Appleton Summer Concert Series

Before the rain and storms blew in overnight, we had an utterly gorgeous evening to enjoy -- and the local summer concert series! Normally the Summer Concert Series, held in Appleton WI every Thursday during the summer, is located in Houdini Plaza, an open square in downtown. But Houdini Plaza has been under construction for the last few months, and wasn't finished in time to pick up with the concerts quite yet. So, they've held them in Jones Park, merely two blocks away, and wow. Why doesn't the city hold more events there?

Jones Park is like a bowl, a natural amphitheater if set up the right way, and was such a perfect location for a concert. The musicians last night, Grand Union, were a local country band -- I admit I know little and care even less for country music in general, but it was entertaining and they weren't too bad.

My favorite part were the zeppole, or "zeppoles" as they are apparently called in Wisconsin, an Italian doughnut (singular: zeppola). My mother and I ordered a baker's dozen of them for some reason, I guess not realizing that they were about twice the size of your typical doughnut hole. But they were fried fresh while we waited, and it's not the first time time my mother and I have seriously overdone it on the doughnuts--within the last two weeks! (The last was National Doughnut Day, when we sort of bought a dozen Dunkin Donuts.. for ourselves). Anyway. I digress.

Turnout was amazing. I don't know where they would ever find the room for as many people downtown, even in the newly refurbished Houdini Plaza, and even then, there isn't a playground and a lot of grass for kids to run around. And there were a lot of kids. So, parents can be adults and drink a beer or two while their kids dance along to Kenny Chesney covers (I don't know if there was one of those, just guessing).

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

If you're in the area, the schedule of musicians for the Summer Concert Series can be found here.

Days to Edinburgh move-in: 78

The Rabbit Gallery

I hopped to downtown Appleton to check out the city's first pop-up gallery, The Rabbit, which is organized by Lawrence University students in conjunction with local artists in order to use vacant shop space on College Avenue, and to forge a much-needed/appreciated connection between Lawrence and the community. Organizations, galleries and artists in the Appleton area have been working more diligently over the last couple of years to bring the arts to the public... and if one is even remotely acquainted with Appleton, it's clear that College Avenue is the place to pull this off -- at least to start.

And things are happening. Houdini Plaza, which connects to my workplace, The Trout Museum of Art, is undergoing a major overhaul and should be finished soon. The Trout Museum itself has become a house for many major arts organizations such as the Makaroff Ballet, White Heron Chorale, Fox Valley Symphony, and more. Lawrence University has the Wriston Art Center Galleries, and their own set of music and theatre programs, but it has been rare indeed that the events of Appleton and those of Lawrence have been brought together cohesively. That's what I like about the Rabbit Gallery: it's a small scale, trendy and classy little gallery space that puts Lawrence students in the community, gives them arts management and entrepreneurial experience, and brings the community into Lawrence's world. 

Not to mention it's a pop-up, and I love pop-up anything!

There is a pretty solid mix of student and local artist work, and some of it is quite interesting! The old art store space provides a great setup. It's up through June 8, so if you want to check it out, and you're in the area, it's in the space where Avenue Art Co. used to be, in the City Center shopping mall at 10 E. College Ave. (access from the street on Sundays).

And on my way back out of town, I happened across this Sunday afternoon demolition, which was striking to see from a couple of blocks away -- a big, gaping building. I actually never knew what this place was, but apparently it was a low-income senior apartment building. I have no idea what's going to happen in this space, and I don't think the city knows either. It's going to be turned into green space, according to the local newspaper, until development plans are made.

Okay then! Happy Sunday!

Days to Edinburgh move-in: 104