I had the pleasure of checking out the new 45th anniversary Summerfest tribute exhibit this afternoon at Discovery World. It opens to the public Thursday, May 24 through Sept. 15, 2012.

The exhibit features never-been-seen memorabilia from the past 44 years including dozens of signed guitars from Devo, B.B. King, Justin Bieber, Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood, B-52s, Flaming Lips, Cypress Hill, Carrie Underwood and Big Gig darling Tom Petty.

According to John Boler, the vice president of sales and marketing for Summerfest, the guitars were given by the musicians as a "thank you" and have been stored in the Summerfest archives for years.

Drum heads, posters, promotional merchandise and video screens showing historical footage are also a part of the exhibit.

"Discovery World is a fantastic facility and a great neighbor of Summerfest," says Boler. "This exhibit triggers good memories and gets people excited about being a part of the 45th anniversary."

A kick-off party will take place on Thursday, May 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. and will feature live music. Everyone in attendance gets a free 4th of July admission ticket and a 45th anniversary T-shirt. A special $5 admission will allow guests to check out both the Summerfest tribute exhibit and Les Paul's House of Sound exhibit.

Plus, between 6 and 7:45 p.m., guests can enter to win a three-hour Pedal Tavern Tour and sign up for the 45 Day Countdown Contest to win prizes daily from Summerfest and its partners.

Well, it's official. After a long wait and much speculation, a new Japanese restaurant called Kanpai will go into the former Nanakusa space, 408 E. Chicago St., this fall.

Kanpai, which means "cheers" in Japanese, will serve Asian small plates. Owner Brian Park also owns Wasabi in Brookfield and says he hopes to open Kanpai in early October.

"We're very excited to add this new element to the already booming Third Ward," says Ron San Felippo, immediate past president of the Historic Third Ward Association.

 

On Saturday, May 19, representatives from the Paris version of "60 Minutes" will come to Milwaukee to report on the Jeffrey Dahmer walking tours in the Walker's Point neighborhood.

The controversial, hour-long tours began in March and take place mostly on 2nd Street. The tour highlights buildings which once housed gay bars where Dahmer met seven of the 17 men he brutally murdered. The tour includes the victims' names, details of the sexual activity they had with Dahmer, how they were killed and what Dahmer did with their bodies post-mortem.

"It's wonderful when Milwaukee gains international media attention," says Amanda Morden, tour organizer.

Personally, I am still not sure what to think about these tours. The Dahmer murders are a part of Milwaukee's history, as much as I wish they weren't, but they are appalling to some of the victims' family members who are still grieving.

I just know I don't need to go on one.

Miller Lite introduced a new "punch top can" that claims it will increase airflow to your drink and reduce burp-inducing "glug." That may or may not be true, but it will make shotgunning much easier for all the chug-a-luggers out there.

On Friday, MillerCoors sent a few of these newfangled cans over, so I decided to give one a stab, quite literally, while sitting at my desk today.

The top of the can has a second, smaller indenture that you have to puncture with a key or another pointy item (a fingernail will not work, mind you). The additional hole creates the extra airflow and, in theory, generates a "smoother pour." However, something tells me this bevvy was not brewed for pouring into a glass. Rather, it was made for pouring into your frat brother's mouth on the eve of his 21st birthday.

All snark aside, the extra puncture really does work. It truly makes the beer flow out more quickly and smoothly.

However, why exactly is this something I should want to do? These days, and actually for about a decade or two now, knocking back a beer as fast as I can is the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve when imbibing. My inner conversations usually go something like, "Whoa, slow down, sister. You have to work tomorrow."

Also, I found the punch tab more difficult to puncture than I expected. My coworker Jim Owczarski said that's because I was missing the increased adrenaline that only comes from the party hardy mentality when you're sitting in a basement full of buddies. Perhaps he's right and my midday-Monday demeanor while listening to the sensitive stylings of Death Cab For Cutie didn't get me amped up enough to swiftly spear a beer into shotgun readiness.