INSIDER’S GUIDE
Places to Go, Things to Do, People to See…
Sharon Lynne Wilson Center
We love performances the Wilson Center any time of year, but there’s something about the Starry Nights Concert Series that officially sets the tone for summer. Every Friday night at 6:30 pm from June 28th-August 9th the Gerlach/Haack Outdoor Theater is the place to be in Brookfield for live music in a beautiful park-like setting. Guests are welcome to sit on the grass, bring their own lawn chairs, or rent picnic tables from the Wilson Center. Purchase food from a rotating selection of food trucks, and beverages from an outdoor bar, or bring your own basket of goodies. *Note, there is no concert on July 19th.
June 28- Cold Sweat and The Brew City Horns
July 5- Wisconsin Philharmonic
July 12- Rockin’ Robins & Classic Car Show
NO concert July 19
July 26- B.D. Greer and The Gents
August 2-5 Card Studs
August 9-Irish Fest Sampler
For additional information, visit wilson-center.com
Milwaukee County Zoo
What’s your favorite zoo animal? For me, it’s a toss-up between the Hippos and the North American River Otters. All that cavorting around in the water just makes me smile. There’s never a bad time to visit the zoo, but there are a few special days that might influence your decision.
May 12- Free admission for moms
June 16- Free admission for dads
June 30- Free admission for military, veterans, and their families
July 4- $4 admission for everyone
August 15-18- A La Carte at the Zoo- stroll the zoo while enjoying special food and beverage selections, and live music.
For more ticket information, restrictions and pricing, visit milwaukeezoo.org
Fun Fact- Contrary to popular belief, only Sea Otters hold hands in the water. North American River Otters do not.
Milwaukee Brewers
If there is an official game of summer, it’s definitely baseball. And we are lucky to have a MLB team right in our back yard. When you book your tickets, pay attention to the “theme” games, giveaways, and special pricing like Wisconsin First Friday, where WI residents get 50% off tickets, the $9 Student Special or Kids & Seniors Discount Day. Now get out there and root for the home team!
May
May 27-31- Brewers vs Cubs
May 31-June 1- Brewers vs White Socks
June
June 10-12- Brewers vs Blue Jays
June 14-16- Brewers vs Reds
June 24-26- Brewers vs Rangers
June 28-30- Brewers vs Cubs
July
July 9-11- Brewers vs Pirates
July 12-14 Brewers vs Nationals
July 26-28- Brewers vs Marlins
July 29-31- Brewers vs Braves
August
August 9-12- Brewers vs Reds
August 12-15- Brewers vs LA Dodgers
August 16-18- Brewers vs Guardians
August 27-29- Brewers vs Giants
Wisconsin State Fair
It is never, I repeat never too early to start considering your State Fair food-on-a-stick options. This year’s fair held August 1-11, 2024 has one of the best slate of headliners we’ve seen in a while, with acts to please everyone.
August 1- Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias
August 3- Yung Gravy with Nicky Youre
August 5- Casting Crowns with Tauren Wells
August 6- Kidz Bop Live 2024
August 7- Riley Green with Avery Anna
August 9- Lauren Daigle with Andrew Ripp
August 10- Foreigner with Melissa Etheridge
August 11- Happy Together Tour
New vendors for 2024 haven’t been announced yet, so you’ll have to check back for new fair foods and the “Sporkie” contestants, but in the mean time you can dream about the cream puffs. Remember, the “Drinkies” competition launched in 2023, so you’ll want to leave room for a beverage or two…. (All 2023 Drinkies entries were non-alcoholic, so everyone can taste and enjoy.) Keep an eye on wistatefair.com for the latest news.
Festivals
Milwaukee is known as the “City of Festivals” for good reason! Not a month goes by without a celebration. Our friends over at visitmilwaukee.org publish a great calendar that lists allll the fests and festivals, but here are some of our suggestions. Shameless plug: After a great day at the festivals, come on out to Brookfield. Our 11 hotels are waiting to welcome you.
May
May 3- HOG Fest 2024
May 31-6-2- Festa Italiana
June
June 7-9- Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Fest
June 14-16- Polish Fest
June 14-16- Lakefront Festival of the Arts
June 20-22- Summerfest Weekend #1
June 22-23- Cedarburg Strawberry Festival
June 27-29- Summerfest Weekend #2
July
July 4-6- Summerfest Weekend #3
July 11-14- Bastille Days
July 21- Armenian Fest
July 28-28 Germanfest
August
August 1-11- State Fair
August 10- MKE Dragon Boat Festival
August 18- Puerto Rican Festival of WI
August 15-18- A La Carte at the Zoo
August 15-18- Irish Fest
August 23-24- Fresh Coast Jazz Festival
August 23-24- Country in the Burg
August 23-24- Mexican Fiesta
I always learn something new when I write these guides. Last time it was Skijoring, and I thought nothing could top that. Well, hold my old fashioned, because I have got a good one for you.
QWERTYFEST.
Yep, you read that correctly, and if you’re thinking, “QWERTY like the top line of my keyboard QWERTY?” You would be correct again. And, because I know you won’t believe me otherwise, I’m going to take this directly from the qwertyfest website (yes, there’s a website, and a Facebook page and an Instagram account).
Mark your calendars: QWERTYFEST MKE 2024
Friday, June 21- Opening night party at Turner Hall
Saturday, June 22- All day events at Mitchell St. Arts, and after party
Sunday, June 23- National Typewriter Day with activities at various locations.
There’s more….
QWERTYFEST MKE takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin- THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE TYPEWRITER AND THE QWERTY KEYBOARD CONFIGURATION.
What??
Did you know this? I’ve lived in Wisconsin all my life; how did I not know this? I headed to Google for verification, double sourced it, and I’ll be darned; The first typewriter to be commercially successful was patented in 1868 by Americans Christopher Latham Sholes, Frank Haven, Carlos Glidden and Samuel W. Soule in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
And the QWERTY keyboard? Sholes realized that the levers in the type basket would jam when he arranged the levers in alphabetical order. But he also realized that the typewriters of the day were mechanically slower than a reasonably quick typist could type, so the keyboard was arranged to slow the typist down. That’s why common letters like a, s, and e are used by the 3rd and 4th finger of the left hand. Fun fact: France does NOT use the QWERTY keyboard. They use AZERTY because it’s more efficient for typing in the French language. It’s a fun rabbit hole-enjoy at your own pace.
Harley Homecoming
July 25-28
Back when I was young, fun and could stay up past 10 on the weekends, Harley anniversary bashes would only happen once every 5 years. (Frankly, it took us that long to recover.). But now like all good anniversaries, you can plan on Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival happening every year. And boy, is this year going to be good….
For starters, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jelly Roll and Hardy will headline a 2-day festival at Veteran’s Park.
Visitors 12 and up can get an insiders look at Harley’s production with a self-guided tour of the Powertrain Operation from 9-3 July 25-27. The factory will be open on July 25, and employees will be on hand. There are some additional requirements for this tour (like fully enclosed shoes, eye and ear protection). Visit hdhomecoming.com for tickets and other information.
The museum will also be open and along with the regular exhibits, there will be concerts, bike shows and other activities. Entrance to the museum requires a ticket purchase, but other events are free.
New for 2024 is Davidson Park. This 5.8 acre site is phase 1 of a revisioning of the west side of Harley’s campus. Open July 25-28 from 11am-6pm, the park will be the starting point for an historical walking tour plus free concerts, food and beverages for purchase throughout the festival. Check out hdhomecoming.com for more details.
One thing…you won’t want to miss the legendary closing parade through downtown Milwaukee because this won’t be repeated until 2028.
The Harley Davidson website promises a family friendly setting for riders and non-riders, with plenty of food and beverages and custom merchandise. We’re in!
American Family Field
You can catch a great event at Am Fam Field a lot easier than you can catch a fly ball. Check out these fun summer happenings.
Kenny Chesney Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour- June 22, 2024
Featuring performances by Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Uncle Kracker
Field of Sweet Dreams- August 2, 2024
Bring your camping gear and spend the night at the stadium! Fun for the whole family under the stars as the entire Field Level becomes a campground.
Green Day The Saviors Tour- August 24, 2024
Featuring performances by The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and The Linda Lindas
City of Brookfield Summer Concert Series
Bring your lawn chair and spend some time outside, enjoying live music at Civic Plaza. These free Wednesday concerts begin at 12, and end at 1-just enough time to have lunch and get back to work! The concert series begins Wednesday, June 5th, and runs through Wednesday, August 14th.
June 5- BobbyWay
June 12-Jenny Thiel Trio
June 19-“Special K” Kevin Kennedy
June 26-Andrew David Weber
July 10- Marcell
July 17- Gene Gruber
July 24- John Rouse
July 31-Geoff Landon
August 7-Super Dave
August 14-Downtown Harrison
The City of Brookfield also hosts 3 evening concerts in Civic Plaza from 7-8:15pm. The event is free, but do bring your lawn chair if you’d like to sit.
June 5- BobbyWay & the FabulousWayouts
July 10- Our House
August 7- North Coast Orchestra
But wait, there’s more! Milwaukee 365 is a great resource for summer happenings in the city. Visit them online for details on each event.
Milwaukee Night Market
Described as a mashup of art, craft and food vendors, live art creation, local music and a beer garden. Organized by The Westown Association. The event runs monthly- June 26, July 24, August 14, and September 11 from 5-10 pm on Wisconsin Avenue between 2nd St. and Vel R Phillips Ave. Sounds like fun! Visit mkenightmarket.com for more information.
2024 MKE Air & Water Show
One of the top air shows in the country, The MKE Air & Water show brings the thrill of aerial aerobatics in a family-friendly environment. Featuring the US Air Force Thunderbirds. This free event runs July 27 & 28. Visit mkeairwatershow.com for show times.
Craft Shows, Makers Markets and More
Crafters gonna craft, and makers gonna make, no matter what season it is! We’ve rounded up some area markets that you might want to check out for a variety of unique and handmade items.
May
May 19- Milwaukee Makers Market
May 26- Maxwell Spring Street Days
June
June 1- Holy Hill Art Farm
June 2- Greenfield Makers Market
June 8- Celebrate Dad’s Craft and Vendor Fair
June 8- Mukwonago Maxwell Street Days
June 15- Richfield Art at the Mill
June 16- Milwaukee Father’s Day Makers Market
June 22- Cedarburg Strawberry Festival
July
July 7- Greenfield Summer Makers Market
July 14- Maxwell Summer Street Days
July 20- Mukwonago Maxwell Street Days
July 28- Milwaukee Makers Market
August
August 17- Mukwonago Maxwell Street Days
August 18- Milwaukee Makers Market
