1. Celebrate Dyngus Day
CAROLE NICKSIN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
In South Bend, Indiana, where I grew up, Dyngus Day was a big deal. A Polish celebration of Easter Monday, the end of Lent meant beer, sausage, sauerkraut and polka bands. These events typically took place at veterans halls and political party headquarters, giving politicians the opportunity to do some campaigning in advance of spring primaries in certain years. All of that is to say that when I saw a notice for a Dyngus Day Celebration at the Polish Center of Wisconsin in Franklin, I was pretty excited! That’s where I’ll be dyngusing (yes, you can use it as a verb) come Monday the 21st.
2. Grab an O&H Kringle for Your Easter Brunch
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
Okay, so I’m actually off the hook for bringing anything to my family’s Easter brunch this year (thank you for having it covered, mom!), but if I was gonna bring something, it’d be an O&H Kringle. They have two Easter flavors this year, and I had the joy of trying them both this morning because they showed up out of nowhere at our office without warning (I am not complaining, just noting that it was a surprise). The flavors this year are Easter Chocolate Creme and Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake. I’ve got to say, my favorite of the two was the chocolate one, but they’re both pretty dang good. Find them in-stores and online at O&H until April 20.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Get Inspired at Creative Mornings on Friday
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
Recently, my highlight of every month has been going to Creative Mornings. Once a month on a Friday, a group of creative folks in the community come together to drink coffee, listen to a speaker and be inspired. This month, we’re meeting up at South Second in Walker’s Point on Friday, April 18, and there are two speakers: Raven Stevenson and Nia Love. I’m super excited to hear what they have to say around this month’s theme, which is “Crossroads.” Read more about them, find details about the event and sign up (for free!) here.
4. Listen to Spider Towns by Old Pup
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITO
Will Hansen is the go-to pedal steel player in Milwaukee’s music scene, sprinkling songs with a touch of melancholy. But in Old Pup, his own country-folk project, the instrument takes on more of an eerie quality. Take the highlight track “House of Wind” off his new album Spider Towns, where weeping pedal steel snakes around a rambling groove like a ghost trying to warn passersby. Throw in Hansen’s warm rasp, Ellie Jackson’s soft backing vocals and some supernatural lyrics for a spellbinding song. The rest of the album is similarly terrific and entrancing.
5. Check Out What Might Be Wisconsin’s Biggest-Ever Sports Card Show
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Interest in sports cards boomed during the pandemic, but it’s shown no signs of slowing down since, and this week might be the local high-water mark for “The Hobby.” First up is a card show at a brewery. A brewery! Hopps: Cards, Curds, & Collectibles on Thursday night at Lakefront Brewery features 16 dealers along with the Beer Hall’s usual kitchen and tap fare – a nice adjunct to browsing old cardboard. And Saturday is the Wisconsin Megashow, which is being billed as the largest card show in Wisconsin history by its organizer, Tony Gordon. He’s the man behind the best regular card show in the area, the monthly first-Saturday show at the Salvation Army in Oak Creek. Saturday’s one-off show is at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex to hold the 400-some vendor tables – nearly twice the size of the Sal show. So, yeah, I’m stoked. Dealers will be offering cards from Ruth to Chourio, as well as memorabilia, Pokemon and anything else that can be put on a 2½-by-3½ inch piece of cardboard. To give you a sense of the scale, the most prestigious show in the country – the vaunted annual “National” – is less than twice as big as this show’s going to be. Plus, admission is just $2, which is donated to the Salvation Army. 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Lakefront Brewery, 1872 N. Commerce St.; and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Milwaukee County Sports Complex, 6000 Ryan Rd., Franklin
