Image via The Micro Facebook
If you're one of those people who doesn't have a longstanding tradition of family cookouts for Memorial Day—and I'm one of them—don't fret, there's plenty of things going on this weekend, from beer festivals to baseball.
Summer Untapped
The Micro's massive beer garden is the best part of State Fair, or at the very least the best place to get beer there. But now you don't have to wait until the fair to enjoy that space and the raucous atmosphere: Summer Untapped is here. The Micro will have 50+ Wisconsin craft beers available, along with the coveted “keg killer” t-shirts. For any non-beer drinkers out there, a Bloody Mary and cocktail bar with Central Standard Distillery products. The Leinie Lodge will be open and operated by Benno's, with burgers, brats and hot dogs. A cornhole tournament will be going on with prizes like State Fair tickets and cases of beer if you're looking for something to do. Admission is free, parking is $6 inside the park. Protip: There's a contest you can enter to win free beer and food tokens (plus tickets to other summer events).
Dan Jansen Family Fest
Remember watching Dan Jansen (and Bonnie Blair!) in the 1994 Winter Olympics? Jansen was from Greenfield, and the city named the fest in honor of him, with proceeds going to the City of Greenfield Department of Parks and Recreation. It's held in Konkel Park at 51st and Layton Ave. after outgrowing Dan Jansen Park near Southridge Mall. It's not a large festival, but it's free and there's a sizeable midway for kids. This year's headliners include Rebel Grace, Cherry Pie and The Toys.
Brewers games
The Brewers are in town all weekend, playing the Red Friday through Sunday and the Cardinals on Monday. But what really makes this a great weekend to get to Miller Park is the annual Spring Madness 414 sale. Many seats in the park are 50 percent off during this promotion, but the real kicker is the discounted beer and food. Nachos are $4, Pepsi products and hot dogs are $1, and 16-ounce domestic draft beers are $4. This is the only time you can get beer at the game for regular bar prices, so soak it up! I may or may not know guys who have washed down 6+ dollar hot dogs with 4 beers at a single Spring Madness game...
Burlington Chocolate Fest
Sure you may have to drive out to Burlington for Chocolate Fest, but who doesn't like a little road trip when the weather's nice? This fest attracts almost 35,000 visitors, so it's a big one. If you're wondering, “why chocolate?” You can thank the Nestle plant there. There are two music stages, and headliners this year include Bella Cain, The Now, Chasin' Mason and crowd favorite Pat McCurdy. The Chocolate Experience tent is where the real fun is, with culinary competitions, chef demonstrations, chocolate eating contests, “choco-pong,” cookie decorating a giant chocolate game of Jenga. There's also a midway, veteran's Memorial Day parade, bike ride, 5k run and walk and fireworks on Friday night. Tickets are $8 for adults at the gate.
Family Kite Festival
Saturday and Sunday brings the return of the Family Kite Festival at the lakefront. Run by the Gift of Wings shop—that's the fun little stand selling kites and snacks in the middle of Veteran's Park—the festival brings kites of all shapes and sizes to the constant lake breeze. There are some massive, interesting kites that come out for this, along with those crazy fast trick kites, making for a very relaxing day of kite-watching. Did you know there's professional kite performers? Me either. The grand launch of 500 kites will take place at noon. It's a very cool event; hopefully the weather cooperates.
BratFest
These long weekends are perfect for taking a little roadtrip. BratFest is an annual event in Madison that is run by volunteers, sponsored by Johnsonville (of course) and which raises money for charity. There are a serious number of brats consumed at the fest: the current record is from 2010 when 209,376 were consumed in four days. That's 85.11 brats per minute (BPM). Impressive. This year's music headliners include Travis Tritt, Lita Ford, Madison County and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. There's a brat toss, a Bun Run, Bratteyball (aka volleyball) tournament, car show, fireworks and veteran memorial events. Plus it's free! Sounds like it's worth the trip.
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