MILWAUKEE — When Kat Toman asked her son Joe what he wanted to be this year for Halloween, she was surprised by his answer.
“He is six, so I thought he would want to be an action hero. And he said he wanted to be the spaghetti bridges, which is what he calls the Marquette Interchange,” said Kat.
Making a replica of the interchange, an area where 300,000 cars drive through daily, proved to be difficult. But the family was ready for the challenge. Kat and her husband got creative making the costume out of foam pipe installation, lots of electrical tape, hot wheel tracks, cars, and a 3D printer.
“For our family, it’s a fun challenge, and trying to do something creative, and I like it,” said Kat.
Throughout Joe’s life, he has always had unique and creative Milwaukee-themed costumes. It all started with “The Calling,” the Starburst statue located in downtown.
The following years, Joe was an MCTS bus driver, a Stone Creek coffee cup, The Hop, and the Mitchell Park Domes.
Kat said out of all his costumes, creating the interchange was the most difficult and time-consuming.
“At a certain point I posted on Facebook, if anyone knows a civil engineer, please hug them, because it took me so long to do this out of toys. I don’t know how they made it out of concrete,” said Kat.
Kat says she hopes the tradition of dressing up as a Milwaukee landmark continues, as long as Joe wants to. However, it’s about more than making a costume. It’s about spending time together and making memories for years to come.
“I love that he has ideas of being something no one else will be this year. I don’t think there are going to be any other Marquette Interchange costumes out there, but I love it - I love the creativity,” said Kat.
