The St. Andrew’s Society gathered at the Wisconsin Club for its 151st annual Robert Burns Anniversary Banquet to honor the Scottish bard. Led by Society President Jon Young and program hosts Circuit Judge Tom Cooper, Dave Berger, Tom Westgaard and other club officers, 215 revelers packed the ballroom...

This coming summer, 150 teams from around the country will descend on Milwaukee for NAGAAAFest 2009, the Gay Softball World Series, staged by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association. Organizers say the event is expected to have an $8 to $10 million tourism impact on the city, fueled by 3000...

With extraordinary style, Film Wisconsin celebrated the grand opening of RDI Stages’ new facilities in St. Francis. The site is expected to be instrumental in transforming Milwaukee into the film industry’s “Third Coast.” The top-notch event was a sybarite’s delight, with abundant caviar, shrimp and fresh oysters.

We wish you all a grand new year with copious quarts of liquid cheer. 2008 was not that bad till the market crashed and made us sad. But Obama won and now the fun of change that already has begun...

More than 100 bicyclists sporting Santa and elfin garb gathered at the Fat Abbey to wet their whistles, priming for a 20-plus-mile bike ride through Milwaukee. Subsequent beverage stops included The Nomad and Lakefront Brewery, before concluding at Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall for a polka party. On Wisconsin...

Francophiles and wine lovers descended upon the Eisner Museum in record numbers, with nearly 200 imbibers rushing to taste this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau. The 11th annual Fete du Beaujolais Nouveau was hosted by the Alliance Française de Milwaukee and coordinated by recent Atlanta transplant Beth Haskovec...

The 44th annual Symphony Style show at the Milwaukee Art Museum was top-notch as always, with sponsorships aplenty and fashion galore. The Symphony Style book, featuring Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra history and glam photos, was highlighted by Dan Bishop’s stark cover photo of the birthday-suited Andrew Stoll...

Frightfully good fun was found all over town on Halloween. The Wisconsin AIDS Fund transformed the Dye House into a ghoulish hall of make-believe horrors for a fun-filled fund-raiser. Candela’s John Dolphin designed the spooky atmosphere with lighting expertise by “altar boy” Andrew Capelle of the Hilton.

Safe & Sound celebrated its 10th anniversary with a rousing breakfast program at the Italian Community Center. The agency helps 23,000 children annually in 21 target neighborhoods by providing safe havens and helping to reduce crime. The agenda included remarks by Sen. Herb Kohl; honoree Ed Zore, NML's CEO...

The InterContinental’s lobby bar throbbed with high power, high fashion and high times at the RunUp to the Runway preview party. Guests got a glimpse of the not-to-be-missed fourth-year event, set for Oct. 17 at the Milwaukee Art Museum and featuring local designers and boutiques, a beer tasting and even mini-makeovers.

Progressive Majority, committed to recruiting progressives to run for office, had a great turnout at the Brico Fund headquarters. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett fired up the assemblage and introduced the many pols in the crowd, including state Rep. Jon Richards, former state Rep. Shirley Krug and “soon-to-be rep."

Eclectic Films: The 21st annual Milwaukee LGBT Film/Video Festival opened with the award winning Were the World Mine, an imaginative adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. UW-Milwaukee film professor Carl Bogner, the festival’s program director, greeted the packed house and thanked the fest...

Musical Madness: The last couple of weeks of nearly perfect weather have brought out a horde of music lovers. It was a mob scene at Alterra on the Lake with Orquesta Veneno cranking out rumbas, sambas, sal sas and merengues. In dancing mode were Tom Dienhart with Mambo Elegancia, doing some smooth leading...

Gourmet Cheese Heads: Walker’s Point’s La Merenda hosted a serendipitous evening that combined scrumptious Wisconsin artisanal cheese dishes with plenteous amounts of wine. Owner/chef Peter Sandroni, along with Dave Swanson from Braise On the Go and Jan Kelly from Washington Heights’ Meritage, prepared the feast.

Over the Rainbow: After an auspicious rainbow sight ing prior to the fourth annual My Best Friend Is Straight fund-raiser, guests mingled outside until a sudden deluge sent them scampering into Andy Nunemaker’s fab party house. The event raised funds for the Cream City Foundation (CCF), which is celebrating more than 25 years of giving to LGBT communities...

Women’s Council report which stated that “the number of women elect ed to the Wisconsin state Legislature is at its lowest in two decades” spurred a large gathering at the Women’s Choice and Progressive Majority fund-raiser for five female Democratic candidates...

“Champagne at the Allis” was flowing, necessitating a second shipment to be brought in mid-party at the Charles Allis Art Museum. Britishness was in the air with Ellen Zilli’s delicious figs and Stilton cheese and a UW-Milwaukee ensemble in top hats and formal attire, loaned by Suzann Campbell...

The exciting season finale of the Milwaukee Ballet Company presented three pieces, including a beautiful world premiere by Artistic Director Michael Pink. At the post-party, Pink happily announced that the company’s firm financial footing was aided by angel Bob Dohmen.

Splendor in the Park: A ceremony marking Lake Park’s ongoing beautification with the recent refurbishing of its Gen. Erastus B. Wolcott statue included welcoming remarks by Lake Park Friends President Dave O’Brien, as well as a colors presentation by Steve Michaels and the Sons of Union Veterans.

Sunday Best: Inspired by St. Bridget, a patron saint of Ireland, artist Bridget Griffith Evans created a series of “Bridgetines,” an exquisite selection of 52 tiny acrylic, watercolor and oil portraits of ingénues. The work was showcased in “Sunday Best” at the selfdescribed “World Famous Luckystar Studio.”

Play Time: The opening night of the Milwaukee Rep's insightful and poignant The Night Is a Child was also a world premiere attended by the playwright Charles Randolph-Wright and guest directory Timothy Douglas. Both were pleased that the Rep and the hardworking cast did the production proud.

Tune In: 88Nine Radio Milwaukee celebrated the one-year mark of its new format with a party at the Palms for supporters, friends and station celebs. Mayor Tom Barrett even stopped by to proclaim it 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Day.

Beach Blast: The Star of Hope Foundation (SOHF) threw a fab South Beach Gala at the Wisconsin Club, complete with a rum tasting room, Floridian food by Chef Al and upbeat music by Michael Drake and the No Tan Lines Band.

Happy B-Day: Despite many citywide storm-related cancellations, the 162nd City of Milwaukee Birthday Party forged ahead, with a huge turnout at the Pfister. Milwaukee Press Club head Marilyn Krause hosted the annual bash, with a stellar roster of sponsors that included John McGregor of Irgens Development...

A hungry crowd turned up for the Mitchell Park Domes’ annual “Restaurants Under Glass.” Guests wandered through the facility’s three domes while eating, sipping and enjoying the mini-trains rolling through a floral “Gulliver’s Travels” exhibit.