Thursday, August 13, 2026
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Downtown Racine offers free music Fridays and Saturdays this summer
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Incorruptibles performs in 2025. The band will be back in concert in Racine during the Music on the Monument concert series in Downtown Racine on Aug. 28. |
RACINE — The Downtown Racine Corporation has announced the return of two outdoor concert series: Music on the Monument on Fridays and Saturday Sounds on the Square on Saturdays.
They will offer free live music at Monument Square every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 29, with performances from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Seating is available, as well as room for dancing, a beer garden and food vendors.
The Friday Music on the Monument schedule includes:
- July 3: Ivy Ford Band (5-8 p.m. during First Friday)
- July 10: Rust Belt
- July 17: Kyle Young Band
- July 24: Walking Birds
- July 31: Identity Crisis
- Aug. 7: All The Kings Men (5-8 p.m. during First Friday)
- Aug. 14: Mean Jake
- Aug. 21: Route 66 Belle City Band
- Aug. 28: Incorruptibles
- Sept. 4: Alexandra Smith (5-8 p.m. during First Friday)
Saturday Sounds on the Square will include:
- June 27: Jill Plaisted Band
- July 11: Scarlet Curve
- July 18: Mathew Haeffel Trio
- July 25: Ghosts in the Gravel
- Aug. 1: Saturday June Band
- Aug. 8: Infusion
- Aug. 15: Easy-Flo
- Aug. 22: Lori Lewis
- Aug. 29: Would You Kindly
In the event of severe weather, concerts may be canceled without a makeup date. Weather updates will be posted on the Downtown Racine social media pages.
Parking is available at the McMynn Ramp, Lake Avenue Ramp, Shoop Ramp, Gaslight Point Ramp, and Festival Hall Ramp. All ramps offer all-day parking for $4.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
First Fridays kick off in downtown Racine on May 1
RACINE -- The Downtown Racine Corporation's First Fridays kick off on May 1 with a Creative Crawl, a citywide celebration of art, creativity and community.
There will be hands-on activities, artist demonstrations, local author readings, pop-up exhibits and more from 4-9 p.m. throughout Downtown Racine.
Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St., will feature:
- A live set by DJ Unknown (5-8 p.m.).
- Interactive art stations for kids & adults (4-8 p.m.).
- Art Treasure Hunt with prizes.
- Meet the Artist: Amanda Browder (6:30 p.m. talk).
- Live Urban Sketching with Patti Fallon.
- Outdoor public art/postcard painting station.
- Artist demos throughout downtown featuring RAM artists.
Live art and hands-on experiences will include these venues:
- Revelyn Soul: Watch artist Erin Krembs create felted beads & animal sculptures.
- The New Café: Create beaded wind chimes with Pop-Up Adventures.
- Stitched: Fiber art demo with Sherrye Smith + explore Racine’s newest fiber arts hub.
- Art Metals Studio: Father/daughter duo showcasing painting/metalwork collaboration.
The Hotel Verdant, 500 Main St., is offering:
- A rare behind-the-scenes look at a private guest floor.
- Creative cocktail specials at Marguerite.
- A paper floral art demonstration with Laura Gillespie.
Among other highlights will be:
- Busia’s XOXO, 210 3rd St.: Hands-on cookie icing station.
- Photographic Design: Opening reception for the "Windows of the World" exhibit.
- Racine Art Guild, 419 6th St., Spring Juried Show.
- COP House: Student-made jewelry from repurposed materials.
- Over Our Head Players: Interactive puppet “Joke Booth.”
- Public art installations and demos throughout downtown.
Friday, June 13, 2025
Run, parade, music festival taking place Saturday downtown
L.A. Sklba
RACINE — Racine is the place to be Saturday as three major area events converge downtown.
Residents and visitors can pick from a run along the lakefront, a Juneteenth parade and a music festival—or attend all three for a day full of festivities.
The Lighthouse Run, Juneteenth Parade and Racine HarborFest are taking place Saturday, each within blocks of each other.
“A day like June 14 is the perfect example of what makes Downtown Racine so special — a vibrant mix of culture, community, and celebration,” Kelly Kruse, Downtown Racine Corporation executive director, said.
The Lighthouse Run, put on by 5Kevents, kicks off the day downtown at Festival Park, 5 Fifth Street. The annual event is returning for its 47th year and features both competitive and noncompetitive races.
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| Granetzke |
There is also a Carl Granetzke Memorial Kids Run. Granetzke was a local running icon who reportedly ran in more than 800 races in his lifetime and was known for his “infectious enthusiasm,” according to 5Kevents. He died December 20, 2024.
This year, prize money will be awarded to the top three men’s and women’s finishers in both the 10 miles and four miles competitive races.
Advance registration is required. For more information and how to register, go to https://5kevents.raceentry.com/racine-family-ymca-lighthouse-run/race-information.
Just about a block north of the Lighthouse Run finish line, the third annual official Racine Juneteenth Parade will begin at 11 a.m.
The parade marks and celebrates June 19, 1865, the day when the final enslaved people in the U.S. learned of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Brendan Saunders, from left, his daughter Dorothea, De'rya, Lisa Plunkett and Zoey march in the 2022 Juneteenth Day Parade in Racine. Juneteenth marks the day when the final enslaved people in the U.S. learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865 — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
“It’s a celebration for everybody,” JaVonna Lue, Juneteenth parade committee president, told The Journal Times. “Although we are celebrating Black culture, it’s still not a Black thing. It’s an everybody thing.”
More than 50 organizations are participating in this year’s parade, according to event organizers.
The parade will begin at the intersection of Fourth and Main streets. It will travel south to Main and 14th streets, turn west on 14th Street to Grand Avenue and turn south to the Dr. John Bryant Community Center, 601 Caron Butler Drive, where the parade ends.
There will be a celebration at the Bryant Center following the parade.
Racine residents and visitors can also look forward to Racine HarborFest returning to the lakefront.
The music festival used to be held annually, first taking place in 1987 at Pershing Park. The festival was known for donating some of its profits back to the community.
This year, the event will return at Festival Park on Friday and Saturday, with proceeds going to Racine County Food Bank and Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin.
The festival will feature nine bands across the two days, including Stephen Hull Experience, Bella Cain, Feels Like the First Time (a Foreigner tribute band), and Heart to HeartBreaker, (a Heart and Pat Benatar tribute band).
There will also be food trucks and merchandise booths.
Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. The festival runs 3-11 p.m. Friday and 12-11 p.m. Saturday.
It’s worth noting that anyone who participates in the Lighthouse Run gets free entry to HarborFest.
For more information, including a music schedule and where to purchase advance tickets, head to https://5kevents.strideevents.com/racine-harbor-fest/event-information.
“Events like these not only showcase the beauty and energy of our lakefront district, but they also bring a significant boost to our local economy by drawing thousands of residents and visitors to our shops, restaurants, and attractions,” Kruse said.
People heading into Downtown Racine this weekend can utilize street parking as well as all-day $4 parking at the Lake Avenue Ramp, 300 Lake Ave., the McMynn Ramp, 120 Seventh St. and the Shoop Ramp, 226 Main St., and the Civic Centre Ramp, 501 Lake Ave.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
A creative twist: First Fridays return May 2 to highlight Racine's 'creative spirit'
Caroline Neal
RACINE — With summer just around the corner, First Fridays are back with a creative twist.
This year, local art businesses — including Hot Shop Glass, Racine Art Museum, Vintage & Modern Books and Artists Gallery — have teamed up with Downtown Racine Corporation to host a Creative Crawl.
Giving attendees an opportunity to explore the arts community, the Creative Crawl will act as a kickoff to the First Friday season, which starts May 2, but organizers will continue the theme throughout the year.
On Friday, attendees will be able to visit downtown shops to hear from local and visiting artists and to create some work of their own.
“We’re hoping to spread arts throughout the community, from Sixth Street all the way down to Main Street, down to George’s,” said Tricia Blasko, a Creative Crawl organizer. “We’re trying to spread it around as much as possible and really just show the creative spirit that is in Racine and celebrate the arts as much as possible.”
Activities for the crawl will be located throughout downtown.
Racine Art Museum will have a live DJ and art-making stations, and Hot Shop Glass will host a visiting artist for a live glass blowing demonstration.
Attendees can stop by Vintage & Modern Books to hear from local authors, catch a cello performance at Photographic Design Gallery or head to Hotel Verdant to talk with the artists whose works hang on the walls.
Participants can also collect stamps on an Arts Passport for a chance to win prizes.
According to Creative Crawl organizer and Artists Gallery Director Jen Janzer, non-art establishments also will be participating. For instance, Reefpoint Brew House will host a woodturner.
“It’s a way to really diversify and push people out into the entire downtown,” Janzer said.
Blasko, who works as Racine Art Museum’s director of education and serves on the DRC board, said the idea started when the board was brainstorming an arts-focused event.
The main goal of the Creative Crawl is to gather people downtown, “share our love of the arts,” and show the diversity of arts in the area, she said.
Since March, downtown business owners, including Hot Shop Glass co-owner and founder Amanda Cosgrove Paffrath, have worked to plan the event.
Collaborating with other businesses, Cosgrove Paffrath said, has been a “blast” and allowed her to build relationships in a new way.
Heather Novotny from Vintage & Modern Books said working with other downtown businesses was “invigorating.”
“It gives me energy to meet with other folks around and like-minded people with the goal of just growing creativity in the arts, which is so important for community and people of all ages,” she said.
For Novotny, Racine’s arts community is vibrant, eclectic, unique and accessible.
“I think that’s fantastic because you really have the chance to explore and create,” she said. “Not everyone in the city really realizes what a wealth of creativity and variety we have within the art scene. The hope for the Creative Crawl is to give more exposure to the vibrant art scene.”
This, she said, includes the literary arts movement in Racine.
“As a bookstore and a community space, we’re really trying to create a space also for creativity,” she said. “Books are well known to spark the imagination. You can learn just about anything.”
Cosgrove Paffrath said she believes the goal of the Creative Crawl is to showcase creative businesses that “live downtown all the time.”
“These aren’t just pop-ups. These are businesses that are art-centered and creative and are here all the time,” she said. “By collaborating, we’re going to be able to draw people from a broader market.”
With Hot Shop Glass being in the downtown community for two decades, Cosgrove Paffrath is familiar with First Fridays.
“To some people, First Fridays is a band at Monument Square, but I know from my own experience as a merchant, there were a lot of people that loved to walk around and go in and out of stores and see what was new and see what was happening,” she said.
Janzer, a local potter, said she’s looking forward to the public interacting with artists.
“It’s a time for people to come and see behind the scenes of how people do things and how people create,” she said.
In addition to welcoming authors to the store, Novotny said she’s looking forward to seeing community engagement and discovery with the arts.
“I’m hoping we get a lot of traffic downtown — a lot of people just discovering the different things there are to do,” she said.
Cosgrove Paffrath recognized that Racine’s downtown — home to businesses like an arts cooperative, a glass blowing studio and jewelers making hand-crafted items — is unlike other communities.
“My hope is that people come and get how lucky we are to have this creative community, both as artists but also as consumers and tourists.”
Janzer wants the Creative Crawl to show people the different ways to participate, even if they aren’t well-established artists.
“There’s all sorts of things that people can get involved in, she said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Blasko echoed this sentiment, adding that she hopes attendees leave the event understanding the creative opportunities in Racine.
“Everybody is creative, no matter what people say. There’s so many opportunities to get involved in the arts as a spectator, a maker, a doer or a volunteer,” she said. “There are no limitations to ways that you can get involved.”
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
DRC selected to participate in Main Street America program
Caroline Neal
RACINE — Downtown Racine Corporation has been selected to participate in a program aimed at helping local communities establish systems for healthy development.
The Unlocking Capital on Main Street Program is the result of a partnership between Main Street America, an organization dedicated to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development, and the Center for Community Investment.
It’s goal to help local downtowns implement CCI’s Capital Absorption Framework, which helps communities strengthen investment strategies to achieve long-term goals.
DRC is one of six communities in the country selected for the program.
Main Street America selected the statewide groups in Virginia and Wisconsin as Coordinating Programs. From there, six local organizations in cities with populations between 30,000 and 500,000 were selected as sub-grantees.
Others participants in Wisconsin include Downtown West Allis Inc. and On Broadway Inc. in Green Bay.
Each local group will have access to workshops, grant money and technical assistance.
DRC Executive Director Kelly Kruse said the Capital Absorption Framework will help ensure that investments align with community priorities, which include attracting and retaining high-quality retail stores and grocery or food stores, continuing to support local businesses, and promoting economic development that does not displace current residents or businesses.
“By taking control of our investment narrative, we can prevent unwanted or misaligned development and instead focus on initiatives that reflect the needs of those who live, work and invest here,” Kruse said.
DRC will utilize the program to develop “a pipeline of investable commercial and mixed-use projects focused on filling vacant storefronts and converting underused upper floors into residential units,” according to Main Street America.
As part of the program, DRC will have access to in-person and virtual workshops to help communities seek and deploy investment capital.
The first training, Kruse said, is in May.
“Most of all, I hope to strengthen our systems so we can work more efficiently with partners, stakeholders, and funders, ensuring that the great work already being done in our district is not only sustained — but amplified,” she said.
The framework also will allow DRC to achieve its long-term goals by offering “tools and guidance for developing a shared vision, building an investable project pipeline, and improving the policies and systems that support lasting impact,” she said.
According to Kruse, those goals include stimulating economic development, preserving historic buildings, creating a pedestrian-friendly downtown, modernizing the parking system and expanding year-round programming.
“As a small nonprofit, this structured approach will allow us to scale our impact, coordinate stakeholders more effectively, and unlock funding that directly supports our downtown vision,” Kruse said.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Common Council to consider expanding Downtown TID project
Holly Gilvary
RACINE — City of Racine Common Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on enhancing the Hotel Verdant project downtown and providing a $9.7 million loan to developers to do so.
If approved, Developers Dominion 12 LLC, Dominion 14 LLC and AOA Racine LLC would redevelop multiple storefronts and buildings in Downtown Racine in Tax Increment District No. 26, which houses the Hotel Verdant project.
According to city documents, the developers want to create a full-service spa at 512 Main St. and a mixed-use property with one retail and four residential units at 222 Fifth St. They also want to demolish the structure at 401 Wisconsin Ave. to construct a parking lot, with a future phase to include the construction of a four-story, 40-unit, market-rate apartment building at 426 Wisconsin Ave.
In return, the city would provide a $9.7 million loan from TID 26 with an annual interest rate of 3%.
If the developer proceeds with constructing the 40-unit apartment building at 426 Wisconsin Ave. within five years, at close of construction financing of the building, the principal on the loan will be forgiven, city documents say.
The city would transfer $5.7 million from TID 9 (the Johnson Building) and borrow $4 million from from the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands for the loan.
Dominion and AOA Racine agreed to the minimum valuation of $4 million for the apartment buildings if the plan transpires, according to city documents.
If the developer does not begin construction on the building at 426 Wisconsin Ave. prior to the end of the interest-only period on the loan, the loan will be re-amortized and bear an interest rate of 5% due in 2040.
More development on the agenda
The Common Council agenda also includes a request to amend the Regency Mall development plan to allow for a multi-family development and a resolution to reward a construction contract for townhomes for the Lincoln King Development Project.
The council approving the Regency Mall amendment would allow for potential apartment buildings at 5326 Durand Ave.
Hull Property Group LLC has proposed five three-story apartment buildings, including about 266 units, according to city documents.
The resolution involving the Lincoln King Development Project includes awarding a $14 million contract to KGI Construction Group LLC for the construction of 33 townhomes.
Developers would build the townhomes on properties acquired by the Racine Community Development Authority on Wilson, West, Prospect, Frederick and Hamilton streets, according to city documents. Each townhome would include multiple units.
Mayor’s veto
Mayor Cory Mason on March 7 vetoed legislation approved by Common Council at its March 4 meeting that would change the structure of council proceedings.
The veto is on Wednesday’s agenda for the council to either approve or override.
Agenda rescheduled from prior meeting date
All the agenda items involving major development plans and the mayor’s ordinance veto were originally scheduled for the March 18 meeting, but the council failed to reach a quorum and the meeting could not proceed.
Common Council on Wednesday is scheduled to consider all items originally on the March 18 agenda.
The council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Room 205 of Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave. A livestream of the meeting will be available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@cityofracine.
I lived in downtown and near it for nearly twenty years. Yes, downtown is nice, but so are hundreds of other downtowns in Wisconsin and thousands in the USA. DRC has drained our takes to the tune of millions of dollars that benefit only DRC members. Fuck downtown. Let the stores there experience the real market, not one subsidized by our tax dollars.
Friday, March 14, 2025
8 ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Caroline Neal
RACINE COUNTY — St. Patrick’s Day may fall on a Monday this year, but that likely won’t stop many people from partaking in celebrations.
From bar crawls to Downtown Racine Corporation’s 17th annual parade this weekend, Racine residents and businesses are joining in on the fun.
Here’s where you can celebrate this year:
Downtown Racine
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicks off Saturday at 12 p.m. at the intersection of State and Main streets. The parade will move south on Main before turning west onto Sixth Street, concluding hear City Hall.
There will be more than 35 participants.
The Ivanhoe
Pub & Eatery
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The Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery will be open for St. Patrick's Day celebrations this Saturday and Monday. |
On Monday, The Ivanhoe Pub & Eatery, 231 Main St., Racine, will be hosting its St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
The Irish pub will be open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, and Monday, March 17, for Irish breakfast.
Patrons will be able to enjoy the Irish menu, including dishes like potato and leek soup, corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew, Irish coffee and green beer.
McAuliffe’s Pub
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Wendy Lynn Markus will perform at McAuliffe's Pub on Monday. Patrons also will hear from The Craic and Radiation. |
McAuliffe’s Pub, 3700 Meachem Road, Racine, will open at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Customers can try Guinness stout stew and choose from a selection of whiskey and Irish beers.
Starting at 3 p.m., patrons will hear live music from traditional Irish band The Craic, violinist Wendy Lynn Markus and alternative rock band Radiation.
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This weekend, West Racine residents can participate in bar crawls on Saturday and Sunday, visiting establishments like Crazy Train, 600 E Main St., Waterford. |
Bar crawls in West Racine
West Racine County residents can participate in bar crawls this weekend.
The first, St. Patt’s Day Pub Crawl, will be from 2-10 p.m. Saturday, March 15.
With food and drink specials at each establishment, the crawl will include Spanky’s Sports Bar & Grill, Penny Bar, Kelly’s Bleachers, B-Lazy Bar & Grill and Crazy Train.
The Second Annual Shamrock Pub Crawl is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16.
Participating bars include B-Lazy Bar & Grill, Cooler by the Lake, JC’s, Kelly’s Bleachers, Penny Bar, Sportsman’s Pub & Grub, The Boathouse and The Tavern.
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Buckets Pub, 2031 Lathrop Ave., will host a St. Patrick's Day celebration on Monday. |
Buckets Pub 2nd Round
On Monday, March 17, Buckets Pub 2nd Round, 2031 Lathrop Ave., Racine, will host its St. Patrick’s Day celebration from 11 a.m. to midnight.
The Summit Restaurant & Cocktails
Patrons at The Summit, 6825 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, can enjoy the St. Patrick’s Day menu on Friday, March 14; Saturday, March 15; and Monday, March 17.
Menu items include corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie and the Reuben.
Blue Badger Bar & Grill
From March 15-17, customers at Blue Badger Bar & Grill, 171 S. Sylvania Ave., Sturtevant, can enjoy St. Patrick’s Day specials, including $1 off the Reuben and $2 green beer.
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Racine residents can participate in the St. Patrick's Day 5k event on Saturday. Open registration opens at 9 a.m. at Festival Hall. |
Celebrations with 5kevents
5kevents is hosting a St. Patrick’s Day 5K on Saturday, March 15. Same-day registration starts at 9:00 a.m. at Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St., Racine.
From 1:30-7 p.m., residents can return to Festival Hall for ShamROCKs and Shenanigans, during which they can enjoy live music and Irish food, whiskeys and beers.
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