Fonzie statue ready to go

Fonzie statue ready to go

MILWAUKEE — Aaaaaaay! The Fonz will be returning to Milwaukee later this year — permanently, and in bronze. A statue of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, the leather-jacketed biker from “Happy Days,” will be erected in the city where the TV sitcom was set, now that local groups have raised the $85,000 needed to do it, civic leaders said Friday. Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie during the show’s run from 1974 to 1984, called the “Bronze the Fonz” project “a phenomenal compliment.” Winkler was in Milwaukee on Friday morning when organizers officially announced the money had been raised. Plans call for dedicating the statue around Labor Day. It will likely be downtown along the Milwaukee River.

Today’s birthdays

Singer Bobby “Blue” Bland is 78. Actor James Cromwell is 68. Actor John Witherspoon is 66. Rock musician Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) is 63. Rhythm-and-blues singer Nedra Talley (The Ronettes) is 62. Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov is 60. John Roberts, chief justice of the United States, is 53. Country singer-musician Richard Young (The Kentucky Headhunters) is 53. Actress Mimi Rogers is 52. Rock musician Janick Gers (Iron Maiden) is 51. Rock singer Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 47. Actress Bridget Fonda is 44. Actor Alan Cumming is 43. Country singer Tracy Lawrence is 40. Rock singer Mike Patton is 40. Rapper Tricky is 40. Country singer Kevin Denney is 32.