Aaaayyyyy!!

On Tuesday morning, a crowd gathered in downtown Milwaukee. No, it wasn’t to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum or Miller Brewing Company, or even to sit down in Miss Katie’s, a famous diner that has served presidents for decades. People came together to unveil the city’s newest landmark… the Bronze Fonz. A statue, made completely out of bronze metal, was constructed resembling Henry Winkler’s character, Fonzie, from Happy Days.

Most of the Happy Days cast was present, in addition to the thousands of people who gathered to see the unveiling. Now I’m not really sure why The Fonz deserves his own statue more than the rest of the cast, or even at all for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, I think love Henry Winkler, but I still don’t see the significance of his character. I recall him being somewhat of a rebel, a greaser type trouble maker. But I really wouldn’t know. It might have something to do with the fact that I didn’t grow up during that time period. Growing up, I never really watched Happy Days. I was a little too immature for the humor and preferred watching I Dream of Jeanie whenever Nick At Nite was on.

Whether the Fonz deserves it or not, Milwaukee certainly thinks so. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton declared Aug. 19 Henry Winkler Day in all of Wisconsin and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker also declared it Henry “The Fonz” Winkler Day in all of Milwaukee County. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett thanked Winkler with 3 plaques. Also, during their time in Wisconsin, Winkler and his ex-fellow cast members were treated like true A-List actors. The group visited all of the famous landmarks and even got to eat in Miss Katie’s diner! I’m going to take a stab and say that Milwaukee is taking this a little too seriously. I mean, it’s a statue of a TV character, not a president. It is definitely a great publicity move, but a little over the top.

In addition to starlet treatment, the cast also enjoyed in the celebration. There was a parade Tuesday afternoon after the unveiling, and the cast rode in vintage convertibles to Miller Park where it threw out the first pitch at the sold-out Brewers game. I’d say everyone had a good time and gained something from this trip! Congratulations to Henry Winkler, a.k.a. the Fonz.

By the way… I think Winkler is one of the coolest last names ever.