Naberhood starts block parties in June

The new Naberhood Plaza in downtown Shawano is relatively quiet as the month of May arrives, but come June, the joint is definitely going to be jumping as the inaugural Naberhood block parties kick off.

For most of the Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons during the summer months, entertainment will bring downtown alive, as city officials hope to bring out residents and visitors alike to enjoy the season. The block parties are expected to add to the city’s burgeoning entertainment portfolio, which includes Thursdayz at Franklin that take place at Franklin Park and the Sunday night music series that will be moving to Arlington Park from Memorial Park this year.

All of the events are free, with funding coming from the city of Shawano, the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce, the Shawano County Library and Stubborn Brothers Brewery. The brewery will have its outdoor facility up and running just in case someone is thirsty or comes down with a case of the munchies.

“It took a little time, but it was a fun process,” said Maddie Stuewer, who handles special projects for the Shawano Parks and Recreation Department, as she talked about getting enough entertainment for the first year. “We wanted to focus more on community so whenever possible, we had local bands. We’ll be utilizing different businesses, just as much community as we can.”

Tuesday events will be a hodge-podge of activities ranging from petting zoos to movie nights to hypnotists to magic shows. There will be a little something for everyone, according to Stuewer.

One of the events taking place for Tuesdays is Arts in the Park on June 27. Stuewer said the event is a mixture of different things, including crafts and theatrical performances from the Shawano County Arts Council, as well as performances from Shawano Community High School.

“It’s a celebration of the arts,” Stuewer said.

Comedy City Improv will be hitting the Naberhood on July 25, causing folks to roll on the new astroturf with laughter as the audience has no idea what the performers will do next.

“I saw them last year, and they were on my list for bringing them here,” Stuewer said. “They’re very funny and very good at what they do.”

The Shawano County Library will hold two movie nights at the plaza. On July 11, “Top Gun: Maverick” will be shown and will also include family yoga with Jaime Lee prior, according to Stuewer. The other movie night is Aug. 1, and the film will be “Super Pets.”

Saturday afternoons will be mostly bands, but Stuewer noted the tone of the block party bands will be different from the ones who perform at Franklin Park.

“We wanted to get more acoustic style, and see some of the local talents and abilities of people right next door,” Stuewer said.

Cardboard Honey will be the first band in the lineup on June 10 and will be back again on June 24. According to Stuewer, Jacob Grignon and Marcus Whitehouse, two regular performers with Box in the Wood Theatre Guild, are part of the band.

Central Standard will also feature a Shawano alum, Hunter Krolow. Currently in New York, he’ll be flying back to perform with band on July 1.

The last Saturday in the block party series, Aug. 26, will be an open mic event. Stuewer said that some of the bands performing on the other Saturdays might stop by for a song or two, but she’s hoping other aspiring musicians take advantage of the platform.

“This will be giving people a chance to share their talents and abilities,” Stuewer said.

The city of Shawano hopes that the events will continue to bring people out to enjoy what the community has to offer, according to Stuewer.

“The goal with the Naberhood was to carry on what Thursdayz started, which is family-friendly events,” Stuewer said. “Every Tuesday and every Saturday, you’ll have something to do.”

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com

AT A GLANCE

Naberhood block parties (Tuesday events begin at 5:30 p.m., Saturday events at 1:30 p.m.):

June 6: Jeff Michaels, hypnotist

June 10: Cardboard Honey

June 13: Weird Science

June 17: Meet the Seavers

June 20: Petting zoo

June 24: Cardboard Honey

June 27: Arts in the Park

July 1: Central Standard

July 8: ShawanoFest

July 11: Family yoga and movie

July 15: Cousin Arthur

July 18: Mischief and Magic

July 22: Speako Chords

July 25: Comedy City Improv

July 29: Meet the Seavers

Aug. 1: Movie night

Aug. 5: Amelia Ford

Aug. 8: National Night Out

Aug. 12: Speako Chords

Aug. 15: Petting zoo

Aug. 19: Hannah Rose

Aug. 22: Downtown Bash

Aug. 26: Open mic