Best Place celebrates return of the king
After a 14-year absence, King Gambrinus, the original statue representing the patron saint of crafting beer, has returned to his rightful courtyard placement in Milwaukee’s Best Place, at 901 W. Juneau Ave., the hall and tavern at the former Pabst Brewery. The statue has been loaned ‘indefinitely’ to Best Place owner, Jim Haertel, from the Pabst Brewing Company. The statue was previously located in the Pabst headquarters in Woodridge, Ill.
To read more on the king’s return visit Third Coast Digest, a media partner of BizTimes Milwaukee.
Harley-Davidson Museum celebrates brand history in summer exhibit
The Harley Davidson Museum has will open its Collection X: Weird, Wild Wonders of the Harley Davidson Museum on Saturday, June 11. The exhibit will feature hundreds of artifacts including never-before-seen prototype bikes that were created as concepts but never manufactured or sold.
“Harley-Davidson’s rich heritage is filled with many unique and little-known business endeavors,” said Bill Davidson, vice president of the Museum. “I couldn’t be more excited about the Harley-Davidson Museum hosting this summer’s exhibit and displaying for the first time the items that represent these different ventures.”
The artifacts will be located in the 10,000-square-foot Garage exhibit space at the Museum and will be displayed through August 21.
Harley-Davidson previously made motors for everything from lawn mowers to military drones. Vehicles, old photographs, riding goggles, belts, accessories and other inventions like the brake light helmet will also be on display.
The Harley-Davidson Museum is located at 400 West Canal Street and is open year-round. For more information on the Museum’s galleries, exhibits, special events, tickets, hours, and more, visit www.h-dmuseum.com.
Jockey and Tebow to open new Jockey location
Kenosha-based Jockey International, Inc. will open its new 6,000 square-foot Jockey Factory Store at 5500 Sixth Ave., in Kenosha, this weekend. Jockey will host a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Tuesday, May 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. with special guest Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos quarterback and spokesperson for Jockey.
Tebow will be on hand to discuss the release of his new biography, Through My Eyes, which hits shelves the same day. Attendees will get a chance to win 15 signed copies of Tebow’s new book as well as Tebow-autographed footballs and Jockey gift cards.
The new store replaces Jockey’s Closeout Center, 4200 39th Ave., which had served the Kenosha area since 1977. The Kenosha Area Business Alliance will operate from the building’s second floor. Jockey signed Tim Tebow as a company spokesman in July 2010.
MAM named blue star museum
The Milwaukee Art Museum was recently named a Blue Star Museum, a program partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Blue Star museums offer free admission to active military personnel and their families from Memorial Day to Labor Day throughout the summer.
“The Blue Star Museum program is a small way of saying thank you to all the men and women who selflessly serve our country,” said Daniel Keegan, director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. “This program is a wonderful way to give back to those who sacrifice so much for us while providing them with an opportunity to experience all that the Museum has to offer.”
The Milwaukee Art Museum will officially launch the program on Monday, May 30, which also coincides with the Museum’s expanded summer hours; Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
“Last year, the success of the inaugural year of the Blue Star Museums program showed that partnerships between nation’s museums and military communities are natural,” said Blue Star Families chairman Kathy Roth-Duquet. “We are thrilled that 300,000 military family members visited our partner museums in the summer of 2010. We hope to exceed that number this year as the military community takes advantage of the rich cultural heritage they defend and protect every day.”
Trolley service returns in June for a price
The Milwaukee Trolley Loop will begin service again starting Wednesday, June 1. Prior to this year, Trolley rides were free, a round trip fare of $1 will be added to this year’s service to help offset the sponsorship deficit. The Trolley is operated by Transit Express and will continue with it’s Hop ‘n Shop service as well as it’s Wine ‘ Dine route each Wednesday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. until August 27.
“Keeping downtown accessible is a key part of our mission,” said Beth Nicols, executive director of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. “While we’ve had to make adjustments to the fare, the Milwaukee Trolley Loop is still a valuable and affordable service for residents, workers and guests. Until new public transportation options are implemented, this is the ideal way for visitors to get around town.”
The 30-stop route will connect visitors to attractions and summer activities throughout Westown, East Town and the Historic Third Ward, including the Milwaukee Public Market, Frontier Airlines Center, Milwaukee Public Museum, Jazz in the Park, River Rhythms, farm markets, Milwaukee Art Museum, Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin, Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, and the theater and hotel districts. Other highlights along the route include the connectivity to street-level retail, restaurants, spas and salons. In making the route more efficient, service to Schlitz Park has been discontinued.
In 2010, the Milwaukee Trolley Loop serviced over 29,950 passengers.
Schlitz Park to add electric vehicle charging station
Schlitz Park in downtown Milwaukee has become the first corporate development in the state to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station as part of a growing effort to make sustainable transportation easier for its tenants and their employees.
The charging station was provided by ElectriCharge Mobility and manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, which operates the worldwide ChargePoint Network. Major automakers began to sell EV models late last year. Projections estimate that by 2012, 20 models will be available and that by 2015 there will be more than 3 million plug-in electric vehicles in use worldwide.
“As electric vehicle use grows, there will be employee demand for EV charging services at their workplace,” said Dave Hansen of Brookfield-based ElectriCharge Mobility LLC. “Progressive organizations like Schlitz Park are seizing the opportunity to meet this need as part of corporate-wide green initiatives to lower greenhouse gases and to steward independence from petroleum based fuels beyond the workplace.”
Although users will charge vehicles overnight at home, the limited range of early electric vehicles will make the availability of charging stations where people work a necessity, according to Hansen.
“By offering electronic vehicle charging as a free service, we’re showing our tenants and neighbors that we’re ready today to meet their desire for more sustainable forms of transportation,” says Gary Grunau, developer and owner of the 46-acre Schlitz Park. “Adding preferred parking for alternative fueled vehicles, expanding and upgrading bicycle parking and offering free bicycle tune ups are just a few of the other actions we have underway or planned.”
The Schlitz Park ChargePoint station is located in the visitor parking area at 1555 N. RiverCenter Drive and is a dual output unit that EV owners access with an extension cord that connects vehicles to the charging station or through a station cable that plugs directly into vehicles. A text message lets users know when their vehicles are charged. With the ChargePoint Network, EV drivers can locate charging stations and determine station availability from any smart phone.
The only other ChargePoint station in Milwaukee is located at the downtown campus of Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Another station is planned for MATC’s Oak Creek campus.
Schlitz Park is home to major Milwaukee businesses including Manpower and Time Warner, a number of healthcare companies and many local non-profit organizations. More than 4,200 employees work in the Milwaukee riverfront corporate community.
ElectriCharge Mobility is the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa distributor for Coulomb Technologies’ Networked Electric Vehicles (EV) ChargePoint Stations.
