Three things to do in & Around River City this weekend.

The weekend is here and I see some SNOW in the forecast! If you thought things might slow down a bit after Thanksgiving, you were WRONG!

There’s so much to do & there’s a million things going on in the La Crosse area, regardless of the weather. Here’s a few suggestions for this weekend:

FRIDAY – SPARTA KRISKINDLMARKT

I’ll be honest….I’ve lived in La Crosse for 20 years now and didn’t know about the Kriskindlmarkt in downtown Sparta a few years ago after a visit to the Beer Shop and Matsumoto Ramen House. I’m excited to be checking it out sometime in the next few weeks!

It’s a unique, outdoor, traditional European-style market with local artisans selling all sorts of stuff! There’s over 20 booths featuring food, including homemade sausages – soups – crepes – pretzels & more, gluhwein, locally brewed bier from Alchemy Brewing, cider, & all sorts of other things!

The Sparta Kriskindlmarkt is open on Fridays from 4pm until 8pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 8pm.

Find all the info on the Sparta Kriskindlmarkt by clicking here.

SATURDAY – FROTHBITE BEER & BITES FESTIVAL @ THE LA CROSSE CENTER

You know me. Beer sampling is my jam! And I’ll once again be your emcee at this year’s 3rd Annual Frothbite Beer & Bites Festival at the La Crosse Center on Saturday.

Doors open at 2pm for VIPs and 3pm for the general admission tickets. Both tickets include a souvenir sampling glass & unlimited beer samples. The VIP tickets also include an extra hour of sampling, a free coat check, a VIP meal, a Frothbite VIP gift, and a VIP area to relax, grab a bite to eat, and try more specialty beers available only to VIP ticket holders.

You can sample multiple beers from nearly 40 different breweries, and there’s also seltzers and ciders, & delicious food from many local restaurants & vendors, including meat & cheeses, cupcakes, cookies, & more!!

You can buy tickets for this event online here, and click here for additional information on the event.

SATURDAY NIGHT – THE “I LOVE THE 90’S” TOUR FEATURING VANILLA ICE, ROB BASE, COLOR ME BADD, AND THE C&C MUSIC FACTORY @ THE LA CROSSE CENTER

If you know me at all, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Vanilla Ice. My wife & I took a bus to Scatz in Madison back in 2009 to see him. We just saw him at Miller Park last year following a Brewer game. My buddy Bryan & I saw him at the Palladium in Worcester, MA in June of 1999 on his “Hard To Swallow” tour and we got to meet him after the show where he signed my dollar bill! (Did you know that his band for that album included Shannon Larkin – Godsmack drummer, & Sonny Mayo – former Sevendust guitarist???)

And if you get a few beers in me, and there’s a microphone & some karaoke….look out! Because your boi is going to sing “Ice, Ice, Baby” every time. There’s plenty of video evidence of this on the intarwebz.

Needless to say, I’ll have to pace myself at the Frothbite if I’m going to make it all night for the Ice Man! The “I Love the 90’s” tour hits the La Crosse Center on Saturday night, with doors at 6pm, with music starting at 7pm. My wife is really looking forward to seeing Color Me Badd, as they were the first “band” she ever saw at the La Crosse Center in June of 1992.

Find all the info on this event by clicking here. Buy your tickets here.

SUNDAY – ROTARY LIGHTS @ RIVERSIDE PARK

It’s one of the best things about La Crosse. The 29th Annual Rotary Lights display at Riverside Park!

Hundreds of volunteers, thousands of visitors every year, and MILLIONS of lights!

Gates open at 5pm nightly!

My wife & I go to this every year and thoroughly enjoy our slow walk through the park to see all the lights. If you’re planning on driving through the park, make sure you plan ahead with this friendly reminder:

This year, Santa will be in the park every single night through December 23rd, along with a few of his favorite reindeer! So, bring the kids down for some hot chocolate & a visit with the big guy! There’s also the live Nativity on select nights. Plus, the ice rink & free skate rentals when the weather allows.

We’ve never taken one of the carriage rides around the park, but maybe this is the year!

Don’t forget to warm up & enjoy a free s’mores at one of the fire pits in the park. There’s also live music & entertainment throughout the next month, and you can find the schedule here.

Please remember that this event is FREE, but they ask that you bring a non-perishable food donation, or you can make a cash donation as you enter the park.

As always, there’s a bunch of other events happening in our area this weekend & you can find many of them online at AroundRiverCity.com

And if you’ve got an event coming up that you’d like to see on AroundRiverCity.com, you can submit it for free here.