Doc's Writing Refuge

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.

Mornin’ All,

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

Well…OK…Milwaukee Happy Note’s little July hiatus became a little longer than expected. Life just happens once in a while. And while it was a good summer a little unhappiness happened along the way. Sometimes we have to say goodbye to really good people. Sometimes those goodbyes are really unexpected. Sometimes those goodbyes are really painful. And sometimes we can find no good reasons for those goodbyes. We wish we could have done more in the time we had. But answers will never be forthcoming and onwards we inevitably must move. That moving forward can be incredibly painful yet life keeps moving us along. We try to stop from time to time to remember and hope that we can just maybe be a little bit better because of the people who have come into and subsequently exited from our lives. Can’t make sense of it…there is no sense to make of it (please let me know if you do make sense of it).

And now leaving us soon is that warm and happy time we call Summer. Meteorologically and climatologically this is the last full weekend of summer. Yep, we definitely have a few more summer hurrahs and huzzahs this weekend. Fall activities are definitely ramping up though. And one big awesome that’s ramping up this weekend is theater season! SOOO many theater debuts this weekend, and so much theater in general, all of which are poised to carry us through the inevitable indoor days and nights on the horizon (Hygge anyone?).

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 last-weekend-of-Summer things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of September 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2023):

-Boerner Botanical Gardens debuts “China Lights 2023” with awesome nighttime lantern magic through October 29th (it is ALWAYS SOOOO COOL!!!).

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater debuts “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.

-Milwaukee Domes presents “Fall in Love with Orchids 2023” this weekend only (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!).

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

-Milwaukee County Zoo continues its summer spectacle “Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age” through October 7th (no Dinos in this Dino Don production…maybe some saber toothed kitties 🐈‍⬛?).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre debuts “12 Angry Men” with performances through October 1st (how ‘bout 12 Happy Men 🤷‍♂️?).

-Brigg’s & Al’s Run & Walk (feel free to run AND walk all you want. Skipping? Umm…maybe not 🤷‍♂️?).

-Bay View Bash (in Bay View 😊).

-Lake Country Playhouse debuts “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” with performances through October 1st (great show…yes, I’m being serious 😊).

-MADACC’s Barktoberfest 2023 (how ‘bout Meowtoberfest 🤷‍♂️🐈‍⬛?).

-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 🦋?!

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha debuts “Lombardi” with performances through September 24th (perhaps it’s a Packer thing 🤷‍♂️?).

-Free Summer Night Movies in Historic Downtown Greendale’s Gazebo presents “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (final night of Free Summer Night Movies until next summer ☹️).

-Sunset Playhouse continues its performances of “Dad’s Season Tickets” through September 24th (wouldn’t be surprised if this is another Packer thing?).

-Food Truck Friday at the West Allis Farmer’s Market.

-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.

-Wine & Harvest Festival in Historic Downtown Cedarburg (wine not…or is it whine not 🤷‍♂️?).

-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 and wraps up its 2023 outdoor performances this weekend with its last two performances of “Lipstick Optional”.

-Discovery World presents “Mermaid Echo Live” AND “Milwaukee Makers Market”.

-Sunday Family Fun Day at the Northwestern Mutual Community Park (at Henry Maier Summerfest Park) featuring UW Milwaukee’s Manfred Olsen Planetarium (hmm…planetarium, stargazing, during the day…OK 🤷‍♂️?).

-Deer District Summer Concert Series continues with performances from Joe Wray (it’s still Summer this weekend 😎).

-Dog Days at the Lynden Sculpture Garden (I’m still holding out for Cat Days 🐈‍⬛).

-Milwaukee Art Museum continually presents its “Drop-In Art Making” and “Drop-In Tours” (including architectural tours highlighting the incredible Calatrava Bridge and Burke Brise Soleil) not to mention TOO many traveling AND permanent exhibits to mention with any level of detail and/or coherence (I wouldn’t know “fine art” if my life depended on it…not to mention I’m kinda partial to the cool little priceless paintings my niece makes for me 😊).

-Poetry at the Vista (Vista 59 Art Gallery and Botique that is).

-Marquette University’s Haggerty Museum of Art presents: “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).

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

-Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Washington Nationals (Brewers are still holding on in the NL Central 👍).

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents “Soul Care Sunday-Biomat Session” (I could use a little sole care).

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

-Riveredge Nature Center presents “Open Climb” tree climbing.

-Wehr Nature Center presents “Wehr Birders”.

-Urban Ecology Center presents “Yoga With Parisa” and “Menomonee Valley Native Plant Sale”.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: way TOO many awesome things to mention (might even be a “Word With a Bird”…and I still wonder what that word might be 🤷‍♂️)!!!

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents “Gleam” (kinda like their own version of China Lights).

-Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville presents “Sunday Classics Summer Music” (still rockin’ Summer in Janesville…in a Classic sort of way).

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout West Allis?

-Hike? How ‘bout Greenfield Park in West Allis (there are parks in Greenfield but they’re not Greenfield Park).

-Apple Orchard? How ‘bout Apple Holler near Racine?

-A Dare? I dare you to go outside and blow bubbles!

-A cool website? How ‘bout BirdCast Migration Dashboard that provides real time data on the number of birds migrating over a given area (such as Milwaukee County). BirdCast even gives altitude, speed, and likely species! It’s so COOL!!!

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

Fourth week of summer and this weekend really IS summer (meteorologically, climatologically, psychologically, metaphorically, categorically, etc.)! And does it feel like summer? Heck yeah! And ya know what else? It’s time for THE big one. Three weekends of absolute summer awesome. A fifty five year Milwaukee tradition that STILL rocks. Music, food, shopping, drinks, lakefront, fireworks, and tons of good vibes. I’m talkin’ ‘bout none other than SUMMERFEST! THE BIG GIG!! Let the massively good times roll…umm, ROCK N ROLL!!!

Milwaukee, in my humble opinion, is THE BEST little big city because it just so happens to be packed with tons of mega big city cool! So are you interested in a few Milwaukee (Summer) weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of June 23rd, 24th, and 25th):

-Summerfest!!!

-ART HEIST! at the Milwaukee County Historical Society.

-Greek Fest at State Fair Park (Opa!).

-Water Street Dance MKE presents Illuminate at the Broadway Theatre Center.

-Latino Arts, Inc. debuts The Big Idea X: A Decade of Creative Treasures (art gallery) with open gallery viewings through August 18th.

-Lake Country Clean Water Festival in Pewaukee.

-Scandinavian Midsommar Celebration at The Bavarian Bierhaus (hmm, will there be Bavarian/German bier at the Swedish/Scandinavian get-together?).

-Railfest at East Troy Railroad Museum (don’t play chicken with a train…just sayin’🤷‍♂️).

-Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg (and it’s FREE…unless you wish to eat or drink).

-Bayshore Sounds of Summer presents Five Card Studs (and it’s FREE!).

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

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

-Fitness in the Park Yoga (and it’s FREE!).

-Milwaukee Domes continues its summer Show Dome spectacle DinoDomes through September 10th.

-Milwaukee Zoo continues its summer spectacle Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age through October 7th.

-Racine Zoo’s Zoorific Saturday this weekend is all about World Giraffe Day AND there’s even Breakfast With a Giraffe!

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

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.

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

-Milwaukee Milkmen are at home against the Kane County Cougars (and it’s CHEAP!). Extra special fun includes Fireworks, Western Days, and Roc’N Pink! For Breast Cancer Awareness.

-Kenosha Kingfish are at home against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (don’t they make Apple Jacks in Battle Creek?).

-Lakeshore Chinooks are at home against the Wausau Woodchucks and the Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders (I am not fond of spiders).

-Lake Country Dockhounds are at home against the Cleburne Railroaders. Extra special fun: Margaritaville Weekend!

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents Dreamcatcher Weekend AND Soul Care Sunday.

-Riveredge Nature Center presents: Intermediate Milwaukee River Kayaking; Green Thumb Gathering; Traditional Anishinaabe Beading Workshop 101–Lazy Stitch; CRP Milwaukee River Kayak; Plant Medicine Walk; and Riveredge Bike Ride.

-Urban Ecology Center presents Finding Frogs (what happens when you find one?).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: Buzzing Bees Finding Flowers; Word With a Bird; and Fossil Finds (what happens if you find a fossil?).

-Lapham Peak State Park presents Feel the Burn 5K Run/Walk (I feel the burn just thinking about it…it is a peak after all).

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle presents Brews & Bites Beer Picnic with New Glarus Brewery. Proceeds benefit Old World Wisconsin and The Wisconsin Historical Society (yep, this is a beer thing).

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents: Midwest Home Garden Design–1830 to the Present; and Sala Thai Festival.

-Beer Garden? How ‘bout South Shore Park? You might even catch a glimpse of Summerfest. Please know that proceeds from all Milwaukee County Park Beer Gardens benefit the Milwaukee County Park System (it’s a gem of a park system and it’s all too easy for tax funding to be diverted away from maintaining our beautiful and beneficial parks).

-Hike? How ‘bout hiking along the (paved) Oak Leaf trail that passes along the Lakefront right through South Shore Park (and the Beer Garden!)?

-Farmers’ Market? How ‘bout the South Shore Farmers’ Market in South Shore Park (right near the Beer Garden!)?

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

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

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

Doc

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

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

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

Mornin’ All,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Lakefront Festival of Art at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Juneteenth Kenosha Festival and Cancer Walk.

-Kenosha Lakefront Run.

-Kenosha Art Market at Union Park.

-Taco Fest at the Henry Maier Festival Park.

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

-15th Annual Great Midwest Book Fest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Milwaukee County Grounds/Sanctuary Woods Forest Tour.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doc

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

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

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

Mornin’ All,

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

Second week of summer (don’t ask a meteorologist) and we are movin’ groovin’ with some of the best Milwaukee weather ever. Yes, we can certainly use some rain (my grass is a little crispy and I have to imagine that our farmer sisters and brothers are getting a little nervous about their crops…fingers crossed there is rain in the forecast for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday 🤞). But hey, getting out and enjoying what we have is something we can do to honor the moment. And some wonderful Milwaukee moments are ahead this weekend!😃

Milwaukee, in my humble opinion, is THE BEST little big city that happens to be packed with tons mega big city cool! So are you interested in a few Milwaukee (Summer) weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of June 9th, 10th, and 11th):

-Milwaukee Domes presents the debut of their summer Show Dome spectacle DinoDomes which runs through September 10th (🦖🦕).

-Skylight Music Theater wraps up its performances of The Song of Bernadette and continues its performances of SuperYou through June 18th (see you at the Friday Night SuperYou performance).

-Milwaukee Zoo continues its summer spectacle Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age through October 7th (I couldn’t find a wooly mammoth emoji 🤷‍♂️).

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents Jupiter & Serenade (too much gravity on Jupiter for a proper serenade…how ‘bout the Moon instead?).

-Polish Fest at Henry Maier Festival Park (is that where I can find my stolen kishka?).

-Milwaukee Ballet wraps up its performances of Encore (I guess one can only do so many encores).

-Racine Zoo’s Zoorific Saturday this weekend is all about African Penguin Awareness Day (wear a tuxedo?).

-Sunset Playhouse continues its performances of Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web through June 18th (I’m not much into arachnids).

-Discovery World presents Gross Out Day (gross…spiders?).

-Milwaukee Water Lantern Festival at Veterans Park (I’ve heard this can be quite moving emotionally).

-Writing Haiku as Sacred Art at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine.

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

-“Juneteenth: Faith and Freedom” Documentary Film at Milwaukee Film.

-MKE Black’s Summer Marketplace at The Deer District.

-Locust Street Festival.

-Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove presents It’s My Party: Hits of the ‘50s & ‘60s (I’ll cry if I want to…).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre continues its performances of Bloom through June 18th.

-Sendiks Brats/Burgers + Almost Home Cat Rescue Fundraiser at Sendiks in Greenfield (Maui approves of cat rescue fundraisers).

-Lake Country Playhouse presents Making God Laugh (🙏🤣).

-Second Saturdays in Downtown Kenosha (not to be outdone by First Fridays in Downtown Racine).

-Racine Heritage Walking Tour (if you prefer Racine over Kenosha).

-Downtown Racine Mini-Golf Pub Crawl (that sounds like a good reason to visit Racine).

-Village Playhouse debuts The 38th Annual Original One Act Festival at Interchange Theater with performances through June 18th.

-Relay For Life of Racine.

-Capuchin Walk for the Hungry at Polish Fest/Henry Maier Festival Park.

-Run For the World (benefiting The Salvation Army World Service Office) at Juneau Park.

-Grant’s Glitter Movement 5K at Grant Park.

-Healthy County Challenge: Golf & FootGolf 101 at Zablocki Park (I can barely hit a golf ball with a club much less my foot…oh, duh, footgolf uses a soccer ball. Can I use a club?).

-Kettle Moraine 100 Endurance Runs (100 miles or 100 runs?).

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

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

-Art 64 in Downton Tosa (and it’s FREE!).

-Northern Moraine Spring Art Tour (and it’s FREE!).

-Whole Bead Show at the Wisconsin Center (and it’s FREE!).

-Bayshore Sounds of Summer: Motown & Legends of Soul (and it’s FREE!).

-Friday Night Live in Downtown Waukesha (and it’s FREE!).

-Historic Third Ward Tour (and it’s FREE!).

-Free Movie in Historic Downtown Greendale’s Gazebo Park (Top Gun: Maverick…oh, and it’s FREE!).

-Free Yoga Class for the Milwaukee Community at Invivo Wellness (and, yes, it’s FREE!).

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

-Yoga For All at the Shorewood Public Library.

-Summer Yoga at Discovery World.

-Tootsie at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

-Tosa City Scavenger Hunt in Downtown Tosa.

-Burger & Custard Capital of the World–Custard Tour departing from Downtown Milwaukee.

-Tacos and Tequila Bus Tour (how ‘bout a Tijuana Taxi instead of a bus?).

-Glacial Hills Wine Tour at Cedar Creek Winery in Cedarburg.

-Milwaukee Torrent FC (football…umm, I mean soccer) is at home against the Quad Cities Rush (and it’s CHEAP!).

-Milwaukee Brewers are at home against the Oakland A’s.

-Milwaukee Milkmen are at home against the Sioux City Explorers (and it’s CHEAP!). Special extra FUN stuff includes: 70’s Music Night; Fireworks; TV Land Trivia; and TV Character Costume Contest!

-Kenosha Kingfish are at home against the Green Bay Rockers (and it’s CHEAP!). There’s even fireworks after the game on Saturday night!

-Lakeshore Chinooks are at home against the Madison Mallards (Sunday only).

-Riveredge Nature Center presents: The Frothy Forage Beer, Wine, and Cider Festival; Beginner Milwaukee River Kayaking; and Tree Climbing Club.

-Wehr Nature Center presents: Wehr Birders; and Reptile Day (that’s way better than arachnid day).

-Urban Ecology Center presents Camping Basics.

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: Saturday Morning Bird Walk; Native Plant Sale; Spring Watercolor Workshop; Word With a Bird; Photo Club; Incredible Insects and Friends; Literary Hike–The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohleben; and Beach Exploration.

-Lapham Peak State Park presents Nature Photography.

-Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest presents: Light Up The Night Drop-In Craft; The Great Ice Age; Guided Hike to Scuppernong Springs; and Frogs, Tadpoles and Frogs, Oh My!

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents: Summer Pollinator Plant Sale; and Bird Photography.

-Beer Garden? How ‘bout the Traveling Beer Garden that’s still at Froemming Park in Franklin? There’s even live music! Please know that proceeds from all Milwaukee County Park Beer Gardens benefit the Milwaukee County Park System (it’s a gem of a park system and it’s all too easy for tax funding to be diverted away from maintaining our beautiful and beneficial parks).

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout Oak Creek Town Center? BTW, it’s really close to Froemming Park in Franklin (just sayin’ 🤷‍♂️).

-Hike? How ‘bout the (paved) Root River/Oak Leaf Trail at Froemming Park in Franklin? Beer and a hike?

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

Happy first weekend of Summer (mentally but not meteorologically/climatologically/chronologically). And holy crap it feels like summer!

Sunshine!! Heat!!! Love it!!!!

And Summer in Milwaukee is something to absolutely be relished (relish on a hot dog bun complete with a grilled hot dog ain’t too bad either…just sayin’). Summers are short but they’re packed with so much awesome that we need Fall to recover from it all!!

Interested in a few Milwaukee (Summer) weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few (major understatement) Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th):

-Free Fun Weekend at ALL Wisconsin State Parks, Forests, AND Trails! Even fishing is free with no license required!!

-Milwaukee County Zoo presents Dino Don’s Journey to the Ice Age (runs all Summer…umm, no…creeps along all Summer…like a glacier? Ice age?? 🤷‍♂️).

-Downtown Dining Week kicks off with awesome meal deals all over town (gluten free for me please!).

-Sunset Playhouse debuts Agatha Christie’s Spider’s Web with performances through June 18th (I’m not a fan of spiders 🕷️🕸️…or other eight legged land critters like ticks…😱🤮).

-Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Oak Creek Summer Kickoff at Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek (I’ve never wrestled a rock…).

-CrusherFest (ya know…Da Crusher???) in South Milwaukee (not to take anything away from Oak Creek’s wrestling with rocks…maybe there’ll be rock crushing?).

-Waukesha Civic Theatre debuts Bloom with performances through June 18th.🌸

-Shamanic Pranayama Journey at Everyday Bliss in Waukesha.

-Dollhouse and Miniature Show at the Waukesha Expo Center (all things small? Small admission too??).

-Friday Night Live in Downtown Waukesha (umm, there’s awesome gelato in Downtown Waukesha…just sayin’).

-Jammin’ on Janesville in Muskego (Janesville Road…not the city of Janesville).

-West Allis A La Carte (hmm, sounds French).

-Pridefest at the Summerfest Grounds and Pride Parade.🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

-Law Enforcement Charity Ride departing from the House of Harley Davidson.

-East Side Makers Market.

-2023 Milwaukee Regional Pokemon Championship (seriously, there’s $65,000 in prize money at stake!😱).

-Downtown Racine First Fridays (don’t know what happens on all the other Fridays 🤷‍♂️).

-Racine Heritage Walking Tour at the Racine Heritage Museum (any heritage walks on any other Fridays in Racine? Probably not?? First Fridays only???).

-Skylight Music Theater continues performances of The Song of Bernadette (through June 11th) AND SuperYou (through June18th).

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

-Milwaukee Zoo presents Scouting The Zoo (as in Scout stuff…like what Scouts do).

-Milwaukee Admirals are at home against the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Calder Cup Playoffs!!!).

-Scottish Fest Highland Games at Croatian Park in Franklin (haggis??? Will Patty ‘O Highlander need to break out a kilt???).

-Five Fifty Fifty 5K (for Mental Health Awareness) at Veterans Park.

-Ray of Hope Run/Walk for Ovarian Cancer Cure at Hoyt Park in Tosa.

-UPAF Ride for the Arts (don’t ride over any art…unless it’s rideable art?).

-Free Sunday Yoga at Cathedral Square Park.

-Yoga at the Terrace (Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum that is).

-Danceworks Performance MKE presents “Small But Mighty” at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center (mighty small dances?).

-Third Ward Tour (in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward…unless there’s been some false advertising).

-Bay View Tour at Historical Marker 275 in Bay View (no idea where Marker 275 is…other than it’s in Bay View?🤷‍♂️).

-Bay View Gallery Night at the Bindery (is it close to Marker 275?).

-Bay View Gallery Night (in general…and all over Bay View).

-Port Festival of the Arts in Downtown Port Washington.

-Bloody Mary Brunch Street Car (the Hop) Tour departing from the Milwaukee Public Market.

-Racine Theatre Guild wraps up its performances of Sweeney Todd (scary…Stephen Sondheim never ceases to…amaze???🤷‍♂️).

-Milwaukee Ballet debuts Encore with performances through June 11th (Bravo! Wait, no…Encore!!).

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

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

-Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents Uptown Nights (in Downtown Milwaukee).

-(Milwaukee) County Grounds Park Tracks & Trails Tour.

-Gourmet Mac-N-Cheese Dinner Train at East Troy Railroad Museum (cheezy trains).

-Sound Healing Workshop at Kind Oasis in Milwaukee.

-ASAHI (Nordic Wellness) @ County Grounds Park–A Simple and Healthy Idea.

-Pop Up: Good Karma Class at Firefly Yoga Loft in Tosa.

-Kenosha Kingfish are at home against the Traverse City Pit Spitters and the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (I wouldn’t spit anything at a Battle Jack).

-Lakeshore Chinooks are at home against the Madison Mallards. AND, on Saturday night it’s Gill Toothbrush Holder Bobblehead Night AND free tickets for dental professionals!!!

-Lake Country Dockhounds are at home against the Winnipeg Goldeyes along with a full weekend of Fairytale Adventures.

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents Donation Meditation.

-Riveredge Nature Center presents: Yoga & Forest Bathing; and Fairy Fest (bathe before or after yoga?).

-Wehr Nature Center presents their annual Native Plant Sale Fundraiser (most of the plants are actually perennials…not annuals).

-Urban Ecology Center presents Party in the Park (who doesn’t like a good party in a park?).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: Family Canoeing; Raptor Saturday; I Spy Critters; Exploring Close-up and Macro Photography; and Word With a Bird (Bird is the Word…I heard).

-Lapham Peak State Park presents The Geology of Lapham Peak (is it a mountain peak??? Check out the lecture and you too will be in the know).

-Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest presents: Frogs, Tadpoles and Toads, Oh My!; Hiking for Beginners; Makin’ Tracks Drop-In Program; Guided Hike to Oleson Cabin and Lime Kiln Trail; and Beautiful Butterflies (lime kiln??? Is that where people cook limes???).

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison presents their annual Summer Pollinator Plant Sale (probably perennials (again) and not actually annuals).

-Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville presents Saturday Morning Yoga with Aime (if there could only be a goat).

-Beer Garden? How ‘bout the Traveling Beer Garden at Froemming Park in Franklin (yes, this is a beer thing and it helps support our beautiful Milwaukee County Parks).

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout Historic Downtown Greendale and the debut of their 2023 Downtown Market (it’s really close to the Traveling Beer Garden in Franklin…just sayin’).

-Hike? How ‘bout hiking around Greendale on the (many) historic green space trails all over town?

-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!! Big one this Weekend!!! 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 Friday, Happy (almost) Weekend, and Happy End of the Week!😃

Graduation, graduation, graduation. Not much more to say. However, there are MANY things going on in Milwaukee this weekend that are not related to graduation. Parents in town for graduation weekend? Not sure what to do (besides graduate)? Interested in a few (non-graduation) Milwaukee weekend things to do? Well, without further ado here are a few Milwaukee weekend things for you (weekend of May 19th, 20th, and 21st).

-Milwaukee Domes continues its Spring Show: Metamorphosis–The Lives of Frogs and Butterflies through May 29th (still holding out for toads 🐸).

-Lakeside Players of Kenosha presents Charlotte’s Web (keep the butterflies away from that web).

-Lager & Friends at the Bavarian Bierhaus (umm, yes, this is a beer thing).

-Skylight Music Theater debuts The Song of Bernadette with performances through June 11th.

-Next Act Theater wraps up its performances of God’s Spies (if God sees all then why need spies?🤷‍♂️).

-Discovery World presents: Fish Mosaics; Animal Encounters; Kohl’s Design It! Lab Open (encounter a fish mosaic?🤷‍♂️).

-Bel Canto Chorus presents Brahms German Requiem (hmm, requiems are always fun?).

-Racine Theatre Guild debuts Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with performances through June 4th.

-The Florentine Opera presents The Barber of Seville (demon barber?🤷‍♂️).

-Marquette’s Haggerty Museum of Art wraps up its presentation of Tomas Saraceno: Entangled Air through May 21st.

-Armed Forces Day Celebration at the Harley Davidson Museum.

-Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove presents Disney’s 101 Dalmatians Kids (too many dalmatians for my house…Maui does not approve).

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

-Herbal Medicine for Chronic Health Conditions at Profoundly Peaceful Massage & Healing.

-Big Truck Roundup at Red Arrow Park.

-Almost Home Cat Rescue Bowling Fundraiser at Classic Lanes in Oak Creek.

-Janesville Renaissance Faire (oh, jolly good!).

-Racine Zoo’s Zoorific Saturday Endangered Species Day.

-Sail Away Gala, presented by WGIRLS Milwaukee, benefiting Milwaukee Diaper Mission.

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

-Spring Bayshore Makers Market.

-Puppy Patio Party (benefiting War Dogs Milwaukee) at the Explorium Brew Pub in Greendale (lots of gluten free food…including wings!!).

-Fight For Air Climb at Am Fam Field benefiting the American Lung Association (just…breathe).

-Savage Support (For Breast Cancer Patients) Savage Speakeasy Annual Gala at Historic Downtown Greendale’s 1930s refurbished police and fire station (doesn’t sound like Al Capone would want to be at a Gala in a police station?🤷‍♂️).

-Poetry at the Vista…Vista 59 Art Gallery that is (yeah, I don’t think any of my poetry will be worthy in case you were wondering and/or worried).

-Milwaukee Repertory Theater continues its performances of The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Whitney Houston Tribute through May 28th.

-Carthage (College) Philharmonic Concert.

-Milwaukee Admirals are still in the Calder Cup Playoffs!!!

-Milwaukee Torrent FC (football…umm, I mean soccer) is at home against Ehtar Belleville FC at Hart Park in Tosa.

-Milwaukee Milkmen are at home against the Cleburne Railroaders. Special events include Armed Forces Celebration AND Chihuahuas in the Park (bring your own chihuahua).

-Angelic Roots in Oak Creek presents: Reiki Level I Class; Donation Meditation benefiting Hunger Task Force; and Soul Care Sunday.

-Riveredge Nature Center presents: Bird Walk (with Paul); Open Climb (tree climbing); and Paddling from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico-Mississippi Adventure.

-Wehr Nature Center presents Birding With Paul (in case you missed Paul at Riveredge).

-Schlitz Audubon Nature Center presents: Saturday Morning Bird Walk (with Paul…same Paul from Riveredge and Wehr); Spring Drawing Workshop; Nature Preschool Pop-up Shop & Auction; Wildflower Hike; Word With a Bird (with Paul?🤷‍♂️); Snail, Paddle, & Pull; Birding Exploration; Bird Photography Workshop; and Following the Frog Chorus.

-Urban Ecology Center presents: Take It All Sale!; Paint & Hike-Spring Watercolors; and Native Plant Sale.

-Lapham Peak State Park presents Bees and Beekeeping (it will be all abuzz).

-Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest presents: Frogs, Tadpoles and Toads, Oh My!; S’More Stories; Hike To Big Hill (how big is it?); The Great Ice Age (how great was it?); and Hiking for Beginners.

-Old World Wisconsin in Eagle presents Goat Yoga (wouldn’t be weekend without goat yoga).

-Olbrich Botanical Gardens presents Badger Bonsai Society Annual Exhibit (not banzai).

-Farmer’s Market? How ‘bout West Allis?

-Hike? After shopping at the West Allis Farmer’s Market how ‘bout driving a little west to Greenfield Park (BTW, Greenfield Park is not in Greenfield)?

-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: The Milwaukee Happy Note will be taking a wellness break on Friday May 26th and will return on Friday June 2nd.

PPS: If you like The Milwaukee Happy Note would you consider having it delivered directly to your inbox each week (I receive zero financial compensation for subscriptions)? If so there’s a few things to fill out at the bottom of the page and WordPress will do the rest. Just know, as this is my blog page/creative writing outlet I sometimes post things that are not 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.