On Saturday, May 5, Brady Street will be in full bloom with Flower Power. Merchants and residents will be decorating their porches, storefronts, streets, and sidewalks to make a bright, bold statement, using flowers and other organic materials, to create warm visual interpretations of spring. There will be a contest for best flower power decorations. Stores will also be running Flower Power specials. It’ll be a good time to purchase annual and perennial flowers and plants for your own patio or plot.

Or to pick up something for Mother’s Day. Legendary radio personality Bob Reitman from WUWM and the Shepherd Express’s Art Kumbalek will judge the entries. Winners will be announced at 3pm in front of the firehouse. For more info on the Flo Po or to register for the contest, call Gerry at 414.276-9080, ext. 18.

Graffiti artists have already re-tagged the old Pecoraro’s Meat building. It was painted recently and unfortunately has already been hit again. The amount of graffiti on the Marsupial Bridge has prompted the posting of cameras to watch for acts of vandalism and graffiti. Both ends of the bridge have signs posted saying the area is being monitored. Unfortunately, the signs read “monitered”. (Sigh.)

Recently Mimma Megna (Mimma’s, Coco Bella) and Annette French (Dragonfly) were featured in interviews on a TV 6 news story regarding Brady Street vandalism and graffiti. The story brought out that a lot of Brady Street vandalism is not being caused by kids, but by late night bar patrons.

Tamarack School, a Waldorf educational school, is now enrolling for pre-K through grade 8 for the fall 2007 semester. For more information or to attend an informational program, call 414-277-0009.

Congrats to The Waterford Wine Company on their first anniversary… Regano’s Roman Coin is now wi-fi accessible… Unique Pizza continues to renovate the old Au Bon Appetit site for their opening, coming soon…

Here’s an early reminder: The Brady Street Festival will be held on Saturday, July 28 from 10am to 10pm. The festival will include music, a fashion show and “cheesefest,” a celebration of all things “cheesy.”

If you have a story idea or item for Brady Sreet Beat, contact Tim at 374-7772.