Wednesdays at the Shell
One of the perks of being a city dweller is our access to free and fun entertainment. Every summer the park by our house, Washington Park has a weekly event called Wednesdays at the Shell. A couple years ago Kyle and I saw one of the best musical performances ever - the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra with the Guffs, a local Milwaukee band. To say it was phenomenal would be an understatement. The combination of classical music with an indie band was so beautiful.
That same summer we also saw one of Kyle's favorite bands, the now defunct Northern Room.
Washington Park is actually the site of Milwaukee's original zoo from the early 1900's so it is pretty neat walking around the park wondering what it was like back in the day. Over the years the park fell into a bleak state but Harley Davidson started funding repairs and now it is a neat gathering spot and helps develop a great sense of community. Harley repaired and painted the original band shell from the 30's, there's a lagoon where you can always find dads and kids fishing. There are city programs that teach kids to kayak and fish, do outdoors things that kids should be doing. There's also a cute splash pad that we haven't explored yet.
This summer we've taken advantage of this great perk of being so close to free and fun entertainment. We pack a cooler with food and drinks and head over. Nixon runs around trying to pet everyone's puppies and steal all the other kids balls. There are benches but there's also a huge hill with grass that we lay a blanket out on so that Nixon can run around.
One thing I enjoy about this event is the diversity that I'm able to expose my son to. Our neighborhood in general is very diverse and Wednesdays at the Shell is a prime example. You'll see all races from black, to white, hispanic and Hmong. You'll see young families, couples and older retired couples. Entire families of multiple generations. Neighbors and friends who all meet up. Strangers who say Hi and play with and watch eachother's kids. It's such a cool sociology experiment.
Two weeks ago we went and there was free food - hot dogs and brats, chips and soda sponsored by the Brewcity Bruisers, our roller derby league here in the Mil. Unfortunately we were lame and packed a healthy dinner but it was neat that they offered that!
The opening act that night was hilarious. It was this group of old ladies who were a dance group and they announced they were ages 60 to 80 years young. They did a hilarious dance to everything from disco to hip hop...yes, the grannies taught us how to dougie. LOL. The bands that night were some pretty good punk bands.
Last night they had 3 huge bounce houses for kids to play in, again, all for free. Nixon is too little but we went with our friends Jeff and Gina who have a 9 year old and a 4 year old and the girls loved it. The main act was Naima Adedapo who is from Milwaukee and was a top 11 finalist on American Idol last year. She has a reggae band now and it was an unbelievable show. I had so much fun, they were so talented and although I am not a reggae fan I would pay to see them at Turner or the Rave. Their lyrics were so positive and I loved how they would sing directly to the teens and kids sending them their positive message.
One quote they had last night that everyone cheered and clapped to was along the lines that it is better to stand alone and strong making right choices than it is to follow the bad crowd.
Last night Nixon was fascinated with the Big Kids. There was a group of about 5 boys who were probably 6 - 10 playing various made up games and he kept running over there to play. It was sweet because there were two brothers who actually tried to involve him and were playing with him. Nixon thought he was Mr. Big Stuff.
He really wears me out at these events because he won't sit still. Finally Gina took him and held him down so I could eat for 3 seconds!
I walked him around the park last night to wear him out a bit and there was a girl showing off dancing with hula hoops - sounds really weird but it's actually very beautiful. She had super small hoops and gave one to Nixon and showed him how to swing it around his arm and neck and he actually tried it! It was so cute! That kid never ceases to amaze.
So in summary, I love the perks of being so close to so much local, free entertainment. I love the feeling of community...and I love any opportunity to be outside enjoying music, a glass of wine and fresh food with my family and friends.
That same summer we also saw one of Kyle's favorite bands, the now defunct Northern Room.
Washington Park is actually the site of Milwaukee's original zoo from the early 1900's so it is pretty neat walking around the park wondering what it was like back in the day. Over the years the park fell into a bleak state but Harley Davidson started funding repairs and now it is a neat gathering spot and helps develop a great sense of community. Harley repaired and painted the original band shell from the 30's, there's a lagoon where you can always find dads and kids fishing. There are city programs that teach kids to kayak and fish, do outdoors things that kids should be doing. There's also a cute splash pad that we haven't explored yet.
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| The Shell. So art deco and awesome |
This summer we've taken advantage of this great perk of being so close to free and fun entertainment. We pack a cooler with food and drinks and head over. Nixon runs around trying to pet everyone's puppies and steal all the other kids balls. There are benches but there's also a huge hill with grass that we lay a blanket out on so that Nixon can run around.
One thing I enjoy about this event is the diversity that I'm able to expose my son to. Our neighborhood in general is very diverse and Wednesdays at the Shell is a prime example. You'll see all races from black, to white, hispanic and Hmong. You'll see young families, couples and older retired couples. Entire families of multiple generations. Neighbors and friends who all meet up. Strangers who say Hi and play with and watch eachother's kids. It's such a cool sociology experiment.
Two weeks ago we went and there was free food - hot dogs and brats, chips and soda sponsored by the Brewcity Bruisers, our roller derby league here in the Mil. Unfortunately we were lame and packed a healthy dinner but it was neat that they offered that!
 |
| The Fam. Nixon can't be bothered to smile, he's eating |
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| Nixon and his Daddy |
The opening act that night was hilarious. It was this group of old ladies who were a dance group and they announced they were ages 60 to 80 years young. They did a hilarious dance to everything from disco to hip hop...yes, the grannies taught us how to dougie. LOL. The bands that night were some pretty good punk bands.
 |
| Nixon with Anna checking out her wagon. Anna got free face painting too! |
Last night they had 3 huge bounce houses for kids to play in, again, all for free. Nixon is too little but we went with our friends Jeff and Gina who have a 9 year old and a 4 year old and the girls loved it. The main act was Naima Adedapo who is from Milwaukee and was a top 11 finalist on American Idol last year. She has a reggae band now and it was an unbelievable show. I had so much fun, they were so talented and although I am not a reggae fan I would pay to see them at Turner or the Rave. Their lyrics were so positive and I loved how they would sing directly to the teens and kids sending them their positive message.
One quote they had last night that everyone cheered and clapped to was along the lines that it is better to stand alone and strong making right choices than it is to follow the bad crowd.
 |
| Naima Adedapo! |
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| Blurry, but Naima again. She was such a good dancer, singer and entertainer |
Last night Nixon was fascinated with the Big Kids. There was a group of about 5 boys who were probably 6 - 10 playing various made up games and he kept running over there to play. It was sweet because there were two brothers who actually tried to involve him and were playing with him. Nixon thought he was Mr. Big Stuff.
He really wears me out at these events because he won't sit still. Finally Gina took him and held him down so I could eat for 3 seconds!
I walked him around the park last night to wear him out a bit and there was a girl showing off dancing with hula hoops - sounds really weird but it's actually very beautiful. She had super small hoops and gave one to Nixon and showed him how to swing it around his arm and neck and he actually tried it! It was so cute! That kid never ceases to amaze.
So in summary, I love the perks of being so close to so much local, free entertainment. I love the feeling of community...and I love any opportunity to be outside enjoying music, a glass of wine and fresh food with my family and friends.
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