After a two-year Covid-induced hiatus, Milwaukee's only nighttime Downtown 5k is returning in-person during Bastille Days.
Storm The Bastille Run/Walk takes place on the French-themed fete's opening night, Thursday, July 14 at 9 p.m.
The event went virtual in 2020, after the first coronavirus shutdown.
Storm the Bastille has typically drawn as many as 5,000 runners to the streets of Downtown and the Third Ward, some of them donning French-themed outfits.
“Associated Bank is excited to welcome back Bastille runners, walkers and spectators to Downtown Milwaukee,” said John Utz, Executive Vice President, head of corporate banking and Milwaukee market president for Associated, which is the event sponor.
“As the largest bank headquartered in the state, Associated is committed to continuing to play an important role in Milwaukee’s future through strategic investments to drive economic and cultural development for our community, customers and colleagues.”
Early bird race registration is $25 and includes a Storm the Bastille T-shirt and bib through May 31 at runsignup.com/stormthebastille5k.
Participants can also choose to donate some extra blé (that's moolah, lucre, scratch, coin, loot in English) to restore the mini Eiffel Tower so that it can be back in time for next year's 40th annual Bastille Days.
The four-day festival and the 5k are a celebration of the the storming of the French prison, an event that lit the fuse for the French Revolution.
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.
