I’m so looking forward to attending the performance of Les Misérables next week at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center! Marvin and I have seen it many many times… even at the theatre where it premiered in London years earlier when we happened to be on a trip to England. And, we’ve watched (many, many times) the various versions in movies and the 25th Anniversary Stage Production. I remember years ago telling Marv how guilty I felt that I loved Les Mis more than Phantom of the Opera. So, I wanted to share a point that I discovered whenever I talk about Les Mis with someone.  Almost ever ..read more

“If you haven’t heard it enough, supporting local is one of the most important things you can do to help grow the Fox Cities economy,” Maddie Jack, Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, says. “Dining at a Restaurant Week establishment is an easy way to support the expansion of our amazing restaurant community while also supporting your neighbors, friends and family that own these businesses. This is also a great opportunity to try a local restaurant you’ve never been to before. Know Before You Go! Reservations are not required but always recommended. Plan your stops ahead of time by v ..read more

Appleton resident Steven Robbins took this photo in early June at Cave Point County Park in Door County, otherwise known as Wisconsin’s “Fresh Coast.” “What caught my eye about this scene is that it doesn’t quite look like something one might expect to see in Wisconsin,” he says. “With the beautiful rocks and trees by the lake, it looks like something you’d see along the coast of the Pacific Northwest ..read more

2021 isn’t just any year for Paperfest – on July 15-18, the live music and carnival event will celebrate the Village of Combined Locks’ 100th anniversary across four days of activities. Paperfest will move to Memorial Park in Combined Locks after village leaders approached the Paperfest committee to help celebrate the centennial. Combined Locks Village Administrator Racquel Shampo-Giese says she’s thankful Paperfest got involved since the village didn’t have the staff or volunteers to pull off a large celebration themselves. In addition to Paperfest’s usual lineup of live performers – this ye ..read more

Road America is heating up as its 2021 season gets underway with a lineup of events, both on and off the racetrack. With more than 50 days of on-track action and over 500 events in total, fans can expect to encounter full throttle fun at America’s National Park of Speed.   “We have probably the most diverse events schedule of any motorsports venue in North America,” says John Ewert, communications director for Elkhart Lake’s Road America. “Not just on the track, but also go-karting, geocaching, outdoor movies and family events.”  The month of July showcases two annual favorites ..read more

In tandem with the Kimberly-Clark Broadway Across America – Fox Cities Series, the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center (P.A.C.) announced its plans to make a return to the stage with the 2021-22 Boldt Arts Alive! Series. Small Island Big Song After a nearly 18-month hiatus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, P.A.C. president Maria Van Laanen says “Arts Alive!” gets its name from the revival of arts on the P.A.C.’s stages, and themes of inclusiveness and togetherness are similarly present across the series’ eight-show lineup. “We kept coming back to this theme about how excited we all are to ge ..read more

The Heist, a nonprofit performance venue and events space in Ripon, launched an ambitious app which aims to connect the community to new and established musicians, comedians and poets. Heist TV, which officially launched in May after hosting livestream events last year, is a free app which streams live and video on demand content, such as music videos shot by the Heist, distributes a monthly compilation album, and posts event listings for upcoming performances. While development for Heist TV began before the COVID-19 pandemic, Heist owner/founder Sam Luna says the timing worked out perfectly ..read more

West Bend’s Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) has brought in artists from diverse backgrounds and artistic influences to showcase “Artists without Borders,” an exhibit which investigates the complex relationships between identity, art and place. David Najib Kasir, Adding by Subtracting Safety Zones & Panic, 2021. Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist The exhibit, open through July 3, features seven first-generation immigrants and two Midwest-born artists. Each work of art takes inspiration from the artist’s home country, in styles ranging from acrylic to watercolor to emb ..read more

Appleton Downtown Inc. unveiled this year’s Downtown Creates… series on May 21, which will give the community fun reasons to stroll College Avenue all summer long. The program includes a series of open-air, walkable arts events taking place the third weekends of June, July and August. 2018 Chalk on the Town winner Downtown Creates…, previously named Art on the Town, showcases themed art projects by the community, for the community, says Appleton Downtown Inc. Marketing Director Lynn Hardy. “We are a very talented community whether it’s local artists or just people who love to create, so this i ..read more

After a year off due to the COVID pandemic, the 70th Appleton Flag Day Parade will return June 12 at 2 p.m. after last year’s virtual event.  It will start at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Oneida Street, then will proceed west on Wisconsin Avenue, south on State Street and south on College Avenue to Drew Street, where it will disband.  The Appleton Flag Day Parade will be highlighting frontline workers during the pandemic this year.  “That’s actually a big change from our typical parade,” says Chairperson for the Appleton Flag Day Parade Corey Otis. “We usually honor one b ..read more