Gary Knowles’ - Getaway Sampler A selection of events loaded with Real Wisconsin Fun! APRIL 2016 by Gary Knowles © Gary Knowles is a freelance travel writer who is the author of the “Gary’s Getaways” feature for the Journal & Topics Newspapers serving 16 Chicago suburbs, a consultant to travel businesses, and the author of The Great Wisconsin Touring Book- 30 Spectacular Auto Tours. FOLLOW GARY’S TIPS ON TWITTER: @TravelWisconsin or Instagram @OpenAir93 BEFORE YOU GO: Avoid disappointment. Always check for schedule changes before heading to events. For more events- good sources: www.Wisconline.com, www.TravelWisconsin.com or http://hwy23events.wordpress.com XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX WISCONSIN – Feast On! 2 – Maple Syrup Fest & Pancake Breakfast– Poynette Enjoy learning about the MacKenzie Center's sugar bush and how Native Americans, pioneers and today's volunteers make maple syrup. Enjoy a pancake breakfast (8am-12noon), horse drawn wagon rides and more! Event is free, concession stand, breakfast and raffles available at added cost. MacKenzie Environmental Education Center, W7303 County Road CS & Q, Poynette, WI 53955-9690 PH: 608-635-8105 http://dnr.wi.gov/education/Mackenzie/ 2 – Maple Syrup Fun Fest –Phelps This educational, family fun day will include: a tree tapping demonstration with tree identification, a tour of various local sugar bushes throughout Phelps and food/entertainment at the Phelps School. Wear weather appropriate clothing. Maple syrup and natural crafts will be available for purchase during the festivities at the Phelps School. Wood carvings, fishing gear, pet accessories, pottery, stone jewelry, Lake Superior agates – there will be a wonderful selection of handmade items to browse! Try a Maple Syrup Latte, or take home some locally produced cheese or homemade butter toffee. Visitors will also find popular products from vendors like Thirty One, Younique, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Mary Kay and Scentsy. 8AM-4PM Phelps School, 4451 Old School Rd., Phelps, WI 54554 715-545-3800 http://www.phelpswi.us/over-50-vendors-at-phelps-maple-syrup-fest 16 – Hearthside Dinner- Wade House – Greenbush Enjoy a delicious hearth-cooked meal, prepared with your own hands, in the historic Wade House stagecoach hotel. At this event guests prepare 19th-century dishes on a wood-burning stove and over an open-hearth fire just as Mrs. Wade did more than 150 years ago. This event culminates in a wonderful sit-down meal in the lovely Wade House dining room. 11AM – 3PM – (NOTE: Limited seating; reservations required. $55 per person. Private Hearthside Dinners for groups of 10-20 may also be arranged. To make reservations or for more information, please call (920) 526- 3271.Wade House, W7965 State Highway 23, Greenbush, WI 53026 Information: http://wadehouse.wisconsinhistory.org/ 1 28 Taste of the North – Minocqua The 9th Annual Taste of the North presented by the Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors. Over two dozen participants will be spread over two levels at The Waters of Minocqua Resort on Hwy 51 south of downtown Minocqua. Meet the chefs, sample their signature dishes, learn about their restaurants, taste the food and vote on your favorite in each category for the “People’s Choice Award”. Chefs will also be judged by a panel of local judges, who will pick the “Judges Choice Award”. Raffles will be held with proceeds from the event to benefit scholarship funds and local organizations. The Waters of Minocqua, 8116 Hwy 51 S., Minocqua, WI 54548 Tickets: $30 Information: 715-356-5266 http://www.minocqua.org/view/553799/date/2016-04- 28/128.html?return_to=L2ZsYXQvZGF0ZS8yMDE2LTQtNC5odG1s May 2 – A Taste of Spring! - Monroe Elegant five course dinner paired with wine, art auction, live music. Fundraiser for Monroe Arts Center. Ludlow Mansion, 1421 Mansion Dr., Monroe, WI 53566 Information:608-325-5700 http://www.monroeartscenter.com/eventdetails?eid=138 WISCONSIN – What the Heck? What’s Going on Out There?! NOW to Dec.31, 2016 The Rhinestone Cowboy Home – Sheboygan Aiming to style himself as a singing “rhinestone cowboy” modeled after Glen Campbell’s song, Loy Bowlin of McComb, Mississippi, became the maker of a remarkable art environment. He embellished his small home with glitter, cut paper, magazine pictures, ornaments, and spangles, and people came from miles around to visit the “Holy Jewel Home,” and the Rhinestone Cowboy who lived there. Today, the art environment and his fancy suits, hats, and furniture, stands as the only comprehensively relocated environment in the JMK Arts Center's Permanent Collection. In 2016, the Arts Center will provide unprecedented access to our visitors as staff, preservation professionals, and historians put the house back together again in our galleries. Mon, Wed, Fri 10am-5pm; Tues, Thurs 10am-8pm; Sat, Sun 10am-4pm John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 608 New York Ave, Sheboygan, WI 53081 PH:920-458-6144 http://www.jmkac.org/ NOW – 2016 “The Nose has it!” at special WWII Warbird Art Exhibit – Oshkosh With the smoke barely cleared at Pearl Harbor, brave, young US servicemen took to the air to take the war to the enemy. Many of the aircraft carried artist painted images and messages on their noses. Now one of the finest collections of authentic, preserved, WWII “nose art” is on display for the first time outside their Commemorative Air Force home museum in Dallas, Texas. The collection honors the people and aircraft of World War II. The artifacts have been designated by the National Trust for Historical Preservation as an official project of Save America’s Treasures, which seeks to preserve historic structures, art and published works throughout the nation. It will be on display at EAA throughout 2016. “This collection is simply incredible; there’s no other way to put it,” said Bob Campbell, director of the EAA AirVenture Museum. “It tells a unique story of the common soldier and airman during World War II, how this artwork was created, what it meant to these young men mostly between 18 and 25 years old, and the individual tales of these aircraft that returned along with those that didn’t.” As was the custom during World War II, some of the nose art depicts slogans or places, but many of them included drawings of young women in poses from chaste to extremely provocative. The EAA AirVenture Museum is located just off Interstate 41 at the Highway 44 exit in Oshkosh. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call the EAA AirVenture Museum at (920) 426-6108 or visit www.eaa.org/museum. 2 3 – Doktor Kaboom! –Sheboygan Doktor Kaboom! is an interactive one-man Science variety show suitable for all audiences. Creatively blending theatre arts with the wonders of scientific exploration, Doktor Kaboom's supercharged (and super safe!) science experiments will have you erupting with laughter and bubbling with curiosity. Nothing says science like KABOOM! Stefanie H Weill Center for the Performing Arts, 826 N 8th St.,Sheboygan, WI 53081 PH: 920-208-3243 http://www.weillcenter.com/ 3 Fondy Vintage Auto Club Swap Meet – Fond du Lac Vendors from a four-state area sell antique and specialty auto parts and memorabilia. Reservations are necessary for vendor swap spaces. Antique, classic, custom & performance parts, new and used plus other related automobile items - magazines, model cars, auto parts, signs, tools& food concessions available. FDL Co Fairgrounds Expo Center, State Highway 45 S Fond du Lac, WI 54935 PH: 920-579-8450 http://www.fdl.com/details/event/Fondy-Vintage-Auto-Club-Swap-Meet/april-3-2016/ 3 Fond du Lac Lions Flea Market - Come see vendors wares from all walks of life. Antiques, collectibles, beauty products, crafts, rummage, and more. If you want to sell it, become a vendor! Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds, Recreation Center, 520 Fond du Lac Ave.,Fond du Lac, WI 54935 Admission fee $1 for 13 & older. 8am-2pm PH:920-204-6864 http://fonddulaclions.org/flea_market.html 8-10 ComicCon – Madison Come and check out your favorite artists, creators and celebrity guests. Join tens of thousands of fellow fans as they converge on the Alliant Energy Center at Wizard World Madison to celebrate the best in pop-fi, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Madison is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night. PH: 310-648-8410 http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon/madison 22-24 Spring Jefferson Car Show – Jefferson Come browse over 99 acres for classics, collectibles and parts to find that special piece for your collection. The show features more than 3,100 vendor spaces and hundreds of cars for sale. The Swap Meet and Car Corral is all three days and the car show is Saturday and Sunday only. The feature car is all Convertibles!; however, all makes and models are welcome in the car show. Admission is $8 per adult and kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by paying adult. No pets, please. Jefferson County Fair Park, 503 N Jackson Ave., Jefferson, WI 53549 Information: 608-244-8416 http://www.madisonclassics.com/ 29- May 1 Girls Getaway Weekend – Lake Geneva Enjoy an exciting weekend in Lake Geneva of shopping, fun activities and your best gal pals. There are various activities to participate in. Space is limited for some activities and pre- registration is required. For complete information, including a listing of special hotel packages, in- store specials, restaurant offers and to register online, visit our website. The Riviera, 812 Wrigley Dr., Lake Geneva, WI 53147 Information: 262-248-8911 ext 224 http://www.lakegenevawomensweekend.com/ 3 May 1 – Opening of Wisconsin State Bike Trails – Sparta The Opening of State Bike Trails on the Elroy-Sparta Trail.