The Picks: Local Music At The Popcorn Tavern, Art Exhibitions Presented By The Pump House, & More Weekend Picks!

The Picks: Riverside Garden Expo, La Crosse Distilling Co. Spirit Release, and More Picks For Father’s Day Weekend!

June 24-26, 2022

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.

Photo by The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection

All Month

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 Flibbertjibbet

All Weekend

Live Music at the Popcorn Tavern – Support local and regional musicians at the Popcorn Tavern this weekend! On Friday night you can head down to see Flibbertjibbet live from 10pm to 2am to kick off your weekend. The Jake Duda Band will return to the Popcorn Tavern on Saturday night at 9pm for some country-bluegrass blues. And on Sunday night you can check out Jesus Chrystler at 7pm to see Ron Rose and friends rocking the new stage. All shows are 21+ and have a small cover charge.

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.

Photo by Catherine Williams, “Hammer Gams” / Pump House

Friday

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.

Saturday

Pump House Regional Arts Center Exhibitions – Stop by the Pump House Regional Arts Center to view the current art exhibition in the gallery. The exhibition includes Hammer Gams by Catherine Williams, The Elect and the Damned by Carole Spelic, JUXTAPOSITION by Susan Morrison, and Beauty and Beyond Disability by Mauree Childress. You will see various mediums including painted portraits using watercolor, wax crayon, and pencil, portrait photography, large-scale steel and fiber sculptures, and more.

Photo by Great River Shakespeare Festival

Coming Up

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.

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!

Broken Wrist Records Presents The King Yellowman Show & The Sagittarius Band with TUGG – Be at the Cavalier Theater in downtown La Crosse at 7pm on July 5th to see the champion of dancehall The King Yellowman Show & The Sagittarius Band along with special guests TUGG. Straight from Jamaica, King Yellowman has an incredible history in Reggae music and a reputation as being the biggest reggae artist since Bob Marley at one time. His performances are known to be incredibly lively as King Yellowman displays an unlimited amount of stage energy. Presented by Broken Wrists Records, tickets are $20 and available for purchase now.