We’re heading into summer and there are a ton of great things happening in Downtown West Bend. This week, Noelle Braun, Executive Director of the Downtown West Bend Association, joins me to talk about some of the great events, including the ArtWalk Banner Project, Music on Main, and the West Bend Farmers Market.

Mentioned in this episode:

• West Bend Farmers Market
• Music on Main
• ArtWalk Banner Project
• Downtown West Bend Association

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You're listening at the office or just existing. Thank you so much Hey, I'm currently lining up guests for upcoming weeks of the show, and while I usually ask this question at the end of the episode, I'm going to make a request with you right now. If you have an idea for the show, reach out to me, 15withfuzz at gmail.

com, spell out the word 15, 15withfuzz at gmail. com, or go to fuzz. cc slash guest, that is fuzz. cc slash guest. And, there's a little easy form right there when you go there to fill out this week, I am joined by Noelle Braun of the Downtown West Bend Association. There are tons of great things happening in West Bend, including music on Main, the Art Walk banner project, the farmer's market.

And a whole bunch of other cool things. And with that, here are 15 minutes on the cool things happening in downtown West Bend this summer with Noelle Braun of the Downtown West Bend Association, right here on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.

Noelle, glad to see you again. Thanks so much for coming back in the studio. You just had spring fling. You just had the wine hop, but the Downtown West Bend Association has so many things happening this spring and in the summer, and I'm glad to have you in here to talk about those today.

There is a lot to let you know. Yeah,

But if people are, you know, from the area, you've been downtown in the summer, you'll see these beautiful banners that are painted hanging on Main Street and on 6th Avenue. And that is from local artists who paint these banners every year. So it's a great way to celebrate local arts, to celebrate our community, to create a beautiful, vibrant outdoor gallery, and yeah, just add some color and vibrancy to our downtown.

There's a bit of a rotation every year. Sure. And those banners will be up for bid, like for auction. Okay. At this event. So all of the art lovers out there, if you want a piece of local art, they are, you know, banners that get hung up on the. light poles. But they could certainly hang up easily on a wall, you know, add to your collection of art that you have.

So we're looking forward to that too. And there's also, desserts and appetizers that have been donated by local businesses and restaurants in town. There'll be some jazz music playing, a cash bar provided by the Museum of Wisconsin Art. So it's just a great event. And this year for the first time ever, we're doing a fun We're going to be doing a Kentucky Derby theme because the event falls on the same day as the Kentucky Derby.

So like, let's have fun with this. People are invited to wear, you know, hats with the big flowers and feathers or dress up colorfully and just enjoy that atmosphere too at the event.

For what I understand at Moa, they can only have beer and wine there, but we're looking into a fun, possibly a non alcoholic version. Okay. We just got to see if the mints going to be available, but we're looking into it.

Yes. Unless I don't even know how you get the other ones.

With the new light poles on Main Street since the reconstruction of the road there will also be some beautiful flowering baskets, like hanging flower baskets that will be on every other pole. So just giving everyone a preview for what's to come. There's more beautification coming to downtown.

Sure. But I believe from what I understand over the years it's Become more and more of a celebration at the Museum of Wisconsin Art, the addition of the food, the addition of, you know, auctioning off all the beautiful artwork that was in the past. You know, adding in the music, just like more of the atmosphere.

I think we're just trying to elevate that more every year.

That

And so it's a great recognition for them to downtown. The banners are hung up all summer and into the fall, basically like our farmer's market season till end of October.

Last year, it was up around the we're right here. I'm pointing outside the window, 6th Avenue and 5th Avenue and Tower

It truly does bring a lot of business to these downtown businesses lining up and down Main Street and even like Sixth Avenue. It's just a great place to walk through, see all of these amazing vendors and then. You know, grab a little bit of brunch or a drink or stop into the shop and it's just has a great community feel and we're excited to have it on the new road and celebrate that.

We have the majority of everyone Confirmed sending in everything that they need you know this The farmer's market has been voted number one for the last two years in a row in the state of Wisconsin through the survey through the American Farmland Trust. So we're going to continue to ask people to vote this year, but we do have a really beautiful market.

We're really blessed and fortunate in our community. We have well over 90 vendors on any given Saturday that does continue to grow. Our farmers, you know, they're the ones who really started like at least like four decades ago, learning so much about this. But. They're the, you know, big reason that people come and now we're fortunate to add a lot of different variety too in businesses that are able to be there.

Some of the newer things this year we have a newer bakery that's gonna be here called Daisy's Sweet Treats. The new owner of the Barton Cafe, she's gonna be coming down. Seasonally, which means like for the full season expect to see them most Saturdays. You know, one of the different businesses that we have that's coming.

He is an artisan that makes items out of copper. So it's just like really neat to see like these really talented small business owners that are able to showcase the beautiful things that they make on this type of at this big event. So he makes more like bowls, trays, jewelry, things like that.

And then we are. In talks right now with another possible food truck that would be hopefully serving some authentic tacos. I know that's been kind of lacking for a little bit at the market. We have some great food at the market. Just another wonderful addition. But yeah, that's that's in the works right now.

So.

It's with the new road as people remember the old road, there were these roundabouts in the street and that people could more easily turn around and because the new road doesn't have those anymore it's making better sense for safety and security that we blocked the street off at Hickory. So people have a way to turn a lot easier.

There's still, you know, some like beautiful parking that they have like behind the downtown businesses by the river walk. There's yeah, there's parking like it's, it's worth it to walk a little further to get to this market if you need to. But yeah, so that is changing and we're also going to be trying out some parking on 6th Avenue for those that have limited mobility or need handicap parking.

We're going to give that a try for this year too. So yeah, again, it's going to start at the top where it normally has at the very top of Main Street and you're just going to be heading a little further south

Yeah,

So when is that starting up again?

It's a great location for music on Maine. But yeah, I thank the Bend Theater for thinking more outside the box and thinking bigger in regards to this event. So the plan is to shut down a little bit more of the road. So from the top of Old Settlers Park by Main and 6, south to Hickory.

On May 30th, our opening band is Andrea and the Mods and the main act is Johnny Wad. And on September 5th our opening band will be Jeff Landon's High Country and the main act being the Foo Foo Dolls. Excellent. So yeah, we're really excited to bring them in.

We have the Hodeg Country Pickoff and such. So I, I know Jeff really well, but I have not seen him in probably a decade. So

But we have, we have a great lineup. We have so many different artists. different genres of music. There's something for everyone. If you look at the list and see who you want to see, hopefully we'll see a majority, if not all of these music. I mean, it's because they're so fun. It's just a great way to, to celebrate summer.

And it's always free to attend this event too.

The other Thursdays, it depends if there's an opening act or not for any of our music. I mean, if we get an opening band performing, that'll start at five. Okay. But our main stage acts start at 6 30 and the event goes till nine 30.

If people want to learn more about these events that we've spoken about today the losing my mind here, the Art Walk, the Farmer's Market, Music on Main, you've got Wheels on Main after that, you've got another, another Wine Walk in October, right? Yeah, so. Always something awesome going on town and thanks for all you do.

But where can people learn more about these events and others?

Facebook page and then we have more like in the music on Maine and the farmer's market. We have Facebook pages for all three of those and we're always updating and letting people know what's happening downtown and love to promote the businesses that are in the area too.

Listening, coming, buying dinner, buying you know, different kinds of items at retail and food and drinks and all that. So get out there and support local.

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