Wausau's new major music venue | Weekly Wausonian
Wausau News for the week of June 1, 2023
Wausau could soon be home to a brand new music venue.
And not just any venue. The 3,500 person capacity, 58,000-square-foot facility located near Athletic Park would bring in major touring acts and fill a void for large-sized venues in central Wisconsin.
The venue is being run in part by Joe Ellis of VY Properties. Ellis is the owner of JEM Productions which does live sound for a number of events in the area, including the Concerts on the Square. Ellis also hosted streaming music shows at his venue during the pandemic.
In fact, Ellis says, the venue could also be a rain location for the Concerts on the Square series. The building will also include some commercial space, he says.
BTW, I interviewed Ellis awhile back and he has a pretty cool story. Watch the video here (I had more hair back then):
This week, subscribers to The Wausonian read about a threat to Tiki Beach’s music lineup:
And about a criminal investigation into conduct in Kronenwetter - and it’s probably not what you think:
What else in Wausau?
Fourth of July fireworks: According to sources inside the Mayor’s Office, Mayor Katie Rosenberg worked out a deal with Rib Mountain, Schofield, Rothschild and Weston to host a community fireworks event at the Wausau Municipal Airport. The caveat: spectators won’t be allowed at the airport. How will that work exactly? We don’t know! Details are apparently still being worked out, which is about a month away. Supposedly each community will have their own viewing sites. The Wausonian will update you as we learn more.
Land for $1: City leaders last week approved a modification that allowed Gorman and Companies to buy the Westside Battery and L&S Printing site for a buck. Gorman is planning to build affordable housing on the site, and will now take on the demolition costs instead of paying the $100,000 it was going to for the site. Council members Tom Kilian and Lou Larson voted against it, saying many council members ran against these kind of deals. The switcheroo allows Gorman to apply for construction tax credits to use toward the project.
Umbrella rising: On a more fun note, the umbrellas are going up on Third Street downtown. Just in time for the Concerts on the Square and Dining on the Street to start.
Business
Grand View Market: The owners of The Garage in Rib Mountain last week opened a new market. The market, billing itself as an upscale beer and liquor market, is now open on Rib Mountain Drive kitty corner from Red Robin. It also looks like they have some food/snack items as well.
Blissful Bites and Brunch: A brand new brunch spot is opening up in the southern metro. Called Bites and Brunch, it’s located on Highway XX in Rothschild, in the Cedar Creek area. They’ve been posting a number of “coming soon” posts so no idea when it will open. But The Wausonian will stay on it.
Dijon BBQ: Dijon BBQ is a new catering and special events business opening up in Wausau. We will keep you posted on this one too.
The new Tres Hermanos: The owners of Tres Hermanos are slated to open their new restaurant right next to heir grocery store — in fact it may be open by the time you read this. The Wausonian got a sneak peak (and taste, but that doesn’t rhyme) and it seems fans of Tres Hermanos will be quite pleased with the new restaurant.
Entertainment
Sat-Sun, June 3-4: It’s a whitewater weekend! Wausau Whitewater will be opening up the gates to create that world-class kayak course right in the heart of downtown. It’s a blast to watch skilled kayakers carve and turn and flip, while kicking back in the bleachers. With the farmers market right there and Wausau Pride downtown, it’ll be a busy weekend for sure. Check out the event page for more.
Saturday, June 3: Pride Fest this year contains four major events. First is a family fun day between 11 am and 3:30 pm on the 400 Block with games and activities for the kids; then a teen open mic (for ages 13-19, no hate speech allowed); then Whitewater will also host a drag show (replacing The Grand’s, which was canceled due to illness); lastly the official after party will be at The Oz Night Club. See Wausau River District’s site for a comprehensive listing of the day’s events.
Wednesday, June 7: It’s the very first Concerts on the Square, and that’s something to be excited about! Also coming is Dining on the Street, where the city closes down Third Street and it becomes an outdoor patio. (Fun fact: It used to always be like that when it was a pedestrian walkway, and would have worked perfectly now that the street is full of restaurants.) Brass Differential will kick off the season of concerts. 6 pm-8 pm. Learn more at Wausau Events’ event page.
Looking for kids/family events? Check out the family-oriented listing from The Wausonian’s partner Wausau Mama, who puts together a weekly listing of children/family activities.
Sports
Softball: D.C. Everest’s winning season has come to an end as the Evergreens lost to Superior 3-0 Tuesday in WIAA Sectional play. The Evergreens had eliminated Wausau East and then Wisconsin Rapids, which beat Wausau West in the first round of playoff action.
Baseball: Wausau West will take on SPASH today after defeating Marshfield 4-3 Tuesday in the first round of playoff action. Wausau East fell to River Falls 1-0 Tuesday, and D.C. Everest will take on Chippewa Falls after beating Menomonie 2-1 in nine innings Tuesday.
Girls soccer: D.C. Everest defeated Chippewa Falls 3-0 Tuesday to advance to the second round of the WIAA playoffs. They’ll take on Eau Claire Memorial Saturday. Wausau West lost to Eau Claire North 4-1 Tuesday.
Adventure racing: Organizers of the Rib Mountain Adventure Race held the event in Stevens Point for the first time this past weekend. See the results here.
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Just one note that I found interesting. The difference of a Restaurant and a Taqueria.
A Taqueria is a place that specializes in selling “Tacos” which are tortillas fill with, meat, chicken etc, and they complement their menu with other items, like burritos, quesadillas etc. this model is very likely to find it in the street in Mexico, and their menu rarely changes. It’s a more casual atmosphere, usually the consumer goes to the counter to pick up there food.
While a Restaurant is a formal place with waiters, where a menu is designed and a kitchen is leaded usually by a prepared chef where he applies the culinary arts and techniques in the preparation of the food.