Racine Post: Downtown Racine

Showing posts with label Downtown Racine. Show all posts

Jul 4, 2008

Racine's FourthFest Parade: Outstanding!

The crowds cheered whenever soldiers or the flag passed by...

Horlick High's pom-pon squad

Was he really as tall as the Monument?

Trumpeter from the Lighthouse Brigade

Modine's hydrogen fuel cell-powered float...

It was elephant-powered as well...

A colorful reminder: Dragon Boat races are coming soon!

Too many battles to remember, too many soldiers to mourn...

Iwo Jima

Vietnam

The Revolution

Women fought and died in Vietnam, too

A few of the parade celebrities...

Mayor Gary Becker and Mayor Hector Alveraz Conteras
of Zapotlanejo, Mexico, our new sister city

FourthFest President Jim Deibler, and Make-a-Wish child

Parade Marshal, Marcus Hanel of the Brewers

Laura Kuzia, Miss Racine

Racine's own, Briana Lipor

And here are some more photos ... just click on the picture below for a slideshow.

Racine's Fourth of July Parade

And finally, some pictures of kids enjoying the parade are HERE.

Jun 24, 2008

What a difference a day makes at Festival Hall

Jim Walczak with structure of Festival Hall's new clearspan

Update, 6/25: One day of uncertainty gave way to quick work this morning, as the framework of Festival Hall's new clearspan tent structure went up. Later today, the canvas covering will be put in place. Below, yesterday's original post.

Blame the poet Robert Burns, who warned us 200 years ago, "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley."

Or maybe it was just Murphy's Law -- "If anything can go wrong, it will." -- in action this morning at Festival Hall, where Civic Centre executive director Jim Walczak hoped to erect his new fabric-covered building this morning, to replace the old tent. (Our earlier story is HERE.)

Everything was in place: the new metal building frame, 66' wide by 115' long was laid out on the old ice rink. Men and equipment to erect it were ready; sparkling white canvas to cover it was alongside. And then Murphy and Burns took over.

The first holes drilled into the concrete to fasten the building's support posts produced cracks. It was clear to all that a new plan was needed.

After conferring, Walczak, Jerry Lopez, Festival Hall operations manager, and Kenny Francis, Mahaffey Tent's installation supervisor, decided to shift the location of the tent a few feet west. That simple move will shift the tent supports -- and those holes drilled into the concrete -- from an unstable concrete footing around the former ice rink and into the much more stable, six-inch thick concrete that makes up the ice rink itself. On the west side, the holes would also be moved away from the footings. Test borings worked without any cracking.

Problem solved? Not sure at this point. Al Kosterman, City Building Inspector, and Bill Miller, Department of Public Works overseer of the Civic Center, are examining the specifications of the Rawl expansion fittings -- think of the plastic expansion sleeve you drill into drywall to hold shelves and then scale it up a few hundred percent and make it out of stainless steel -- to make sure they will hold the permanent building supports safely.

One way or another, Walczak will get something installed over the ice rink today or tomorrow. He's got a wedding scheduled there on Saturday.

What now? Miller, Walczak, Francis, Kosterman and Lopez, l-r

By late afternoon, all was well. The city approved moving the tent and using the supplied bolts and expansion sleeves in the ice rink cement. Support posts were being installed, and the clear-span building itself was expected to be erected Wednesday.

Jun 21, 2008

Pictures from the 2008 Lighthouse Run

Complete results are posted HERE.

The winner of the 10-mile run is David Williams, who also won in 1998. The JT's story is HERE. (Dave is the runner on the far left of our picture below.)

The Best Start First: Fastest runners led off the 10-mile race

Holding their ears for the cannon 'start' that never came

Everybody needs a cheerleader

The rest of the 10-mile field...

...followed by the larger 4-mile scrum

Crossing the Main Street Bridge

Passing the Wind Point Lighthouse, today's raison d’être

One of the younger runners, just 3 1/2 years old

Home stretch, coming to the Main Street Bridge

And, finally! the Finish Line

Bananas and Miller Lite: "But it's 9:30 a.m.," I said.
"It's Beer:30," she replied.

Something to tell the kids about...

...and the grandkids!

(Ditto, that grandkids thing)

Jun 19, 2008

Civil War cannons are back on Monument Square

Gently lowered into place, hopefully for the last time

The Civil War cannons are back on Monument Square, where they were originally placed back in 1889.

Despite all the Sturm und Drang accompanying the debate over their removal three years ago when Monument Square was refurbished, they returned to their place alongside Racine's 61-ft. tall Civil War monument this afternoon, with nary a skirmish.

The official celebration schedule is HERE.

Alderman Jeff Coe was present, seemingly making amends for his advocacy of the proposal the cannons be sent to Kenosha to take up residence in that city's new Civil War Museum.

"The only thing we did stupidly was put them into storage," he said today. "We should have given them to Kenosha. I just thought, what better way to honor them than to give them to a museum, where they could take care of them?"

But as they returned to their place today, he said, "I'm OK with their return. I'm just glad the city got it resolved."

Coe recalled playing on the cannons as a child, and admitted to bringing his daughter to the square when she was young to also play on them. Today, he brought Heather, now 17, to Monument Square to help remove the paving bricks to make room for the heavy granite bases on which the cannons will sit. "Maybe in 100 years they'll debate this again," Coe said philosophically.

Both cannons were placed aiming north. Nobody could recall why, except that's the direction they faced originally. Coe showed a picture to prove it.

Today's reinstallation operation was led by Monte Osterman of Osterman Granite and Tile, assisted by David Carbajal. The crane from Meyers Racine Monument Works was operated by Jim Anspaugh. First they gently lowered the 3,300-lb. Mesabi granite bases into place, and then the two cannons themselves, one weighing 3,650 lbs and the other 3,530 pounds -- according to the engravings on their barrels. One is RPP No. 228; the other RPP No. 53; RPP stands for Robert Parker Parrott, the designer, who apparently also oversaw their construction personally. See HERE for more on their historical background.

Under each of the bases, Osterman put his traditional good luck pieces. He had wanted to place a 2008 Wisconsin quarter under each -- to tell some future generation when the cannons were reinstalled -- but had to settle for 2004 Wisconsin and 2008 New Mexico quarters; Johnson Bank across the street simply didn't have the right coinage on hand. No doubt, this will confuse the heck out of whoever moves the bases in 2108!

Jeff Coe shows picture with cannons aiming north

Jun 14, 2008

Hot Rods will return to Racine in 2009

Mark your calendar early: The Hot Rod Power Tour will be returning to Racine on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Dave Blank, executive director of the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau, whispered the news into my ear this morning -- before then blabbing it all over WRJN's airwaves. Thanks for the scoop, Dave!

The tour will bring 3,500 to 4,000 souped-up cars here direct from the era in which nobody cared how much gas cost. Beautiful cars with pampering owners.

Last year, the tour brought about 2,200 hot rods to Racine, although the weather did not cooperate.

Update, 6/16: Here's the press release Dave Blank just sent out:

Racine County will welcome the 14th Annual Hot Rod Magazine Hot Rod Power Tour, one of the greatest auto tours in the world, to the streets of Downtown Sunday, June 7, 2009. Revving through seven cities in seven days, spectators can expect to see their favorite Camaro’s, Cadillac DeVille’s, Dodge Challengers, Ford Ranchero’s and many more.

The retailers will be open and the lakefront will be hoping as 3,500 one-of-a-kind hot rods are expected to cruise the streets of Downtown. 5,000 participants and 10,000 spectators from all fifty states are expected to take part in the event. The tour begins Saturday, June 6, in Madison before coming to Racine.

The event will take place in downtown Racine and along the lakefront in Pershing Park from noon to 7 p.m. Public parking along Main Street and the adjoining side streets will be curtailed and Pershing Drive will be closed to traffic.

The majority of the estimated 1,000 “long haul” participants will be arriving between noon and 2 p.m. and will then check in and be directed to their designated parking area. About 2,500 “short haul” cars are expected from all over the Midwest.

The participants will spend the day looking at the cars, visiting with the many event sponsors, renewing old acquaintances with other participants and shopping. At 6:30 p.m. there will be a door prize drawing on the Main Stage that will be set up at the corner of 6th Street and Pershing Drive. Following this, the crowd will disperse to local restaurants, bars and lodging facilities.

The Racine event is sponsored by the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Hot Rod Power Tour is sponsored by GM Performance Division and co-sponsored by Flowmaster Exhaust Systems. The event is free to spectators. More information and car registration can be found at http://www.hotrod.com or contact the RCCVB at 262-884-6400.

Jun 13, 2008

This week's concert: No rain, just rock 'n roll

Unlike last week's noontime concert, which was rained out, today's Music on the Monument went off without a hitch. The south side of the square was packed with an audience for Final Approach's classic rock of the '70s and '80s.

Band members Bridget Kristan, lead vocals, and Kevin Grant, Steve Sustachek, Mike (Moon) Harmann and Mark Grant kept it rockin' for an appreciative crowd perched on chairs, the new granite benches and even a bicycle and motorcycle or two.

Jun 12, 2008

Yellow Rose restaurant in Downtown Racine closing June 28

The Yellow Rose restaurant in Downtown Racine is closing on June 28. The owners decided not to renew their contract with the building at Fourth and Main streets.

Scott and Patrice Sebastian, owner of Sebastian's in Caledonia, opened The Yellow Rose in 2004. The restaurant received great reviews from former Journal-Sentinel critic Dennis Ghetto and a review for Milwaukee Magazine.

After closing Yellow Rose, the Sebastians plan to focus their efforts on Sebastian's, their Caledonia restaurant.

"Being able to focus on just one restaurant will allow us to further our goal to make Sebastian's one of the best restaurants in the state," said Scott Sebastian.

Those of us with longer memories remember the restaurant as Criag and Helen's Bistro. Actually, those with really long memories remember it as the Bistro, then the Pasta Grille, and then Craig and Helen's Bistro again -- all under the same ownership. Far as we know, the building is still owned by Helen Johnson-Leipold and her hockey-team-owning husband Craig. The adjoining building, which has housed the Grotto since October 2007 and shares the Yellow Rose/Bistro kitchen is owned by the Johnson family (yes, that Johnson family) as well. The Grotto is a banquet/conference room space best known to those who haven't been inside for its fiberglass cow on the sidewalk from Chicago's "Cows on Parade" street art display.

Although the menu changed when the Sebastians leased the Bistro's space, the decor did not.

It's a beautiful location for a restaurant, but I suspect parking is an issue. Salute does well, though, so hopefully somebody gives it a shot.

In a few weeks, another restaurant will open on the same corner, directly across the street. Sticky Rice, formerly located on the second floor balcony of the Historic Century Market on Sixth Street, will open on the northeast corner of Fourth and Main in the building most recently occupied by Braun's Wines (and before that by the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau). And, of course, Whey Chai still resides on the southwest corner of the same intersection, so we're unlikely to starve regardless what happens.

CORREX: The Journal Times reported Friday that the Yellow Rose's building is owned by "Design Partners, a commercial graphics company based above the restaurant. Design Partners needs the additional space for its own growth."

Jun 6, 2008

Weather cooperates, giving a great First Friday

Sphere Madness was the center of attention

Downpours and tornado warnings disrupted the morning and afternoon, but magically disappeared just before 6 p.m., leaving in their wake bright blue skies, pleasant temperatures and the perfect environment for Downtown's First Friday.

Main and Sixth Streets were packed Friday evening, with families wandering into various galleries and shops, listening to the street musicians, and poking and prodding and posing with the art spheres that made their debut this week.

On Monument Square, the Roy Edwards Band -- rained out from its noon concert -- made up for it during its encore performance. The square was filled with concert-goers on one end, children dancing around the Civil War monument or communing with one of the two carriage horses, and HarborFest's beer tent at the other end. It was a peaceful coexistence.

Posing with one of the 75 Spheres

The Roy Edwards Band played under clear skies

Astrid Pierce rocked on Sixth Street

Cheryl McCrary & Heir-Born Praise Band offered Christian music

Young Haley Miller sang standards on Sixth

At Monument Square, kids danced...

...showed off great haircuts...

...and made friends with a horse.

More Spheres pictures HERE and HERE.

In outdoor concerts, weather is king

Music lovers who attended today's first Music on the Monument lunchtime concert got more -- and less -- than they bargained for.

Just two and one-half songs into the performance by the Roy Edwards Band, the concert was cut short by a downpour. The few droplets of rain that greeted the start of the 11:30 a.m. concert grew to a slashing rainstorm and heavy winds within 15 minutes, cutting short the concert.

Chairs and umbrellas were blown over, and DRC's Downtown Ambassadors had to scramble to collect them all, while a couple of hardy concert-goers huddled under an umbrella or two. To no avail. The band packed up, and the crowd was gone within 15 minutes.

And then the sun came out again. Sometimes, a blues band gets no luck at all, just something to sing about the next time.

May 31, 2008

Sphere Madness makes its public debut

Out of the Park, by Daun Johnson, Kim Nelson
and Crystal Johnson

It's not often you go to a party at Wingspread with Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean ... and they're not the guests of honor. Andy Griffith was in attendance too (well, his Mayberry Sheriff's car was there, although I never ran into him), but he wasn't the guest of honor either.

Rather, the stars of the party Saturday night were the 75 objects that make up Sphere Madness, the Downtown Racine Corporation's summer sidewalk art project, which will add to the ambiance of Main and Sixth Street starting on Monday when they go on display downtown.

Saturday night was their official unveiling -- at a '50s sock hop and outdoor garden party called Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Art! Spread out around the lawn, the 75 spheres made an impressive debut. There were dragons, a great turtle, the expanding universe, a ball of yarn, a king's chess table, a 200-mph snail. There was an owl, penguins, fish, downtown attractions, a dodo driving a bulldozer. There were flowers, a princess, the Little Prince, a baseball-playing cow.

The variety was amazing. Under one of the tents was a mouth-watering dessert table with all the fixin's of the best ice cream sundae ever ... topped by a huge scoop of ice cream. Yup, it was one of the spheres, although it was so realistic one almost had to touch it to prove it wasn't really ice cream.

Artists mingled with sponsors, explaining the fine points of their creation. The most-asked question I overheard was, "How can you bear to part with it?" How indeed? At the end of summer, the spheres will be auctioned off -- and no doubt some of the artists will bid to retrieve their creations.

Wandering Eye by Rick Beyer and Fred DacQuisto

One Scoop or Two? by Laura Covelli and Eric Dahlke

Raylene by Raymond School of Art Club
and Wendy Grueneberg

Crystal Dragon by Joyce Medina

All A-Round Racine by Alyson Eisch
and Julian Thomas Elementary Students

Motion Pictures - A Universal Appeal by Craig Welch

Artist Robert Andersen, left, explains his Toulous-Laugoose Egg

Starry Night with its creator, Sherri Shaver

Dododozer by Bill Reid

Elvis (a k a John Van Thiel) entertains a fan

Marilyn Monroe and James Dean, together at last
(Amy Peckman and Danny Neumann)

May 30, 2008

Segway and trolley give Downtown streets a new look

Yes, this was Racine's Downtown Friday afternoon -- normal traffic making way for the summer trolley and the Downtown Racine Corporation's new Segway people transporter.

Sure gives the street and sidewalk a different look!

Steering the Segway down the sidewalk is Sarah Dyer, 20, in her second week as a Downtown Ambassador. Sarah is a senior at UW-Madison, an English major hoping to be a teacher someday. A Park High graduate, she sought out an Ambassador position after hearing about it from her cousin who was one a couple of years ago.

She sees the job as providing information about downtown to anyone who asks: telling them where and when events are scheduled, for example. And also patrolling the city's parking lots and structures, making sure cars are safe.

Don't get the idea being a Downtown Ambassador is all Segwaying up and down Main Street: Sarah told me her pedometer clocked her walking six miles this morning traversing the same route on foot.

Meanwhile, on the highway part of the street, Downtown's two summer trolleys began driving their route this week. The trolleys, managed by the Belle Urban Bus system, operate downtown between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

One trolley runs Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, the second provides Pub and Grub service downtown from 4 p.m. to midnight. The fare at all times is 25 cents per ride. Routes cover restaurants, pubs, the art district, the library, museums and other downtown attractions. The Friday and Saturday evening pub and grub route goes to 15 downtown restaurants, numerous pubs and taverns and two theaters. The trolleys' route and schedule is HERE.

If you want a ride, just hail the trolley from anywhere downtown.

Our earlier story about how Downtown got its Segway is HERE.

May 27, 2008

Spheres are Here!

I'll admit it, I was a bit skeptical about this year's Downtown art project. Spheres? What's anyone going to do with a sphere? Well, count me officially wrong, wrong, wrong. Artists dropped off their finished spheres at Downtown Racine Corp, and they're amazing (maybe the best yet!).

Below are some initial pix. Thanks to DRC for letting us get a sneak peak at the creations!

13-year-old Holly Howe (she's actually 12, but her birthday is on Saturday) stands to the left of the turtle she created with 13-year-old Kayla Clair. Both Holly and Kayla are students at Mahone Middle School, where their art teacher, Laura Covelli (who's pushing the turtle), got them started on the turtle. While Covelli helped a little, Holly and Kayla did nearly all of the work, including finding the materials needed to make their reptilian creation.

Here's the finished project. Covelli lives in Racine and is a veteran of the Downtown art projects. She's made various creations in past summer, and made two more (one with her husband) for this year's exhibit.

Here's a collection of the spheres dropped off on Tuesday. They'll hit the streets next Monday, after taking part in an artist appreciation dinner and fundraiser at Windspread on Saturday.

More spheres!

And still more!

And more!

Craig Aude, an employee with DRC, helps roll in a planter created by Sally Orth and Terry Leopold.

Keith Nelson unstraps a speedy snail from his truck.
Kim Nelson, who created the snail, helps unload the art work.

A very cute Scrubbing Bubble sphere (I bet SCJ bids big on this one at the auction!)

The owl sphere is striking!

Aude and volunteer Richard Harris work on attaching wheel bases to the spheres. That way, store owners can roll the spheres inside at night, protecting them from the elements and ne-er-do-wells.

The baseball cow is another great piece from Kim Nelson.

Careful setting down that work of art!

May 21, 2008

Le Tour de Racine? The cyclists are coming!

Racine will look like a leg of the Tour de France for one exciting day this summer.

The Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau is bringing a smaller version of the fabled bicycle race downtown on Thursday, July 24, with 500 to 700 cyclists zooming around city streets for a full day of races. Ours is a leg of the International Cycling Classic.

Dave Blank, president and CEO of the RCCVB, told downtown merchants on Tuesday, at their Downtown Connections meeting, that the event will consist of a series of four or five criterium-style bicycle races ranging from 25 miles to 62 miles. He has mapped out an 8/10ths of a mile course around downtown: Main Street from State to Sixth, Sixth to College Avenue, College to Water Street, Water to Wisconsin Avenue, Wisconsin to State and State back to Main. The Start/Finish line will be on Main Street at the intersection of Fifth Street.

A criterium or 'crit' (according to those know-it-alls on the 'net) "is a timed race over a closed looping course. The loop can be any distance but is usually under a mile. The cyclists ride road bikes. The racers race for a determined amount of time, usually around 45 minutes, then, after the bell, there are five laps left to go all out." In other words, for most of the race the cyclists are together in a bunch, zooming around the city's streets. The longest race here is expected to last about two hours.

The RCCVB sent a letter this week to Mayor Gary Becker asking the city to close off the necessary streets from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on July 24, although the races themselves will last from approximately 10;30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The rest of the time is for setup and takedown. There will be time between races for vehicular traffic to enter and depart the area, Blank says.

The RCCVB is also considering having a live band on Monument Square from approximately 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Blank says: "The RCCVB has signed a three-year contract to host a leg of the International Cycling Classic. The International Cycling Classic (also known as SUPERWEEK) is celebrating its 40th year. It consists of a variety of bicycling races over a 17-day period in southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois at multiple venues. It is one of the three largest multi-day cycling events in the country and attracts riders from around the world. I believe that the last time that it was in Racine was 1997. Their very successful annual stop in Kenosha the following night (July 25) is part of “Food, Folks and Spokes.” Our intent is to grow this event over time to rival its success there."

A marketing brochure from Breakaway Events Productions, LLC of Milwaukee, the company the RCCVB has signed a contract with, describes the International Cycling Classic this way:

The 2008 International Cycling Classic will celebrate its 40th year with 17 consecutive days of high-caliber racing from July 11 - 27. The event series, also known as "SUPERWEEK," will feature races in 12 city centers throughout Wisconsin and Illinois including seven full days of racing in the Greater Milwaukee area. Host cities to the International Cycling Classic have used the races as centerpieces for popular and successful community events.

In 2007 nearly 250,000 spectators lined the streets and country roads to cheer on over 6,400 race entrants representing 42 states and more than 20 foreign countries - all battling for their share of a $120,000 prize purse. The schedule of racing in 2008 will be highlighted each day by the Superweek Pro Tour featuring the top professional and elite amateur cyclists with races beginning at 6 p.m. on most days. From July 11 - 27 the Superweek Women's Pro Tour will draw the top female cyclists for a double-dose of exciting racing action.

The International Cycling Classic features spectator-friendly races on courses of approximately one mile in length through commercial and residential districts. These criterium races offer constant action all along the course. The Classic also includes a small number of road races through Wisconsin's scenic countryside and along Milwaukee's scenic Lake Michigan shoreline.

The International Cycling Classic began as a single race at Milwaukee's Summerfest in 1969. In 1985, the event added several races in cities to the north of Milwaukee to become the two-week-long International Cycling Classic. In 2002, the event began expanding southward with the addition of races in the Chicago area. The Classic is now the oldest and longest-running multi-category cycling race in the United States and has a long-running tradition of international participation. Each year a European contingent travels overseas to compete in the races, adding a uniquely cosmopolitan flavor.

Here's the full schedule of this year's races:

Friday, July 11 Chicago, IL
Saturday, July 12 Blue Island, IL
Sunday, July 13 Homewood, IL
Monday, July 14 TBA
Tuesday, July 15 Bensenville, IL
Wednesday, July 16 Bensenville, IL
Thursday, July 17 Shorewood, WI
Thursday, July 17 Milwaukee, WI
Friday, July 18 Ripon, WI
Saturday, July 19 Waukesha, WI
Sunday, July 20 Evanston, IL
Monday, July 21 Hartford, WI
Tuesday, July 22 Cedarburg, WI
Wednesday, July 23 Hales Corner, WI
Thursday, July 24 Racine, WI
Friday, July 25 Kenosha, WI
Saturday, July 26 Milwaukee, WI
Sunday, July 27, Whitefish Bay, WI

May 20, 2008

Sixth Street could be done a full month early!

Looking west: Utility work done, almost ready for paving

Work on this year's portion of Sixth Street's rebuilding could be completed a month early.

You read that right: A full month!

The newsletter sent this week to Sixth Street merchants offered the good news -- work to replace ancient utility lines, including some wooden water pipes, isn't just going well, it's going very, very quickly. Here's a portion of what the newsletter said:

Work has been completed on the first phase of the utility construction in the 200 through 400 blocks of Historic Sixth Street, and the contractor is ahead of schedule with work in the 500 and 600 blocks. If work continues at the current pace, the project could be completed nearly a month ahead of the July 3rd target for completion.

Sidewalk restoration in the 500 and 600 blocks should be completed this week, and if all goes well, road restoration, paving, and striping will occur after Memorial Day the week of May 26. Barricade removal and cleanup is planned for the first week in June.

John Rooney, City of Racine’s Assistant Commissioner of Public Works could not be more pleased with the progress. “We knew when we bid out the utility work on Sixth Street that it was important to minimize the disruption to property owners and businesses,” said Rooney.

“ I thought the March 3 start date and the two-phase, four-month construction schedule was very aggressive, but Globe Contractors has done an excellent job.”

Work began on schedule March 3, crews were undaunted by the Good Friday snow storm that resulted in nearly a foot of snow, and they went on to complete work through the west side of Park Avenue in phase one. That gave Globe a jump start on phase two work and allowed Park Avenue to open to traffic earlier than anticipated.

First of 75 wondrous spheres arrives...

The spheres are coming! Or call it Sphere Madness, its official name, suggested by Lauren DeMorrow of Racine, winner of a contest to name the event.

Racine's downtown summer art project put on by the Downtown Racine Corporation is just days away from transforming Main and Sixth Streets into a kaleidoscope of colors, a cacophony of creativity -- at least that's my impression after seeing the first of the completed spheres to be delivered to DRC.

Done by Tammy Easton of Racine, it is called Hemispherium. It's an intricately crafted mosaic...thousands of tile and glass pieces of every hue. Besides being beautiful, it serves a useful purpose: it's also a working sun dial! The sphere was sponsored by Dr. Michael Westman, DDS.

Seventy-four additional 32-inch spheres -- each transformed by a different local artist -- will make their first appearance on street on Monday, June 2. But first, they will show off at a preview party at Wingspread on Saturday, May 31, from 5-8 p.m.

Terry Leopold, DRC's director of special events (above with Hemispherium), said the spheres will be delivered to DRC next week, in preparation for the party, where they'll be displayed outdoors on Wingspread's lawn. The preview party and '50s sock hop! -- called Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Art (with apologies to Jerry Lee Lewis, I suppose) -- will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at Wingspread. The $125 per person ticket price includes food, open bar, live entertainment.

This is the seventh year in a row that DRC has conducted its public art project. The spheres will be on display Downtown through Labor Day. In September, they will be auctioned to the highest bidders.