Holiday Cheer (with music and food)

One of the best things about the holidays is the music. During December Rick and I heard a terrific concert by Midwest Vocal Express at the Greendale High School auditorium. One of the members of MVE, an all-male a cappella chorus, works with Rick and invited us to attend. Not only did MVE sing great Christmas favorites, but the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble and the Epix Quartet, a foursome from the Crosstown Harmony women's a cappella chorus, performed a few numbers as well.

The men of Midwest Vocal Express sported red and green ties - appropriate for Christmas.

Handbells are the perfect holiday musical instrument.

This quartet placed 25th in international Sweet Adeline
 (the women's equivalent of a barbershop quartet) competition.

The chorus must have heard my wish because they performed my favorite Christmas carol, Do You Hear What I Hear, as the final number. This brought back memories of singing in my high school chorus.

There were snowflakes both on the inside and the outside of the auditorium that day!

After the show, Rick and I went to Mazos for burgers. It's in a tiny storefront across the street from Leon's Frozen Custard. We were extremely pleased with the great value. For $20 (tip included) we both had burgers, fries, soup, and split a strawberry milkshake made with real strawberries!

We'll definitely return the next time we're on the south side of Milwaukee.

Drive-ins, Diners, and Dives on the Food Network has visited a few places in Wisconsin including Franks Diner in Kenosha. We met our friends, Greg and Laurie, there the weekend before New Year's for a late breakfast. 

That's Rick going in to find our friends.

The food was good, service was fast, and the staff was fun. Even though the line was practically out the door, customers did not have a problem waiting. Everyone was having a good time.

Diners like Franks have a sense of humor.

Customers need to obey the directives on the wall!

After breakfast we ventured to the Civil War Museum. The focus of the permanent exhibit is on the experience of soldiers from the Upper Midwest. Wisconsin sent more than 91,000 troops to fight in the Union Army. They fought in every major battle of the Civil War. Camp Randall (now the location of UW Madison's football stadium) was Wisconsin's major training facility. Confederate prisoners were also housed there. That's why 140 southern soldiers are buried so far north in Madison's Forest Hill Cemetery.

These were the lucky ones who returned to their families.

The Civil War lasted nearly four years to the day it began.
We are in the midst of the sesquicentennial commemoration
of that horrific war. 

Our day in Kenosha ended with a ride on the electric trolley - a loop nearly two miles long. Again we were entertained by a barbershop quartet singing Christmas carols. It was one of our warmer winter days and a splendid way to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends.

The holiday season is over but the memories remain. Happy New Year to my readers and to your families as well. May 2014 be a joyful, prosperous, and successful year!