EDITOR’S LETTER
Falling for fall
REALLY? COULD IT BE September already? How did this even happen? It feels like only days ago that I was watching the Isley Brothers at Summerfest and eating roast pork at the Croatian Festival.
Plenty of people look forward to the cooler weather and the cozy feeling that induces. But I have to admit, I’m not such a fan. As a lover of summer, to me fall signals the end of the best part of the year.
In order to ease the transition, my strategy is to stay as busy as possible so that I won’t even notice that the seasons have changed until Thanksgiving. And after reviewing our Fall Arts Guide, which starts on page 28, I think that should be fairly easy to accomplish. My agenda will include the Milwaukee Film Festival (of course!), Guys and Dolls at the Milwaukee Rep – and that’s just for starters!
Speaking of culture, two of our local institutions were instrumental in helping us capture the image on the cover. We are extremely grateful to the Milwaukee Ballet and the four dancers – Marize Fumero, Davit Hovhannisyan, Barry Molina and Lizzie Tripp – who participated in the shoot, arriving at our office at 5 a.m. on a very rainy morning. We also offer our thanks to the Milwaukee Art Museum for allowing us to use Windhover Hall and the surrounding corridors as the location for the photos. To see more images from the session, go to milwaukeemag.com.
The arts offer a certain type of sustenance, but food is a necessity, no matter the season. On page 77 you’ll find our annual Readers’ Choice Dining Awards. If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy seeing whether the winners align with your own personal choices.
If reading is on your personal agenda this month, you’re in luck. We’ve got some excellent stories in this issue, including senior editor Matt Hrodey’s feature, “The Notorious B.M.A” (page 42). It’s the tale of four young men who disrupted the drug-dealing trade on the North Side. On page 52, you’ll find a profile of MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver, a compelling figure who seems to be bringing about some positive changes in our public schools. And on the last page of the magazine, novelist Lauren Fox writes about the letters her great-grandmother wrote from Germany during the Nazi regime. It’s a very moving story indeed.
Seeing performances, film and art, trying new restaurants and revisiting old favorites – looking at all these things together, it sounds pretty good. Mix in some apple picking and a Packers game, and I think I might need to reconsider my feelings about fall. Bring it on!