December 2012

History of the Domes Let it Snow Holiday Show!

Snowboys and snowgirls keep their cool this holi - day season. Sleighing, sledding and having fun, these snowkids play throughout the poin - settia-filled scene. A large tree deco - rated with snowflakes, icicles, and snowmen is the centerpiece of the show. Bring the whole family. Take a photo for your holiday card. Make memories and get into the holiday

Mitchell Park Conservatory in 1904. This glass and iron structure on the west side of Mitchell Park spirit! Join the generations of families stood until 1955. Learn about the early years of the Conservatory, the park’s sunken garden, the who make the Domes an annual part 1930s baseball field and the 1940s boat house – in our wonderful new book about the Domes – covering our past, present and future! (see page 5.) of their yearly celebration. The Domes are open 356 days a year! (This show runs through January 6, Friends of the Domes 2013.) 2013 Floral Shows Gift Cards January 19 – March 10 Friends of the Domes Gift Cards are Circus Comes to Town (Train Show) now available in the Domes Gift March 23 – May 27 Shop! Remember to support the Blue Bayou (Spring) Domes when you do your holiday shopping this year. These cards may June 8 – September 8 be used to purchase items in the Gift Yards (Summer) Shop, pay admission to Friends of the September 21 – November 10 Domes events, and to buy member - Fall into the Fifties (Fall Mum) ships to the Friends of the Domes. November 23 – January 5, 2014 Nutcracker Suite (Holiday)

www.milwaukeedomes.org From the Friends of the Domes

By Phil Rozga, Acting President for the Art Festival and other activities. school children attending our educa - All of the programs sponsored by the tional programs. Since this is the last newsletter of the Friends—Restaurants Under Glass, year, it seemed appropriate to review We have maintained a membership of the Valentine Event, Plant and Bulb the highlights of the year. Some are approximately 1,500, and our sales, the Art Festival and Ghosts obvious, like the exhibit in the Tropical Treasurer, Terrell Ford, notes that we Under Glass were successful and well Dome featuring plants that changed are solvent. attended. the world, or the publication of a book We are looking forward to the con - telling the story of the Dome’s history. We are appreciative of the $5,000 grant struction of the new green houses and Others are not so apparent, such as the we received from the Carmax we are planning programs utilizing leveling of berms on the sides of the Foundation. Half of the money was that new facility. All is well and the Domes so that we could use the space used to provide transportation for future can only get better.

January 17 – STONE-COHEN BLUES BAND, electrifying blues – vintage 1970s music.

January 31 – THE BARRETTES, rock out as guitar, cello, and melodica collide.

February 7 – Mardi Gras Celebration PAUL CEBAR TOMORROW SOUND, fantastic funk, soul Join us for the hottest live music and the coolest light shows! and Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

November 22, Thanksgiving Day – Extended Hours ‘Till 10 FEBRUARY 14 – Valentine Sweethearts Night pm. THE WHISKEYBELLES, upbeat melding of country, STREETLIFE WITH WARREN WIEGRATZ, a unique blend folk, and Americana. of R&B and contemporary styles.

November 29 – SOUTHERN TRADITION, gritty down- FEBRUARY 21 – Elvis Tribute Night home country. TONY ROCKER & THE COMEBACK SPECIAL, grab your blue suede shoes! December 6 – TWEED FUNK, soul-drenched sound with an edge. FEBRUARY 28 – MT. OLIVE, hear your favorites from Lady Gaga to Van Halen, Michael Jackson and more. December 13 – THE BOOZE BROTHERS SHOW BAND & REVUE, inspired by “The Blues Brothers.” MARCH 7 – Irish Celebration Night FROGWATER, intoxicating blend of celtic, bluegrass and December 20 – KT’S UNIVERSAL LOVE BAND, eclectic ragtime. blend of African and sounds. March 14 – Closing Night December 27 – MARCELL & PETER DUELING PIANOS, a R.A.S. MOVEMENT featuring fast paced, high-energy production. JAH DWAYNE TAFARI & NAIMA ADEDAPO-TAFARI, January 3 – U2 ZOO, celebrating the U2 concert experience. Blends of Caribbean, reggae, roots, and rock!

January 10 – THE HAPPY DUTCHMEN, traditional polkas For more concert dates and exciting special event details, go to www.milwaukeedomes.org and www.countyparks.com. and other ethnic favorites. Don’t miss a single one! With the exception of extended hours on Thanksgiving Day, concerts are 6:30 – 9 pm. Food and beverages available for purchase; no “carry ins.”

2 From the Director’s Chair

By Sandy Folaron The New Year will bring even more about what events might be offered improvements. As most of you know, here that you would be interested in First, I would like the conservatory has limited space for participating in. I would love to hear to thank every - meetings, classes or special events. your ideas as we once again move the one for the gen - With construction of the new County Domes in a new direction. erous gifts of Greenhouses slated for this coming time, energy and money given to the Happy Holidays from my staff to you year that will change. We will have conservatory this year. Without the and your family. Come on down and access to our actual growing green - support and goodwill of our visitors see our wonderful holiday show featur - house space, with the potential of and Friends of the Domes members, ing a 30-foot holiday tree and a group offering gardening classes, seminars we could never have accomplished the of jolly snowmen! A great place to visit and tours, and the ability to host other amazing transformation of the when the relatives are in town or you events relative to local horticultural Mitchell Park Domes, continued our are just looking to take a “breather” clubs. This will definitely expand our mission of education, and provided from the hectic holiday season. See you outreach to local communities and visitors an amazing experience in this at the Domes! organizations. This is also a good one of a kind facility. It’s been a good opportunity for you to share your ideas year. Don Quixote Fall Mum Show

Photos by Bridget O’Donnell

3 Fantastic Fund Raising Events Mark Your Calendars!

New Years Eve Family lines on event night, advanced admis - Invite some friends, enjoy lots of great Celebration sion can be purchased online at mil - food and relax to the music while sup - Please join us for our annual New waukeedomes.org. porting a great cause – The Domes! Years Eve Family Celebration , Monday, In addition to the tastings, you can December 31 from 6-9 pm. This is one stroll through the Show Dome, which of the only indoor family events in the will feature “A Circus Comes to Town” city. There will be live entertainment theme, the Train Show and live for the whole family, including a magi - music from Jimmy Madritsch. cian, balloon sculptures, interactive music by the Garlic Mustard Pickers, Admission is $30 per person, which Juggler Gypsy Geoff, children’s crafts, a includes UNLIMITED tastings. Raffle balloon drop, party favors and so very Restaurants Under Glass Tickets for gift certificates to the much more! Zilli’s Hospitality will restaurants are $1 each. There will be a The Friends of the Domes is sponsor - offer food and beverages for purchase. cash bar. For more information on the ing its 7th Annual Restaurants Under list of restaurants, and to avoid the Admission prices: $10 for Adults; $5 Glass on Friday, January 25, 2013 from lines on event night, advanced admis - for children ages 4-17 (children 3 and 6:30 – 9 pm. We will feature samples sion can be purchased online at under free). of culinary delights from many of the milwaukeedomes.org. Milwaukee areas best restaurants. For more information, and to avoid the

IMPORTANT NOTE: These are special fundraising events for the Friends of the Domes, therefore all discounted admissions, coupons, passes and Friends of the Domes membership privileges will not apply. Due to the popularity of these events, strollers are not permitted.

$500 Train Car Sponsorships!

Another FUN way to support the Domes! Join the fun and support the 2013 “Circus Comes to Town” Train Show running January 19 through March 10 by purchasing your own unique train car for yourself or your company! We do all the work, design and installation. Your corporate mes - sage or logo is seen by 70,000+ visitors to the Domes during this popular show! A great way to market to our visitors and support the restoration of the Conservatory! Call Sandy Folaron, Domes Director at 414-257-5601. Photo by Bridget O’Donnell

4 Gifts Under Glass Engraved What’s New in the Gift Shop? Pavers a Great Gift! FOD members are invited to shop and Purchase a paver to honor a loved one enjoy a 20% discount* from December 1- or celebrate a special event. A wonder - 9! It will be a great opportunity to ful, lasting gift for the upcoming holi - find unique gifts, while enjoying the days! Your donation of $125 for an 8” Let It Snow Holiday Show . Bring x 4” paver includes 3 lines, 13 charac - your holiday shopping list and ters per line. choose from an amazing variety of Go to milwaukeedomes.org for an unique items made by local artists, order form. Donation is tax and lots of wonderful books on local history. deductible. The new history book on the Domes, “Gardens Under Glass,” is available as well. A fabulous holiday gift for history buffs d d d d d and Domes lovers! You will always find fun, educational and memorable gifts for friends and family members of all ages. (*Please note: 20% discount does not apply to the purchase of any Friends of Half Price Gift the Domes membership.) Memberships! Looking for the perfect holiday gift? Give a gift membership to the Friends Garden Wisdom of the Domes! As a member of the Friends of the Domes, you can buy a gift membership (at your membership level or lower) for a new member at half price! Everyone will love the won - derful sights, sounds, shows and events! Go to milwaukeedomes.org for details.

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FOD Dues Tax Deductible Membership dues for Friends of the Domes are tax deductible for all who itemize. Photo by Bridget O’Donnell

"One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter." ~ H ENRY DAVID THOREAU

5 Children’s Corner Be A Winter Explorer

winter, observe the shape and fresh and new — you'll likely find bundling of evergreen needles and the tracks of “nocturnal” or “night look closely at patterns on tree time” animals. Draw and label what bark. Notice which birds and ani - you see. It's a pretty good bet that mals you see living in and around if you're looking in your backyard the trees. You could write a story you'll find squirrel, bird, and maybe about what you’ve seen! rabbit tracks.

u Go on a berry hunt. Draw or pho - tograph berries of many colors, and try to identify them (but never eat them!). Use a nature guidebook before or after your search to find u There is so much to discover inside clues about what you discovered. the Domes. But there is also a lot to You may even observe birds feast - see and learn in the many wonder - ing on winter berries! ful parks throughout the Milwaukee area. So, after you visit u Observe the night sky. Before your the Tropical, Desert and Show trip, research the constellations and Domes, enjoy an amazing winter planets that may be visible on a Photo by Bridget O’Donnell day exploring nature outdoors! cold clear night at the “latitude” and “longitude” where you live. The Gift Shop at the Domes has a Practice picking them out by first great selection of books to help you tracing the constellations on paper! learn about nature, birds, wildlife and u Search for animal tracks. The best the wonderful world around you. time is early morning when snow is Learn something new and fun today!

Sponsor an Animal Photo by Bridget O’Donnell at the Domes! u Start a nature diary, sketchbook or photo album. Each time you take a Our resident animals live in the education center and Tropical Dome. walk, observe something up close A one-year sponsorship provides your chosen animal with a higher quality of in nature. Many plants look dry in life. Your help provides tanks, full spectrum lighting, basking lamps, specialty winter – but their shapes and colors foods, supplements and veterinarian care. This is vital to continuing the best can be beautiful. Draw or photo - care possible for these animal educators. In return, you receive a thank you graph the item, write down packet including a natural history profile of your sponsored animal, a photo descriptive details and date the and a thank you card from the Education Center. entry. Your drawings can be colored or painted later if you like! Learn more at www.milwaukeedomes.org. u Identify trees. During a walk in the

6 Thanking Our Featured PLANT: Donors and Winter Chili Peppers Supporters A very enthusiastic “Thank You!” to the By Marian French, Horticulturist – Desert Dome following individuals and organizations During the holidays, our wild for helping to make many of our won - chilis (Capsicum annuum var. derful programs and special events glabriusculum) help create a possible: festive atmosphere in the Loose Bead Society, Petra Theurich Desert Dome, producing their (Germany Under Glass), LisaAnn Haag colorful fruits throughout the (Orchid Show), Roy Dublick (Plaza season. Their bright red, pea- Perennial Garden Design), Bob sized chilis hang like little DuFresne (Train Show Volunteer ornaments from the green, Coordinator), Emily Heller (Graphic shrubby branches, and when Design Services, Parks), Jon Majdoch eaten they are only slightly less (Halloween Express), and Ken Hudak hot than the habenero, chasing away winter’s chill. Chiltepins, as they are also (Canopies Rentals). known, can still be found growing wild in parts of the Sonoran Desert, which covers the southwestern and northwestern Mexico. These Ed Center plants are believed to be the closest living relatives to the first chili pepper domesticated by humans. Through centuries of selective breeding, Native Thanks Vendors! Americans increased the size of the fruits, altered the flavor, and even adjust - Green Living Festival: Center for Avian ed the level of heat. Rehab and Education, Centro Cafe - It is theorized that the purpose of the chili’s heat is to discourage mammals, Chef Ruth Weil, Cream City Hens, such as rodents, from eating the fruit because their digestive tract might Cream City Rickshaws, Generation Me, destroy the delicate seeds inside. Birds, however, are unable to feel the burn Me2, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, and are attracted to the bright fruits. Their simple digestion does not harm Milwaukee Area Resources for the seeds, and they provide an excellent means of dispersal as they fly great Vegetarianism, Outpost Natural Foods, distances across the desert. Interestingly, since humans also became attracted Pinehold Gardens, US Forest Services, to these fruits, it would seem the chili pepper has found another reliable Victory Gardens Initiative, ZCK means of survival through cultivation. Solutions, Joseph the Carpenter, Community Development Advocates; Aside from numerous culinary uses, peppers have been also been grown and Rainforest Night: Bill Korinek, simply for their appearances. In the Desert Dome you will also find a few Center for Avian Rehab and varieties of ornamental peppers (Capsicum annuum), which were bred for Education,Culver's - Miller Park, their wide range of colors and compact growth forms. These peppers provide Filipino-American Community, visual interest in a time when otherwise not much is blooming in the Honolulu Millionaires, Kohl's Cares, American plant collection. In combination with the chiltepins, these chilis Wild Theater, Lady Poi, Nielsen Massey can brighten up even the gloomiest winter day. Vanillas, OKG Deli and Hawaiian Store, Photo credit: Marian French Phi Holzbauer, Pick 'n' Save Clarke Square, Terre Golembiewski, and theZoological Society of Milwaukee.

Mitchell Park Domes: (414) 649-9830 • Friends of the Domes: (414) 257-5611 • www.milwaukeedomes.org • E-mail: [email protected]

7 FRIENDS OF THE DOMES 2012 –2013 Calendar of Events 2012 B OARD OF DIRECTORS November 17 – January 6, 2013 ...... Let it Snow! Holiday Show Officers December 31 ...... New Year’s Eve Family Celebration* Acting President Philip Rozga November through March 14 ...... Music Under Glass Concert Series** First Vice President Philip Rozga January 19 – March 10 ...... Circus Comes to Town Train Show Second Vice President VACANT January 25 ...... Restaurants Under Glass* Third Vice President Mary Philipp February 1 & 2 ...... Chinese New Year’s Celebration Fourth Vice President Roger Krawiecki February 16 ...... Poland Under Glass Treasurer Terrell Ford February 17 ...... Milwaukee Bonsai Society Winter Silhouette Display Recording Secretary Susan Ford February 23 & 24 ...... Collectible All-Scale Train Exhibit Corresponding Secretary Barbara Mangold March 2 ...... Germany Under Glass BOard MeMBer March 9 ...... Turkey Under Glass Amy Arndt Elise Libbey March 9 ...... Steam Engine Day Connie Blair Steven Libbey March 10 ...... Irish Family Day Sally Buckland Jeff Shaffer March 16 ...... Dare to be Aware (holistic health) Fair March 23 – May 27 ...... Blue Bayou Spring Show friends Of the dOMes staff MeMBers April 13 & 14 ...... Ikebana Show Sally Buckland Bookkeeper April 27 ...... Green Living Festival Darlene Dorsett Administrative Asst. * Sponsored by the “Friends of the Domes.” Special admission rates apply. Liz Fehring FOD Volunteer Coordinator ** Thursdays from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Mary Philipp Gift Shop Manager/Buyer DATES SUBJECT TO CHANGE Visit our website Sally Sullivan FOD Bookkeeper www.milwaukedomes.org for more information and

events scheduled after publication of this newsletter.

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