Milwaukee Happy Note–September 29th, 30th, and October 1st, 2023

Mornin’ All,

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

Fall. Climatologically, meteorologically, blah, blah, blah, blah. Forecast for this weekend? Sunny and 80 degrees both Saturday and Sunday. Not a bad way to ease into Fall if you ask me. And even with Milwaukee’s indoor activities ramping up (this weekend’s theater scene is AWESOME) there’s a TON of OUTDOOR AWESOME awaiting perfect weather. And gracing our OUTDOOR AWESOME this weekend is the beginnings of the much anticipated changing colors. Everywhere I look a few more colors pop. Nature’s beauty, magnificence, and mystery at its finest. And I love every moment of it. But Fall’s majesty is short, it’s fleeting, and if we don’t take just a couple of moments to breathe and open our eyes it will be gone before we know it. Let Fall’s majesty fill your being before it’s gone. And once it’s gone we’ll be waiting quite some time for its return. Live while you can and enjoy living in the moment.

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 weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of September 29th, 30th, and October 1st):

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Fall Show: Earth–The Art of Nature” through November 5th (our incredible Domes NEED our support as their fate hangs in the balance…use ‘em or lose ‘em and I’d really rather NOT lose them!).

-“Harvest Fair” at State Fair Park in West Allis featuring FREE admission/entertainment all weekend long! As an aside, one of my favorite bands (Here Come the Mummies) will be playing there Saturday night (“we’re not here to judge yaaaa, we’re just here to luv yaaaa”…so “tell…all…of your freaky friends”)!!

-Marquette University Theater debuts “A Piece of My Heart” with performances through October 8th.

-2023 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon (that’s 26.2 miles more than I’ll be running this weekend).

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater debuts “Parental Advisory” with performances through October 29th, continues “Run Bambi Run” with performances through October 22nd, and continues performances of “Country Sunshine: The Legendary Ladies of Nashville with Katie Deal” through October 29th.

-“National Coffee Day” with FREE coffee all over Milwaukee (yes, I AM addicted to coffee and I have NO desire to seek rehabilitation).

-Boerner Botanical Gardens presents “Autumn Garden Walks” AND continues “China Lights 2023” with awesome nighttime lantern magic through October 29th.

-Milwaukee Chamber Theatre continues “Laughs in Spanish” with performances through October 8th.

-Peninsula Players Theater in Door County (yes Door County cuz I feel like I need to be there) continues its performances of “Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” through October 15th.

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Grooving Under Glass” Thursday night only (lookin’ for fun and feelin’ groovy…under glass).

-Northern Sky Theatre in Door County (yes Door County cuz I feel like everyone should be there!) continues its indoor performances of “When Pigs Fly!” through October 21st.

-Milky Way Drive-In Theater in Franklin is back this weekend with a TON of scary movies including “Hocus Pocus” (at least that’s not TOO scary for me).

-“Bark in the Park” Pet Fest and 5K run in Racine (I will not be going because it will be impossible for me to resist taking home a rescue pup).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre wraps up its performances of “12 Angry Men” (does that make anyone happy?).

-Fall Open House at the Conservancy for Healing and Heritage in Franklin.🍁🍂

-Lake Country Playhouse wraps up its performances of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”.

-“Lakeside Oktoberfest” in Kenosha (next to a lake in September…and October…or is it Oktober 🤷‍♂️?).

-Falls Patio Players wraps up its performances of “Noises Off” (more like lights out?).

-Milwaukee County Zoo continues its Summer (and Fall) spectacle “Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age” through October 7th.

-Next Act Theatre continues “Splash Hatch on the E Going Down” with performances through October 15th.

-“Food Truck Friday” at the West Allis Farmers Market (why does food on a paper plate cooked in a truck taste so darn good and usually better than gourmet food from a multi-star restaurant 🤷‍♂️?).

-Milwaukee Public Museum presents a BIG EXTRA this Saturday: it’s Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon’s 50th Anniversary and the Museum’s Planetarium will play the ENTIRE album along with giant screen pictures and videos inspired by the album (umm…and the Planetarium’s Dolby Surround is…WOW)! AND, of course, the Museum continually presents outstanding educational strolls throughout its three stories of exhibits. Don’t forget about awesome IMAX movies (currently featuring “Into America’s Wild” narrated by Morgan Freeman) AND indoor stargazing inside the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. There’s even a coffee bar. And who doesn’t love a live butterfly conservatory!🦋

-Racine Theatre Guild wraps up its performances of “The Cemetery Club”.

-“September Full Moon Sound Bath & Labyrinth Walk” at the Lynden Sculpture Garden in Brown Deer (bring your sound soap and a flashlight).

-Renaissance Theaterworks continues “Witch” with performances through November 12th.

-“Jack-O’-Lantern Nights” debuts at the Racine Zoo and runs through October 29th (oooh, so scary…but most likely it’s cuter and happier than actually scary, and it all helps raise money for monkey chow…and rhino chow…and penguin chow…and…).🎃

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Brahms, Stravinsky & Prayer For Ukraine”.🇺🇦🙏

-Deer District Summer Concert Series (now in Fall) wraps up its Summer (and Fall) run this weekend with Jackie Brown (see ya next summer).

-Milwaukee Art Museum continually presents its “Drop-In Art Making”, “Drop-In Tours” (including architectural tours highlighting the incredible Calatrava Bridge and Burke Brise Soleil). And let us not forget there are WAY TOO MANY traveling AND permanent exhibits for me to mention with any level of detail and/or coherence.

-“Wisconsin Fear Grounds Haunted Houses” debuts at the Waukesha Exposition Center and promises to be scaring folks (especially folks like me…where’s my Xanax?!) through October 21st.

-Marquette University’s Haggerty Museum of Art continues: “Love You To Death: Discontented Desire” through December 23rd; “Capitalism and Extractivism in Latin America from the Colonial Era to Today” through December 23rd; and “Image in Dispute-Dutch & Flemish Art” through May 12, 2024 (and it’s FREE).

-Walnut Way Conservation Corp. presents “Harvest Day Festival ‘Building Back Better’” block party at Johnsons Park in Milwaukee.

-Mt. Mary University’s Marian Art Gallery continues “Abrahm Guthrie-Potter: Marking the Season” through October 6th (and it’s FREE).

-“Southside Dining Week” debuts this weekend with outstanding eats all over Milwaukee’s…Southside (🤷‍♂️)…and runs through October 7th.

-Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Cubs. This is the last regular season weekend (👎☹️) but the Brewers clinched a trip to the postseason (👍😃) so this will NOT be the last weekend to cheer for the Brewers!

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Cider Sunday” (not sundae…but I have to believe there’s a cider sundae someplace!).

-Retzer Nature Center continues “Scarecrow Lane” with awesome decorated Fall hikes through October 31st.

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Take it Outside Day–Biking” AND “Kid’s Story Hike”.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Word With a Bird” AND “I Spy: Beginning of Halloween”.

-Lapham Peak State Park presents “Bats of Wisconsin”.🦇

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents “Connecting to the Wisdom of the Plants”, “Fall Bulb Sale”, and “Gleam” (kinda like their own version of China Lights…that’s less expensive).

-Farmers Market? How ‘bout Historic Downtown Greendale (last one of the year).

-Hike? How ‘bout all the green space trails around Greendale?

-A dare? Wake up early and watch the sunrise (the sun’s rising later and later…it is Fall 🤷‍♂️).

-An apple orchard? How ‘bout Brightonwoods in Burlington?

-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.

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).😊

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