Things to do through New Year's Day in Wausau and a bit of news
The Weekly Wausonian for Dec. 26, 2024
The Wausonian typically doesn’t publish the week of Christmas, following the old City Pages tradition. (Which City Pages did this year once again.)
That’s because, typically, there isn’t much news to report Christmas week. City and county meetings don’t happen, and it’s pretty tough to get in touch with sources.
This year, instead, The Wausonian is providing all readers with a listing of events from today (Boxing Day) through New Year’s Eve. Many of you have children visiting from college, or family in town. So here are a few things to do.
And do please visit our sponsors this week, some of which have events as well. They make The Wausonian happen and they were frankly some of my favorite places before they became sponsors.
Wausau area events
Ongoing: Let’s be honest. Holiday decorating is a lot of work. So why not enjoy a display put up by other people instead? Rotary’s Winter Wonderland is one spectacular display of Christmas lights and has been around for 18 years now! It’s a display so large that you really have to see it to believe it. We’re talking something like 1.5 million lights for displays set up by more than 1,000 volunteers, all to bring you a visual overload of Christmas cheer. This is a great event for the whole family, a couple’s date night, a friend group outing… the possibilities are endless.
If you go: The display is open 5-9 pm every day through Dec. 31. Admission is free, but food and/or monetary donations are highly encouraged. Dress warm: it’s an outdoor display in winter in the middle of Wisconsin. You can drive too, but you’ll miss a lot.
For adults
Thursday, Dec. 26: Bradley Sperger is a Wausau area musician and one of the early musicians around these parts to incorporate live-looping into his live show. That means Sperger is essentially a one-man band who can get a party going all by himself. It’s a blast watching him build a song: Drumming out a beat, laying down some bass, maybe some synths, overlaying a guitar part and singing. His style ranges from bluesy to indie, and he has some recordings to his name as well. If you go back and listen to episodes of the Keep it Wausome podcast (you can find them on this site) he wrote and recorded the intro. Come check him out at The Garage, which is starting to really become a powerhouse in the area music scene. 5 pm. See the event page for more.
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Granite Peak really needs to do more to promote this event - because it’s pretty epic, and in the past included fireworks on the hill. (They didn’t mention it in their promo for it this year. I hope it’s still part of the festivities!) It’s something only Granite Peak could pull off this adults-only party, with a night of DJ music, champagne, hors d’oeuvres and merriment, and you’re bound to have a good time. $20. See the event page for more.
Tuesday, Dec. 31: This one is going to be so much fun. Though on the schedule it says Brad Emanuel, the New Year’s Eve Party at Malarkey’s actually includes the formation of a local super group: Emanuel will be joined by the likes of John Altenburgh, Sidney Rose, Harold Melo and Erik Juvonen. These are some of the best musicians in town and together they will put on one epic way to ring in the new year. 9 pm. $10. malarkeyspub.com
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For kids
Tuesday, Dec. 31: Let’s be honest. If you have kids, staying up until midnight just doesn’t seem appealing, and your kids just aren’t going to stay up that late. But never fear - the children’s Imaginarium has the event for you! The Noon Year’s Eve party centers around noon on New Year’s Eve, including a balloon drop at noon. Hint: The kids LOVE it. Plus make your own noisemaker, create a family time capsule, make your own snacks and so much more! It’s a grand ole time for the whole family. 10 am to 1 pm. Free for members, or cost of admission for the public. See the event page for more.
Get active
Wednesday, Jan. 1: After all that partying (for me, that means staying up until 10:30 pm instead of 10 pm) it’s time to kick off the new year right. The First Day Hike series is going on in many places, and there are at least two in the Wausau area. One is 11 am at Rib Mountain, meeting at the park office. The hike will be 1.5 miles and about one hour and 15 minutes. (Or hike from 10 am to 3 pm at your own pace). The other is at the Poplar Lane trailhead of the Ringle Ice Age Trail. That one meets at 1 pm and is a roughly two-hour out and back hike on the Ice Age Trail (but since it is an out-and-back, you can pick a short distance you’re comfortable with. Bring snowshoes to both if there is enough snow (hey, it could happen between now and then!). Here are the event pages for Rib Mountain and Ringle.
News
Traffic stop turns up drugs, guns: Wausau Police on Dec. 23 during a traffic stop turned up a large number of guns and drugs, according to a recent post on social media. The stop, police say, turned up a large amount of cocaine (amount unspecified) and seven firearms. One of those firearms was stolen, and another had a switch that turns the gun into a fully automatic, which is illegal, police say. The post appears to match a man police arrested named Giovanni Paolone, who police recommend be charged with receiving a stolen firearm, possession of cocaine, converting a weapon into a fully automatic gun, carrying a concealed weapon and bail jumping.
Other news this week includes:
And this story:
Business
Just Right Cafe is closing: After roughly one year in business, The Just Right Cafe announced it will be closing in January. The Ukrainian couple who runs it say they are moving in with friends from their hometown in Ukraine and work on a new project with them. They are hoping to sell the business. But so far the last day is Jan. 18.
Sports
Boys basketball: Wausau West is now the top area team after defeating Wisconsin Rapids by a staggering 60-15 Friday. The Warriors now have a 2-0 record, tied with Marshfield.
Girls basketball: Wausau West is now the top Wausau area team after narrowly defeating Wisconsin Rapids 60-56 Friday. The Warriors now have a 2-1 record, good for third place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
Boys hockey: Wausau West and D.C. Everest are tied with SPASH for first place in the Wisconsin Valley Conference after the Evergreens lost to SPASH 3-0 Friday. All three have six points heading into the holiday break.
Girls hockey: The Central Wisconsin Storm are now on a four-game winning streak after a pair of wins Friday and Saturday. The Storm beat the CFM Sabers 5-0 Friday, and defeated Eau Claire Area 8-1 Saturday. The Storm are now 8-1 this season as they head to a Madison tournament starting today.
URGENT: The Wausonian is increasing in price in 2025. BUT, if your subscription starts before the new year, you get the same price until you unsubscribe. So don’t forget to subscribe today to lock in the 2024 rates for as long as you remain subscribed!