The Hoan Bridge is an iconic part of Milwaukee’s skyline — at least during the day. A local initiative is hoping to add it to the night sky as well.
The project, aptly named Light the Hoan, wasfeaturedin this month’s Milwaukee Magazine. "Our hope is that it will literally and figuratively shine the light on some of the great things that are happening in our community," says Lori Richards, president of Mueller Communications, and one of the volunteers on the project.
Light the Hoan is a grassroots campaign funded by individual citizens who want to highlight a great community organization, or honor someone who has impacted their life with a light, according to Richards.
Milwaukee’s lights may change color for things such as festivals and sporting events, or create light shows synchronized with audio. The possibilities are endless to display "physical symbols of bright acts, bright lights in our community," says Richards.
She notes that the organization's goal is to raise enough funds to cover the lights, the installation, and 10 years of maintenance. Richards joined Lake Effect's Joy Powers to explain how the initiative resurfaced, the funding, and the importance of facilitating a public and private partnership in Milwaukee:
