Celebrating its sixth anniversary, Riverworks Development Corporation’s Music on the Beerline will have its first of three summer events on Friday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m. on the Beerline Trail.
There will be music from Smoke N Mirrors and Urban Empress + The Urbanites, beer and root beer floats from Amorphic Beer and Sprechers Rootbeer, and local food trucks, including Yadeem’s on the Go and Pedro’s South American Food.
Music on the Beerline started in 2019 with the mission of activating a vacant and unused space to enhance a sense of community down on North Holton Street in Milwaukee. Ruth Weill, community engagement and special projects coordinator for Riverworks Development Corporation, said this event is all about showing the area some love.
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Weill said that this evening of fun is not the only instance of Riverworks Development Corporation getting engaged with the community. For 33 years, the nonprofit has been involved in a plethora of different community-based projects, like running the Riverwest Farmers Market and offering financial services to residents and young companies in the Milwaukee area. The nonprofit also has several contracts both with the City of Milwaukee and businesses to clean up illegal dumping and keep areas decontaminated.
In regards to the event, Riverworks Development Corporation oversees the Beerline Trail, specifically the stretch of track running from Bremen to Burleigh Street. While the trail is city-owned, Weill said her team oversees the management of the now decommissioned line.
The Beerline previously served as a train line for transporting beer in Milwaukee before the line was decommissioned in the ’90s.
Kristen Urban, lead singer and band leader of Urban Empress, also known as The Urbanites, said she looks forward to performing at Music on the Beerline for a few different reasons, one being her strong support of the uniting, community-building mission of the event.
“Our band has a great reputation for this connection of music and healing, which is what our goal is … to heal people and bring people together through the love of music,” Urban said.
On top of the band, Urban also owns Centered Healing in Milwaukee, which she cites as being one of her main motives for the band’s reggae soul vibe.
The Urbanites perform frequently in Milwaukee at all the different outdoor festivals going on during the summer season, including Jazz in the Park, the Brady Street Festival, Music on the Pavillion, Chill on the Hill and more. For Urban, Music on the Beerline is just another opportunity to share her band’s mission of building a sense of community and belonging.
In addition to the music, food and drinks, there will be other fun activities to participate in at Music on the Beerline, such as bag toss and games for kids. This event is free to attend and family-friendly for all those in the area looking to get out and meet other members of their community.
The other two Music on the Beerline events this summer are on Aug. 16 and Sept. 20, from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
