Before it was the City of Festivals, Milwaukee was home to the Brady Street Festival. Two of them, in fact. Frank Alioto, the neighborhood’s historian, notes that in the early ’70s the street had festivals in spring and fall. “They were among the most popular in the area as, back then, Summerfest was in its infancy and there were no ethnic festivals. The only real rivals were church festivals and the South Shore Water Frolics but the Brady Street Festival had the best people watching as it was the heart of local counterculture.”
Two men in particular, Bill Odbert and Bert Stitt, organized the first festivals. Odbert owned the iconic Leather Shop on Brady Street. Stitt was the advertising manager for the underground newspaper Kaleidoscope, a progenitor of the Shepherd Express. “Bert and I were the driving forces behind establishing the event,” Odbert says. “The festival focused on artists and crafters selling their wares. Today’s festival is much more focused on food, drinking and entertainment.”
Alioto explains: “By the mid-’80s, the festival wore out its welcome. It had become a sort of free for all; some visitors weren’t respectful of neighbors. By the late ’90s, as the neighborhood saw a resurgence, variations were tried: art festivals, garden tours and smaller one-stage block parties. I believe people were skittish about the problems experienced a decade earlier and were afraid to go all out, so to speak. Now it has evolved to again be a major draw.”
Michael Eitel’s Nomad World Pub played a leading role in the Brady Street renaissance. “The festival had such a massive nostalgic following while it was dormant,” he says. “Its resurrection was a constant source of conversation, conflict and controversy at so many meetings I attended. To see what it has evolved into is truly amazing. It’s such a great representation of the diversity of our neighborhood and city. It’s unlike any other street festival. It’s about quality, it’s about our uniqueness as a neighborhood and a business district, and of course it’s about having fun.”
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The festival opens with a Core Essence yoga session at the east end of the street and closes with the “Hell on Heels” drag show at the west. The Brady Locals Stage, one of four along the eight-block stretch, will be powered by volunteer bicycle riders pedaling in 30-minute shifts.
Before music takes over at 6 p.m., the Glorioso’s Entertainment Stage presents a kids’ pizza-making contest, mozzarella stretching, cannoli making, the annual cheese curd eating contest and the Brady Street Cheese Awards. A block-long tasting tent lets visitors sample more than 40 Wisconsin cheeses.
Future historians will credit activist/developer Julilly Kohler’s impassioned commitment as key to the street’s revitalization. She offers a pretty good rhyme about the neighborhood: “Walk your walk on Brady Street where the ethnic and eclectic meet.”
Nikos Limberatos opened Apollo Cafe in 2000. “I love the festival,” he says. “We do everything as always and also sell beer on our patio. People try us and come back as customers. It’s awesome to see all the different kinds of people you wouldn’t see anywhere else!” Indeed, folks bring lawn chairs.
Mari Cucunato sells flowers in what was for a century Suminki’s funeral home. Like every business owner I spoke with, she praised the festival’s organizers, especially Executive Director Steph Salvia. For Cucunato and other retailers, the festival has promotional value as visitors discover each business’s offerings.
“It’s amazing to watch from my vantage point above Mari’s Flower Shop,” says Pat Suminki who has lived there all her life. “The street closes Friday at bar time, is transformed into a festival that brings folks from all walks and ages together for a day of music, food and fun, and re-opens Sunday morning with no evidence that anything went on the night before!”
This year’s lineup of 20-some local bands is highlighted by the experimental soul singer Lex Allen with New Age Narcissism and the straight-ahead rocker Ashley Smith with Whips. The flying stunt bikes of Division BMX and the Milwaukee Flyers Tumbling Team give exhibitions. Salsabrosa Dance Company dances, Astor Street Dance Studio leads Zumba and the Casablanca pro-wrestlers match muscles. For kids and small adults, there’s a Speleo cave to crawl and climb through.
Lifelong resident Teri Regano of Regano’s Roman Coin, a neighborhood bar operating in a Pabst Brewery tavern built in 1890, deems the festival the biggest, most important and most stressful—in terms of preparation—day of the year. “What keeps us all going,” she says, “is that we know it’s the one day when we have the opportunity to showcase our businesses and our eclectic street to the largest audience possible. An excellent staff and phenomenal organizers is what make it successful. The only thing we can’t control is Mother Nature.”
The Brady Street Festival is Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. until midnight. Visit bradystreet.org for a complete schedule of events.
