Milwaukee Comedy Festival Goes Virtual

Mary Mack. Photo from Milwaukee Comedy.

There’s plenty to do in the Milwaukee area this week while still maintaining social distancing.

Each week, Urban Milwaukee is curating a list of events that are taking the necessary safety precautions provided by the CDC in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This week the Milwaukee Comedy Festival is celebrating 14 and a half years year by pivoting to a virtual format with a headlining event taking place at Lakefront Brewery’s popular Keg Stand Up event. Rock the Stream is back with a three concerts raising funds for non-profits. And, as to be expected this month, there’s more Oktoberfest and ghost tours to participate in.

October 8-10: Urban Harvest Brewing Company’s Oktoberfest

One weekend wasn’t enough for Urban Harvest Brewing Company (1024 S. 5th St.) to fully celebrate the release of its most popular seasonal beer. Join UHBC for a bonus three-day long party and enjoy its Oktoberfest beer while its still around.

The 2020 Milwaukee Comedy Fest is going virtual this year, allowing viewers to stream standup routines from 28 different comedians. 2020 marks 14 and a half years that this festival has existed, and its offering all nine shows for only $15. This includes Mary Mack, the fest headliner (whose performance at Lakefront Brewery is mentioned later in this article). Get your tickets here.

October 9-11: Riverside Theater Ghost Tours

Starting this Friday, The Riverside Theater (116 W. Wisconsin St.) will host Ghost Tours every weekend. Self-proclaimed as one of the “most haunted places in Wisconsin,” The Riverside is offering guests the opportunity to learn more about the various paranormal activities that staff members, guests and professional ghost hunters alike have claimed to come in contact with. Masks are required for this event, and groups must be limited to 10 people or fewer. Tours last for an hour and will include bar service before and after the tours. There will also be an exclusive Late Night Ghost Hunt offered starting at 11:30 p.m. that will include a seance led by a medium. For more information, visit this link.

October 9-11: Unfinished Legacy Pop-up at Sky High Skateshop

In June, Vogue brought national attention to a Milwaukee creative when it published an article about Brema Brema’s clothing company Unfinished Legacy. Since then, Brema’s streetwear brand has been popping up around the city, hosting a skateboarding competition in Walker’s Point and releasing limited clothing items. Unfinished Legacy will be hosting a pop-up at Sky High (2501 S. Howell Ave.), a skateboarding shop in Bay View, where those who are interested in copping a t-shirt can do so in person.

October 10: Kayak Tour and Yoga

What could be more relaxing than floating down the Milwaukee river and then participating in some yoga? Join Adventure Milwaukee and MKE Yoga Social for a collaboration event involving both of those activities. Participants will meet at Kletzsch Park at 4 p.m. And from there they will shuttle to the drop-in site. Then they will then kayak down the Milwaukee River and end with yoga stretches and a healthy snack, with an opportunity to stick around and have a few at the Kletzsch park beer garden. Tickets are $85 a canoe or $45 a kayak. Masks and social distancing rules will be enforced.

Every Saturday until Oct. 17, the Wauwatosa Farmer’s Market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon. In accordance with guidelines from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and local health officials, the market has added new safety precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some important guidelines include limiting families to one healthy adult shopper (leave the kids at home if possible), one-way walking traffic routes and pre-ordering for quick pick-up. For a full list of guidelines, check out the Facebook event page. The market is located at Hart Mills Parking Lot at 7720 Harwood Ave.

October 10: Oak Creek Farmer’s Market

Every Saturday until the end of October, the Oak Creek Farmer’s Market will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market has new safety precautions in place and added an online ordering option that includes a drive-thru. Vendors start taking orders for pickup each Monday. The market is located at the Drexel Town Square, at 8040 S. 6th St.

October 10: South Shore Farmer’s Market

Every Saturday until the end of October, the South Shore Farmer’s Market at South Shore Park in Bay View will be open from 8 a.m. until noon. The market is following a new social-distancing format that will allow for safe, fast and easy transactions. Pre-orders can be made from the online store Monday through Thursday.

October 10-11, 13, 15: Fondy Farmer’s Market

Every Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday until early November, the Fondy Farmers Market will be operating at 2200 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. Fresh vegetables, baked goods, wellness products and more will be sold. The event is taking precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as requiring masks and prohibiting eating on-site. Free masks are available at the information booth. SNAP benefits are accepted, and some vendors also accept WIC and Senior vouchers. The market will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

October 11: Greenfield Farmer’s Market

Every Sunday up until the end of October the Greenfield Farmer’s Market at Konkel Park, 5151 W. Layton Ave., will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market encourages social distancing and mask wearing. And there are one-way traffic arrows to help prevent crowded spaces. The market is accepting cash, Visa, Mastercard and SNAP benefits for payment. For more information, visit the market’s website.

Every Sunday until Oct. 18, the Riverwest Farmer’s Market will take place on N. Pierce Street between E. Center Street and E. Hadley Street  (next to the basketball court). Fresh produce, flowers and baked goods are just some of the stuff for sale at the market. Vendors will be set up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

October 11: Rock the Stream Takes Over Harley Davidson Museum Campus

Rock the Stream, a livestream series put on by Milwaukee’s eco-friendly festival-throwers Rock the Green, is once again taking over the Harley-Davidson Museum campus. This Sunday, they are holding three separate shows. Local acts and Rock the Stream veterans De La Buena, Lex Allen and Trapper Schoepp will each perform. The series kicks off at 1 p.m. and tickets for each show are $10. The three artists will take turns performing on the Pedal Power stage, and as is tradition with the Rock the Stream series, each artist is raising funds for a different nonprofit. De La Buena will start things off at 1 p.m. raising money for the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts, followed by Lex Allen who will be supporting Danceworks an closing out the series is Trapper Schoepp, performing to raise money for the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. The show can also be streamed from home for free at Rock the Green’s Facebook, Youtube and Twitter channels.

October 11: Lakefront Brewery’s Keg Stand Up

After a successful first run before the pandemic hit, Lakefront’s Keg Stand Up has returned for an another night of craft-beer-soaked comedy. This month’s headliner is actually also the Milwaukee Comedy Fest headliner Mary Mack, whose credentials include stints with Adult Swim, Conan O’Brien and voice work on Hulu’s Solar Opposites. Mack will be joined by her husband Tim Harmston, who has appeared on Comedy Central and Late Show with David Letterman. Tickets for the show are $20, and tables can be reserved for $40 for two people, $80 for four people or $120 for six people.

Did you notice something that we missed? Email info@urbanmilwaukee.com with information about your event.