Quite a Way to Spend the End of Summer — Basking in the Clear Air of Green Bay, Wisconsin

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Parent Category: Travel Info

Category: Travel Feature

Published on Thursday, 31 August 2023 10:54

Written by Brad Balfour

The end of August may be the dog days of summer for most. But for the cool folks in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the month closed out with five fantastic days of visiting our great north central state — one I had never visited before. By an odd quirk of circumstance and opportunity, I got to take it “all” in during a far-too-rushed first visit to this lush state of lakes and green up North.

Three of those days were full of mostly local artistic expression thanks to the efforts of Nate’s Home and Garden and MLC Scene Awards’ Freddy Moyano, a filmmaker and festival founder. Kicking off at 5:30 pm on Friday, August 25th, the inaugural Music Art Film Craft Fest took place in downtown Green Bay at the long-established Tarlton Theatre in the Broadway-Walnut Historic District. Formerly West Theater, West Pitcher Show, and Historic West Theatre, the building is a Streamline Moderne theater built around 1925. In 1999, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property. For a visit to this area alone, with its outdoor market, little old-school burger joints, vintage havens and motel/hotels untrammeled by over-modernization, the trip was worth it. I basked in this retro-futurism where women in tats and piercings partied along side Packers fans.

A plethora of local artists, musicians, filmmakers and other talents showcased themselves and the scene once the doors open at the Tarlton. Performing that night were dream pop indie rockers The Pale Figures, classically trained cellist Arthur Gabriel Smeall and keyboardist Sam Bodhi. Also in attendance was local chef and sustainability advocate Selena Darrow who featured tastings of her locally sourced snacks during the evening.

Running from roughly six to midnight, the night was produced by MLC Awards and mental health advocacy group, Nate’s Home and Garden. Launched by members of the band Pale Figures — a group started in 2009 — it was revived once a family member had taken his own life after coping for years with having been a victim of clergy abuse. This event was a benefit for mental health and suicide awareness in association with a local prevention lifeline. Mental health advocacy has become a bi-partisan issue that concerns many people who passionately want to support it.

There was also some local fine art on display by Eric Cash — noted for his detailed portraits of the Beatles — and The Stain Glass Duo, whose artistic renderings are based on a local folk art stylizations. Jamie Bruhn of the Lizardz, a popular local rock band, was the MC throughout the evening. He has co-written and recorded three albums with The Lizardz including “Eyeblinder” in 2013. He has also worked with Blue Oyster Cult legend Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, one of his musical heroes as well as done “River to Nowhere” in 2018 and the latest, “Memoria.”

Various music videos were projected on the walls in a constant stream throughout the evening.

And then the spotlight was on me. I debuted my live show — “Punk Portraits/Legendary Polaroids” — which detailed my experiences as a pop culture chronicler. Through an hour-long Q&A, talking about my images and interviews made during the late ’70s and ‘80s, I spoke of chatting with such stars as The Rolling Stones, Johnny Rotten and the Ramones. I got them and others to pose long enough to pull off that one perfect shot. 

The next day, Saturday, August 26th, the MLC Film Festival kicked off in the Waterford Room at the Irish-inspired St. Brendan’s Inn (234 S. Washington St, Green Bay, WI 54301). Organized and hosted by local personality Moyano, he has been holding the MLC Film Festival for several years. Last year, he had feted Green Bay native, veteran actor Tony Shaloub (“Monk” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), and has awarded local luminaries in other years.

Q&As were held in between screenings of such films as the creepy “Desperate Souls” (dir. S.J. Hermann) and “Rise Again” (dir. Lauren Parker). During the lunch hour, I visited the local Farmers Market, tasted cheese curds and other local food fare. I saw The Pale Figures’ own film, “Mort Aux Lapins” and locally produced “Confessions of a Sailor” (dir. Kurt Krauss). The following day were more screenings of select movies from Canada, Mexico, Europe and beyond.

On Saturday, the MLC Film Festival hosted the premiere of Moyano’s own locally shot film, “Room 108” at the Neville Public Museum — an unusual combination of a historical society and natural history museum. Visiting there was worth the trip alone.

Then, before the MLC Scene Awards — which were scheduled for Sunday night — there was a sumptuous brunch at Chef Fusion, a fine dining downtown district restaurant on Broadway. Many selfies were taken and hands shaken as I bade my newfound fans goodbye. Then it was back to the cool ’50s styled Bay Motel (like the Bates Motel?) where I had stayed, to pack. I then took off for a three hour drive to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and the flight home.

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