There's nothing quite as Americana as the 4th of July in the small town communities of Oz.  Looking for a celebration near you?  Look no further!

Thiensville Family Fun Before the 4th is a nearly all-day event, and a great day for the whole family!  On Saturday, June 25th, the massive parade kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Follow it to the Village Park, where free ice-cream, live music, and a variety of events await, followed by fireworks at dusk.

Fun Before The 4th in Fredonia will happen at Fredonia's Fireman's Park at 3:30 p.m. where food, fun, free ice cream and music awaits, with fireworks at dusk.

​Grafton's Holidaze  Grafton's Holidaze returns with a parade downtown at 11 a.m., followed by a celebration at Lime Kiln Park from 5-10 p.m., with live music and fireworks at dusk! 

Rotary Music Festival in Cedarburg  The Drum Corps International Tour will return to Cedarburg's CHS Athletic Field on Sunday, July 3, at 7:30 p.m. for the 22nd Annual Rotary Music Festival, featuring drum and bugle corps.

Freistadt Fourth  It doesn't get any more Americana than Trinity Freistadt's 4th of July Parade and Picnic!  Spend your day enjoying one of Ozaukee County's best kept secrets, beginning with an outdoor worship service at 10 a.m. (weather permitting) followed by a picnic, a tour of the Trinity Historical Grounds, and the very German music of the Alte Kameraden Band and dancing by the Pommersche Tanzdeel Dancers.  The parade begins at  1 p.m. parade, followed by a flag raising, with the picnic continuing until 4 p.m.

Port Washington  Port has a Community Picnic at Veterans Memorial Park from 11-2 and a Pool Party at the Waterpark from 1-4; plus, the Amercan Legion, across from the park, is hosting a Patriotic Summer Celebration from noon-5, complete with a Patriotic Pet Costume Contest!  The day ends with fireworks at dusk on the lakefront.

Saukville  Saukville's parade begins at 1 p.m. on the 4th, going through downtown and ending at Grady Park for a picnic, music and games from noon-5.   The fun then moves to Peninsula Park, where there will be more music, games, and food from 5 p.m. until dusk, and fireworks are at dusk.

Cedarburg  Cedarburg's 4th of July Hometown Celebration boasts the largest parade in Ozaukee (roughly 2 hours long!), which begins at Fireman's Park at 10 a.m., and heads south along Washington Ave., making its way to Cedar Creek Park, where a picnic, music,  and activities can be found until 9:30 p.m., when the fireworks begin.

Happy Independence Day, Ozaukee!

One of the best parts of summertime in Ozaukee County is the plethora of outdoor concerts to attend.  From Summer Sounds to Gathering on the Green, there's something for everyone.  Here's the 2022 lineup:

Summer Sounds in Cedarburg  Summer Sounds kicks off Friday, June 17th, at Cedar Creek Park and continues every Friday through August 19th.  Each concert begins 6:30 p.m., and there is plenty of food and drink available on site, as well as a playground for the kids nearby.  Bring a blanket or chairs, find your spot, and plan on an evening of fun!

Live at the Triangle in Saukville's Veteran's Park will return with 6 free concerts this summer on Wednesday evenings from 7-9:30 p.m., beginning June 22nd and running through August 24th.  Food and beverages are available for purchase on site.

Belgium Summer Nights LIVE  Belgium's Community Park will feature live music and family fun for all.  Food and drinks are available for purchase, and sign up for kickball!  Join them on Friday, June 3rd and Friday, July 22nd from 6-9 p.m.

Shully's River Sounds in Thiensville will have free concerts on the first Thursday of June, August and September from 5:30-9 p.m., rain or shine, with some delicious food available, made (of course!) by Shully's.  Bring your own chairs; no carry-ins.  

Gathering on the Green at Mequon's Rotary Park returns Thursday, July 7th with Bruce in the USA, Friday, July 8th with Roots & Boots, Saturday, July 9th with Night Ranger and 38 Special and Sunday, July 10th with Danny Gokey.  

the baaree  Thiensville's Nepalese restaurant, the cheel, still runs their outdoor beer garden, the baaree, located at 105 S. Main St., while beginning construction on the restaurant.  The baaree has amazing live music all summer long, along with great food and drinks.

Beanies Summer Rock the Patio concert series happens every Sunday evening from 5:30-7:30 p.m. through Labor Day weekend.  Grab a famous Beanies Margarita, relax, and listen to some great tunes near the lake in downtown Port Washington!

The Cedarburg Art Museum Beer Garden will have live music and food Thursday evenings from 5:30-8:30 p.m. beginning on June 9th and through September 15th, as well as during Strawberry Festival and Wine & Harvest Festival.

The Mequon Public Market/Spur 16 Summer Patio Music Series has some great live music planned for their outdoor patio over the summer!  Keep an eye on their website for more details.

Oz has several places to catch live music year round, just hit on their links to see who's playing next!  

The Stagecoach Inn's Five20 Pub in downtown Cedarburg
Rebellion Brewing Co., right on Cedar Creek in downtown Cedarburg
The Bridge in Grafton
Boot Q 'n Boogie in Waubeka

If you don't mind the drive, Sheboygan has the amazing Levitt AMP Sheboygan Music Series kicks off on Thursday, June 23rd, with most of the music starting at 6 p.m., but check their lineup for details.  The Series also incorporates the Midsummer Festival of the Arts on Saturday and Sunday, July 16th and 17th, on the JMK Arts Center Festival Green.

Also not too far from Oz, the Homegrown Music Festival returns to Regner Park in West Bend on Sunday, July 10th from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m., with a great lineup of Wisconsin bands.  Parking is free, and a $10 donation is recommended.

To stay informed about all of the great live music happening in and around Oz, make sure to stay tuned to the Ozaukee Living Local Events Page, and subscribe to our Friday Newsletter​!  Am I missing a series or place to catch live music in Oz?  Let me know!​

​The Saukville Historical Society will once again host the Crossroads Rendezvous this May 20-22, 2022 at Peninsula Park in Saukville, in which reenactors from across the Midwest, representing various people of the Fur Trade Era in Wisconsin from 1750-1840, will gather to create a “Living History Experience” for all ages.  There are three participants from Ozaukee who are new to the event this year, though they all reside in Ozaukee County.
 
Tom Melville of Cedarburg, a professional cricket player and historian, will be teaching North America’s first ball game, which has been played here since 1709 and in Wisconsin since the 1830’s, on the Friday School Day, as well as Saturday at the event.  Melville is the author of two books on the subject of cricket: The Tented Field: A History of Cricket in America and Early Baseball and the Rise of the National League.  Melville spends most of his summer travelling to historical reenactments to share his favorite sport.
 
Carol Boettcher, also from Cedarburg, will be presenting “The Dancing Master.”  Boettcher was a principal performing dancer with a SE WI colonial era dance group for 20 years and a civil war dance ensemble for 10 years.  She was the dance instructor for West Side Victorian Dancers for 3 years, a group which raised money for military veteran charities.  Boettcher will explore the early American social scene through the prism of dance and the English Dancing Master, demonstrating a minuet and inviting the public to engage in an easy colonial social dance.  Her presentations are at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the big tent on the Saturday of the event.
 
Richard J. Gonzalez, M.A., of Grafton, is a member of the Iroquois Confederation, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, and the Turtle clan. His tribal name “Loliwayntati” means “He Who Brings the Good Word.” He is a Native American scholar/historian/artist and retired school principal who has administered schools within special education, elementary, and middle school levels. Gonzalez will be doing a special lunchtime presentation between 11 a.m. and noon during the Friday School Day on the Fur Trade in Wisconsin.

"We are so lucky to have such dedicated and talented people in our own community," said Mary Boyle, Crossroads Organizer.  "I am so excited to have them at the event and to share their experience with visitors."
 
The Crossroads Rendezvous is hosted by the Saukville Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) organization.  Friday, May 20, is a School Day for area students, and runs from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.  Saturday, May 21, the event is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, May 22, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  Visitors are encouraged to take the free shuttle from U-Haul, located at 835 Green Bay Ave. in Saukville, as parking at Peninsula Park is extremely limited.
 
For more information, contact Mary Boyle, Co-Organizer, at (262) 288-1839 or info@CrossroadsRendezvous.org, or go to the Crossroads Rendezvous website at www.CrossroadsRendezvous.org, or on Facebook.com/CrossroadsRendezvous.

By Mary Boyle

Live theatre, among all of the things hit hard by the pandemic, was hit very hard, as it truly requires an audience sitting close together in front of the stage to reach its full affect.  Traditionally, live theatre is not filmed for mass consumption; it is so rarely done that Hamilton may have been the first filmed live theatre performance even the most ardent theatre supporter has seen.  Over the course of the pandemic, many companies worked to use both film and, with some success, zoom to continue their craft, with the goal being to return to live theatre as soon as possible.

Thankfully, most of our local theatre companies are fully reopened as we near the end of this year's season, and Forward Theater in Madison is one of them; however, they are also one of the few companies who understood that the filmed version of a live theatre performance might still appeal to some audiences, and may have the additional affect of broadening their audience base.  Their last production of the season, Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy by Sarah Gancher, may be viewed from wherever you have a screen and an internet connection and, though it's still not quite the same as being in the audience, it's the next best thing (and you don't have to dress up or find parking).

Directed by Jennifer Uphoff Gray, Forward's Artistic Director, Russian Troll Farm is a story of one possible version of the events that led up to the 2016 presidential election in the United States.  The story takes place at the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg, a real organization run by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, where we meet some of the employees: Egor (Casem AbuLughod), Steve (Andrew Rathgeber),  Nikolai (Scott Haden), Masha (Cassandra Bissell), and their supervisor, Lluba (Sarah Day).  Their job?  To get Donald Trump elected in the 2016 presidential election in the US through the use of fake social media accounts and propaganda.  Under the watchful eye of Lluba, Egor, silent and diligent, is driven to meet his quotas and win a microwave, while Steve is loud, obnoxious and convinced he is "rescuing Russian culture from Western corruption."  Nikolai, meanwhile, takes a different view and can't help but feel that his storytelling work is an art form.  Their office life changes when a new employee, Masha, a former journalist who believed in telling the truth, joins their ranks.  

Like THE AMATEURS earlier this season, Russian Troll Farm is filmed in front of a live theatre audience, so you are experiencing it as they are in terms of sound, but it's as if you had the best seats in the house because you get a closer view.  Audiences need to know that there is a lot of strong language in this production; you will be comfortable with the "F" word by the time you are done, if you weren't already.  By and large, the play is a comedy with plenty of laugh out loud moments, but there is an undercurrent in the show that isn't funny, at all.  In part, this is because the playwright is trying to not so subtly demonstrate the lack of certain freedoms in Russia that we take for granted, here, but also because the playwright is suggesting that Russian propaganda is solely what caused Trump to win the 2016 election, which makes the play, itself, feel a bit like propaganda.  

Forward Theater is known for choosing culturally relevant productions that create important dialogue and conversation, which is something I truly respect about them.  I see a lot of live theatre, and plenty of it that has made me uncomfortable, which can be a good thing.  We all need to take a close look at our beliefs and assumptions, now and then.  This play made me uncomfortable in a very different way, though.  The production, from a technical standpoint, was great: the actors all delivered amazing performances; the set design, costumes and lighting were all very good; but, in our country where everyone is increasingly divided, particularly by political lines, this play seemed to increase that divide instead of seeking to bridge the gap.  Ultimately, the audience will need to be the judge of that; to judge it, you need to see it.

RUSSIAN TROLL FARM: A WORKPLACE COMEDY runs through May 8th at The Playhouse at Overture Center, located at 201 State Street in downtown Madison.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.ForwardTheater.com or by calling 608-234-5001.  Purchase digital tickets for the filmed version here.

About Forward Theater

Forward Theater Company is a not-for-profit professional theater company founded to provide exceptional theater experiences for area audiences and give professional actors, designers, and directors an artistic home in Madison, Wisconsin.  Forward Theater was founded on a commitment to the civic and cultural life of our community and works to support area artist, theater students and Wisconsin playwrights.  Forward Theater Company is proud be a resident organization in the beautiful Overture Center for the Arts, providing opportunities for artists and audiences to explore great dramas and provoke conversations about the issues that matter the most.  We are proud to partner with groups like Wisconsin Wrights, Overture Center for the Arts, the University of Wisconsin , Madison Department of Theatre and Drama, American Players Theatre, The Wisconsin Story Project, Wisconsin Public Radio, Dane County Libraries, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre to bring exciting, engaging, and challenging theater experiences to an ever increasing audience.

​By Mary Boyle

When my children were young, we heard the story about a little girl named Alex who had cancer.  Alex spent most of her young life with doctors and in hospitals; she knew that they needed money to fund research to help find a cure, so she decided to help them.  Because she was just very young, the way she decided to help them was by having a lemonade stand.  While it may seem a futile gesture, word about Alex's lemonade stand grew fast.  Alex made a lofty goal: to raise one million dollars for childhood cancer research.  Her and her family hosted the first Lemonade Days, where people from across the country held lemonade stands to help the cause, and in 2004 they did it: they raised one million dollars.  Shortly afterwards, Alex passed away.  She was only 8 years old.

After my children heard that story, they wanted to hold a lemonade stand for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, so we held a stand of our own during Lemonade Days for two years in a row, and it was a great experience.  When people hear Alex's story, they are inspired to help, so I was very excited to hear that author, actor, and Resident Playwright at First Stage, James DeVita, had written a play about Alex, which is making its World Premier here in Milwaukee.  The play is called THE AMAZING LEMONADE GIRL, and it is as amazing and powerful as the little girl who inspired it.  

DeVita, a core member at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, has been seen on many a Milwaukee stage, and so has his writing; in fact,  his brilliant play, A MIDNIGHT CRY, was also a World Premier with First Stage in 2014.  Both plays are a testament to what Youth Theatre can be: stirring, emotional and fearlessly tackling tough subjects, such as slavery and death.  While this topic, on the outside, may seem too heavy for a young audience, I would argue that it does exactly what live theatre was designed to do: to create empathy; to help guide audiences through these tough emotions by allowing them to experience those emotions through the characters on the stage.  Please don't think that you need to have a child with cancer, to know a child with cancer, or to have any close contact with cancer to benefit from seeing this play; while people in those situations will very likely find this play to be therapeutic, this is a play for everyone.

Directed by Molly Rhode, THE AMAZING LEMONADE GIRL features an adult cast of three of Milwaukee's favorites, including Rick Pendzich and Karen Estrada, who were just recently in The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors with First Stage, and James Carrington, who families may remember as Gerald the Elephant from Elephant & Piggie's "We Are In A Play!" with First Stage First Steps.  The role of Alex is double cast and played by Pietja Dusek in the Blue Cast and Maia Scherman, of Grafton, in the Purple Cast.  There are two other young performers in each cast, including Andrew Kindler and Nala Patel, who is from Mequon,  in the Blue Cast and Sanaiah Hibbler and Liam Jeninga in the Purple Cast.

I cannot lie: you are going to want to bring tissues with you for this one.  This play will break your heart, but you must let it, because we think we already know the story of Alexandra Flynn Scott and we think it's all bad, but that isn't true.  Near the beginning of the play, the actor who plays Alex explains that everyone has a story and all stories have the good and the bad; telling all the good or all the bad doesn't do the story justice.  There is a lot of bad in the beginning of Alex's story, but her story didn't end when she left this place – her story is still being told: with every play, with every lemonade stand, with every child who has been helped by the research that ALSF has funded.  The story just keeps getting better.  Best of all, anyone can be a part of it.

THE AMAZING LEMONADE GIRL runs through May 15th at Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in Milwaukee.  Tickets start at $21 and may be purchased at firststage.org or through the Marcus Center Box Office, in person at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee, or by phone at (414) 273-7206 or toll free at (888) 612-3500. The number for TDD (for deaf and hard of hearing patrons) is (414) 273-3080.

Special events for THE AMAZING LEMONADE GIRL
Pay What You Choose Performance: Friday, April 29, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Pay What You Choose tickets are available on a first come, first served basis with a minimum suggested donation of $5 per person. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. on the day of the performance.  Patrons are encouraged to arrive early. firststage.org/events-tickets/tickets-offers/pay-what-you-choose/

ASL Interpreted Performance: Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.
This performance will be sign language interpreted for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing.  Assistive listening devices are also available at the Todd Wehr Theater. firststage.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility/sign-language-interpreted-performances/

Sensory Friendly Performance: Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 4 p.m.
A Sensory Friendly Performance with accommodations for families with children on the autism spectrum will take place on Saturday, April 30 at 4 p.m. Sensory accommodations include lower sound, house lights up, a quiet area staffed by an educator experienced with the care of students on the autism spectrum and other developmental differences, and more. Tickets for Sensory Friendly Performances are $10. Order by phone at (414) 267-2961, weekdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to reserve tickets. To learn more visit: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/sensory-friendly-performances/.

About First Stage
First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families. First Stage touches hearts, engages minds and transforms lives by creating extraordinary theater experiences through professional theater productions that inspire, enlighten and entertain. Its Theater Academy, the nation’s largest high-impact theater training program for young people, fosters life skills through stage skills and serves nearly 2,000 students each year. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education programs promote literacy, character building and experiential learning throughout the curriculum, serving over 20,000 students each year. First Stage was selected to participate in the Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (2012) and was the recipient of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Eureka Award, recognizing creativity and innovation in business, education and the arts for its Next Steps program for students on the autism spectrum (2013, 2015). First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). firststage.org

The end of Winter in Wisconsin means one thing:  Fish Fry!  With Lent going on, your local Catholic Churches (St. John XXIII in Port, St. Joseph's in Grafton and Divine Savior in Fredonia) become a great place to get your fix!  The American Legion in Cedarburg offers a Fish Fry the third Friday of each month from 4-8:30 p.m.  Of course,  Oz has plenty of great restaurants serving up Wisconsin's favorite Friday (and sometimes Wednesday, during Lent) dinner.  Here are some of the best options in Oz to get your Friday Fish Fry!

Port Washington

Fork & Tap  In the heart of Downtown Port Washington, located behind Sherper's at 203 E. Main St., is offering their gluten free Potato Chip Crusted or Beer Battered Cod Fish Fry on Wednesdays as well as Fridays through Lent.

Twisted Willow  Port Washington's Farm-to-Table restaurant, located at 308 N. Franklin St., offers breaded or baked cod, buttered rye bread, house slaw & tartar sauce, potato pancakes or french fries, and clam chowder.

Plier's Full Circle Pub & Restaurant in Port Washington, just across the freeway into Knellsville, probably has the most diverse selection for a Friday Fish Fry, including bluegill, walleye, haddock, tilapia and grouper.

Schooner Pub at 114 N. Franklin St. in Downtown Port serves up cod, perch or shrimp baskets, along with the classic clam chowder.

Yummy Bones BBQ is more known for their barbecue, but they serve a Fish Fry during Lent, only available on Fridays. 5 pieces of fried Cod, fries, a side of cole slaw and a corn bread.

The Beacon, located on the first floor of the Harborview Inn in Dowtown Port Washington, serves up perch, cod or poor man's lobster on Fridays, with a great view of the Lake

Saukville

The Bog  Reservations are recommended for this restaurant on the golf course located at 3121 County Road I in Saukville.  Call (262) 988-1113.

Riverview Inn in Saukville is best known for their pizza, but they also offer a great Friday Fish Fry Special.  Located at 3172 N Riverside Drive along the Milwaukee River, this little log-cabin themed restaurant can get pretty crowded, but carry-out is available.

Newburg

No No's  A traditional supper club on the corner of Highway 33 and County Road Y in Newburg, No No's serves a Friday night Fish Fry, as well as All-You-Can-Eat Smelt every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4-9 p.m.  Call (262) 675-6960 for reservations or more information.

Cork n' Barrel Bar & Grill, at 503 W. Main St. in Newburg, has baked or breaded cod, perch, jumbo shrimp and a choice of fries or potato pancakes.

Grafton

Juice's Ghost Town Restaurant, located at 990 Ulao Rd. in Grafton, offers a very traditional Friday Fish Fry with a choice of Perch, Haddock, or Walleye and either breaded, beer-battered, pan fried, or broiled.  Children's portions are also available.

 Flipside Cafe and Grill  at 2074 Washington St. in Grafton serves a very diverse all-day Friday Fish Fry, but they're not open late, so get on it.

Belgium

Lake Church Pub & Grill  Located at 690 County Road D in Belgium, this humble little restaurant and Inn has quite a reputation for a good Friday Fish Fry.  Perch, Walleye, Cod, Shrimp, and Poor Man's Lobster are all served between 4:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Luxembourg Cafe, right off the freeway in Belgium (formerly Hobo's),

Friestadt

The Landmark in Friestadt is such a local gem it doesn't even have a website or social media, but they have a worthy Friday Fish Fry and they are the stuff of Ozaukee legends.  Located at 10634 W. Friestadt Rd.

Thiensville

Remington's River Inn, right on the Milwaukee River in downtown Thiensville, offers beer battered cod or poor man's lobster with the usual sides.

Daily Taco doesn't seem like the place to get a fish fry, but if you liked the award-winning fish fry from the cheel, this is it: lightly fried in a chickpea & rice flour gluten-free batter, served with golden raisin slaw, Mexican basmati rice, side of house tartar and a wedge of lemon.

Mequon

The Range Line Inn in Mequon was once a stagecoach stop in the early 1800's, but its been serving a good Friday Fish Fry at 2635 W. Mequon Road for a long time.  Open 4:30-10 p.m.

Cedarburg

C. Weisler's is as historic as historic downtown Cedarburg can be, and they serve up a special Fish Fry, including a 3 piece Haddock Plate, a Tilapia Plate, a Lake Perch Plate, and more, from 4:30-9 p.m. every Friday at W61 N493 Washington Ave. in downtown Cedarburg.

The Farmstead in Cedarburg is normally the place to go for steaks, but they do serve a classic Friday Cod Fish Fry, as well.  Located at W61 N493 Washington Ave. and housed in a beautiful old farmhouse, The Farmstead is a local favorite.

Settler's Inn in downtown Cedarburg offers pan fried or baked cod and pan fried walleye or perch for their Friday Fish Fry from 10 a.m. - 2:30 for dine in and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. for carry-out.  Call ahead to reserve your time slot at (262) 377-1191.

Know of a great Fish Fry in Oz that we missed?  Contact mary@OzaukeeLivingLocal.com and tell us all about it!  Then, take our Best Fish Fry in Oz Poll!