Category: Uncategorized

Mornin’ All,

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

Last weekend might have been a little slow around MKE. This weekend? Nope. Tons of stuff happening! Yes, we are skewing our activities a bit towards the indoors. But have we abandoned the out-of-doors? No way! We’re Milwaukeeans!! We live for cold damp winds howling off the Lake!!! Well…umm…maybe not?🤷‍♂️

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 November 17th, 18th, and 19th):

-Milwaukee’s Official 2023 Holiday Tree Lighting at the Deer/Cheer District (and it’s FREE!).

-Milwaukee’s Holiday Lights Festival debuts in Cathedral Square, Pere Marquette Park, and Zeidler Union Square.

-“Holiday Folk Fair International” at State Fair Park in West Allis (bring along an appetite!).

-Milwaukee Bucks are at home against the Dallas Mavericks.

-Skylight Music Theatre debuts “School of Rock” with performances through December 30th.🎸🥁

-“Racine Cat Show & Adoption Event” at Festival Hall in Racine (keep me away from cat adoptions…Maui and Sulley do NOT want a new friend in the house!).

-“Festive Friday Eves” kicks off at the Cedar Creek Settlement in Cedarburg and happens every Friday through December 22nd.

-Wisconsin Herd is at home against the Iowa Wolves and the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

-“Fall Fest at the Stables” at MKE Urban Stables (a block away from KK in Bayview). Looks like they’ll even have a donkey kissing booth!😘

-Marquette University Theatre wraps up its performances of “All in the Timing” (we’re running out of time to see it).

-Marquette Golden Eagles Women’s Basketball is at home against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks.

-“Tellabration 2023–A Night of Storytelling for Grown-Ups” at Mount Mary University’s Steimke Hall (presented by The Milwaukee Area Story Telling Guild).

-Milwaukee Chamber Theatre debuts “Liberace!” with performances through November 25th.

-“Merry Little Night Market” (kinda sort-of-a Christkindlemarkt) at Pilot Brewing in Milwaukee.

-UW Milwaukee Panthers Men’s Basketball is at home against the Luther College Norse (Danish or Norwegian Norse 🤷‍♂️?).

-Master Singers of Milwaukee presents “A Timeless Holiday” (timely 🤷‍♂️?).

-Milwaukee Art Museum debuts “50 Paintings” with showings through June 23rd, 2024, and continues “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 (and great indoor walking) for me to mention with any level of detail and/or coherence including, but not limited to “Darrell Ellis: Regeneration” through January 14th, 2024, and “Art, Life, Legacy: Northern European Paintings in the Collection of Isabel and Alfred Bader” through January 28th, 2024.🎨

-First Stage (Theater) debuts “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical” with performances through December 24th.

-“Illuminated Walk Through Country Christmas” at the Ingleside in Pewaukee. Dogs are welcome! BTW, drive through lights at Ingleside starts up NEXT weekend (in time for Thanksgiving).

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater debuts “Dial M For Murder” with performances through December 17th AND continues performances of “Nuncrackers” with performances through January 7th.

-“Season to Sparkle Holiday Celebration” at Bayshore in Glendale.

-“Wisconsin Annual Blues Harmonica Festival 2023” in Hubertus (I’m shinin’ up my Hohner Marine Band!).

-Racine Theatre Guild presents “Matilda Jr” and “The Vagina Monologues” (I’m thinkin’ Matilda may be the better choice for kiddos and squeamish dudes 🤷‍♂️?).

-“Cream City Creatives Craft Fair” at Turner Hall Ballroom.

-Milwaukee Domes debuts “Holiday Show: A Holiday Snow Globe” with spectacular Holiday flower presentations through January 7th. And don’t miss “Wellness With Houseplants” (this weekend only). Great indoor walking! Great gift shop too (proceeds benefit the Domes)!!

-Sunset Playhouse presents “Seussical Kids”.

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Ruth Reinhardt Returns” with music from Cziner, Shostakovich, and Brahms (Symphony No. 4).

-Discovery World presents “Mermaid Echo Live”.

-Milwaukee Admirals are at home against the Chicago Wolves.

-MKE Downtown continues “Ornament Trail” along Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street through January 6th.

-The Bindery Creative Laboratory continues “From Rags to…Books! Hardcover Binding with Reclaimed Cloth Covers” class.

-Milwaukee County Zoo continually presents…lots of COOL animals and awesome indoor/outdoor walks! Great coffee too!! Wild Lights is on the horizon (debuts Dec 1st).

-Milwaukee Public Museum continues “Deck the Streets and Village” with awesome period Holiday decorations through January 22nd. “Native American Heritage Month” continues. And, lest we forget, the Museum continually presents outstanding educational strolls (great indoor walking!) throughout its three stories of exhibits. Don’t forget about awesome IMAX movies (currently featuring “Blue Whales–Return of the Giants”) 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 Zoo continually presents…awesome animals on a beautiful lakeshore! Great outdoor walking!!

-“Christmas Carnival of Lights” at Jellystone Park in Caledonia continues through January 1st.🎄

-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 wraps up Katie Hudnall’s “The Longest Distance Between Two Points”.

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Wehr Birders”…and awesome hikes IN the Metro area (where?)!

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Handmade for the Holidays: A Gift-Making Gathering”…and awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area (and a river’s edge 🤷‍♂️).

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Turkey Trek” (…Star…Turkey Trek? Captain Gobble Wobble and First Officer Turkey Lurkey racing across the galaxy in the USS Poultry?).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Family Owl Prowl”, “Saturday Morning Bird Walk”, “Mammals Preparing for Winter”, “Morning Guided Forest Bathing”…and awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area!

-Lakeshore State Park is hosting the “7th Annual CAM & Red Sands Event” community grief walk. Plus…there’s always awesome hikes right in DOWNTOWN MKE on the lakefront (or is it the lakeshore 🤷‍♂️?).

-UW Milwaukee’s Manfred Olsen Planetarium presents “Rooftop Stargazing” and wraps up “Searching for Life” (did we find it 🤷‍♂️?).

-Farmers Market? How ‘bout West Allis before it’s gone until…May?

-Hike? Well, if you decide to hike this weekend either wear blaze orange or hike where the trails are closed to hunting (this is opening weekend for gun deer). A safe bet…Wehr Nature Center (where?)?

-A dare? I dare you to wake up on Saturday and/or Sunday and do nothing except just BE (and drink a caffeinated beverage?) for a full hour.

-Apple orchard? Last weekend for Brightonwoods. Try the Winter Banana variety (yes, that’s an actual apple and not a banana!).

-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: The Milwaukee Happy Note will be taking a little time off for turkey and tryptophan and will return the weekend of December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Happy Thanksgiving!🦃😊

PPS: 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.

Mornin’ All,

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

Honestly, this will be a little bit of a slower weekend in Milwaukee. We are in that little trough between Fall/Halloween hubbub and Holiday crazy. And ya know what…I love it. Moving a little slower and a bit more deliberately is good for my soul. Slowing down helps me catch up on where I’ve been headed like a madman. And where have I been headed like a madman and why? I don’t know…and I don’t care (thanks for that line Jimmy Buffett). I guess in the grand scheme of things it really doesn’t matter. There are a whole lot of things that do matter and my slowing things down brings those things back into wonderful focus. My hope is we can all take a little time to get back to our wonderful things that matter the most. Let’s take it slow this weekend and see where it leads?

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 November 10th, 11th, and 12th):

-Milwaukee Domes presents…two open floral domes (Arid and Tropical) that will likely be crowd free while the show dome is being transformed into “Holiday Show: A Holiday Snow Globe” debuting on Nov 18th. Great indoor walking! Great gift shop too (and all sales help support the Domes)!!

-Marquette University Theatre debuts “All in the Timing” with performances through November 19th (just in time 🤷‍♂️?).

-MKE Downtown presents “Ornament Trail” along Wisconsin Avenue and Water Street through January 6th, 2024. Walk, bike, skip, hop, run, or jump down Wisconsin Avenue to see all the larger-than-life ornaments…it’s all good!

-Milwaukee County Zoo presents…lots of COOL animals and awesome indoor/outdoor walks! Great coffee too!! Wild Lights are on the horizon (December 1st debut).

-Milwaukee Public Museum debuts “Deck the Streets and Village” with awesome period Holiday decorations through January 22nd, 2024. “Native American Heritage Month” continues. And, lest we forget, the Museum continually presents outstanding educational strolls (great indoor walking!) throughout its three stories of exhibits. Don’t forget about awesome IMAX movies (currently featuring “Blue Whales–Return of the Giants”) AND indoor stargazing inside the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. There’s even a coffee bar. And who doesn’t love a live butterfly conservatory (and coffee)! 🦋

-The Bindery Creative Laboratory presents “From Rags to…Books! Hardcover Binding with Reclaimed Cloth Covers” (it’s a two weekend class that sounds really COOL! Real book stuff!!).

-Sunset Playhouse presents “Alice in Wonderland” this weekend only.

-“re:Craft & Relic Holiday Market” at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin (how long will it take for my crafts to become relics? Will Indiana Jones ever care about my crafty relics?).

-First Stage (Theater) wraps up its performances of “The Forgotten Girl”.

-Racine Zoo presents…awesome animals on a beautiful lakeshore! Great outdoor walking!! Also, Racine Zoo just received national accreditation and they are excited to share everything it took to receive that honor!!!

-Waukesha Civic Theatre wraps up its performances of “Men on Boats” (follow up performance: Men on Docks 🤷‍♂️?).

-“Vets Day 5K & 10K” (runs) benefiting Operation Finally Home at Veterans Park on our beautiful lakefront. There’s even a gourmet hot chocolate bar at the finish line!

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater continues performances of “Nuncrackers” with performances through January 7th, 2024.

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “De Waart Conducts Elgar”.

-Racine Theatre Guild wraps up its performances of “Seasonal Allergies” (can I put my Claritin away?).

-Milwaukee Art Museum continues “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 (and great indoor walking) for me to mention with any level of detail and/or coherence including, but not limited to “Darrell Ellis: Regeneration” through January 14th, 2024, and “Art, Life, Legacy: Northern European Paintings in the Collection of Isabel and Alfred Bader” through January 28th, 2024.🎨

-Renaissance Theaterworks wraps up its performances of “Witch”.

-“Christmas Carnival of Lights” at Jellystone Park in Caledonia continues through January 1st, 2024.🎄

-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!).

-Chicken Wire Empire (featuring one of Marquette Dental School’s very own) performs at the Miramar Theatre.

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

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents “Chanunpa Ceremony” (Lakota sacred smoke ceremony).

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Savor the Flavors of Fall”, “Wehr Birders”, “Guided Forest Bathing”, “Nature Wizards: Squirrel Tales”…and awesome hikes IN the Metro area (even a lakeside hike)!

-Riveredge Nature Center presents…awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area (and probably near a river’s edge 🤷‍♂️?).

-Retzer Nature Center presents…awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area!

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Leaf Painting”, “Acrylic Painting Workshop”, “Word With a Bird”…and awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area (even a lakeshore…Lake Michigan lakeshore…hike)!

-Conservancy for Healing and Heritage presents…beautiful hikes IN the Metro area (even a lakeside hike)!

-Lapham Peak State Park presents…awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area!

-Forest Exploration Center in Wauwatosa presents…awesome hikes IN the Metro area!

-Lakeshore State Park presents…awesome hikes right in DOWNTOWN MKE on the lakefront (Lake Michigan lakefront…I mean lakeshore)!

-UW Milwaukee’s Manfred Olsen Planetarium continues “Searching for Life”.

-Farmers Market? How ‘bout the Oak Creek Winter Farmers Market at the Oak Creek Community Center (winter??)?

-Hike? How ‘bout ANY of the nature centers listed above?

-A dare? How ‘bout a hike at ANY of the nature centers listed above?

-Apple orchard? We’re running out of time for fresh apples around here. Broken record: how ‘bout Brightonwoods??? Only two more weeks until they close until August 2024.

-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: The Milwaukee Happy Note will be taking a little time off for turkey and tryptophan the weekend of November 24th, 25th, and 26th, and will return the weekend of December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

PPS: 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.

Mornin’ All,

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

Summer to Fall to Winter…in a WEEK! I had to turn my AC back on last week and here we are with our first measurable snow. Wow! I’ve heard it said that if you don’t like Milwaukee’s weather just wait a few minutes and it’ll change. And change it has. Weather sure moves quickly in Milwaukee. And here we are into November. Clocks are falling back, leaves are falling down, and, honestly, we’re falling into one of my favorite times of the year.

Say what Doc? Doc, it’s cold and damp and dark and whatcha thinkin’? For me, the summer hustle is coming to an end and life starts to slow down just a little bit. I start looking inward a bit more. Looking inward not in a dark way, but in a relaxed and renewing kind of way. This time of year becomes a time to regroup and heal and reflect on everything that’s been. A time to dream about what’s ahead. A time to gather with folks to talk and share and pass the time in fellowship and community. A time to feel cozy and comfy in warm sweaters and socks and blankets and hats and scarves. A time for candlelight. And a time for…nuts like me to start laying out my ski wax plan and my perfect training plan for cross country ski season. Ha!

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 November 3rd, 4th, and 5th):

-Milwaukee Domes wraps up “Fall Show: Earth–The Art of Nature” (“Holiday Show: A Holiday Snow Globe” is on the horizon!). Have I ever mentioned how much I love our Domes?😊

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater debuts “Nuncrackers” with performances through January 7th, 2024 (that’s nun, not nut).

-Lakeshore State Park presents…awesome hikes right in DOWNTOWN MKE on the lakefront (or is it the lakeshore 🤷‍♂️?).

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Wehr Birders”…and awesome hikes IN the Metro area (where?).

-Milwaukee County Zoo presents “Family Free Day”, “Zumba Fitness Party at the Zoo”…and lots of COOL animals!😊

-Milwaukee Public Museum presents “Native American Heritage Month”, and “Mystery at the Museum” (would you believe my Museum Mystery Team took 3rd place in “Mystery at the Museum” several years ago??? It was SOOOO much fun!). 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 “Blue Whales–Return of the Giants”) AND indoor stargazing inside the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. There’s even a coffee bar. And who doesn’t love a live butterfly conservatory (or coffee)! 🦋

-Sunset Playhouse wraps up its performances of “Blithe Spirit”.

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha wraps up their performances of “Blithe Spirit” (that wraps a whole lot of spirit!).

-Discovery World presents “Milwaukee Maker Faire” (I wonder what the Makers make 🤷‍♂️?).

-First Stage (Theater) continues performances of “The Forgotten Girl” through November 12th (don’t forget her).

-Racine Zoo presents…awesome animals on a beautiful lakeshore (lakefront 🤷‍♂️?)! AND…in case you missed it ”Jack-O’-Lantern Nights” was extended through this weekend!!

-Waukesha Civic Theatre continues performances of “Men on Boats” through November 12th (how ‘bout kittens on boats?).

-Riveredge Nature Center presents…awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area (on the edge of a river 🤷‍♂️)!

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Beethoven & Lopez-Gavilan”.

-Racine Theatre Guild continues performances of “Seasonal Allergies” through November 12th (take some Kleenex…achoo!).

-Milwaukee Art Museum presents “Slow Art Saturday” 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 “Darrell Ellis: Regeneration” through January 14th, 2024, and “Art, Life, Legacy: Northern European Paintings in the Collection of Isabel and Alfred Bader” through January 28th, 2024.🎨

-“Southshore Terrace Kitchen”, benefiting Milwaukee County Parks, wraps up at Southshore Park on Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront (lakeshore 🤷‍♂️?). Farm to table. Gluten free options too (I am always on the hunt for an awesome gluten free burger)!!!😃

-Retzer Nature Center presents “Science Fest: Now You See It! Now You Don’t!”…and awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area!

-“Christmas Carnival of Lights” at Jellystone Park in Caledonia continues through January 1st, 2024.🎄

-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!).

-Urban Ecology Center presents “On Belay–Outdoor Rock Climbing” (better not delay that belay!).

-Marquette University Rec Plex presents…LOG ROLLING! “Apple Cider Rolleo”!! Holy crap, it’s legit collegiate log rolling!!! How cool is that?!!!! That might be even cooler than collegiate curling!!!!!

-Milwaukee Opera Theatre presents “Night of the Living Opera” (I’m usually dead on arrival after opera…maybe this one will be lively 🤷‍♂️?).

-UW Milwaukee’s Manfred Olsen Planetarium presents “Searching for Life” (how ‘bout live patrons at a living opera…at night?).

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

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Xtreme Raptor Day”…and awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area (there’s even a trail on the lakefront…or is it the lakeshore 🤷‍♂️?).

-Milwaukee Admirals are at home against the Grand Rapids Griffins (Griffindor 🤷‍♂️?).

-Lapham Peak State Park presents…awesome hikes NEAR the Metro area!

-Milwaukee Bucks are at home against the New York Knicks (umm…in case you’re wondering (I’ve been wondering)…that’s short for the Knickerbockers: descendants of Dutch settlers in New York…I had no idea…I just looked it up…now I know…I’m so glad I now know!).

-Conservancy for Healing and Heritage presents…beautiful hikes IN the Metro area (there’s even a lakeside trail…or is it a lakeshore trail 🤷‍♂️?).

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents “Drum Circle & Storytelling” (stories about drums…in a circle 🤷‍♂️?)

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

-Forest Exploration Center in Wauwatosa presents…awesome hikes IN the Metro area!

-Farmers Market? West Allis is STILL going!

-Hike? How ‘bout Lion’s Den Gorge in Port Washington? It’s on the lakefront (lakeshore 🤷‍♂️?).

-Apple Orchard? How ‘bout Brightonwoods near Burlington (I was just there and it is SOOOOO worth the trip…I’ll probably go back this weekend!)?

-A dare? I dare you to road trip to Brightonwoods Orchard for some far-out crazy cool apple varieties that I guarantee you’ve NEVER seen or tasted before! Yum!! 😊

-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).😊

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

Mornin’ All,

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

Wow! What a week of summer weather!! Umm…the weather may not necessarily stay that great this weekend. But so what! Break out the wool hats and scarves and socks and sweaters (and possibly rain gear) and BE the Milwaukeeans we are…hearty souls that laugh at the weather! Ha!! And, I may not be an expert, but I think Milwaukee’s Fall Colors are PEAK this weekend!!! Gotta get out there before it’s gone!!!!🍂🍁

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 27th, 28th, and 29th):

-Boerner Botanical Gardens wraps up “China Lights 2023” (bummer…but it’s been awesome!).

-Historic Downtown Greendale presents “Hallowings” (tons of carved pumpkins…adjacent to some awesome restaurants!).

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater wraps up its performances of “Parental Advisory” and “Country Sunshine: The Legendary Ladies of Nashville with Katie Deal”.

-Phantom Lake YMCA Camp in Mukwonago wraps up “The Hollows” Halloween experience. All proceeds benefit the YMCA’s mission and vision at Phantom Lake Camp.

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Dia de los Muertos (October 27th only) and continues “Fall Show: Earth–The Art of Nature” through November 5th (I Love Love Love our Domes!).

-Skylight Music Theatre wraps up its performances of “Candide” (a little Nystatin might help clear it out?).

-Lakeshore State Park presents “Hunter’s Moon Hike” (it’s on the… lakeshore).

-Badgerland Striders presents “Lakefront Discovery Run” 5K and 15K runs at Veterans Park (and it’s on the…lakefront🤷‍♂️).

-Milwaukee County Zoo presents…lots of COOL animals and beautiful Fall colors!🍁🍂🐻🦁🐮🐸🐒

-Milwaukee Public Museum presents “Halloween Hauntings” this weekend only. PLUS, this weekend is one of those extra cool Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon presentation weekends (Dark Side of the Moon in surround sound IMAX?? Oh YEAH!! “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day…”). 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! 🦋

-Second Hand Purrs presents “Clothing Sale Saturday” and “Halloween Donation Drive”. All proceeds go to help Second Hand Purrs rescue and care for AWESOME KITTIES (Maui wholeheartedly APROVES)!!!

-Discovery World presents “Curiosity Cube” (I guess that’s better than a gelatinous cube 🤷‍♂️…watch Disney’s “Onward” to see a gelatinous cube in action).

-“Jack-O’-Lantern Jubilee” at Red Arrow Park.🎃

-Racine Zoo presents “Hallowine” AND “Boo at the Zoo”, and wraps up “Jack-O’-Lantern Nights” (oooh…BIG weekend for the Racine Zoo and proceeds from all this awesome helps care for AWESOME animals!).

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (cuz I’m the Oogie Boogie Man…whoa oh, whoa oh).

-Milwaukee Ballet presents “Dracula”.🦇

-Milwaukee Art Museum 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”.🎨

-Racine Theatre Guild debuts “Seasonal Allergies” with performances through November 12th (achoo!).

-“Southshore Terrace Kitchen”, benefiting Milwaukee County Parks, continues at Southshore Park on Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront through November 5th. Farm to table AND gluten free options too (gluten free burger for me 🍔)!!!😃

-Sunset Playhouse continues performances of “Blithe Spirit” through November 5th.

-Christmas Carnival of Lights” (yes, you read that right 🤷‍♂️) at Jellystone Park in Caledonia continues through January 1st, 2024 (please tell me we’re not gonna start Holiday Music right now as well…let’s at least get to Thanksgiving with normal music…like Dark Side of the Moon 🌒?!).🎄

-First Stage (Theater) wraps up its performances of “Dream, Quickie! Dream!”.

-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!).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre debuts “Men on Boats” with performances through November 12th (how ‘bout cats on boats?).

-Waukesha Area Symphonic Band presents “Classic Favorites”.

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

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

-Milwaukee Admirals are at home against the Iowa Wild (wild…cats?).

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha debuts “Blithe Spirit” with performances through November 5th.

-Milwaukee Bucks are at home against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Atlanta Hawks.

-Milky Way Drive-In Theater wraps up its scary season at The Rock in Franklin with more scary movies including Coco (NOT scary…totally ADORABLE), and Haunted Mansion (grim grinning ghosts…).👻

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents “Full Moon Gong Bath & Sound Meditation”.🌕

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Flow Yoga”, “Family Full Moon Walk”, “Wehr Birders”, and “Guided Forest Bathing Walk” (can I give my gong a bath in the forest?).

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Day for Dogs” (hey, what about cats?).

-Retzer Nature Center wraps up “Scarecrow Lane”.

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Caminata de los Recuerdos”.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents…lots of cool hikes!

-Lapham Peak State Park presents “Fright Hike” (at night…😱).

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle presents “Wisconsin Beer Run”. 🍺🏃‍♂️

-UW Milwaukee Manfred Olsen Planetarium presents “Rooftop Stargazing” and “Searching for Life”.💫

-Farmers Market? West Allis is still going (getting late in the season…get there before it’s over!).

-Hike? How ‘bout Seven Bridges in Grant Park? Awesome Fall colors!

-A dare? I dare you to get lost in a used bookstore!

-Apple Orchard? How ‘bout Quednow’s Heirloom Apple Orchard for some truly funky and weird apple varieties?

-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).😊

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

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

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.

It has been a really long time since I’ve written anything other than a Milwaukee Happy Note. And this morning I guess I’m feeling a bit like it will be good for me to write. And what’s on my mind that I want to write about? Well…there’s a whole lot of tough stuff going on in the world. And all that tough stuff is really hard for me to take. Wars, politics, climate, people treating people badly, etc. The news is nothing but a plethora of horrible stuff (at least to me). I wonder if the news can find anything good going on in the world? Is good stuff going on in the world even newsworthy? Does good stuff in the world sell as easily and readily as bad stuff in the world? Does anyone want to hear of anything good going on in the world? Are we humans constantly drawn to the awful and the macabre at the expense of good stuff? If it’s good do we even care?

I wonder what would happen if the news focused more on good stuff happening? Would we all have a change of attitude? Would we all start to see some good in this world? Would we all start to focus on creating some good in this world? Would we perhaps start to enjoy our world a little more? Would we start to like and care for our sisters and brothers a little more? Would we start to see things that were always there but we were blind to?

Personally, I need to stop following the news. It is too painful for me. It causes me too much internal strife. It takes me too far away from what is good and joyful in my world. It causes me to lose too much hope. It causes me to not want to do anything except crave more BAD news. It causes me to fear and hate and be sad and be angry.

I don’t believe I am burying my head in the sand. I don’t believe I am choosing to be blind to the bad things in the world. I know that bad things exist, have always existed, and will continue to exist. The thing with the news, for me, is that the news makes me feel bad and sad about things that I am absolutely powerless to do anything about. I have to have Hope and Faith that good people in the right places at the right time are going to be able to do something about the things that I can do nothing about. I have things that I can do that have nothing to do with what the news is pumping into me. My feeling bad and sad about things I can’t do anything about only draws energy away from my personal purpose and the things that I CAN do something about. So, I need to focus my attention on my life and the things that I have power to change. The flip side is I need to make sure that my attention is not being drawn back to things that make me mad and sad that I CAN’T do anything about.

Maybe, just maybe, by redirecting my focus I will be the person I need to be for the life that surrounds me and that which I’m a part of. And maybe, just maybe, the news will come around to helping us all see some good in the world and maybe that will help us all to work for something better.

And that’s probably enough for Tuesday October 10th, 2023. Stay safe, stay healthy, keep the Faith, and please help your neighbors. We’re all in this together. We can go the distance. Don’t stop believing. Namaste.

Mornin’ All,

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

Fall. Ready or not, here we go! Cooler temperatures and shorter days are upon us this weekend (our days are likely still twenty four hours 🤷‍♂️). Last weekend’s summer-like weather was definitely a great transition for our first weekend of Fall but will likely be just a memory this weekend. And ya know what I say? AWESOME! BRING IT!! Let’s get the cozy Hygge ROLLIN’!!! And there’s SO MUCH AWESOME happening cuz we Milwaukeeans keep the AWESOME rollin’ no matter the weather!!!!

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 6th, 7th, and 8th):

-The Milwaukee Domes continues “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!).

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

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

-Waukesha Civic Theatre debuts “Natural Shocks” with performances through October 15th.

-The Milwaukee County Zoo wraps up its summer spectacle “Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age” (our Summer spectacle hath frozen over).

-The Milwaukee County Zoo also presents “Family Free Day” (no reason to say NO to the Zoo when it’s FREE!😊).

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha debuts “Madagascar Jr.” with performances through October 15th.

-The Milwaukee Public 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!🦋

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

-Discovery World presents “Sci-Fi Family Day” AND “Mermaid Echo Live”.

-“Jack-O’-Lantern Nights” continues at the Racine Zoo and runs 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).

-The Racine Zoo also presents “Old Fashioned Night” benefiting…really cool animals at the Racine Zoo!!!

-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.

-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.

-Second Hand Purrs presents “Fall Vendor/Craft Fair” at the South Milwaukee Knights of Columbus (Maui definitely approves!).

-Milwaukee Chamber Theatre wraps up “Laughs in Spanish”.

-“Milwaukee Oktoberfest” at Cathedral Square benefiting Milwaukee County Parks (and this Oktoberfest is actually in October!).

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

-“The Faire” at Prairie Hill Waldorf School in Pewaukee (I believe I know at least one of the artisan vendors personally).

-Marquette University Theater wraps up “A Piece of My Heart” (guess it’s falling to pieces after this weekend 🤷‍♂️?).

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Gershwin Celebration with Marcus Roberts Trio”.🎹🎹🎹

-Renaissance Theaterworks continues “Witch” with performances through November 12th (‘tis the season for witches?).

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

-“Shorewood Fish & Feather Festival” at Hubbard Park in Shorewood (fish with feathers 🤷‍♂️?).

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

-“Southshore Terrace Kitchen” is serving up some AWESOME at Southshore Park on Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront and, best of all, it benefits Milwaukee County Parks!

-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).

-“Canine Carnival” at the Pewaukee Sports Complex (once again, the felines get nothing…Maui does not approve 😾).

-Mt. Mary University’s Marian Art Gallery wraps up “Abrahm Guthrie-Potter: Marking the Season” (it’s FREE BTW).

-“Barktoberfest” at House of Harley Davidson benefiting Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (are we gonna get a Purrtoberfest???).

-“Southside Dining Week” wraps up this weekend with outstanding eats all over Milwaukee’s…Southside (as the name suggests 🤷‍♂️).

-“Fall Waukesha Art Crawl” in Downtown Waukesha (walk if you must).

-Milwaukee Admirals are starting up their season with a preseason game (their one and only preseason game) against the Chicago Wolves.

-Milwaukee Bucks are starting up their season as well and make their preseason debut at home against the Chicago Bulls (wow, quite a bit of Milwaukee/Chicago rivalry coming to Cream City this weekend!). Fear the Deer!!!

-Milky Way Drive-In Theater continues at The Rock in Franklin with more scary movies including “Ghostbusters” (I ain’t afraid of no ghost…).👻

-The Rock in Franklin also presents its way-too-scary-for-me “The Hill Has Eyes” which may be guaranteed to scare the crap out of you (it will scare the crap out of me) through October 29th (I think I’ll go see “Ghostbusters” instead…I ain’t afraid of no ghost…NOT!!!).💀

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Canoeing the Milwaukee River”, “Ozaukee Washington Bird Coalition BIG SIT” (I think it’s a birding thing where everyone…sits 🤷‍♂️?)”, “Autumn Acoustics Music Festival” (🎼🪕🎻🪈), and “Tree Climbing”.

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Meet the Trees” AND “Wehr Birders” (can I sit?).

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

-Urban Ecology Center presents “HKE MKE” AND “Take It Outside Day–Canoeing”.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Coffee Brews & Backyard Birds”, “Fall Family Canoe”(wow…will there be a family canoe meet-n-greet with the Urban Ecology Center and Riveredge?), “Raptor Saturday”, “Conservation Hike”, “Squirrely For Squirrels!”, “Word With a Bird” (what word will it be?), and “Literary Hike: Braiding Sweetgrass”.

-Lapham Peak State Park presents “The Colorama” 1K, 2.5K, 5K, and 10K runs and walks (how ‘bout ZeroK?).

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle debuts “Halloween Legends & Lore” with historic scary stuff through October 21st.

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout Oak Creek?

-Hike? How ‘bout Lake Vista Park in Oak Creek (awesome views of the Lake…which lake??? Umm…THE Lake 🤷‍♂️).

-A dare? How about take your shoes and socks off and feel some real grass under your feet?

-Apple Orchard? How ‘bout U-Pick apples at Pop’s Marketplace in Muskego. Make sure to stop in their store and check out all the gourmet popcorn flavors (umm…you might want to be careful with the popcorn with the cute baby dragon 🐉 on it…🥵🥵🥵).

-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.

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.

Greetings All,

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

First official weekend of Fall. And perhaps I shouldn’t admit this…I really like Fall! Cool, crisp evenings that inevitably lead to warm wool socks, comfy sweaters, hot apple cider, a cozy crackling fire, the most gorgeous nature scenes of the year with all manner of yellows and golds and oranges and crimson and scarlet, and a slowing of our pace that is therapy for my harried summer soul. Fall, the time of year when we Danes start to re-embrace Hygge (I love my Danish heritage!). Have I painted a picture? 🎃🍂🍁

And just because it’s Fall doesn’t mean that Milwaukee Awesome comes to an end. No way! We just take the party indoors!! For instance, theater season is full speed ahead this weekend!!!

We Milwaukeeans, though, are a hearty bunch! Just because it gets a little cold outside doesn’t mean we completely hide indoors. No way!! We just put on a few more layers and head out the door. We never stop just because there’s a little chill in the air!!!

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 22nd, 23rd, and 24th):

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 2023/2024 season this weekend with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (bum bum bum buuuuuuum!!!).

-Boerner Botanical Gardens presents “Meet The Artist—Laura Easey-Jones” this weekend only AND continues “China Lights 2023” with awesome nighttime lantern magic through October 29th.

-“Waukesha Oktoberfest” (in September 🤷‍♂️…in Waukesha 😊).

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Free Wellness Mini Fair–Yoga, Healing, and More” AND “Houseplant Hospital: Pesky Pests and Diseases with Chelotzin’s Dulce Duran” (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!).

-“Traditional Irish Music Session” at County Clare (in County Milwaukee 😊).

-Milwaukee County Zoo continues its summer spectacle “Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age” through October 7th (well, is it now considered a Fall spectacle 🤷‍♂️?).

-“Film on the Hill” at Tippecanoe Park.

-Milwaukee Public 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!🦋

-Lake Country Playhouse continues “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with performances through October 1st.

-“Greendale Hay Days” in Historic Downtown Greendale (hey, it’s Hay, not hey 🤪).

-“Deer District Summer Concert Series” (now in Fall 🤷‍♂️) continues with performances from Andrew David Weber (not to be confused with Andrew Lloyd Weber). In addition, Deer District presents “Milwaukee Makers Market” (Saturday only).

-Falls Patio Players debuts “Noises Off” with performances through October 1st.

-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 is participating in “Doors Open Milwaukee”. 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.

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha wraps up its performances of “Lombardi” this weekend (just in time for the Packers).

-“Fromm PetFest 2023” at Henry Maier Festival Park (hopefully there’s a little bit of stuff for kitties 🐈‍⬛ ???).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre continues “12 Angry Men” with performances through October 1st (oooh, why so angry?).

-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).

-Milwaukee Chamber Theatre debuts “Laughs in Spanish” with performances through October 8th (I’m working on my laughs in Danish).

-“Doors Open Milwaukee”. And what exactly is “Doors Open Milwaukee”? It’s 130+ Milwaukee buildings and sites that are opening their doors to visitors and it’s happening all around Downtown Milwaukee and beyond.

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

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

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

-“Harbor Fest” in Milwaukee’s Harbor District.

-Racine Theatre Guild continues “The Cemetery Club” with performances through October 1st.

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents “Gong Bath + Restorative Yoga” AND “Autumn Equinox Ceremony & Gong Sound Bath Meditation” (is there a difference between a gong bath and a gong sound bath 🤷‍♂️?).

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

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

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Yoga and Forest Bathing” AND “Sturgeon Fest @ Harbor Fest”.

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Flow Yoga” AND “Wehr Birders” (where? No…Wehr!).

-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.

-Retzer Nature Center debuts “Scarecrow Lane” with awesome decorated Fall hikes through October 31st AND “Apple Harvest Fest” (Saturday only).

-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.

-Sunset Playhouse wraps up its performances of “Dad’s Season Tickets” this weekend.

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Kayaking Adventure on the Menomonee River” AND is participating in “Doors Open Milwaukee”.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents “Acrylic Painting Workshop”, “Word With a Bird”, and is participating in “Doors Open Milwaukee”.

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents “Fall Bulb Sale”, “Medicinal Herbs/Herb Exploration”, “Abstract Sunflowers With Alcohol Ink”, and continues “Gleam” (kinda like their own version of China Lights…that’s less expensive).

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout Whitefish Bay?

-Hike? How ‘bout The Conservancy for Healing and Heritage in Franklin?

-Apple orchard? How ‘bout Awe’s in Franklin (have an apple cider doughnut for me). You can even pick your own apples (too much work for me…I just want to get to the eating of apples).

-A dare? I dare you to sit under a tree for ten full minutes without touching your mobile device (unless it’s to take an awesome photo that captures the moment).

-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.