The last decade has been brutal for Milwaukee’s malls, which one by one have shut down, supplanted by bigger new shopping centers in neighboring suburbs. With the closures of Capitol Court, Northridge and Southgate, Grand Avenue is now the city’s last indoor mall, and it’s facing difficult times.

Is this it? Five-plus years after the United States’ invasion of Iraq and two years after Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold first called for a troop-withdrawal timetable, the U.S. may be shifting its military and diplomatic strategy in the Middle East. Maybe.

If it’s lucky, a city will offer one of those streets that seems to have a magnetic force field running its length, attracting not just a certain segment of the population, but nearly everyone: scenesters and trendsetters, hedonists and daters, lollygaggers and bohemians, and all those that defy a label.

Celebrating 157 years of tradition, the Wisconsin State Fair is a place where Fairgoers of every age and from every walk of life come together to share stories of Fairs gone by while creating new memories to share in the years to come. The Fair offers something for everyone – from agriculture and horticulture to culinary creations and oodles of activities and attractions for Fairgoers that are young and young at heart. With over 15 decades of history, tradition and development, the Wisconsin State Fair has grown into one of the state’s premiere summer events and attractions. The 2008 Wisconsin State Fair, “The Grand Champion of Summer,” will take place Thursday, July 31 through Sunday, August 10 in West Allis.

America may have had its differences with the French—think freedom fries—but we must give credit where credit is due: The French really know how to enjoy the delicacies of life. This year’s Bastille Days will give the rest of us four days to do the same. Milwaukee has one of the largest Bastille Days celebrations in the country...

In 2006 Harley-Davidson delivered the kind of strapping spectacle only Milwaukee’s motor company could muster: It broke ground on the site of its new museum using a sportster motor bike mounted by a track-racing champion. That knack for flair culminates on July 12, when the finished museum opens its doors to the public in time for Harley’s 105th anniversary bash in August.

Summerfest has long prided itself on being the world’s largest music festival, pulling in hundreds of performers from around the globe. But while local musicians have always had a place on the festival’s crowded lineup, it was only last year that the annual celebration created a stage reserved solely for music from around Milwaukee.

In 1954 at a meeting of the Audio Engineering Society in New York, Les Paul proposed the ideal device for music listeners. He recalls his words as if the meeting had been held last week: “Ideally, it would be something you could carry in your pocket that had no moving parts and held every song you ever wanted to hear.”

Year after year, for 11 straight days, Summerfest delivers an unforgettable live music experience, bringing an amazing array of today's hottest stars and emerging talent to Milwaukee. The 23,000 capacity Marcus Amphitheater, 10 permanent ground stage areas, 45 diverse food and beverage vendors and four unique marketplaces are set against the scenic lake Michigan and downtown backdrops, creating a setting and experience like no other.

People look at Lake Michigan and it looks like an ocean,” said Pat Henderson, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “And they wonder why they should conserve water.” But Henderson said that concerns about the availability of Great Lakes water are real. He noted that the Great Lakes account for 20% of the world’s fresh water—70% exists in the polar ice cap—but climate change, industry, rising population levels and a lack of awareness are putting pressure on this critical natural resource.