Kenosha Calendar: Plenty of live music opportunities this weekend

September isn’t going away quietly! For the last weekend of the month, Kenosha Calendar features a full slate of entertainment, including special musical events.

Best Bet

Public Craft Brewing Co. was bringing in great live acts even when they had almost no place to put them in their old location. Since moving into their spacious new digs at 628 58th St., Public has a dedicated space called The Platform at PUBLIC, and has wasted no time hosting nationally-known acts. This weekend brings a unique performance from musical comedy group Babe-alon 5 for two shows, 6:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday

The group features the talented vocal trio of Kasey Foster, Kiley B. Moore and Tara Smith plus Pianu Reeves (Matt Gunsaulus) on keyboards. These Babe-alon 5 members describe themselves as “equal parts hilarious, aurally pleasurable, punny, confusing, nostalgic, awe-inspiring and awkwardly raunchy” on Foster’s website.

Kenosha Kelly Mackay’s KmacK Events brings the musical comedy act back to town. 

“They have performed at the old brewery location two times and were very well received. This is their first performance with tickets at the new venue called The Platform, and this time with a full stage and state of the art sound system. I call their act ‘Like Alien robot replicants of vintage songbirds the likes of the Andrews Sisters,’” said Mackay.

Publicity for a recent show in Chicago echoed McKay’s sentiments: “Do you like The Andrews Sisters? How about the Mills Brothers? Les Paul and Mary Ford perhaps? Do you also like to laugh too long, too strong? Then you’ll probably find them mighty swell.”

Members also perform in other musical formations including This Must Be the Band, DjNoDj, Grood, Big Syn, Wild Earp and the Free for Alls, and Old Timey.

Babe-alon 5 member Kasey Foster may look familiar to fans of Chicago theater scene.

Foster is a performer, producer, choreographer, singer, and puppeteer. She is an ensemble member at Lookingglass Theatre. Her recent on-camera credits include: Chicago Med and IFC’s Documentary Now!

Tickets are $15, available through Eventbrite.

Top Picks

Bloomin’ Bands is a benefit so packed with great local music that it takes two days to get it all in. All musicians and staff at the event, set for Friday and Saturday at the Moose Lodge festival grounds, 3003 30th Ave., are volunteering their time with proceeds going to Kiwanis Club of Western Kenosha charities.

Friday’s lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. with Black Water Duo followed by the Masquerade, Lunde, and Smokin Gunz.

Last Chance band opens Saturday’s slate at 3 p.m. and the music continues with a band every hour including 3 Floors UP, Mean Gene, The Chevelles, Personality Crisis, 89 MOJO and finally TRIP closing out the event with their 9 p.m. set. For a full schedule, please see listings below. 

The event is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be sold; please no carry-ins.

The Kiwanis Club of Western Kenosha is a service and community organization focusing on serving children and young adults. Each year, the club supports academic and music awards as well as scholarships, service club/service project support, and the Boys and Girls Club. One special benefactor of the Blooming Bands event is Extreme Room Makeover. Cross Roads of Kenosha provides an extreme makeover of a room(s) of children with disabilities within our community. These renovations transform the child’s space to meet medical and physical needs while greatly enhancing their quality of life at home.

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The fifth annual Time to Fly a Kite Fest is set for 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Lincoln Park, 7010 22nd Ave.

While colorful, soaring kites are the event’s centerpiece, family activities and a picnic lunch are also highlights of this free community event.

The “Kids’ Mad Dash” kite launch is set for 12:45 p.m. People can bring their own kite, or get a kite at the festival to participate as everyone attempts to launch their kite at the same time. Free kites are provided through a partnership with the Mary Lou and Arthur F. Mahone Fund.

Other activities include free games, a visit from the Kenosha Public Library Bookmobile, free raffle of bicycles donated by the Kenosha Professional Police Association, and kite-making activities with the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast.

The Kenosha Kingfish will provide free hot dogs, chips and water beginning at 11:30 a.m. at the concession pavilion near 18th Ave. Kenosha Culver’s on Sheridan Road will provide free custard at the event after noon.

The kite fest is sponsored by the City of Kenosha and the Kenosha Parks Alliance, with support from the Kenosha Kingfish, community partners and Gift of Wings in Milwaukee. Community partners include Kenosha Public Library, the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Lincoln Middle School and KTEC.

Gift of Wings, which also puts on the “Outta Sight Kite Flight” annually at Kennedy Park, specializes in kite flying entertainment and demonstrations, with professional kite flyers who coordinate stunt kite routines with music.

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Buzzed for Bees Fundraiser to raise awareness about the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative’s efforts to restore habitat for Wisconsin’s native pollinators is set for 5-8 p.m. Friday at Public Craft Brewery, 628 58th St.

Public, a partner in the joint venture, has crafted a one-of-a-kind beer, Bombus Brew, handcrafted from the Wisconsin native sumac plant.

Other highlights include live music by the local band Frogwater, a 50/50 raffle and bee-themed photo booth. The event is free and open to the public.

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Johnny Cash Tribute Night at Kenosha Fusion, 5014 7th Ave. pays homage to the Man in Black with a half dozen acts taking the stage beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.

Musicians include Mychal Bass and Maxwell Melendez, Chickens in Black, The Wafflers, Dropping Daisies, Kash & Kerry and host Jerry Stone. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Day Tripper

The documentary “Finding Loren,” the story of a family’s decades-long search for the remains of a fighter pilot shot down in the final days of WWII, premiers at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s new home, the Bradley Symphony Center, 212 W. Wisconsin Ave. The score was written by Kenosha native John Sieger. Admission is free, but donations to help cover the cost of the movie will be accepted. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Please check the film’s website for COVID-19 safety protocol/requirements. 

The Lineup

FRIDAY, Sept. 24

Music

Stu the Piano Guy, 7-10 p.m., Rustic Road Brewery, 5706 6th Ave.

Cool Breeze (R&B) 6-9 p.m., Union Park Tavern Biergarten, 4520 8th Ave.

Sipos & Young birthday show, 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m., Union Park Tavern,

Blooming Bands benefit, Moose Lodge festival grounds, 3003 30th Ave. 5:30 p.m. with Black Water Duo followed by the Masquerade, Lunde, and Smokin Gunz.

Johnny Cash Tribute Night, 7 p.m. Fusion, 5014 7th Ave. $10.

Frogwater, Buzzed Bees Fundraiser, 5-8 p.m. Public Craft Brewing, 628 58th St. Free.

Theater

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Rhode Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.

Potpourri

Military and Veterans Family Day climbing event at Boundless Adventures, Bristol Woods Park, 9800 160th Ave., Bristol, 3-9 p.m. Veterans and immediate families (up to 4 guests) are invited to climb for free. Civilians are also invited to climb to veterans initiatives. All proceeds will go to the Southern Wisconsin All Airborne Chapter (SWAAC) of the 82nd Airborne Division Association Inc. Advance registration is required.

Dr. Destruction’s Haunted Manor, 4-8 p.m., Jerry Smith’s Pumpkin Farm, 7150 18th St., $10.

Family

Night Hike series, 7:15 p.m. Hawthorn Hollow, 880 Green Bay Rd. Education Director James Gorsline leads a 90-minute outdoor program. $10 (plus processing fee) for adults, kids 3 and under are free. Register here.

“Small Eyes” astronomy for kids and families, 7-8:30 p.m. Contact observatory@hawthornhollow.org for tickets or more information.

Alebrijes: Create fantastical animalitos inspired by a Zapotec folk art tradition at the Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 1st Ave., from 4-5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. Registration is required.

Preschool Story Time, 9:30-10 a.m. and 10:30-11 a.m., Southwest Library,

SATURDAY Sept. 25

Live music

Blooming Bands, Moose Lodge festival grounds, 3003 30th Ave., 3 p.m.: The Last Chance Band, 4 p.m.: 3 Floors Up, 5 p.m.: Mean Gene, 6 p.m.: The Chevelles, 7 p.m.: Personality Crisis, 8 p.m.: 89 MOJO, 9 p.m.: TRIP. Free.

Sweet Sheiks (vintage jazz and pop) 6-9 p.m. Union Park Tavern, 4520 8th Ave.

Bruce Mak Trio, 8:30 p.m, Sazzy B, 5623 6th Ave.

Boys and Toys (rock) 7 p.m. Kenosha Brewing Co., 4017 80th St.

Matt Jaye, 1-4 p.m. Twisted Cuisine, 7546 Sheridan Rd.

The Brothers Quinn, 6-9 p.m., Petrifying Springs Biergarten, 5555 7th St. Free.

Lines Of Loyalty, The Almas and Saint Tragedy, 58 Below, 504 58th St. 7 p.m.

Theater

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Rhode Center for the Arts, 7:30 p.m.

Potpourri

Rick Kilps Center Dedication, 5:30 p.m., 900 Wood Rd. Parkside Athletics will  dedicate their new indoor multipurpose facility in honor of Rick Kilps who served the school for more than 25 years in various roles, most notably as the head men’s soccer coach. He is also a 1975 UWP graduate. There is no cost to attend this event.

Jazzercise Homecoming Celebration 2 p.m. 8024 22nd Ave. The Jazzercise Kenosha Fitness Center will host a party in the parking lot outside their studio, where they have held classes to accommodate social distancing. The event features a tailgate party and free 45-minute class, and is open to Jazzercise alumni as well as the  community. The Specialty Nacho Queen will be on site for food/drinks.

Wolf Lake Trail 5K Run/Hike and 1-mile Walk, 9 a.m. (packet pickup/day of race registration 7:45-8:30 a.m.) Richard Bong State Recreation Area, 26313 Burlington Rd., Kansasville. Refreshments, raffles, and music will be available to all participants. Race day registration will be at the Visitor Center and is $35/adult; $18/youth. Park entrance is free for participants.

Dr. Destruction’s Haunted Manor, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Jerry Smith’s Pumpkin Farm, 7150 18th St., $10.

Yoga in the Park, Kenosha County Center, Hwy 45 and Hwy 50 9-10 a.m. Free.

Family

Homemade tortillas cooking class for kids (ages 7-13), 10 a.m.-2 p.m., part of Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 1st Ave. Includes samples and recipes.

Time to Fly a Kite Fest, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., Lincoln Park, 7010 22nd Ave. Free.

Kenosha HarborMarket, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., 56th Street and 2nd Avenue.

Kenosha Public Market, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 625 52nd St.

SUNDAY, Sept. 26

Music

Haley Klinkhammer, 3-6 p.m. Petrifying Springs Biergarten, 5555 7th St. Free.

Ryan Nowotarski Solo (Inbound) 58 Below, 504 58th St.

Theater

Brighton Beach Memoirs, Rhode Center for the Arts, 2 p.m.

Potpourri

Backyard Bags Tournament, noon-5 p.m., Kenosha Achievement Center’s Backyard, 1218 79th St., sponsored by Kenosha Firefighters CARE. All event proceeds will benefit the services provided to help adults and children with special needs. Information on registration and entry fees is available through the KAC.

Classic Car Cruise-in, 4-8 p.m. Kenosha History Center, 20 51st Pl. Open to all classic vehicles, the event is free for both participants and spectators.

Book signing: Kenosha author and illustrator Donovan Scherer, 12-4 p.m. Sunday, Pollard Gallery, 514 56th St. Event includes book signing, coloring contest, and a sneak peek of the next Color of Kenosha Coloring Book with Scherer, owner/founder of Studio Moonfall.

Dr. Destruction’s Haunted Manor, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Jerry Smith’s Pumpkin Farm, 7150 18th St., $10.

Yoga in the Park, Silver Lake Park Beach, 9-10 a.m. (Season finale). Free.

Family

Sunday Storytime, 11 a.m.-noon, Blue House Books, 5915 6th Ave. A. Free.