Enjoy the Great Milwaukee Winter with ice skating at the Christmas Carnival of Lights. Whether you’re a veteran on the ice or lacing up for the first time, ice skating under the twinkling lights is a winter delight sure to make your spirits bright!
Now open through February 1!
Move over Bronze Fonz and Burke Brise Soleil, Milwaukee has a new landmark in the form of a beached boat.
The 33-foot, Chris-Craft Roamer has been on the Lake Michigan shoreline between Bradford and McKinley beaches since October 13, and despite removal efforts, it remains there today. Milwaukeeans, being the fun folks we are, have wholeheartedly embraced it. It was tagged by "ALIENS"; decorated for Christmas; adorned with stickers (including an “I Closed Wolski’s” sticker); earned the nickname "The Milwaukee Minnow" and, as originally published by Milwaukee Record, hosted a one-person dance party.
The backstory, as told by WISN 12, is that a couple from Mississippi ran out of fuel and chose to abandon their boat – named, ironically, "Deep Thought." Yesterday, the couple finally spoke out and said on the record, "Everybody's having so much fun with it. We'd love for them to have it."
This morning, the article was edited with a fresh quote from the owner, Richard Wells. "It cheered me up seeing the videos of everybody doing stuff," he said. "They didn't know who we were, but it kind of seemed like they were having the fun that we wanted to have."
So. What if we did get to keep it? What could we do with it? Here are 25 ideas:
- Pirate-themed Airbnb.
- Milwaukee’s first "floating" tiki bar.
- Paint it granite gray and rename it "The Love Rock II."
- Open a Sunglass Hut franchise.
- Milverine’s summer home.
- Yet another new location for Draft & Vessel. (Get it? "Vessel?" Ope.)
- Convert to Gilligan’s Island Escape Room.
- Practice space for local surf band, The Exotics.
- The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) employee lounge.
- Alternative Summerfest stage.
- A tribute to the defunct Captain's Steak Joynt chain.
- Drag it ashore and unite it with The Boat House.
- Retirement home for Gene McKiernan, owner of Barnacle Bud's.
- Kegel's Inn to use as Friday fish fry pop-up.
- Place for single ducks to mingle.
- Mars Cheese Boat.
- Let David Caruso decorate it for every major and minor holiday. Up next: Groundhog's Day!
- Bradford Beach volleyball storage.
- New addition to "Shipwrecks Boat Tour."
- Light the Hoan's next project: "Light The Boat."
- Milorganite gift shop.
- Print shop for Milwaukee Record to screen their "Milwaukee Boat Shirt" (Order one here.)
- Use as an anchor for Viking Octantis, the cruise ship that visits Milwaukee.
- Include in Irish Fest's annual raffle this summer and donate proceeds to popular Irish dive bars.
- Gift it to guy in all white who sells sunglasses at Bradford Beach so he can expand his business.
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