Milwaukee Happy Note–June 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2023

Mornin’ All,

Happy Friday, Happy (almost) Weekend, and Happy End of the Week!😃

Third week of summer and I do believe this weekend will actually be SUMMER (meteorologically, climatologically, psychologically, metaphorically, categorically, etc.). The Summer Solstice! The longest day of the year! Well, I think the longest day is technically still 24 hours give or take a few milliseconds🤷‍♂️. Regardless, we can’t blame our lack of enthusiasm on a lack of daylight cuz we gettin’ the best daylight of the year! So let’s get out there and honor the moment! Before too long we’ll be moaning about it being too cold and too dark. These are the days we Milwaukeeans live for! And live we shall!!

Milwaukee, in my humble opinion, is THE BEST little big city because it just so happens to be packed with tons of mega big city cool! So are you interested in a few Milwaukee (Summer) weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of June 16th, 17th, and 18th, 2023):

-Milwaukee Domes continues its summer Show Dome spectacle DinoDomes which runs through September 10th (not Dino Don’s…that would be at the Zoo).

-Milwaukee Zoo continues its summer spectacle Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age through October 7th (not DinoDomes…that would be…The Domes 🤷‍♂️) and Dads get FREE admission to the Zoo on Father’s Day.

-Skylight Music Theater wraps up its performances of SuperYou (it is SuperAwesome AND it’s time here in Milwaukee has been its World Premiere!!! On to London after this weekend! Best wishes SuperYou!!).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre wraps up its performances of Bloom (not droopin’ yet).

-Racine Zoo presents Old Fashioned Frenzy (umm…that would be the classic supper club cocktail kind of old fashioned…yes please!). Proceeds benefit the Racine Zoo (and yes, monkey chow for all the monkeys! The promotion of alcohol consumption CAN support something good…unless you don’t like monkeys being fed a proper diet!🤷‍♂️).

-Sunset Playhouse wraps up its performances of Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web (OK, I will take spiders over ticks any day of the week).

-Milwaukee Art Museum continues its presentations of: Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980 (through July 23rd); Native America-In Translation (through June 25th); Drop-In Art Making; Story Time in the Galleries; Drop-In Tours; and Expert Series.

-Lakefront Festival of Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

-Village Playhouse wraps up The 38th Annual Original One Act Festival at Interchange Theater.

-Milwaukee Public Museum presents: Dads get FREE admission on Father’s Day.

-Discovery World presents: Pride in STEM Day; Mermaid Echo; and Milwaukee Makers Market (what are they making?).

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony (HUGE!!!).

-Symphony in the Garden at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum (veggie garden? Edible veggie garden? Mozart and mesclun? Bach and bok choy? Radetzky and radicchio?).

-Florentine Opera presents Pasta & Puccini (Fettuccine? Wouldn’t that be great with Puccini? Maybe a little Chianti?).

-Bayshore Sounds of Summer presents the Liam Ford Band (and it’s FREE!).

-Friday Night Live in Downtown Waukesha is still in Waukesha and it’s still FREE!

-Brady Street Art Walk (definitely not an art crawl…and it’s FREE!).

-3 Day Colossal Rummage Sale benefiting Second Hand Purrs at the Oak Creek American Legion Post (Maui emphatically approves!).

-Deer District Outdoor Summer Concert Series (at the Deer District😊…and it’s FREE!).

-Juneteenth Kenosha Festival and Cancer Walk.

-Kenosha Lakefront Run.

-Kenosha Art Market at Union Park.

-Taco Fest at the Henry Maier Festival Park.

-Food Truck Friday at the West Allis Farmers Market (taco truck?).

-15th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest.

-Summer Spinz Roller Skating at Red Arrow Park (don’t break a wrist).

-ART HEIST! at the Milwaukee County Historical Society through June 24th (who did it…umm, dunnit).

-Poetry at the Vista…Vista 59 Art Gallery and Botique that is (it’s truly Botique and not Boutique. And don’t worry, my poetry isn’t worthy!).

-“Atmosphere” Art Exhibit through July 31st at Gallery 2622 in Tosa.

-Latino Outdoors Great Lakes/Kayak Milwaukee River at Milwaukee Kayak Company.

-Bloody Mary Brunch Streetcar (aka The Hop) Tour departing from the Milwaukee Public Market.

-Father’s Day Dinner on the East Troy Railroad (I’ve been eating on the railroad…).

-Tonal Now (Art Exhibition) viewings through June 25th.

-Magic, Mystery, and the Future at the Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast (will they predict what I’ll be having for breakfast the next morning?).

-Yoga at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum (and it’s FREE!).

-BACKYARD BOOTCAMP (fitness stuff) at Hart Park in Tosa.

-Rock On to Wellness outside the Henry Maier Festival Park (and it’s FREE!).

-Community Yoga In & For MKE at Milwaukee Advanced Foot & Ankle (don’t twist an ankle…but if you do you’ll be in the right place?).

-Summer Solstice Sound Bath & Reiki with Cacao Ceremony at Reaching Treetops Yoga in Waukesha (ceremonial unwrapping of the chocolate bars?).

-Milwaukee County Grounds/Sanctuary Woods Forest Tour.

-Walking Tour at Forest Home Cemetery (I see dead…people’s headstones).

-Boundless Axe Throwing Father’s Day Weekend Special at Boundless Adventures in Bristol (hopefully those axes do know some bounds).

-Brews & Bats for Wishes (benefiting Make-A-Wish) at Broken Bat Brewing (beer CAN support something good…don’t get me started…again!).

-Milwaukee Torrent FC (football…umm, I mean soccer) is at home against Club Atletico Saint Louis (and it’s CHEAP!).

-Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates (🏴‍☠️…AAHHRRR! Hopefully not UGGHHH!).

-Milky Way Drive-In Theater at The Rock in Franklin is up and running this weekend. Movies playing include: Jaws; John Wick Chapter 4; Hotel Transylvania Transformania; Top Gun Maverick; Knock at the Cabin; and Double Feature of The Bad Guys AND Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves. And certainly don’t forget about the Umbrella Bar right next to the “Theater”. Pretty sure there might even be live music (dead music is at the Forest Home Cemetery…or last weekend in Chicago with the Grateful Dead).

-Riveredge Nature Center presents Family Farm Pond Exploration AND Beginner Milwaukee River Kayaking in Newburg.

-Urban Ecology Center presents Run the Yard 5K AND Summer Solstice Soiree.

-Wehr Nature Center presents Bumble Bee Monitoring Training (and it’s FREE!).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: Spectacular Snakes; Word With a Bird; and Pond Plein Air.

-Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest presents Guided Hike to Stute Creek.

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle presents: Dads get FREE admission on Father’s Day.

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents Summer Breeze AND Watercolor With Blossoms, Birds, and Insects.

-Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville presents Sunday Classics Summer Music Series (live music…again, not dead music).

-Beer Garden? How ‘bout the Juneau Park Beer Garden on the East Side right on the edge of Downtown? The Hop streetcar will even take you there for free! Please know that proceeds from all Milwaukee County Park Beer Gardens benefit the Milwaukee County Park System (it’s a gem of a park system and it’s all too easy for tax funding to be diverted away from maintaining our beautiful and beneficial parks…yes, beer CAN support something good…not that I’m promoting the consumption of alcohol…again, don’t get me started 🤬).

-Hike? Well, how ‘bout after a cold one at the Juneau Park Beer Garden (not that I’m promoting the consumption of alcohol🤭) you stroll along the bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan and our beautiful harbor/McKinley Marina area?

-Farmers Market? How ‘bout the Sunday farmers market in Greenfield at Konkel Park?

-How ‘bout some fun reading? How ‘bout a real paper book kind of reading? How ‘bout a fun summer rom/com set in the Wisconsin Dells? Well then how ‘bout Amy E. Reichert’s Kindred Spirits Supper Club?

-And if you happen to be in Green Bay this weekend for that once every two years dental spectacle of goodness (only once every two years and only for two days…oops, there I go again and maybe I’ll just stop while I’m ahead🤫) make sure to stop by Bay Beach to ride the Zippin Pippin for the outrageous sum of…ONE DOLLAR!!!

-Live Music/Comedy? Holy Crap Everywhere! Venues include ComedySportz, Shank Hall, Rave, Cactus Club, Jazz Estate, Ally’s Bistro, Red Rock Saloon, Da Bar, Helene Zelazo, Miller High Life Theater, County Clare, Nashville North, Colectivo, X-Ray Arcade, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, Bar, Centro, Turner Hall Ballroom, Miramar, Club Girabaldi, Fiserv, Potawatomi, Sugar Maple, Cooperage, Suburban Bourbon, Anodyne, Mad Planet, Blu Milwaukee, Sharon Lynne Wilson, Riverside, Pabst, etc., etc., etc.

Whew! And there you have it!! Please, please, please enjoy your Weekend. And please take care of yourself and your friends. Get out and enjoy all the good that life (and Milwaukee and our beautiful planet) has to offer. Plant seeds of happiness wherever you go. And always know that being still and quiet and relaxing and renewing is ALWAYS an outstanding accomplishment.😊

Best regards and I’m hoping to see you around town.

Doc

PS: If you like The Milwaukee Happy Note would you consider having it delivered directly to your inbox each week? If so there’s a few things to fill out at the bottom of the page and WordPress will do the rest (I receive zero financial compensation for subscriptions to my blog). Just know, as this is my blog page/creative writing outlet I sometimes post things that are not The Milwaukee Happy Note. Most of the time it’s just boring junk that can be ignored (sometimes I even write and post poetry 😱🤢🤮💩). But who knows, there might just come a time when something I write isn’t just a bunch of boring junk (if anything, my boring junk blog posts might just help folks overcome an overwhelming case of insomnia 🤷‍♂️). Thanks so much for reading and supporting me (BTW, this is a WordPress blog and NOT YouTube therefore I do NOT get any financial anything from people subscribing to my blog…I get the satisfaction of believing that someone somewhere might actually want to read my stuff).😊

PPS: The Milwaukee Happy Note will be taking a wellness break the weekend of June 30th, July 1st, and July 2nd AND the weekend of July 7th, 8th, and 9th. After those two weekends off The Milwaukee Happy Note will return the weekend of July 14th, 15th, and 16th.

Sources: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (paid subscription); Shepherd Express (paid subscription); On Milwaukee (paid subscription); and lotsa websites.