Wausome Weekend Guide
The BoDeans, a Phish-like jam band, STEM Fest, Easter puzzles and more in Wausau the weekend of April 10-17
Welcome to a brand new feature of The Wausonian: The Wausome Weekend event guide. To split up the Weekly Wausonian, which is increasingly getting too long for email, we decided to pull out the entertainment tab and beef it up a little. Use it as your guide to weekend fun and share it with your friends!
UPDATE: We added the latest Central Wisconsin Children’s Theater show this weekend to the listings. See it toward the bottom.
The BoDeans
Thursday, April 10: We wrote about this last week thinking this event would have sold out by now, but it appears there are still several tickets left for this show. The Waukesha group formed as Da BoDeans in the late 70s and really took off in the 1980s, touring with U2 during their Joshua Tree tour. They’re a classic band with Wisconsin roots, and this is a very good get for the Grand Theater. 7:30 pm. $35-$65. See the event page for more.
STEM Fest
Saturday, April 12: The description of the event starts out intriguing: “Can you skewer a balloon without popping it? Have you been inside a bubble? Play a piano with bananas for keys?” This children’s event at NorthCentral Technical College focuses on introducing children to science and technology in a way that engages their curiosity. The cool thing is that this traveling event is run by volunteers from the Michigan Tech Mid Trekkers team, who will guide your children through hands-on experiments. Free. 9 am to 2 pm. See the event page for more.
Easter Puzzle and Pizza
Sunday, April 13: In all my years of covering events, I haven’t seen one quite like this. Willow Springs Garden will host this Easter Puzzle and Pizza event this Sunday. Form a team, spend an hour with your team putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle, and break for a pizza buffet lunch. Then resume the puzzle for another hour. The team with the fewest pieces remaining at the end of the time wins the contest. $25 per person includes pizza buffet. 11:30 am. See the event page for more.
Mia Brown and the Get Down
Saturday, April 12: Mia Brown is definitely one of Wausau’s music success stories. Growing up in Wausau, she ultimately was signed with Big Timber Entertainment in Nashville in 2023. Her music is a blend of pop with a little twist of country, the perfect vehicle for her powerful vocals, which are inspired by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Stevie Nicks, Steven Tyler and Kacey Musgraves. This Saturday she brings her vocal talents and backing band to the Arrow Sports Club in Weston. 9 pm. See the event page for more.
Noah Hittner
Sunday, April 13: Noah Hittner is in that category of musician that is becoming more common these days - the one-man band. The Madison-based musician uses live-looping to achieve the sound of a full band all by himself. The result is a singer-songwriter style acoustic music but with an interesting twist of effects added that bring the songs to life. Hittner will bring his show to The Garage for a nice, relaxing afternoon. 1 pm. See the event page for more.
Hadestown Teen Edition
Fri-Sun, April 11-13: The Wausau area has some very talented theater groups, but sometimes people might forget that includes some pretty talented high school groups. Here the East End Players will feature the full edition of Hadestown: The Teen Edition, an adaptation of Anais Mitchell’s haunting, jazzy folk opera, at the Wausau East Auditorium. The story tells the tale of Orpheus and his journey to Hades in an attempt to win back the respect of his lover. Friday 7 pm; Saturday 2 pm and 7 pm; Sunday 2 pm. Adults $15, seniors and students $10. See the event page for more.
BAMM
Friday, April 11: There is something about a really good jam band that’s just a lot of fun, and BAMM - named after the lead singer (Bo Allen Messer Music) channels the likes of Phish and other bands of that ilk either a solo artist or with his full band. Picture a bass guitar deep in the pocket, a phaser-tinged guitar and even a violinist and you have an idea of what you’re getting into. They’ll be a great band to head to Intermission to listen to. 9 pm. See the event page for more.
ADDED: The Enchanted Bookshop
Fri-Sun, April 11-13: Don’t be fooled by with the word “children” in the group’s title - this group puts on some professional, outstanding performances. In this show, the group brings to life The Enchanted Bookshop, a musical about an ordinary-seeming bookshop that comes to life at night, with each night a brand new magical adventure. But trouble brews when the store’s magical inhabitants discover an intruder - do they warn the bookstore’s owner and break the rules that erase their own existence? Held at the Veninga Theater at the Center for Civic Engagement. Friday 7 pm; Saturday 2 pm and 7 pm; Sunday 2 pm. $15 adults, $13 children under 18 and seniors. See the event page for more.
Upcoming
Trampled by Turtles
Friday, April 18: There’s a good chance this show will already be sold out by the time you read this - only a few tickets are left now for Trampled by Turtles at the Grand Theater next week. The band is one of those that, if you’re into the bluegrass scene, you know they’re a major act. The Duluth, Minn. band formed when frontman David Simonett lost most of his music gear in a car theft. He still had an acoustic guitar so he started a bluegrass band, bringing together other musicians new to the genre as well. You wouldn’t know that to hear them though - listen to their song Wait so Long and you’ll hear a stunning example of the genre (including a blisteringly fast fiddle solo). 7:30 pm. Very limited tickets, $69-85. See the event page for more.
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