Category Archives: Events

by | April 23, 2026 · 11:31 am

Earth week: MARM Farm

I hope you all are participating and enjoying Earth Week Bingo! I can’t wait to see pictures submitted throughout the week and to see the most unique trash you find for the possibility of incorporating it into our trophy!

For this week, we wanted to highlight buisnesses and projects that are going on here in South Milwaukee that promote community wellness through environmental sustainability. I reached out to Ellen from MARM Farm to give us an update on what has been going on. For those of you who may not be familiar, The MARM Farm is a small-scale urban farm dedicated to regenerative practices and organic growing right here in south milwaukee. They focus on education and conservation, providing fresh produce for pay-as-you-can farmstand while teaching the community about the benefits of urban farming and sustainable living.

Celebrating Earth Week, we are excited to share that The MARM Farm Education and Conservation Center is officially open and thriving! We’ve just begun our in-ground planting season, and our greenhouse will soon be bustling with microgreens, offering fresh greens for our community. Our pay-as-you-can farmstand will be returning this year, making fresh, healthy produce accessible to everyone. Follow us on social media for the latest updates and upcoming events!

In addition to our traditional farm activities, we’re proud to introduce the debut of the SCUGU (Self-Contained Urban Growing Unit). This innovative 40-foot shipping container is now located at the north end of the municipal building parking lot. Over the next few months, we’ll be converting the interior for hydroponic and mushroom growing. Half of everything cultivated in the SCUGU will be donated to Human Concerns, supporting local food security, while the other half will be available for sale within our community. This project was made possible through last year’s Bucyrus grant funding.

Additionally, MARM Farm has partnered with a few of our schools this week in celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day. For Earth Day, MARM Farm partnered with Blakewood Elementary to beautify the school grounds, learn about native plants, held a recycling drive, and talked about garden preparation. In celebration of Arbor Day, we will be partnering with the City Street Department to engage all 4th graders in the school district. Students will gather at the Mary C. Nelson Arboretum for an agroforestry scavenger hunt and learn about the importance of native trees and urban canopy. Each student will take home a tree seedling to plant at home, and the street department will plant a new tree at the arboretum, helping to grow a greener, healthier South Milwaukee.

You can learn more about the MARM Farm through their website https://www.forfarmersmovement.com/team/the-marm-farm-(milwaukee-area-renewal-movement) or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MarmFarmMilwaukee. They also send out a newsletter regularly that you can sign up for.

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by | April 8, 2026 · 10:23 pm

Earth Week Bingo

Hello fellow South Milwaukeans!

I am so excited to announce a branch of Strong Towns Milwaukee focused on taking care of our community in a much needed way! A group of us came together to form the first (hopefully annual) Earth Week Bingo!

The week will begin on 4/18/2026 and end on 4/26/2026! There are a variety of activities that will we be asking you to do throughout the week if you decide to participate! You can do this individually or with family, friends, or heck a big group! Each bingo will get you entered into a drawing to win from a variety of gift cards from our local businesses. In order to be considered for the drawing, winners must be prepared to show photos. We will also be making an up-cycled ‘trashiest trophy’ with items that you have collected throughout the week! We would love to incorporate a single piece of trash that you find most interesting in the trophy! Bingo card are available here on this post, on a variety of social media platforms, as well as in person at several businesses located throughout our community!

Winners will be announced on May 2nd and prizes will be given out at the next Strong Towns meeting on May 7th at Virtue and Valor! You do not have to be in person at this meeting, however the announced winners will get to choose from a variety of gift cards, whereas if you are not able to make the meeting but win, you may be given a prize at random!

We hope that this is the beginning of a strong and passionate group of people who are interested in caring for our community! Below is the Bingo Card, as well as our first collaborative post with the Friends of Grant Park about the first Grant Park Beach clean up! We are so excited to participate in community in this way and I can’t wait to start seeing pictures of neighbors caring for our community as I know many of you already do!

SoMKE_EarthDayBingoDownload
SM blog post re_ Beach cleanupDownload

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by | March 11, 2026 · 11:54 am

Three Ways to Plug into the Community this Weekend

Looking for a few ways to get out and connect with neighbors this week? Here are three great opportunities.

Thursday, March 12 — Spring Candidate Forum at the Library

Head to the South Milwaukee Public Library for a locally-organized, non-partisan Spring Candidate Forum from 5–6:45 p.m. It’s a chance to meet and hear directly from the neighbors running for school district, dig into the library referendum, and learn more about the issues shaping South Milwaukee’s future.

Local elections matter, and forums like this help keep our community informed and engaged.

Saturday, March 14 — Moran’s St. Patrick’s Block Party & Fun Run

Moran’s Pub is hosting a St. Patrick’s Fun Run with support from the South Milwaukee Running Club, Lakeview Coaching, Milwaukee County Parks, Friends of Grant Park and Strong Towns South Milwaukee. The 2.4-mile route through Grant Park starts at 3p.m. and returns to Moran’s just in time for their annual St. Patrick’s block party.

After the run, the street fills up with live music, food trucks, Irish dancers, and plenty of festive energy—making it a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon with friends and neighbors.

Register here!

Sunday, March 15 — Library Trivia Tournament Kickoff

Also at Moran’s Pub, the first round of a four-week trivia tournament kicks off Sunday from 2–5 p.m. The event supports the South Milwaukee Public Library referendum, making it a fun way to test your knowledge while supporting a vital community resource.

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by | 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.

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by | 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

 

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by | 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!

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by | 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

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by | 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.

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by | 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!

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by | 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

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by | 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

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by | 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.

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by | 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.

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by | 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.

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by | 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.

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