Tuesday 4/28/26: Teen takeovers, ASL interpreter documentary, Shake Rag Alley, helping local restaurants

Audrey Nowakowski: From 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR, this is Lake Effect. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Today, we'll talk to a local educator about the reactions to so-called “teen takeovers” in the Milwaukee area. Then we'll learn about a documentary that explores the art of interpreting live music with American Sign Language.

Vanessa Dumont: We discovered so much about this deaf and hard of hearing community. We discovered much more about the music itself and how we can listen to music differently now.

Audrey Nowakowski: Then we'll tell you about an art center in the Driftless region in a new segment of “Wandering Wisconsin.”

Christina Kubasta: We're this really welcoming space, nestled in this beautiful part of Wisconsin, and people know us that way, but we're also an internationally known art center.

Audrey Nowakowski: Plus, our “Dig In!” contributor, Venus Williams, shares how she's trying to support local restaurants. All that's coming up on “Lake Effect.” This is Lake Effect from 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Thanks for joining us today. You may have seen videos online of teens and kids gathering at Bayshore Mall in Glendale in late March. These so-called “teen takeovers” were organized on social media during many students' spring break. Police showed up to the event and ultimately arrested 14 people. It's not clear whether the kids arrested were charged, but videos posted online show some fights that broke out at the mall. Former Milwaukee State Representative, Lakisha Myers, wrote an op-ed about the teen takeovers titled, “From the Edmund Pettus Bridge to Bayshore Mall: What We Owe Our Young People.” It was published in the Milwaukee Courier. She spoke about it with WUWM Education Reporter Katherine Kokal.

Katherine Kokal: You opened this piece talking about what you called an “eruption on social media timelines,” from late in March, early in April. People were reacting to groups of teenagers gathering at malls and businesses around the country. We know that this happened here in the Milwaukee area at Bayshore Mall. You juxtaposed this kind of outrage with what you were doing at the time, which was visiting the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. You were on a tour of HBCUs with students from here in Milwaukee. These two experiences seem like they have very opposite vibes – kind of chaotic and full of outrage, versus a very contemplative and educational experience for the students who are touring those HBCUs. Despite the opposite vibes, you kind of tie these experiences together. Why is that?

LaKeshia Myers: Because I think there are a lot of similarities when it comes to Black existence in what are perceived “white spaces.” And I think when you look at history of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the reason the bridge had to be crossed for voting rights in the 1960s was because there was open defiance from black people during at that time to exercise their right as citizens. That caused chaos and outrage from people who said, “How dare you?” I think it should not be looked upon differently with young people who say, “I'm a member of this society; I should be able to go to the mall to hang out with my friends – no matter if that mall is in Glendale, no matter what community that mall is located in.” So I think there were some parallels that existed there of, “How dare you? How many of you are here?” You don't see a lot of chaos, you don't hear the level of eruption and chaos and down-talking about groups of white students that do things that may be disruptive. A lot of the racial comments that I saw online, a lot the justification of, “Oh, this shouldn't happen in our community,” well, these kids are part of your community. So how are they not allowed to exist in their community?

Katherine Kokal: This piece published right after the event. You wrote at the time that there was no property damage, that there were teenagers, mostly black teenagers, eating with friends, shopping, and waiting on rides. You said there were a few skirmishes among kids. Since the publication of your piece, we know that police have arrested 14 kids and young adults between the ages of 12 and 19. We can't track whether the minors were actually charged, or whether they were released to their parents, but this is something that comes up a lot when young people are arrested and the body camera footage is made public. There were people who said, “Look, I live here, and this is not how I want my public spaces treated, and that made me afraid.” What would you say to that?

LaKeshia Myers: It made you afraid of what? Or, of whom? That's the retort that I would give to those people who said it made you be afraid. Because, if the faces of the children who were there were white, would you still be afraid? And that's the question that we have to reconcile within ourselves. And I think that's the question – I mean, we talk about this all the time. As an educator, it is statistically known that black and brown children are “adultified” more than white children, that the sympathy value of a black or brown child is very different than that of a white child – the empathy level that exists. If a black child is lost, people will continue walking, versus if it's... I mean, same thing with, if you look at it from a gender perspective: “are you okay” – the questions that get asked, all of these things. I think, when we check our own biases, that's when you start to do the real work. Were you afraid because it was mostly black kids at the mall, or were you afraid because they were teenagers in general?

Katherine Kokal: I'm going to take a moment here to reintroduce you. Today we're hearing from Lakeisha Myers, formerly a state assembly member and a middle school teacher. She wrote a piece in the Milwaukee Courier titled “From the Edmund Pettus Bridge to Bayshore Mall: What We Owe Our Young People.” You also write that a lot of the outrage from this incident came from, quote, “white suburbanites typing furiously from the comfort of their own homes.” I want to add that a lot of the comments on the news coverage of this incident have been blatantly racist. You've shared what this response illustrates to you. But how do we approach this as a community? How do we talk about this in a way that helps people understand how to respond to things that they may not like that are going on in their community?

LaKeshia Myers: I think you have to be proactive in policy. I think that you have be proactive in community response. I think you have to be proactive as a community that embraces young people. All of the above has to be something that happens. When you think about some of the quotes that I've seen from even alders that are in Glendale – there's primarily one alder, Tomika Vukovic, that was kind of sharing some of my sentiments, where it's like, “Okay, these are kids; what are you, you know, what is in place for them?” You know, school calendars come out around February, March of every year. School districts know when their spring break is going to be. So most of the school districts are on the same spring break, varying a week or two here or there. Looking at that, what does your community offer? If the mall is a community hub, and you think about the American teenagers, it's like the mall was made for the American teenager, you know. Where do teenagers go to see and be seen, to spend their recreational dollars, to spend their time, you know, going to movie theaters, eating at food courts, doing all of these things. I think you have to understand that this is gonna be a location that is going to be popular with teenagers. So what type of foresight and thinking ahead goes into planning certain things? When you think about Milwaukee Rec, what programming is available? How do parents and students know that these things are available? Are there any dances that are going on during spring break or winter break or all the breaks that are built into school, the school calendar? Are there any ancillary, you know, public days at the, I don't know, the Domes or at some other public places. Are there conversations around making those available to teenagers and their families, to make sure that they have an outlet and places to go? So I think you have to think ahead and work together to actually provide some programming, especially if you're like, “Oh, we don't want everybody collecting at the mall.” So if we're not gonna be open to embracing young people, what do you have offer them?

Katherine Kokal: Yeah, I can almost picture a young person saying, “You're begging me to get off my phone; you're begging to get me off of social media, so I get off of my phone and I go to the mall with my friends and this is what happens.”

LaKeshia Myers: Exactly, and I just stay home or you know, you know, be on my phone and scroll all day and you know chat or do snapchat or whatever it is with my friends.

Katherine Kokal: So you're a former public official, yourself. After this incident at Bayshore, we had two alderpeople here in Milwaukee, both of whom are black, speak out about this event. One, Sharlen Moore, said that, quote, “This is not the summer we want to have,” end of quote. She shared information for an upcoming youth summer program and employment fair, which was held early in April. Another, Mark Chambers Jr., said that the gathering of young people is not illegal, but that fights and disruptions are not acceptable. He also reminded parents and guardians that they can be held liable for their children's behavior under the city code. What do you make of these two responses from two different public officials?

LaKeshia Myers: I think you see the extremes of policy and how they've been implemented with both of the responses. I think, when you look at Alderwoman Moore, who has a background in youth leadership and development, having created and run for many years her own youth-led cultivation organization, called Urban Underground, for many years, you see her trying to put solutions in place. I think when you look at the juxtaposition of what Alderman Chambers said, there's the heavy lean on, “And you could be punished next.” So I think that is something that we have to look at, especially as people who are policymakers – figure out what your role is in the situation. You cannot just lean on law enforcement to “deal with” teenagers, because they're not equipped nor trained to do so, in most cases. And historically, we have seen that when you leave these things to law enforcement, you get a heavy-handed response – and even more so when it comes to black and brown youth. But give the people, give their families a lifeline of saying, “And this is what is available, this is we've done to prepare young people for the summer. You can work, you can go to this program. We have this type of college readiness program.” MPS offers enrichment programming, all of these things. So give the laundry list of what is available to young people over the summer, instead of just saying, “Oh, and you can be ticketed and taken to jail too.”

Katherine Kokal: Lakeisha Myers, thank you so much for joining me to talk about your op-ed. Again, it was titled, From the Edmund Pettus Bridge to Bayshore Mall: What We Owe Our Young People.” Thanks so much.

Audrey Nowakowski: That was former state Representative Lakisha Myers discussing her recent op-ed in the Milwaukee Courier about teen takeovers, with WUWM education reporter Katherine Kokel. “Lake Effect” is available as a podcast so you can listen whenever you like. Find it where you get your podcasts, then subscribe, download, and listen on demand. In about 15 minutes, we'll learn about the rich art scene in Mineral Point. But first, we will talk to the filmmakers of a documentary about a concert sign language interpreter showing in the Milwaukee Film Festival. Keep listening to “Lake Effect” on WUWM. You're listening to "Lake Effect” on 89.7 WUWM. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. “The Way We Move” is a new documentary centered on Amber Galloway, a star American Sign Language interpreter. Galloway specializes in live music interpretations, which means she makes concerts and music accessible to the deaf community by translating lyrics, rhythm, and the emotion behind them into sign language. She runs a training camp for concert interpreters. And as the film unfolds, we learn about Galloway's painful past and the lives of her students, as they come together over their love of music. The film is showing at the Milwaukee Film Festival this week, and to learn more, “Lake Effect”’s Xcaret Nuñez is joined by directors Vanessa Dumont and Nicolas Davenel.

Xcaret Nuñez: I'm curious what inspired you both to focus on a film on the art of live music interpretations.

Vanessa Dumont: We were in touch with the producers of this film, and we actually, it was a coincidence and a beautiful and lucky coincidence that we heard about this project. We were writing something else with them and, at some point COVID happened, and the project got canceled, and they were talking about Amber, and they were meeting with her for a few weeks now, and we were like, “My God, this subject is so cool, and this woman is so inspiring.” And then we started to do some research about her. And at some point they were like, “Okay, as the other project is not happening and we are developing this one, what do you think about doing this film together?” And we were like, “Wow,” because we were thinking the director who is going to work on this project is so lucky because it covers so many subjects that are really close to our heart. And even if we are not part or close to the deaf and hard of hearing community, we found that Amber's profile and what she's doing, like, her mission and her passion in life is so powerful, and it can overall change the perspective we can have as hearing people on the music itself, but also on how we can make that accessible for everyone. And once you start to think about making music accessible for deaf and hard of hearing community, then you think about this kind of topic – accessibility – in a much broader way. So yeah, this is how we ended working on that. And we've been working on this documentary since 2020 now, so it's been six years. And yeah, we discovered so much about this deaf and hard of hearing community. We discovered much more about the music itself and how we can listen to music differently now. And yet, there’s so many more things to discover.

Xcaret Nuñez: Like you mentioned, this documentary goes beyond showing the audience how interpreters learn to express music. This film really takes us into Amber Galloway's life. I was wondering if you could introduce our listeners to Amber and how you decided she would be the perfect person to center the story on.

Nicolas Davenel: So, I mean, Amber, she's been around for a long time, and she's been one of the first to actually take that music interpretation job and turn it into something that is actually meaningful for deaf people. You know, you have the ADA law that, you know, when you have a request, you have to put an interpreter on the side of the stage for the deaf audience to interpret. But, you know, like she explained at first, the first person that could kind of interpret, they would have that person on stage, and most of the time, the interpretation wasn't really good. And when she saw that, she was put in front of a broad audience, and she's very much an entry point to the community and between the two. She was hearing, she's now hard of hearing, and so she's immersed into the deaf community and a very important person. So it was great to have her as the first point, and then, from her, you can discover everybody else from the community.

Xcaret Nuñez: And throughout the film, you see Amber comfort her son who's struggling with the loss of his brother. Why did you decide to share this aspect of her life?

Vanessa Dumont: Because it's really part of the main facet of her life that gives her strength and empties her at the same time. And this is like this universal kind of feeling. Through grief, like, how can you survive something this dramatic? And that was also a way to express what music can be in life. Because it's soothing, it can basically save your life. And it's saving hers, and it will maybe save Josh, her son. So this kind of extreme situation where music is so part of her life and is really the thing that connects her to the world, that connects to her dead son as much as her son who is still alive, and she's trying to save him. For us, it was also a way to speak to a broader audience also. Like, you are not only speaking about music, but also what place the music has for you. I think it was one of the main things that really reflects for us is, at the beginning, while we were not really familiar with the deaf and hard of hearing community, we could relate to her even if we have different paths. Like, when something so hard in your life happens, how can you survive? How can you overcome this situation and transform this into a strength and into your full mission and how you can spread something positive to the world though? So showing that was a way to question the audience on what music, how music is part of your life. And, by asking this question, how can we deprive music a full part of the procreation, from this so powerful thing that is music in your life.

Xcaret Nuñez: You know, I did find myself relating a lot to Amber, even if we did have different life experiences. And in the film, you share really vulnerable moments. How did you manage to build so much trust with Amber and Josh and capture that?

Nicolas Davenel: I mean, yeah, the main thing first was to gain Amber's trust. I mean, it's been a lot of discussion to explain what we wanted to do, what we didn't want to do. Also for her, like, what she didn't want as well, as a theme. One of the first things she was saying was there's a lot “inspirational porn” videos, in a way. And she wanted a film that was really deep and meaningful. And once we had her trust, she knew that what was a great [unintelligible] consciousness, that to make a good film and something where you can create empathy with the audience, you have to give it all. And that's what she did, which is amazing because it doesn't happen very often. And yeah, we built that closeness. And I mean, Josh, her son, is just amazing, an amazing guy. And so, yeah, we've been very close to them. And then, you know, once she was okay, then we could have access to everyone around her because we had her trust.

Xcaret Nuñez: Yeah, and it also kind of brings me to one of the things that I loved about this film and stood out to me was your guys' style of filmmaking. You never interview anyone directly on camera. Why did you decide to approach the documentary this way?

Vanessa Dumont: Because, mostly, when we are deciding to go on a documentary film, because it's so much involvement, it's so much time, energy, you want to, and the person you are following for months, sometimes for years, like it was the case, you want show their history, to tell their history. We have so much joy of filming them, like as if they were the main character of an epic film, because their life is so extraordinary, at some point. Their mission is also, their entourage, everything is so beautiful, so it makes no sense at some point to put them in front of a camera and just answer questions. And so what we did, and we often process like that, is when we met them, we basically talked a lot. Sometimes we shot that. Sometimes we didn't. It was also a way to make them familiar with us filming them, because they are not actors. They are just real people. And having a team following you for days can look a bit weird at the beginning. So we just unloaded the pressure of trying to collect all this information through moments that can be really rich and beautiful without any talking. So we do this kind of massive interview at the beginning. And for us, it's just one way to make them familiar with the crew and us filming them. And second, it's a way to collect all the information, so then we can just navigate with them and know a bit what's going to happen without provoking that too much at all. So it's a way, also, of writing and preparing with them that allows them to dive directly into slices of life with them.

Xcaret Nuñez: That's such a great insight into like behind-the-scenes, because when I'm watching this, I'm like, “Oh my gosh, there's so much uncertainty.” Like, you don't know what the next person is gonna say or how they're gonna react. And I love that you show it all. On that note, before we wrap up, I wanna mention that there are so many inspirational and joyful moments throughout the film. I learned so much. I, like, danced with them. I cried three times. What do you hope viewers take away from seeing this film?

Vanessa Dumont: I think it's in the title, “The Way We Move.” The title can be interpreted in many different ways – literally, because what we are showing is the way they move and how they're transmitting something through their body and through their mission. But it's also the way you can move and change your perspective and your point of view on a topic, and how, just taking a step on the side and trying to consider, like I was mentioning, being deaf as not being just a medical term or not being a loss, but a gain of something else. That could be, I think, for me, the main message – like, how you can turn grief or loss into the gain of something, even if I'm not denying all the sadness and the difficulty of that, but seeing people overcoming their condition, whatever it is, to transforming that into beauty each day and between them could be maybe the best message.

Nicolas Davenelare: Yeah. I mean, joining what Vanessa just said, no matter your condition, you're just experiencing the world a different way. And yeah, I think that's a very positive message and a reassuring message. Like, no matter what happens in your life, you know there's something else that is waiting for you. And I don't know, I like – that idea is comforting.

Xcaret Nuñez: Well, thank you both so much for speaking with me today. I am really excited for more people to watch “The Way We Move.”

Nicolas Davenelare: Thank you so much.

Vanessa Dumont: Thank you. It means the world to us to know that it can be shared and it can be viewed and at some point it can, even just a slice of that can stay and be a part of a warm journey. So yeah, thank you so much for creating this discussion and yeah. That was really lovely to be able to meet you and discuss with you.

Audrey Nowakowski: Vanessa Dumont and Nicolas Devanel are the directors of the documentary “The Way We Move.” They spoke with “Lake Effect”’s Xcaret Núñez. You can see the film this Thursday at the Oriental Theater as a part of the Milwaukee Film Festival. Milwaukee Film is a financial supporter of WUWM. Mineral Point in Wisconsin's Driftless region is a haven for artists and art lovers. With a population of just 2,500, there is an entire economy based on the thriving art scene in the city. One of the places you'll find there is Shake Rag Alley, an art center that attracts visitors from across the region and world. The art center offers a variety of classes that pick up in the summer months. To learn more, “Lake Effect”’s Becky Mortenson is joined by the Arts Center's Executive Director, Christina Kubasta, and Amanda Weibel with “Travel Wisconsin.”

Becky Mortenson: How did Shake Rag Alley begin, and how has it changed and evolved into what it is today?

Christina Kubasta: So Shake Rag Alley started in 2004, and the space had been rented for a couple years for what's called Woodlanders’ Gathering, which still continues today in July at Woodlanders’ Gathering. It's a whole group of people who come together to make twiggy furniture and do some eco-dying. We call it “summer camp for adults.” And when that group of peopIe learned that this main campus, these two and a half acres were going to be sold and essentially become private and no longer available to the public for art-making, a group of artists and community members banded together to buy what is now Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts, to ensure that it would still be available for people to gather and to be creative. And we've been here since then. We celebrated, you know, 20 years. We're looking forward to celebrating 25 years soon, and it's evolved from Woodlanders’ Gathering then, and our first programming we offered was some after-school youth programming, to now, we have everything from glass-flowing and blacksmithing and welding to mixed media. We offer creative writing. We still have that heritage craft, that rustic furniture building and mosaic painting in 2-D. We have fiber arts with weaving and felting. So our programming has grown. This year, we're offering more than 300 adult workshops, and that doesn't include pop-ups we add. We have special events throughout the summer. We have artists and writing residencies for artists-in-residence, especially during some of our winter months when it might be a little quieter in Mineral Point. We hold space for artists and makers to come here and spend some concerted time working on their craft and then offering free community programs to continue to enrich this Mineral Point and the surrounding areas. And then we have a robust summer youth program. So we offer classes June through August, with some camps, some five-day day camps as well.

Becky Mortenson: And you mentioned to me that the center draws people from around the world, and that includes the instructors for these classes. So what can you tell us about that?

Christina Kubasta: So yes, we have people come from all over the country. When we look at the registrations for classes, it's wonderful to see. We draw from the area, we draw sort of regionally from the Midwest, and then we'll have people visiting us from California or Virginia or Florida. It's wonderful to see how many people come and visit us from all over the country. In terms of our instructors, we have some mixed media people in particular who visit us from Canada every year. And they’re some of our really big draws, and people are excited to see them come back year after year. We've also had instructors come as far away as Australia to return, especially to teach in sort of mixed media jewelry. So, it's just wonderful to see that, we're this really welcoming space, nestled in this beautiful part of Wisconsin, and people know us that way, but we're also an internationally known art center. We gather here to make and to create together in community, and we keep drawing people from all over.

Becky Mortenson: And, in addition to some of those stand-alone classes you were mentioning, you also offer some retreats as well, right?

Christina Kubasta: Absolutely. We're coming up on our first retreat of the year, which is jewelry boot camp and that's three days of stacked workshops, jewelry workshops. So you can come and take a class if there's something that is really attractive to you. We've got silver metal clay, we've got enameling, fold forming, things like that. But you can also plan for a workshop a day and make a weekend of it. So that's coming up the first weekend in May, and then shortly after that, the third weekend in May, we have our writing retreat. And people can choose to engage with non-fiction or fiction or poetry. With our retreats then, we tend to have evening events as well. And then, again, in July we have our Woodlanders’ Gathering. And we have people who have been coming to Woodlanders’ since the beginning. We make these special little name tags that are out of a little piece of wood, and we have people show up who wear sort of like a scarf with all of their name tags to show they've been here, you know, 20 plus Woodlanders’ gatherings. So it's really lovely to see the people return year after year. For Woodlanders’, we do picnics under tents, we do Woodlanders’ games, we have live music that Saturday night, and people dance on the grass. That's really lovely. And then in August, we have our art adventure, which is our mixed media retreat. And, again, you can come for a class, but you can also come and make a full weekend of it, which is a lot of fun. And, while not quite a retreat, we also do fiber fair in September, which is a really fun event. It's aligned with Cornish Fest, which is big celebration in Mineral Point because of our Cornish heritage. European settlers who came here were Cornish and that's a lot of the architecture here. That is a fun, free event we host here on the Shake Rag campus. We have pop-up workshops, demos, we have a maker's market. We have animals, so you can hang out and meet a sheep and sometimes Angora rabbits and other things. So we do lots of things like that, in addition to the standalone workshops that are a lot of fun.

Becky Mortenson: Mineral Point has kind of a whole economy built around art. Can you talk about the artistic nature of Mineral Point and how it came to be a place for artists and arts culture to thrive?

Christina Kubasta: Mineral Point is – I moved here a few years ago and I just continue to be amazed by the spirit that animates this place, how I meet artists all the time, how people come here and are just inspired. We have four gallery nights a year. So we have galleries all up and down our High Street, which is our main street. And those gallery nights, the galleries and shops are open late. Often you can meet the artists who have a work. And so those are wonderful nights to come visit. And those are in April, June, August. And then our December gallery night is also our candlelight shopping. And if you have not experienced the perfect holiday moment, there's chestnuts roasting on the corner of Chestnut Street. There are horse-drawn carriage rides. There are luminaries lining the streets, and we top it all off with a fireworks show that puts any 4th of July fireworks show just to shame, and we light a huge Christmas tree. So those are amazing. We also have our fall art tour, which, this year is October 16th through 18th. That is here in Mineral Point, but also the communities of Spring Green, Dodgeville, and Baraboo participate in that. You can travel around on that weekend and see so much art. As artists open their studios and galleries, they're usually in the process of making something or doing a demo. So you can talk with the artists about their work in really interesting and meaningful ways as you engage with their work. We have, in addition to Shake Rag Alley, there are classes and workshops you can visit and engage in making while you're here. And then, in general, I have to say I moved to this part of Wisconsin from further north, and prior to that, I'd never really explored the southwest part of Wisconsin beyond Madison. And the landscape here is just so stunningly beautiful and inspiring. I've really come to understand how it can I guess be an impetus for creativity and for us to, you know, engage with this beautiful space and then be inspired to create beauty in new ways.

Becky Mortenson: Okay, Amanda, turning to you, what are some other things that art enthusiasts will want to check out in Mineral Point?

Amanda Weibel: The Mineral Point Opera House is the community's historic performing arts venue. An extensive restoration process breathed new life into this former vaudeville house and returned its grandeur. And today you can enjoy a wide variety of entertainment there, including music from all genres. They also host open mic nights and movie showings and more at the Mineral Point Opera House. So check out their schedule. See if you can time up your visit to Shake Rag Alley to take in a show at the opera house. You're also gonna wanna check out those shops and galleries that Mineral Point is well-known for. You can find galleries for all sorts of artwork. One to check out is Brewery Pottery for their handcrafted heirlooms. You can browse all the wonderful pottery. It's made in-house by the owners. And you can also discover other artwork, decor, jewelry from local, regional, and national artists.

Becky Mortenson: And Amanda, there's some interesting Wisconsin history in Mineral Point. What can you share about that?

Amanda Weibel: Yes, Mineral Point has a fascinating history connected to the state's mining legacy. Early European settlers arrived in the Driftless because of rich lead and zinc deposits. And the miners in their tunnels gave Wisconsin its name, the Badger State. And immigrants from Cornwall, England, they were experienced at mining. Many of them moved to Mineral Point in the 19th century. They were also skilled at constructing out of stone. So today, you'll spot that Cornish legacy throughout Mineral Point. You'll see these gorgeous pre-Civil War stone structures. They are among the oldest in Wisconsin. Some of the finest examples are at Penndarvis. It is a Wisconsin Historical Society site that preserves a collection of historic Cornish structures and tells the story of its founders. Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum met during the Depression. They bonded over a passion for saving historic buildings. They fell in love and purchased Penndarvis House in 1935. In the decades that followed, the couple operated a Cornish restaurant that became nationally known, and they used the funds from the restaurant to help protect and restore more historic buildings. Tours are available, and Penndarvis opens for the season on May 28th.

Becky Mortenson: And Mineral Point is in the heart of the Driftless region, so there are also some great things to do outdoors. What would you recommend?

Amanda Weibel: Mineral Point is right on the Cheese Country Trail. This is a multi-use trail that stretches for 47 miles through the rolling hills of the Driftless. And it is especially popular for ATV riding. For something right in town, check out the Merry Christmas Mine Hill. You're gonna find two easy hiking loops for a total of one mile. And the trail takes you past old mining artifacts, including badger holes, and gives you really great views of Mineral Point. For something a little further, detour to Yellowstone Lake State Park near Blanchardville. The park is crisscrossed by miles of trails and it has one of the only lakes in the Driftless area. So, during the summer, it's a great option for some swimming or fishing.

Becky Mortenson: And Amanda, what's something you think might surprise people about a visit to the art center or to Mineral Point?

Amanda Weibel: Well, some people may think that a thriving arts community only exists in larger cities. And Mineral Point proves that wrong. Art really is at the heart of Mineral Point. It's a community of 2,500 and a small-town art colony. The town is so intentional about preserving its history and heritage while welcoming new visitors to discover something unexpected and make some lasting memories.

Becky Mortenson: So, Christina, you've been with the arts center for a few years now. What's something you've heard from someone who visited Shake Rag Alley or has taken a class that really stood out to you?

Christina Kubasta: One of my favorite things about being here is when someone takes a class that they didn't think they could do. Most of our workshops are for true beginners, and people will take a risk and try something new, and they will come out of that workshop, you know, with something beautiful. We've had mothers and daughters take a class. We've had a young person, you know, like, in their teens or even tweens take a blacksmithing class and wield that hammer and make a posthook or make a triangle. And they come out covered in soot and with this thing that they've made themselves, just smiling ear to ear. And I think the discovery that we can try new things at any point in our life, we can think of ourselves as “not creative” and discover that we were wrong. I love that we are a place that can offer people those opportunities to surprise themselves.

Becky Mortenson: Well, Christina and Amanda, thank you both so much for joining me for Wandering Wisconsin.

Audrey Nowakowski: Thank you.

Becky Mortenson: Thanks for having us.

Audrey Nowakowski: Christina Kubasta is the executive director of Shake Rake Alley. Amanda Weibel is the communication’s officer for “Travel Wisconsin.” They both joined “Lake Effect”’s Becky Mortensen for the latest “Wandering Wisconsin.” You can find more trip recommendations WUWM.com. We'll take one more break and then our contributor Venice Williams shares how she's helping to support local restaurants with soup. Keep listening to “Lake Effect” on WUWM. This is “Lake Effect” on Milwaukee's NPR. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Local restaurants typically have thin profit margins. And right now those margins are even thinner, as a variety of economic factors have made food prices much higher and some customers less likely to dine out. For some restaurants, this economic climate makes it hard to keep going. But in these difficult times, “Dig In!” contributor, Venice Williams has a solution: soup. Venice has been doing pop-up soup sales at local restaurants to help bring people in, with all the proceeds from the soup going to the restaurant. “Lake Effect”’s Joy Powers met up with Venice at Flower Girl and Flame in West Allis to learn more.

Joy Powers: We're here at Flower Girl and Flame in West Allis for an event that you've just started. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Venice Williams: Yes, so it is something near and dear to my heart. Actually, I just restarted it. Many years ago, I would make soup for Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, and then for The Tandem. And I would purchase all the ingredients, everything needed, and they would sell it. Or I would be there cooking, and it would go to support their businesses, every single penny and every piece of profit. The reason I have started this up again is I felt like every other week, and sometimes weeks in a row, there were restaurants closing in Milwaukee. These past nine months or so, maybe even longer than that, it just seemed like one after the other, after the other. And I had to ask myself, you know, “What can I do to help, besides going there to eat or doing a write-up about them?” And then I'm like, “You can show up with soup.” You can do what you've been doing for a very long time and make soup. But every single penny, again, benefits that restaurant and helps to keep its doors open.

Joy Powers: I think for those of us who pay attention to restaurant news, it does seem like all of these places have been closing all at once. As someone who is really in the food space, what are you hearing from people?

Venice Williams: It's hard, it's expensive to maintain a restaurant now. You know, it always a challenge, it is always hard work, but with this particular economy, with this particularly administration, with all the things that are going on, the resources are becoming more limited, and the price and the cost of food, and now gas, to get that food to your restaurant. You know, everything is accelerating and it's really hard for restaurants to make ends meet – not to mention the shortfall in staffing. People are still trying to catch their breath from the pandemic. And how many people lost workers? How many workers never returned to restaurants? So to have a restaurant business is not the easiest thing to do right now. And for myself, I have so many friends who are chefs. I have so many acquaintances who have incredible spaces where the community can come to eat. And I love to make soup, and the community likes to eat soup. So it just seems like a win-win to me. It also, and I think we've discussed this before, it also allows me to honor my father. So this generosity of food and place and people who are living into their dreams. My father taught me how to be generous in this way, how to give back and how important it is to help other people feed other folks. So, you know, he was doing some of the same things in his lifetime, you now, cooking for folks, showing up, nothing in it for him financially. But there's very much something in this for me, because I get to be a vessel of reciprocity because every place that I show up to are restaurants that are really important to my life journey and who are important to the community. So the least I can do is make a couple of pots of soup and say, “Come and get it.”

Joy Powers: What is it about Flower Girl and Flame that really speaks to you?

Venice Williams: Dana and Maddie have given so much to the Greater Milwaukee Area. Even when they were starting out, they created this pizza space on a platform of giving. They always show up. And they show up in so many different ways. They show up for such diverse communities and hold events. The spirit of generosity that is Fower Girl and Flame cannot be measured. So when I said, when I called Dana and said, “This is what I'm gonna do,” she's like, “Oh no, there's probably another restaurant who could use it more. And I was like, “Shut up. Just be quiet, because you give so much. Accept. Receive.

Joy Powers: Where have you been so far with this series and where are you planning to go?

Venice Williams: I have been at Bake Dreams Bakery and Cafe at the Sherman Phoenix. I've also been at Delicious Bites on North Avenue. Last month, March, I was supposed to be at Fruition MKE, and that was the Monday snow day. So that's where you will find me next month in May. I am headed to Fruition MKE on North 27th Street with Miss Tiffany Miller, and who knows what soup I will cook up then.

Joy Powers: What is it about soup that you think brings people together? Because I know you're an avid proponent of soup. I've had your soup before. It's delicious. Why is soup so integral to community?

Venice Williams: I think soup is a metaphor for community. You never know what's going to show up in the Venice pot of soup. You never know who's going show up at a community gathering. There are some things that, you know, I'm going to always make a... Like, today I made my corn chowder in a couple of different ways, but, you know, it always has some potatoes in it. But some carrots and leeks showed up today, along with that corn. I think community is the same. People come out, and you build on the kindness and the presence and the life stories and the journeys. And somehow, no matter how different we all are, we come together like that pot of soup, right? We come together and we create something beautiful. And of course, in the case of the soup, it's also delicious. But a bowl of soup is so comforting. It's comfort food. And there's always a story behind a pot of soup. The recipe may not be what you started off with, but what you end up with, again, within that whole, comparing it to community, is what it's supposed to be. We think we know how we're supposed to look and how we’re supposed to interact as community. But there are always pleasant surprises along the way when people gather, and why not gather at a table around a cup of soup?

Joy Powers: Now, of course, you've been reading. You are always reading. What do you have for us this month?

Venice Williams: So this month I did make my corn chowder and the chicken corn chowder. But it comes from one of my early favorite cookbooks called “Katie Brown's Weekends.” And it was, I think, the very first recipe that I did out of here was the corn chowder, wherever it is. There it is, the “Hearty Chicken Corn Chowder” recipe. Now, of course, as always, I have tweaked this recipe. I love making this soup. Yes, I make soup all year round, and I really like making this recipe in the summertime because I'm using all of the fresh ingredients from either my own garden or from the Fondy Farmers Market, and especially the thyme. So “Katie Brown's Weekends” is just, I will never give this cookbook away, and this is the cookbook that I brought again. And it's more than recipes. It's also about weekend projects and things you can create and make for yourself or for family, and I love it. I don't know if Katie Brown is still around, but I thank Katie Brown for her cookbook.

Joy Powers: Very nice. Well, Venice, thank you as always for joining us here on “Lake Effect.” Thank you for having me.

Audrey Nowakowski: Venice Williams is the executive director of Alice's Garden and the Fondy Food Center. She regularly joins “Lake Effect”’s Joy Powers for a series that we call “Dig In!” You can find our previous conversations at WUWM.com. And “Dig In!” wraps up “Lake Effect” for today. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. If you've missed any of Lake Effect this week, you can find all of our conversations at WUWM.com. If you'd like to take the show on the go, you can download the “Lake Effect” podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tomorrow on the show, we'll find out how the Milwaukee Public Library Seed Library can help gardeners. Plus, we'll learn about a time when the Milwaukee Brewers played morning baseball during World War II. Thank you so much for joining us today, right here on listener-supported 89.7 WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR.