The Picks: Cheers & Beers, 4th of July Events, and More Weekend Picks!

July 1-3, 2022 & Fourth of July Events

New local picks every Thursday evening to get your weekend started! Check back each week to see La Crosse Local’s picks and to make sure not to miss out on events throughout the year.

Featured Event

Cheers and Beers at the La Crosse Center – Head to the La Crosse Center’s Riverside Terrace on the 4th of July for their Independence Day Cheers and Beers event. This newly renovated space overlooks the Mississippi River and offers a great place to celebrate Independence Day. Event tickets are $10 and include beer tasting and light refreshments sponsored by Gillette Pepsi La Crosse and Leinenkugels Brewing Company. The local band, Knee High July, will also be performing live at this 21+ event. Get your tickets now at the box office.

All Month

Great River Shakespeare Festival – Running from June 18th to July 31st, come on down to Minnesota’s Premier Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota! The Great River Shakespeare Festival has plenty of drama and excitement in store for its 2022 season, including performances of The African Company Presents Richard III, Always…Patsy Cline, and Twelfth Night. Plus there are two additional events, All the Town’s a Stage: A Winona Story and Callithump! that are sure to add to the fun and entertainment. Currently, you can also enter the Great River Shakespeare Festival’s sweepstakes to win tickets to win tickets to the show of your choice. The Great River Shakespeare Festival is known to be an essential part of summer in Minnesota and a fantastic theatrical festival, so make your plans to go this summer!

Celebrate Pride Month In La Crosse – June marks the kick off of Pride Month, an entire month of events, festivals, and parades throughout the world dedicated to the uplifting of LGBTQ voices and culture, and the support of LGBTQ rights. This month, spend some time celebrating pride by visiting local pride events and supporting members of the LGBTQ community. The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection is a great local LGBTQ resource in La Crosse to check out for events, services, and more.

Photo by 4Ground

On The Road

Behind the Scenes Tour of Villa Louis – Travel down the picturesque Wisconsin Great River Road to Prairie du Chien for a behind the scenes tour of the historic Villa Louis. This National Historic Landmark gives you a glimpse into the life of one of Wisconsin’s most historic families, the Dousmans. The Behind the Scenes Tour event will allow visitors to have a more in-depth look at the Dousman family and their home, plus learn all about the day-to-day inner workings of the restored Victorian mansion. The tours will occur one Friday every month from June to October and each tour will feature different areas and objects of the mansion.

Midwest Land Art Biennial – If you’re up for some weekend road trips this summer you may be interested in checking out 4Ground’s Midwest Land Art Biennial, an inaugural contemporary art festival taking place June-August 2022. The festival runs all summer long and includes a full calendar of events, public programs, and suggested road trips that highlight, draw on, and raise awareness for the 10,000+ year tradition of Native land art created in the Upper Midwest. The first official launch event for 4Ground takes place at Franconia Sculpture Park on June 4, 2022.

4th of July Event

La Crosse RiverFest – La Crosse RiverFest invites you to join them in Riverside Park for music, food, entertainment and fun from June 30th to July 4th. Riverfest offers one of the largest fireworks shows and 4th of July celebrations in the region. This includes 5 days of local and national musical acts, events, family-friendly activities, food and drink vendors, and of course fireworks to top off the festival. You can enjoy activities offered by the event including live entertainment, food and drink, and other performances by purchasing an event button at the gate. You can watch the fireworks show from several locations in the area including on the Cass Street Bridge and from a boat on the Mississippi River, but some of the best are found at Riverside Park if you show up early enough to snag a spot.

Photo by Trading Faces

Coming Up

The Summer Slam – Come down and see a showcase of the best local and regional original rock bands with The Summer Slam at Pearl Street Brewery, presented by imMORTal productions. Live musical performances will include Zammek, Trading Faces, Midwest Voltage, Tendrill, Night Fires, The Right Here, Copilot, and Sunbutt & The Moonshiners. There will also be food provided by The Chili Revolution Food Truck, and a variety of craft beers and beverages crafted by Pearl Street Brewery.

Driftless Music Festival – Music, food and fun! The Driftless Music Festival returns to Viroqua in Eckhart Park on July 9th. This family friendly event is perfect for families and friends to enjoy a small town festival that features music, ethnicities, and cultures that are not always present in a small, rural Midwestern town. Festival goers will be able to hear the McNasty Brass Band, Kendra Swanson, Tani Diakiti and the Afrofunkstars, and Ryan Necci and The Buffalo Gospel.

Saturday 

Live In Viroqua Summer Music on the Streets Series – Join the Viroqua community for Live in Viroqua, the city’s first-ever summer concert series offering free outdoor live music. Every first and third Saturday of July and August, you can come out for an evening of live music from nationally and regionally known musicians including Dead Horses, Them Coulee Boys, Chicken Wire Empire, and more. The venues will include Court Street outside of the Historic Fortney Hotel and Railroad Avenue outside of Driftless Books and Music. Each evening the event will start at 5pm with local food, beverages, and vendors on site, with music playing from 6 to 9pm.

Fourth Fridays – The La Crosse Area Chamber is launching a new summer event in Riverside Park, Fourth Fridays. Occurring every fourth Friday of each month, you can head to Riverside Park for vendors, arts and crafts, music, and fun. The event is family-friendly and free for all ages to attend from 3pm to 7pm.

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