Dec 17 2016
Old Fashioned products, recipes, nostalgia, roots
To you, an Old Fashioned is the unofficial cocktail of Wisconsin and a popular prelude to special meals, especially during end-of-year entertaining. To Bob Meyer, the mixed drink is a matter of heritage and livelihood, intensely personal and a part of his family’s legacy. He bottles and markets Meyer Brothers Old Fashioned Mix, which provides(…)
Dec 10 2016
Gridiron game introduces UWO to Salem, Va.
More thrilling than a Wisconsin Badgers victory at the Cotton Bowl, I’ll dare to argue, is an Oshkosh Titans trip to the Stagg Bowl in Salem, Va., on mid December. If all goes well for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh football team during semifinal play, the squad heads to the NCAA Division III championship for(…)
Dec 3 2016
Take Ten: Museum exhibits worth a wintry road trip
Take a break and consider a museum road trip where traveling or seasonal shows pay attention to unique endeavors in fine art to pop culture and fantasy to reality. Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Museum, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh: At least 30 pieces of nose art – drawings on World War II bombers and fighter aircraft(…)
Nov 26 2016
Bayless, Frontera Foundation grants help family farms
Rick Bayless knew what he wanted after doing book research in Mexico around 30 years ago: Start a restaurant that served authentic Mexican food. So the Chicago chef opened Frontera Grill, which earned a James Beard Foundation award as Outstanding Restaurant in 2007. His biggest challenge wasn’t finding the perfect music, art or menu ideas.(…)
Nov 19 2016
Titletown, Bucks, Eau Claire: Major projects boost reasons to travel
At least four Wisconsin cities are pursuing huge projects that will give travelers new reasons to visit. The Wisconsin Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus described it as “an infrastructure boom” during the group’s annual conference this month. Here are quick updates. Titletown District, Green Bay: Pro football is why we make our way to(…)
Nov 12 2016
Madison museum is all-year tribute to military veterans
This presidential election sure felt like a nationwide battle, regardless of whether you think we won or lost, and that is what compelled me to visit the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison on the morning after votes were tallied. Here live the stories and artifacts of wars beyond words and ballot boxes. I needed to(…)
Nov 5 2016
Breakfast: an all-day meal whose variety grows
Remember what Mom used to say about breakfast? Most important meal of the day. Less predictable, as time goes on, is when and what is breakfast. It’s no longer just about eggs, bacon, pancakes … or mornings. Academic researchers recently suggested dessert for breakfast may spur weight loss and dark chocolate at breakfast may enhance(…)
Oct 29 2016
About clowns in Wisconsin, where coulrophobia rules at a Manty B&B
What’s the difference between a clown and a mime? Not much these days because neither is talking, at least to me. Widespread chatter – make that panic – about criminals dressed as clowns has brought a yanking of clown costumes and masks from Target stores, clown costume bans in school districts from California to Connecticut(…)
Oct 22 2016
How and where to find ghosts of Bob Dylan in Minnesota
As I write this, the Swedish Academy is waiting for a call from Bob Dylan about his Nobel Prize for Literature. The award was announced days ago, comparing Dylan’s lyrics to the work of long-ago Greek poets. The singer-songwriter is known for his reclusiveness. Much more accessible are Joe and Mary Keyes, whom the London-based(…)
Oct 15 2016
Anxious about this election? Philly sites reassure us about unity
Many coins from passersby top the tombstone for Benjamin Franklin at Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. We still respect this country’s founding father and inventor of electricity to bifocals, daylight savings time to catheters. Fewer hunt for Francis Hopkinson, Dr. Benjamin Rush, George Ross or Joseph Hewes, whose burial plots are in the same(…)
