You know it's a going to be a good event when the organizer actually asks me to withhold talking about it until the day before.
So, I've been biding my time until now, when I can finally let the cat out of the blogging bag and let you know that Biketoberfest, the super-fun biking bar crawl, rolls this Saturday night at 6 p.m. It kicks off at Straight Shots, 1503 E. Oklahoma Ave., and founder Bill Rouleau tells me that this year's secret route is gonna be good.
Biketoberst is the annual "sister" event of Tour de Farce, the other biking bar crawl of which I'm very fond. This version is chilly, usually a little spooky, and even a little challenging. Up to about 15 miles and with a handful of stops at bars I guarantee you've never even been to, it's also a lot of fun.
But it is also growing in popularity, which is why it's extra important to be careful. That means you should bring a bike light, travel in single-file lines and obey all the rules of the road. Just because drinking is involved, it doesn't mean you have a license to swerve around like an idiot. The police know about this and will be on the lookout for bad behavior -- don't say you haven't been warned.
This free event through Bay View and points south (or north -- who knows?) is just so much fun, and I really encourage you to attend. For me, it's the night after Al's Run, so I'm personally questioning how much stamina I'll have, but I promise to give it the old college try.
Bundle up, grab a bike light and meet me at Straight Shots. I look forward to seeing you there!
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
