糖心Vlog传媒

Beer, food and fun on tap at first-ever Flannel Fest

JANESVILLE鈥擨f you like craft beer and food trucks, odds are you like flannel.

And if you like flannel, odds are you鈥檒l like the inaugural Flannel Fest in downtown 糖心Vlog传媒.

The 鈥渃raft brew experience,鈥� as organizers have dubbed it, is an afternoon gathering of flannel-and-beer-loving camaraderie at 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 town square at River and Dodge streets.

Hosted by Downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 Inc., the event runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

Organizers say they have 500 tickets available for patrons who don鈥檛 mind braving what are likely to be frigid conditions. General admission is $40 and includes 10 4-ounce samples of various craft beers.

Rock County Brewing Company and Gray Brewing will have numerous beers available for sampling under a heated tent. l also will bring brews and cider.

General admission tickets also include a sample of every beer in the home brew competition.

A panel of local bar owners, craft beer aficionados and attendees will judge the home brew submissions. Emily Arthur, business improvement district executive for Downtown 糖心Vlog传媒, said 20 different home brewers had signed up for the competition as of last week.

A second $10 ticket will be offered for designated drivers. While those tickets do not include beer sampling, DD ticket-holders will be able to purchase drinks.

Tickets will be available at the gate if the event is not sold out, Arthur said.

Flannel Fest attendees will receive a commemorative beer mug, and those who take part in the 0.1-mile Lazy Man鈥檚 Race will also get a medal with a built-in bottle opener and a bumper sticker denoting their accomplishment.

South Padre Streetfood and The Olive Branch food trucks will be posted up onsite to curb hunger pangs often spurred by an afternoon of beer drinking.

Flannel Fest essentially replaces the Black and Red Masquerade Ball, which Downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 previously hosted at The Venue in February. Arthur said the organization decided last year to host an event to lure people downtown and loop in area restaurants.

She added there tends to be a lack of wintertime events to bring people downtown to patronize local shops, which often face lulls in colder months, she said.

But why is it flannel-centric?

鈥淔lannel just really ties into craft beer,鈥� Arthur said. 鈥淛ust kind of a catchy theme and name of it.鈥�

Some restaurants will dole out specials to Flannel Fest attendees after the event. These include The Looking Glass, 18 N. Main St., and Whiskey Ranch, 24 N. Main St., which will offer something to attendees if they show their commemorative beer mugs, Arthur said. Citrus Cafe, 208 S. Main St., also will offer something that morning before the beer drinking commences.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just a couple that have reached out to us. I鈥檓 sure other bars are going to jump on board,鈥� Arthur said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really encouraging people to visit the different bars and restaurants.鈥�

Arthur said the outdoor beer tent will be heated and that heaters will be scattered around the town square in anticipation of likely cold weather. There also will be live music and a variety of games, including a growler-holding competition.

Proceeds from the event will be funneled back into downtown beautification efforts in hopes of hosting similar events in the future, Arthur said.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are available online at e or at Rock County Brewing Company, 10 N. Parker Drive, Suite 160, 糖心Vlog传媒.

Ryan Bennett 

Christopher Ramaekers conducts during a rehearsal for a performance of The Sounds of Silent Film last year in Chicago. A similar performance is planned Sunday, March 3, at Light Recital Hall on the UW-Whitewater campus.

Christopher Ramaekers

Leslie LaMuro

WHITEWATER鈥擭ew music is not all bad, nor is it all inaccessible.

UW-Whitewater鈥檚 Christopher Ramaekers also said contemporary music does not have to be 鈥渟uper serious.鈥�

鈥淚 think people hear 鈥榗ontemporary music鈥� and they tend to shy away,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey think it鈥檚 going to be academic. They think it鈥檚 going to be harsh. They think it鈥檚 just going to be something they won鈥檛 enjoy and something they can鈥檛 relate to.鈥�

Ramaekers wants to 鈥渂roaden鈥� perspectives on new music at an upcoming show on campus.

The Whitewater Chamber Players, a UW-W faculty ensemble, will perform m, a show where it will play new scores in tandem with a collection of modern silent films. The show is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in Light Recital Hall on campus.

鈥淚 hope this music paired with these films will show modern music in a new light, or a different light鈥攖hat it鈥檚 something you can kind of have fun with and you can enjoy,鈥� Ramaekers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 OK to like modern music.鈥�

Ramaekers, an assistant professor at UW-W who directs orchestras, will conduct the show. Featured performers will include Cristina Ballatori (flute), Leanne League (violin), Benjamin Whitcomb (cello), MyungHee Chung (piano) and Tobie Wilkinson (percussion).

Ryan Bennett 

Christopher Ramaekers conducts during a rehearsal for a performance of the Sound of Silent Film Festival last year in Chicago.

The March 3 show will mark the first time The Sounds of Silent Film has come to Whitewater, but Ramaekers said a group in Chicago, c (where he also is a conductor), has performed the show through a festival for the past several years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 by far the biggest event that group does down in Chicago,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really popular event, so we thought we need to try it somewhere else.鈥�

Some of the silent films will be goofy, and others serious, he said. One is called 鈥淟ife,鈥� and it follows a man through his morning routine. Another, 鈥淢argaret and the Moon,鈥� is about a schoolgirl at a science fair.

Ramaekers said composers have written scores for the films, and the musicians will perform them live while the films are screened.

The Whitewater Chamber Players usually perform at least once a year, but Ramaekers said that number varies each year. Last year, the group went on a school tour on its way to playing at a convention in Illinois.

The players鈥� performance of The Sounds of Silent Film will be the fifth of six shows during the UW-W school year that are part of a series called Music Mosaic, said Leslie LaMuro, associate director of marketing and events for the College of Arts and Communication.

Due to recent weather conditions, LaMuro said the school has moved its e performance to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 3, just before The Sounds of Silent Film.

The Music Mosaic program is about 20 years old, LaMuro said, and its performances also include student or guest artists. The shows raise money for an annual scholarship of $2,000 for music students.

During last year鈥檚 program, a musical performance was held in darkness. LaMuro said performers memorized the pieces and turned off the lights so attendees could simply listen without activating their senses of sight.

With The Sounds of Silent Film, LaMuro said performers are again being 鈥渃reative with classical music鈥� for a show that is 鈥渟omething new.鈥� She expects it to be an intriguing entertainment option for students and the public.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really fascinating when they do things that are outside of the norm,鈥� she said.

Correction: This article was updated on Feb. 21 to show the correct time for the Woodwinds of Change show at 3 p.m. March 3.聽