This summer would've marked the 57th year of legendary Milwaukee bar This Is It! Sadly, the celebration won't happen.
As of Sunday, March 9, the iconic venue has closed its doors permanently — so far without a message from singer-songwriter and drag queen Trixie Mattel. Co-owner George Schneider explained on Instagram the reasons behind the closure:
The Covid crisis and the years following 2020, coupled with the eight-month closure of our street and sidewalk last year, put the business in a position we could not ultimately overcome. We would like to thank all the staff, performers, and friends who made the magic of This Is It! happen over the years. We also thank everyone in the community for the many years of loyal patronage. This Is It! has been so much more than a nightlife spot for the queer community. It has been a gathering place, a safe place, a second home, and the memories made at the bar will stay in our hearts forever. We want you to know that we did everything we could to keep our doors open for you.
The news of the bar’s closing sent shockwaves through its loyal patrons. But two familiar faces — Tempest Ballenger (also known as Femme Noir) and Travis Lynch (also known as Travvy Trav) — refused to let the moment pass without one last celebration.
Armed with DJ equipment and a generator, they transformed Cathedral Square Park just a few hundred feet away from the venue into an impromptu farewell party.
It was a beautiful sight to see friends and longtime patrons gathered at Cathedral Square Park. The energy was electric. People danced, shared stories and expressed a mix of nostalgia, sadness and frustration. Some laughed, some cried, but all came together in honor of a place that meant so much.
We spoke to Paul, who had been bartending at This Is It! for a year now, and Evelyn, a dedicated clubgoer for over a decade, about their memories and emotions surrounding the closing.
“It feels like losing a home because, you know, anytime you walk in there, you know you're gonna see a friend, you're gonna see someone you consider family, you're gonna check up on them,” Paul said. “Even if it's a hard week, a hard day, whatever, you're gonna go there and feel at home. You're gonna get welcomed with 30 minutes of hugs. That was my favorite part of going there.”
“It was the only queer space, I feel, that was for every person of queer, you know, personality,” Evelyn added. “Because you go downtown, you go to … 1st Street, and it's gay bars that just want gay men. They don't want trans women there, or there's lesbian bars. But This Is It! had everybody of every origin of the LGBTQ+ community, and it's hard.”
“It's been a safe space. That's what it's known for,” Paul said. When I worked there, people would go there, and this was their first time stepping out into themselves, and they were overcome with love and acceptance. People from everywhere traveled to the town saying, ‘I've never been anywhere like here before. This is incredible.’”
They’re stories, like many others, prove that This Is It! was more than a nightclub. It was a community, a home and a piece of history that will never be forgotten. In the words of many who were there: This is not it.
