Milwaukee Happy Note–October 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 2023

Mornin’ All,

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

Beautiful colors dancing through every part of town. A symphony of colors playing for our wonderment. Our beautiful trees in all their resplendence crescendoing to an incredible finale. A fond farewell from our trees as they prepare for their winter slumber. And there’s no better way to honor their gift than to stand in their glory and take in their fleeting beauty. And as we take in that beauty perhaps we can take a moment to remember that there are a few tough things going in our world. There are sisters and brothers that are suffering and hoping for better days. I am so very humbled and lucky to be able to live and work and dream in such an incredible place as Milwaukee and I will do what I can to extend love and thoughts and prayers and wishes to my sisters and brothers who will be having a very difficult weekend.

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 October 20th, 21st, and 22nd):

-Boerner Botanical Gardens continues “China Lights 2023” with awesome nighttime lantern magic through October 29th. PLUS, Boerner presents “Chinese Brush Painting” and “Autumn Garden Walks” (Autumn is out walking in the gardens again…I wonder what Autumn looks like?).

-Phantom Lake YMCA Camp in Mukwonago continues “The Hollows” Halloween spectacle with hauntingly awesome Halloween experiences (like thousands of carved pumpkins) through October 28th. All proceeds benefit the YMCA’s mission and vision at Phantom Lake Camp.

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater wraps up its performances of “Run Bambi Run” AND continues performances of “Parental Advisory” and “Country Sunshine: The Legendary Ladies of Nashville with Katie Deal” through October 29th.

-Sunset Playhouse debuts “Blithe Spirit” with performances through November 5th. PLUS, Sunset presents “David Seebach’s Illusions in the Night” this weekend only.

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Organic Chocolate Taste and Make Featuring Tabal Chocolate” (OH YEAH…and chocolate is gluten free!!!) AND continues “Fall Show: Earth–The Art of Nature” through November 5th.🌎

-Skylight Music Theatre continues performances of “Candide” through October 29th (not candida 🤷‍♂️).

-Northern Sky Theatre in Door County (yes Door County cuz I feel like I need to be there!) wraps up its indoor performances of “When Pigs Fly!” (I don’t have a flying pig emoji).

-Village of Hales Corners presents “Pumpkin Fest”. Get a free pre-cleaned pumpkin, carve it, and then enter it into the carving contest for prizes!!!🎃

-City of Oak Creek presents “Fall Festival” at Drexel Town Square (last Farmers Market as well 😕).

-First Stage (Theater) continues “Dream, Quickie! Dream!” with performances through October 29th.

-Milwaukee County Zoo presents “Boo at the Zoo” (I LOVE Boo at the Zoo!!!).👻🎃

-“Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival” at the Oriental Theater.

-Lake Country Playhouse wraps up its performances of “The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition”.

-“Fall Gallery Night MKE”…all over town! Milwaukee’s private art galleries are opening their doors wide (and free) for everyone to check out all the creative awesome that IS Milwaukee! 🎨

-Milwaukee Public Museum presents “Wisconsin Science Festival” AND “Science on Tap”. Lest we forget, 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! 🦋

-Falls Patio Players presents Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Nemo Jr” this weekend only.🐠🐙

-Racine Zoo continues “Jack-O’-Lantern Nights” through October 29th (oooh, so scary…but is most likely cuter and happier than actually scary, and it all helps raise money for MANY varieties of animal chow/biscuits).

-Racine Theatre Guild presents “Spooktacular” (hmm, will it be spectacularly spooky?).

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Josefowicz & Bolero”.

“Hunting Moon Pow Wow” at the Potawatomi Hotel.

-Milwaukee Art Museum presents “Art: Forward Gala” and continues “Drop-In Art Making”, “Drop-In Tours” (including architectural tours highlighting the incredible Calatrava Bridge and Burke Brise Soleil), and “Story Time in the Galleries”. Lest we forget, there are WAY TOO MANY traveling AND permanent exhibits for me to mention with any level of detail and/or coherence including, but not limited to, “Art, Life, Legacy: Northern European Paintings in the Collection of Isabel and Alfred Bader”.🎨

“Women’s Convention 2023” at the Baird Center.

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

-Dinosaur Discovery Museum in Kenosha presents “Ghost Hunting” (not busting…I ain’t afraid of no ghost).👻

-“Dog Days” at the Lynden Sculpture Garden.🐶

-“Southshore Terrace Kitchen”, benefiting Milwaukee County Parks, continues at Southshore Park on Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront through November 5th. Farm to table. Gluten free options too (I am always on the hunt for an awesome gluten free burger)!!!😃

-“Christmas Carnival of Lights” (yes, you read that right 🤷‍♂️) at Jellystone Park in Caledonia through January 1st, 2024.🎄?

-Forest Home Cemetery presents “Spirits of the Silent City” (umm…an after dark spooky immersive experience in a REAL cemetery…yep, I’ll crap my pants 💩).

-Milwaukee Astronomical Society presents “Night at the Observatory” (spooky observatory with scary planets and nebulae?).🪐

-“Wag Around the Ward Halloween Edition” at Catalano Square in the Historic Third Ward (yes, this IS a DOG thing…Maui just yawns in that general direction).🐶🦮

-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).

-Marian Art Gallery at Mount Mary University presents Katie Hudnall’s “The Longest Distance Between Two Points” through November 17th (and it’s free!).

-Milwaukee Admirals are at home against the Texas Stars (home opener!!!).

-Milwaukee Bucks are at home against the Memphis Grizzlies (preseason).🦌🐻

-Milky Way Drive-In Theater continues at The Rock in Franklin with more scary movies including “Beetlejuice” and “Monsters University” (Mike Wazowski!!!).

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Trails and Treats” and “Fall Foliage Paddle at Big Cedar Lake” (I’ve never used fallen foliage as a paddle…interesting 🤷‍♂️).

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Halloween Haunts”.👻

-Retzer Nature Center presents: “Sunset Meditation & Night Hike”; “Fall Girl Scout Night”; and “Fungus Foray–Mushroom Hike”; AND continues “Scarecrow Lane” with awesome decorated Fall hikes through October 31st.🍄

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Autumn Celebration” and “Story Time Saturday” (a story on Saturday about Autumn?).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Saturday Morning Bird Walk” (oooh, I wanna walk like a bird…duck walk? Duck walk with a guitar??), “Fall Watercolor Workshop”, and “Species Spooktacular”.

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle wraps up “Halloween Legends & Lore” (I’ve heard it’s definitely not a bore).

-Forest Exploration Center in Wauwatosa presents “Autumn Colors Guided Hike”.🍁

-Farmers Market? Last weekend for the Oak Creek Famers Market (I hear there’s a Fall Festival in Oak Creek as well 🤷‍♂️).

-Hike? How ‘bout Bender Park and/or Lake Vista Park in Oak Creek?

-A dare? I dare you to go for a hike this weekend.

-Apple Orchard? How ‘bout Awe’s (it’s really close to Oak Creek). You can even pick your own apples at Awe’s.🍏🍎

-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

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