Category Archives: Events

April 28, 2016 · 8:38 am

What a Weekend: Cleanups, Carnivals, Cupcakes and More!

Here’s what is on tap, South Milwaukee … and I apologize ahead of time if I missed anything.

Friday, April 29

  • South Milwaukee’s Barbara Vey kicks off her Reader Appreciation Weekend with an author Q&A and more at the Clarion Hotel Airport in Milwaukee. Festivities continue through Sunday. More details here.

Saturday, April 30

  • Earth Day Cleanup. 9 a.m. to noon across the city, followed by lunch at the Grobschmidt Senior Center. More details on the city-led efforts here. A number of other groups are also holding cleanups, in conjunction with the city’s work. If you’d like to join the Friends of Grant Park, please meet at the parking lot to Picnic Area 5 at 9 a.m. Bring your gloves, and they’ll provide shovels, brooms and bags, as they tidy up our park after the winter’s deposits of soil and leaves. The Friends of Oak Creek and the Mill Pond are meeting at Grant Park Beach. Also, I’ve been told First Congregational UCC members and friends are meeting the North Chicago/Oak Creek Parkway site at 8:45, and Eaton is planning a big contingent for the Rawson Avenue site. Also, the South Milwaukee Downtown Market team is leading a cleanup of the market site starting at 9 a.m. I love to see the community coming together! (There is still time to get your group together, too; just show up, and clean up.)
  • Rawson Carnival. All are invited to Rawson Elementary for carnival games (with prizes), crafts, a bouncy house, face painting, a photo booth, bingo, a raffle and more. Concessions will be available. Free admission, and all proceeds benefit the cadet program. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school, 1410 Rawson Ave. More here.
  • Heritage Days Parade Mini-Golf Pub Crawl. This is the second year of this unique and really cool fundraiser for our city’s biggest parade. Play begins at 11:30 a.m. and continues to 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be provided during the awards banquet held at Muskie’s Gourmet House, 800 Milwaukee Ave. Details on Facebook.

Sunday, May 1

  • Jen’s Sweet Treats grand opening. Our newest downtown business officially opens at 9 a.m. with a selection of cupcakes, muffins, cookies, turnovers, brownies and donuts. More details here.
  • SMCBA downtown cleanup. Earth Day activities continue, this time with the South Milwaukee Community & Business Association  focusing on our city center. The cleanup starts at 1. More details here and here.

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee

April 15, 2016 · 12:00 pm

Check out This List of Downtown Events

Updated on April 23 with information on the Restore the Lagoon event. 

This is quite a list, and I can’t thank the organizers of these activities enough.

South Milwaukee is becoming a leader in cool, business- and community-building events, especially downtown. And we should all be proud of that.

Here is a high-resolution JPEG. Please share on social media, and tell your friends!

DowntownEvents20164_23

 

1 Comment

Filed under Downtown, Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as , ,

April 8, 2016 · 5:15 pm

Saturday’s Cashore Marionettes Show Headlines Big Month for SMPAC

Janos Zelinka (Photo by Matt Cashore)

As usual, there is lots happening at the South Milwaukee Performing Center these days — truly something for everyone.

  • First, there are the Cashore Marionettes this Saturday. The evening show is sold out (which I love to hear, by the way), but tickets remain for the shorter 2 p.m. “Simple Gifts” show designed for children 8 and older, and adults. Details here.
  • The Knightwind Ensemble plays at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
  • Then, on Sunday, April 28, comedian Red Green comes to town for his “I’m Not Old, I’m Ripe” tour. More details here.

Also, the PAC will announce the 2016-17 performing arts lineup at its Season Preview at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25. This is a free event open to the public. 

Support the PAC!

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee PAC

Tagged as

April 7, 2016 · 5:35 pm

Coming Soon: Earth Day Cleanup

Join me in committing to spend an hour or two cleaning up around your neighborhood or in our parks!

Earth Day flyer 3-31

2 Comments

Filed under Events, Parks, South Milwaukee

Tagged as ,

March 23, 2016 · 12:42 pm

Meet the Mayor This Saturday

OK … so I lied about taking a few days off from blogging 🙂 See you Saturday!

Just a quick reminder that I’m hosting my next Meet the Mayor session this Saturday, March 26, at South Milwaukee’s newest tavern – The Tap Room.

Join me from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1301 Milwaukee Ave. and see what Ryan and his team have done with the place. It’s impressive.

Bring your questions, comments or concerns, check out some March Madness, and grab a beer and lunch while you’re there.

Thanks to the folks at The Tap Room for hosting!

And mark your calendars for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 23, when Revolution Hair Studio, 1017 Milwaukee Ave., is hosting my next Meet the Mayor session.

2 Comments

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as , ,

March 16, 2016 · 12:00 pm

Welcome Home, Jackie Kashian

nightofcomedyRGB150-12

All joking aside, we have another native daughter to celebrate.

Jackie Kashian returns to South Milwaukee, her hometown, for “An Evening of Comedy” on Saturday at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are still available. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on her show …

Kashian will return to her hometown, which she called “adorable” and “sweetly funny,” to headline an evening of comedy Saturday at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. That center is part of South Milwaukee High School; she lived near it growing up and graduated from there in 1983.

If comedians were assigned roles like saints, Kashian would be patron of the dorks, the nerds, the gamers and the pop-culture enthusiasts, thanks in large part to her long-running podcast, The Dork Forest, in which she interviews comedians and other folks about their obsessions. For newbies and proto-dorks, she recommended checking out an episode with Tacoma comic Jim Stewart Allen, who gave her a passionate hour of conversation about the real history involved in the game “The Oregon Trail.”

Kashian said she embraced her inner dork at age 8, when a brother gave her the book “Harriet the Spy.” Like Harriet, she began her own journal. “I would journal about every weird, obsessive thought I had,” she said.

Lest you think that’s too age-appropriate normal to count as dorky, Kashian notes she was further inspired by an episode of “M*A*S*H” that featured psychiatrist Sidney Freedman writing to Sigmund Freud. “I started writing to Sigmund Freud when I was 10 or 11,” she said. “I was going through puberty and I thought I was crazy.”

Welcome home!

1 Comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee PAC

Tagged as ,

March 10, 2016 · 1:45 pm

Do Your Part! Earth Day Cleanup Set for April 30

A previous version of this post had the incorrect date. The event is April 30.

This event keeps getting bigger every year, and I love it. Organize your groups, round up your family and friends, and we will see you there!

Earth Day flyer 3-31

Leave a comment

Filed under Comprehensive Plan, Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as

February 26, 2016 · 8:00 am

March 19: Breakfast With The Easter Bunny & Easter Egg Hunt

Help support two great location organizations: the South Milwaukee Lions and Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse!

2016 egg hunt

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as , , ,

January 21, 2016 · 6:50 am

Holy Meatballs! A Tasty Option For Friday Dinner

A previous version of this post had the wrong date. The event is this Friday, Jan. 22.

Putting a plug in for Trinity Lutheran Church’s (my church) annual Meatball Supper …

The annual event returns this Friday, Jan. 22, with some great homemade food and fellowship. Dinner is served from 4 to 7 p.m. at Trinity, 2507 5th Ave. in South Milwaukee.

On the menu are tasty Scandinavian meatballs and gravy, parsley-buttered potatoes, corn, coleslaw, lefse and rolls, and the best homemade desserts around.

Cost is $10 for those age 11 and up. It’s $4 for those 6 to 10, and those 5 and under are free.

Takeout orders are available.

Take my word for it: It’s terrific. Both the supper and Trinity.

3 Comments

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as , ,

January 13, 2016 · 9:45 am

John Gurda To Speak At Historical Society Lunch

The South Milwaukee Historical Society is welcoming noted historian John Gurda to its annual luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 13, at Muskie’s Gourmet House, 800 Milwaukee Ave.

Doors open at noon, with  lunch at 1 p.m. The menu includes baked chicken, stuffed pork loin and Polish sausage. Following the meal, Gurda will present “History of Milwaukee’s South Shore: The Story of the Industrial Corridor from Bay View to Oak Creek.”

Tickets are $20 per person, and seating is limited to 50.

To purchase tickets, contact Addie Becker at 764-2118. Payment can be made by mail to the South Milwaukee Historical Society or at the lunch.

3 Comments

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee

January 5, 2016 · 11:20 am

Coming Soon: Lots At The South Milwaukee PAC

Six Appeal

Lots happening at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center in the next few months …

See the full list of big events and details here. Next up: A Cappella with Six Appeal on Saturday, January 23.

From the PAC website …

Popularized by TV shows like “Glee”, “The Voice” and the “Sing-Off” and movies like “Pitch Perfect I & II”, a cappella music has swept the country! It’s hot and it’s fun! That’s why Landaas and Company Investments and The Rotary Club of Mitchell Field are excited to welcome Six Appeal to the beautiful South Milwaukee PAC. Join the Six Appeal Vocal Band for an evening of a cappella artistry as they bring their vivid musical style, unmatched energy and playful charm to songs spanning the musical spectrum: from pop to country, classic rock to R&B and jazz. Now, here’s the best part! Six Appeal will spend the day of the show conducting workshops for area high school, tech and college students in the art and science of a cappella. The evening show will open with performances by student a cappella groups who’ve spent the day studying with the band. Six Appeal will then share the stage with their entire class before taking the microphones and rocking the house like no one else can! Ask anyone who attended last year’s show – this will be the must-see concert of the year! Proceeds from ticket sales will go to fund community and international projects of The Rotary Club of Mitchell Field.

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee PAC

Tagged as

December 30, 2015 · 11:40 am

Here’s One Fun And Frigid Way To Welcome The New Year

pbd-logo-2016

It’s South Milwaukee’s version of the Polar Plunge.

From the Polar Bear Dash 5K website …

START YOUR NEW YEAR OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. And then the left! The Polar Bear Dash is a 5k race on New Year’s Day at beautiful Grant Park in South Milwaukee. What sets this race apart from any other 5k race you have done: an optional polar dip into Lake Michigan at the end of the race. There will be a special award to the first few runners who take the dare into the lake immediately after the race.

Of course, the South Milwaukee Fire Department will be on hand to make sure all goes well with the lake plunge. Here is video from their work last year. It looks like it will be another cold one on Friday — high of 22 degrees.

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Parks, South Milwaukee

Tagged as ,

December 9, 2015 · 12:41 pm

Upcoming Events: Celebrating The Performing Arts In South Milwaukee

a_Alex-Clark-Feaste-Photos--17

Big week at South Milwaukee High School, and the PAC …

  • TONIGHT! It’s former lead guitarist of progressive rock band Genesis, Steve Hackett. This stop on his North American Tour “From ACOLYTE to WOLFLIGHT plus Genesis Classics (1970-1977)” is presented by one of SMPAC’s regular renters, Alternative Concert Group (ACG)/Shank Hall.
  • FRIDAY: Get into the holiday spirit with Ceremony of Carols, featuring 26 youth choristers from Milwaukee Children’s Choir, 15 adult musicians from the Milwaukee Handbell Ensemble, 5 brass musicians from North Point Brass Quintet, plus flute and harp musicians. Use your staff BOGO and get your tickets today!
  • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Join the South Milwaukee Music Department and South Milwaukee Music Parents Association in the merriment and joy that the holidays bring, for “Ye Olde Christmas Feaste,” a 15th Century Renaissance experience featuring a six course dinner with live vocal, string, woodwind and vrass entertainment to delight you. (Note: My wife and I are Ladye and Lord for Saturday’s event.)
  • MARK YOUR CALENDAR for A Cappella with Six Appeal on January 23.

Thanks to Rachel Sorce for providing the information.

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee PAC

Tagged as

November 27, 2015 · 5:33 pm

Sunday: It’s Old Fashioned Christmas!

OldFashioned3

Our Christmas celebration continues on Sunday!

A special thanks to Guardian Credit Union and Max A. Sass & Son for sponsoring the return of the tree lighting fireworks … and thanks to the South Milwaukee High School music program for bringing the Madrigal Singers, drumline and other special guests for the show.

Bring your family and friends!

Leave a comment

Filed under 12 Days of South Milwaukee Christmas, Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as

November 19, 2015 · 1:58 pm

Reminder: Christmas On The Avenue Is Saturday!

Christmas on the Avenue

Very excited about this one … see you Saturday!

Leave a comment

Filed under Christmas, Downtown, Events, South Milwaukee

Tagged as , ,