The Wausome Weekend Guide
River and Woods Theatre's latest show, Easter events, Cool Hat, the Blues Jam returns and a surprise matinee round out the weekend's Wausau events for April 16-23
Welcome to a brand new feature of The Wausonian: The Wausome Weekend event guide. We happen to think there are a lot of cool things to do in the Wausau area on any given weekend, and so every week we put together this guide for you. Use it as your guide to weekend fun and share it with your friends!
9 to 5
Thurs-Sat., April 17-19: Even before I got into country music, I always kind of liked Dolly Parton, and would definitely hum along to “9 to 5.” Well, this musical is based on a 1980 movie of the same name, which is based on her song (and which she stars in). Not only that, but Pardon wrote the music for the musical as well. Here the River and Woods Theatre Group aims to knock this production out of the park with wonderful costumes, acting and singing that will bring this production to life. Performances on all three days at 7 pm at the Veninga Theater (in the Center for Civic Engagement building).
Eggstravaganza
Saturday, April 19: We’ve got a couple of Easter-themed options for you and this is one of them. Thrive Church on Grand will host this Eggstravaganza event where you can bring the family to hunt for prize-filled eggs, check out the bounce house, make crafts, eat snacks, and more. And by the way? It’s free, my favorite price. Also expect the Easter Bunny to be hopping around there. 9 am-noon. Check out the event page for more.
Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration
Saturday, April 19: The Easter Bunny is busy this time of year and one of his stops this Saturday will be at Willow Springs Garden for their Easter Egg Hunt and Celebration. Your kids can get their photo taken with the Easter Bunny, get their faces painted, dye Easter Eggs, hunt for Easter eggs and you can buy Easter baskets and baked goods. Willow Springs Garden is beautiful in the spring and just seeing the big round barn is cool in and of itself. 9 am to 1 pm, see the full slate of activities at the event page.
Step Afrika
Tuesday, April 22: A friend of mine from Mexico was, interestingly, a huge fan of African dance and could perform it admirably. I can see why - the rhythms and movements can become almost hypnotic. Step Afrika! brings a blend of songs, storytelling and humor, and even some audience participation to put on a show that will leave your heart pounding. These are authentic, traditional African dance styles and it’ll be a visual and auditory feast. 7:30 pm. $30-$65. See the event page for more.
Blues Jam
Wednesday, April 16: One event that went away with the closing of Whitewater Music Hall was the open blues jam - basically a backing band set up with guitars, keyboard, drums and bass and anyone with an instrument can come try their luck sitting in with the band. (Fun Fact, your Wausonian editor was the very first person to play it.) But now, the Blues Jam is back at Sconni’s! Come play or come watch from 7-10 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of every month, including today. 7 pm. See the event post for more.
Cool Hat ‘Just Say No’ party
Saturday, April 19: Cool Hat is an upbeat local band with a variety of covers and upbeat originals with a hint of rock and funk. For this show, they’ll be joined by Wausau musician Jordan Miles, who livens up any music scene with his incredible keyboard skills. Stop on down and check out this scene at The Intermission. 8 pm. Check out the event page for more.
Upcoming
Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson
May 3: This Michael Jackson tribute act is getting really popular already - in fact it’s already pretty close to sold out. Grand Theater Marketing Director Tammy Stezenski tells The Wausonian that this is rare, but the showrunners decided to add a matinee because of the strong response. It’s on the same day but 3 pm, and you’ve got another chance to pick up some tickets to this show which celebrates the pop powerhouse that was Michael Jackson. 3 pm. $35-$65. See the event page for details.
The cool thing about the Wausome weekend guide is you can share it with your friends!