SURPRISING STUFF
The Lake Geneva Library delight.
They do the right thing there. When they got their electronic sign for the front of the building there was some disturbed criticism about its potential use. Well, the library uses that sign for many good things. Like free tax services for elders who have limited economic means (Vita). For meetings and other services that do great things for the community, not to mention library hours and more. This library is special around the lake and deserves mention.
Debra works at the store next to Amy’s Shipping Emporium.
When it snowed last Friday, she was out there shoveling the snow off the sidewalk in front of her store. Amy’s was running really busy and there’s only Amy and Alex behind the counter. Debra noted that and went to work on their sidewalk without saying a word. A member of the GSR staff was inside Amy’s at the time and observed this kind of wonderful small-town behavior, amplified by the fact that the wonderfully generous woman never said a word as she worked away, expecting nothing, not even thanks in return. Well, the thanks are here, publicly given and her photo is in this issue because of what she does and who and what she is. A living, breathing, and working snow angel.
Spectrum and other ads you are forced to be exposed to.
No, you don’t get a free second line from Spectrum. You pay for it later, is all. And no, you can’t change ISPs (cell phone companies of origin) unless you are willing to pay off the cell phone or phones or other equipment that you’ve been paying them in installments over time. This device, financing you phone or iPad, or whatever, is the most common device to keep people from changing carriers.
The Milwaukee Public Museum is moving.
It will be moving from its location on Wells Street to its new location near the Fiserv Forum in 2026. The tentative new name for the museum is the Wisconsin Museum of Nature and Culture. The new, modern, state-of-the-art museum won’t include entire exhibits from the current location but will possibly include elements from the exhibits. Will that include The Streets of Old Milwaukee and European Village exhibit? As of now, no, but there will be a butterfly room which is another favorite of many that visit.
The current facility requires $100 million in deferred capital maintenance and the current archives are located in a leaky and humid basement unfit for modern storage standards. Leaks spring up in dozens of places around the building with each rainfall, requiring museum staff to place buckets around the facility. The museum’s escalators and elevators are also too small to handle modern strollers, wheelchairs, and scooters, and they frequently break down. The museum’s accreditation has been at risk because of the dilapidated state of the building. A study found that renovating and moving the museum would be similar in cost which led to the decision to move to a new property. Designers are making progress with putting the pieces together for the new location. The first-floor commons will feature a sunlit ‘light well’ and will have access to a café. Some spaces will allow visitors to peek through windows at collections in storage.
There will also be an outdoor plaza, classrooms, and a planetarium. The goal is to showcase how “nature and culture are interwoven,” according to the museum’s website. The Streets of Old Milwaukee, a popular walk-through diorama depicting shops and homes in the city at the turn of the 20th century, will not be moved to the new site because the exhibit is too expensive and difficult to physically deconstruct and rebuild in the new location, as several structures are built into the facility itself. This has left many in an uproar because that exhibit is a favorite of most of the locals and visitors alike.
A public petition has been created in an effort to save the Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum. The petition says, “Join fellow Milwaukee residents in opposing the dismantlement and removal of one of the city’s most beloved, meaningful, and culturally significant exhibits called The Streets of Old Milwaukee,” and has gained over 5,000 signatures. Can the exhibit be saved? Only time will tell.
Shoveling the Snow
Debra shoveling the snow in front of Amy’s Emporium
