT CARD –
If registered prior to 1/20/2018 the registration is ONLY $105.00

Early Bird Registration by CHECK OR CASH –
If registered prior to 1/20/2018 the registration is ONLY $130.00

Fundraiser – 
South Milwaukee Little League has one fundraiser that starts in April. You can participate in the fundraiser (sell $200 in candy bars and provide a post-dated check one month out from the date in April when the candy bars are picked up) OR there is a buyout option when registering that is $100.00.

Volunteer Deposit – 
South Milwaukee Little League charges $125.00 per family as a volunteer deposit. Once the family has completed the required shifts of volunteer time (3 shifts – a minimum of 2 shifts in the concession stand) the deposit will be returned.

Required Documents –
Documents this year do not need to be mailed or emailed in this year. They can be uploaded after you have registered your players. See attachment on your receipt for more details!

Register on our website: South Milwaukee Little League

or here: Registration

Any questions please contact us at: southmilwaukeelittleleague@gmail.com

I’m really glad to see the South Milwaukee School District is now on Facebook, offering residents another way to stay informed on what’s going on at our local schools. A lot is happening — and there is a really good story to tell.

Like the page here.

I just received a Facebook message from local student Gillian Czajka, and she is doing her part to make South Milwaukee happier place. She needs your help.

I’ll let her explain …

Hello! My name is Gillian Czajka and I’m a sophomore at South Milwaukee High School. I have a community service project to complete for my Communications class. To bring some happiness to our community, I wanted to hide painted rocks that would bring motivation, joy, or inspiration to the people that find them. For this project, I am holding rock painting events so the community can help. I’ll then hide these rocks around South Milwaukee and hopefully spread some happiness. I was wondering if you’d like to support me on this project. I’ve created a Facebook page @RockOut2Happiness. (Access it here.) I have two events coming up soon on Saturday, Jan. 13th at the public library and Sunday, Jan. 14th at Divine Mercy Parish. If you’d like, you can come to one of my events. I hope can like and following my page to see how the rocks are shared.

Done. Join Gillian and spread some happiness this weekend!