Tonight we are celebrating our 8th anniversary of owning the Nice Ash.   Its hard to believe its been 8 years, but it has and we are  looking forward to more.   We are truly blessed with outstanding customers, staff and friends that make owning the Ash fun ,rewarding and a joy.   

As has been tradition since year one, Dublin O'Shea is playing tonight.   It will be Aaron Craft's last night as their drummer as he is relocating out to sunny California to work with Disney.   So join us for a  smoke, drink and some free food to celebrate our good fortune to call you all friends of the Nice Ash. 

Downtown Waukesha has a lot to offer.   We have numerous boutique shops, restaurants, bars, non-profits and service industry businesses to patronize.   Why is downtown different?   Well its a connection to our past and a celebration of our present.   Our historic buildings remind us of a bygone era where we were a much more local society.  Downtowns were the heart of the community where people gathered to do business, visit with one another and be entertained long before we gained mobility from the automobile.    Downtown was the place to be, there were no strip malls, box stores, shopping malls or online stores;  Downtown was it and it was active and vibrant.  

Most downtowns saw a downturn beginning in the 1960's with the advent of regional shopping centers.   It took a long time for Downtown Business Districts to begin to find ways to compete.   Our own downtown began a renaissance  in the 2000's after the City invested in our River Walk and the Gazebo was removed from the 5 Points.   Many brave entrepreneurs invested in downtown and we once again became the place to be in Waukesha.

Our Downtown has been losing a bit of momentum over the past couple of years.   There are more vacant storefronts than we've seen in quite awhile.   We also are dealing with construction issues which have made things difficult for numerous Downtown businesses over the past few months.     It is a reminder that like most things in life we can't take our Downtown  for granted. 

So please think about protecting our assets and really commit to thinking local.   Support our businesses downtown so we can continue nurturing this community asset.    Studies show that money spent at locally owned businesses stays in the community to improve our local economy.   Everyone benefits!   Fortunately, we have lots of quality businesses that deserve our spending dollar.   Thanks for thinking local and see you in beautiful Downtown Waukesha.

Wow I just caught myself grinning ear to ear and it was because I was thinking of next Thursday.   Next Thursday we will be having a Southern Tier Tap Takeover!   We will have 6 taps taken over by great beers from Southern Tier brewery!  They're from New York but we won't hold that against them.     If that's not enough our Southern Tier rep Michael will be here to talk about this awesome brewery.     We have been carrying their Crème Brulee on a fairly regular basis and if you've tried it you know it is absolute goodness. 

So I just wanted to give you all a heads up to mark your calendars to visit the Ash on next Thursday, April 17th an experience our first Tap Takeover!  

April 17th 7:00pm  - Southern Tier Tap Takeover

Downtown has some construction going on.  It started a little more than a month ago.  While it is a temporary inconvenience it will result in a better downtown with  a new streetscape on Clinton.  The not so sexy work of replacing water and sewer lines is also being done.  

Don't let that keep you from coming downtown.   There is still plenty of parking within two blocks of Nice Ash and even if you have to park a little further away there are benefits.   First it will give you a little exercise and that won't hurt you.  Second, you may pass a shop or restaurant that you haven't been introduced to yet.  And last but not least, the destination is worth it!  So what are you waiting for?  Getcher Ash in here!

Our Milwaukee Brewers are off to a 5-2 start and are looking good.  Please, think of the Nice Ash when you are looking to catch a Brewers game .   Enjoy a craft beer, or one of our 100+ whiskeys and a premium smoke and cheer on the Brew Crew.    We have an awesome clientele so there is always a good atmosphere for the game.  So what are ya waiting for, getcher Ash in to watch the next Brewers game.   

I took a little time off blogging because I was in the midst of helping a friend get elected Mayor of Waukesha.   Congrats to Shawn Reilly who will be an awesome mayor.   It was a long three month campaign which resulted in Shawn being elected in a landslide 62% to 38% margin of victory.  Waukesha will be in very good hands and I'm proud to say I had a little something to do with that very good result.

Our Badgers had a great run in the NCAA tournament and it looks like they will be  a force in next years tournament as most of the players are coming back.   Go Bucky!

The Brewer's are back at it and look like they have some potential.  They are sitting at 3-2  and currently in second place.   The Nice Ash is a great spot to enjoy a Brewers game!

I joined (I came in late)  about 16 others downtown this morning for the 5th Annual Downtown Clean UP.   I'm very impressed with the dedication of all involved and thankful Downtown Waukesha has such good friends.    Its amazing how much debris was in the streets and parking lots.   It looks much better.  

That's it for now, I've got some new cigar and whiskey pairings to research.    I know it sounds like  rough duty but somebody's got to do it.