Milwaukee Meetup 2024 Recap: Meeting Up Is Hard to Do

The problem with Ricochet Meetups is that you actually have to meet up. Coordinating all the various Ricochetti is like herding cats, especially with Germanfest, Brewfest, Harley-Davidson Homecoming, and the Air & Water Show all happening on the same weekend. This meetup was complicated by Milwaukee's many attractions and fraught with coordination issues. There was so much fun, it made meeting up harder.

Friday began at Germanfest, where I met up with Katie & a friend of hers while managing to miss my other IRL friends and Ricochet crew. There was not a Rhody in sight. That had me worried, but the awesome Germanfest cuisine was worth the visit.

Saturday got off to a late start, with a quick trip to the Mad Science Emporium on Oklahoma Avenue, followed by a rapid trip up through questionable neighborhoods up to Cafe Hollander for the big meetup brunch. Here, we assembled the whole crew: Team Rhodybal: @HankRhody , @SamRhody , @MattBalzer, @TheRightNurse, & Caleb Rhody with his wife; also @WICon , @Tedley , @GLDIII, @KatieKoppelman , @MiffedWhiteMale , and @LidensCheng A wide-ranging discussion carried on with good food in the open air.

Next up, WI Con took the helm of the Ricochet yacht, with Matt as first mate. LC, Katie, RightNurse, and I were riding along. The Man (in the form of police boats) kept us pinned in the harbor, but we had an excellent view of the airshow. The Thunderbirds lived up to their name, including a sonic boom directly overhead that rattled the boat. It was intense, probably the wildest way I have ever watched an airshow.

After WI Con sailed off into the sunset, we debated what to do. Team Rhodybal and LC headed for dinner at the Zocalo food truck market, while I returned to Germanfest to scout new talent. AutumnDryad, a great IRL friend, is a former fellow member of College Republicans who was up for the festival. We happened to find a great position to view the Germanfest fireworks. These were quite impressive. (Being close enough to feel the detonations can leave that impression.) We hung out until almost 11 PM before trying to get back to my car for the long drive to the hotel.

On Sunday morning, everything lined up. Team RhodyBal, plus LC, Katie, and myself, descended on the Mad Rooster to close out out our event. As always, fun discussions were had, and I randomly got a library from Hank.

All in all, the legacy of Ricochet's longest-running meetup has continued, despite the hiccups.