Menomonee Valley Partners is getting ready to fete two decades of helping re-imagine and re-make the Menomonee Valley and part of the celebration is Valley Bingo, a community game that anyone can play.
Valley Bingo will be unveiled on Friday, July 19 at the Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St., during Gallery Night & Day. Players mark their bingo cards when they visit businesses and natural landmarks in the Menomonee Valley and each bingo card with a completed row can be redeemed for promo deals on food and beverage, and merchandise.
Among the deals are buy one get one beer at Third Space and City Lights breweries, $10 off an individual or family membership at the Urban Ecology Center, 10 percent off a purchase at BBC Lighting, Riverview Antique Market or Antiques on Pierce, reduced admission at 4 Seasons Skate Park and a free full groom or day of daycare at Central Bark Westside, and other prizes.
If you complete the entire bingo card you can enter a raffle to win one of three grand prizes, including a day at the Harley-Davidson Museum or a night at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino.
"We were so inspired by your ‘Day in the Valley’ article that we turned it into a bingo challenge," says Michelle Kramer, Director of Marketing & Business Development at Menomonee Valley Partners.
"This fun challenge is our signature event to celebrate MVP's 20th anniversary and encourages people to explore and experience much of what has been developed in the Valley over the last 20 years. We even attached hole punches to many of the Valley's natural landmarks and public art pieces."
According to MVP, 52 companies have moved to or expanded into the Valley over the past 20 years, bringing more than 5,200 jobs in more than 1 million square feet of sustainably designed buildings. In addition, more than 60 acres of parkland and trails have been created, including the Hank Aaron State Trail and Three Bridges Park. About 10 million people visit Valley for food, entertainment and recreation each year.
You can read our original Valley visit story here, and you can learn more about Valley Bingo here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
