This Week in Milwaukee: December 29- January 4, 2023

Here are the Milwaukee events we are looking forward to coming up this week.

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Out with old and in with the new, as the saying goes. Or as Art Kumbalek chimed a year ago, “I’ve had it with this year, pretty much like any other …” Whatever your disposition, Happy New Year from the Shepherd Express.

This week check out the zoo for free, the annual New Year’s Day dip at the lakefront or the nearby kites event or the year-end basketball tradition with the Harlem Globetrotters or soccer with The Wave. A gala at Turner Hall benefits the Hunger Task force and Meditate Milwaukee’s event offers a unique way to turn the page. And music, always music—at Nō Studios, Var Gallery and more.

Thursday, Dec. 29

Frosty Free Week @ Milwaukee County Zoo, 9:30 a.m.

Enjoy the animals and winter wonderland of the zoo during Frosty Free Week, through Friday. It’s the season of giving, and the zoo offers a week of free daytime admission to thank guests for their support. Visit the zoo during “Frosty Free Week” to enjoy animals and nature. All guests receive free daytime admission December 26-30. Parking ($15) still applies. Regular concessions and attraction rates apply. Regular admission rates apply to Wild Lights night event.

In the Small Mammals Building, meet a new species to the zoo, a male Prevost’s squirrel named Kopi. In the wild, Prevost’s squirrels are found in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and are arboreal. This species faces threats from illegal pet trade trafficking and deforestation for palm oil plantations. Prevost’s squirrels and other species that share their habitat can be helped by people choosing products made with sustainable palm oil.

The John Sieger Combo @ Linneman's Riverwest Inn, 7 p.m.

It was last winter that John Sieger announced his new group, and it’s been a while since they made an appearance. Sieger’s work with Semi-Twang and the R&B Cadets comes to mind first, but he’s released plenty of music under his own name. This recent slice of snow globe holiday cheer was recorded with his wife and son. As John tells it, “This is non-denominational, though I suppose you would have to call it a Christmas song. But a large percentage of those songs are more about the joys of winter, something writers who lived in California have an easier time conjuring up than us poor Midwesterners.”

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“Tinsel Town” by John Sieger

Dennis Caravello and Zach Pietrini @ Var Gallery, 7 p.m.

Dennis Caravello’s Nashville-by-way-of-Chicago trek resulted in the 2019 album The Way It Is. If his sound is steeped in roots music, his approach to songwriting stays true to most things modern. Yet it is the music of yesterday that continues to fuel his craft. While they have been saying it about jazz for years, earlier in 2022 Zach Pietrini proclaimed Rock & Roll Is Dead, as he titled his new EP, his ninth release. Here is a chance to catch a pair of songwriters in the intimate space of Var gallery.

Friday, Dec. 30

2022 Feed Milwaukee Holiday Gala @ Turner Hall, 7 p.m.

Dress up and enjoy an evening out with friends and family while helping feed families in need around greater Milwaukee; 100% of money raised is donated to Hunger Task Force. Suggested minimum donation is $20. Live music will be performed by local legends King Solomon and DJ Seoul K.

Rooted Society: Tae Spears, Nakara Forjé, RJ Riddle, Kaylon Raps and Knucky  @ Nō Studios, 7 p.m.

Founded by Tae Spears in 2012, Rooted Society began as a collective of artists who use their talents to make transparent and relatable music. It started as just something where friends could support each other musically, while dealing with “all life throws at us.” Spears always saw it growing into something greater. Ten years later that vision has now manifested itself.

Saturday, Dec. 31

Shepherd Express New Year’s Eve Guide 2022

From the Harlem Globetrotters’ annual visit to theatrical performances to Shaquille O’Neal taking the stage as DJ Diesel, here are our suggestions https://shepherdexpress.com/culture/ae-feature/new-years-eve-guide-2022/

Milwaukee Wave vs  Utica City FC @ UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena, 3:05 p.m.

The World Cup has concluded but if you still need a fix of the other football, seven-time league champions Milwaukee Wave, of the Major Arena Soccer League, take on Utica City FC on New Year’s Eve. Ring in the new year with The Wave and mascot Brad Beach.

Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men and Cabin Essence; DJs Lars and Mr. Action @ Circle A, 8 p.m.

In lieu of the annual NYE appearance by Aluminum Knot Eye, Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men and Cabin Essence will grease the skids at Circle A before 2022 checks out. Schweiger’s resume is strong, including The Obsoletes, The Blueheels and he has done time touring with Paul Collins and Peter Case. The Big Let Down (Deluxe Remaster) was released as 2021 dawned; the collection suggests optimism, checks the rearview mirror and adds bonus tracks for total of 39 songs to update the 2010 release.

Cribbing their name from The Beach Boys, Cabin Essence dally in the kind of “sun-kissed songs with effortless pop melodies” we can all use this time of year. What to expect from DJs Lars and Mr. Action? Contrarian Country? Gems from the garage?

Sunday, Jan. 1

Polar Bear Plunge @ Bradford Beach, 11 a. m.

“Exhilarating!” “Like being reborn!” Start the new year with a little beach time, as is the local custom. Set up at the south end of the Bradford Beach House Pavilion, where there will be a bonfire—BYO drinks and lawn chairs—and take in what is forecast to be a mild 40-degree January day. As for yours truly, my 60-year streak of not jumping in the lake will continue.

36th Cool Fool Kite & Ice Festival @ Veterans Park, 11 a.m.

Gift of Wings presents the annual New Year's Day tradition—a free festival with giant kites. Professional ice carving group The Quiet Ice Carvers will also be on hand carving some great designs. Jake, the Kite Guy, will be flying his giant kites, some of which are over 100 feet long.

Meditate Milwaukee @ Riverside Theater, 1 p.m.

A new year offers new opportunities. Here is a chance to join a launch of the largest collective meditation effort in Southeastern Wisconsin. “We love our city and our community. We want to start off the year by connecting with one another and sending positive energy though the city and beyond,” said Traci Schwartz shepherdexpress.com/culture/happening-now/meditate-milwaukee-brings-awareness-on-new-years-day  The event is free, but registration is required. More info here: meditatemilwaukee.com.

Tuesday, Jan. 3

Christmas at the Pabst Mansion @ Pabst Mansion

A holiday tradition the whole family can enjoy continues through Jan. 8. Delight in the wonderment of Christmas at the mansion where no two Christmases are the same. From glitz and glam to train tracks and teddy bears around the tree, each room each room is decked from tip to mistletoe. More info here: pabstmansion.com/events/event/christmas-at-the-pabst-mansion.

Wednesday, Jan.4

Bingo @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 6:30 p.m.

“The Ultimate Game of Chance,” bingo returns to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino—the game that started everything at Potawatomi more than 30 years ago, returns with regular sessions scheduled Wednesday-Sunday.