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

Featured Photo Courtesy of Riverside Gardens

June 17-19, 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 Alex Jackman

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.

Photo by La Crosse Community Theatre

All Weekend

Lizzie The Musical – Catch a performance of the final weekend of La Crosse Community Theatre’s Lizzie the Musical on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday! Lizzie The Musical tells the story of Lizzie Borden, a girl accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. Though she is found not guilty, the punk rock score of Lizzie, her sister Emma, maid Bridget, and neighbor Alice dives into Lizzie’s mysterious mind and explains her motivations for the murders.

On The Road

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 La Crosse Distilling Co.

Saturday

Riverside Garden Expo – Head to the Riverside International Friendship Gardens this Saturday between 9:00am and 3:00pm to help celebrate the cultures of La Crosse’s Sister Cities. Take a tour of the gardens and learn the stories behind them, including cultural fables told by a professional storyteller in each garden. Delegates from our city’s international sister city groups will also be present in the garden to share more about their cities and how to get involved. You can also watch local artists paint scenes from the gardens live, and visit River City Art Gallery after the event to meet the artists and view all the finished paintings from the day inspired by the gardens.

La Crosse Distilling Co. Spirit Release: Heady Bella Coffee Whiskey – Join La Crosse Distilling Co. in celebrating the release of their new coffee whiskey, Heady Bella this Saturday at the tasting room. Bottles can be purchased beginning on the 18th, but there will be free samples for those who come down to La Crosse Distilling Co. available all day. The Heady Bella is a barrel aged eighty proof rye soaked in ground espresso, strained, and then finished with maple syrup tapped from the native trees of Wisconsin.

La Crosse Juneteenth Celebration – Celebrate Juneteenth, a day commemorating the end of slavery in our country and honoring the Black community, down at Riverside Park with the La Crosse Juneteenth Celebration. This free to the public, multicultural, eco and family-friendly festival includes live music, free food, educational programming, a hypnotist, presentation of the Youth Juneteenth Court, a dedicated Youth Fun Area, a Trolley Tour featuring reenactment of La Crosse’s Black Historical figures and numerous booths highlighting local organizations and businesses.

Photo by Riverside Gardens

Sunday

Celebrate Father’s Day – Treat your Dad to a drink and a bite to eat this weekend for Father’s Day at a local distillery or brewery. La Crosse Distilling Co. will have their bar and restaurant open 11am to 9pm on the 19th serving quiche Lorraine, huevos rancheros and whiskey old fashioneds. Pearl Street Brewery is also offering a Father’s Day special all weekend. Buy a glass of wine or a pint of beer, and get a free one for your Dad!

Coming Up

Downtown Art Walk – Downtown Art Walks return to the first Friday of every month brought to you by the Pump House Regional Arts Center and other partners including the River City Gallery La Crosse, Turtle Stack Brewery, Grounded Coffee.. Take time to visit the art galleries and art stops in Downtown La Crosse and enjoy the live music, demonstrations, refreshments, and dinner at various restaurants. Each month may bring new locations and events, so be sure to check back every 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!

Photo by Live In Viroqua

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 June, 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.