Beer Garden

Throughout the '70s and '80s, the Beer Garden was a mainstay of Milwaukee lesbian life.  It seems to have replaced Fin & Feather, an earlier bar at 3715 W. Vliet that sponsored popular women's sports teams throughout the 1960s. It's unknown what connection, if any, existed between the Fin & Feather and the Beer Garden.

It's also unknown why Sally, a widowed middle-aged woman, and Roger, a young gay man, went into business together.  They were rumored to be mother and son, but we've found no proof of any family relationship. 

In 1971, advertisements began to use a new address (3743 W. Vliet Street,) so it appears Beer Garden expanded into a neighboring storefront.

The August 1976 GLIB Guide described the Beer Garden as "mostly gals bar, with lots of guys reinforcing the crowd. Cozy canopied bar. Great Sunday brunch."

Long-time customers remember the floor shows, which brought drag queens into a space not known for supporting them, as well as the "pecking order" that determined the seating arrangement.  Older, more established women would sit at high top tables outside the bar, and some bar stools were reserved for customers whether they were on the premises or not.

Sally, whose real name was Saltina Cherone, was born in Cerro Gordo, Iowa in 1913.  She and her husband, Frank, had two daughters (Rosemary and Arlene.) The couple lived at 2412 N. Holton for many years.  When Frank died at age 56 in 1967, Sally moved above the Beer Garden, where she would live until 1993.  For many years, Josie Carter and her husband Wayne lived in a neighboring apartment.

Roger Emerson was involved in a number of local businesses, including the Empire Lounge (716 N. Plankinton) from 1976-1977 and the Rainbow Grille (814 S. 2nd St.) from 1978-1979.

In 1986, Roger and Sally retired from the business after 20 years of serving the community. They sold the bar to a trio of new owners (only known as "Carole, Sandy and Gloria,") but it did not last. In March 1989, InStep Magazine reported that the Beer Garden had closed within the past two weeks.

Roger Emerson operated Emerson's at 809 W. Burnham from 1980 to 1989. He was not only the owner, but the chef, and played with the Roger Emerson Jazz Trio on nights when community favorites like Dawn Koreen, Martha Artis and Harriet King weren't performing.

In August 1989, Emerson's relocated to a former A&P grocery store at 2900 W. Forest Home Avenue. But by 1993, he'd vanished from Milwaukee, and want ads offered finder's fees to locate him.  Over thirty years later, we have been unable to confirm the final whereabouts of Roger Emerson.

Loose Ends hosted a Beer Garden Reunion in March 1993.

The Beer Garden -- and the entire south side of 3700 W. Vliet Street -- was razed in 1995.  Today, it's nearly impossible to imagine the life that used to happen there.

Sally Szewczyk died on September 29, 2000 at the age of 87.