Stories you might have missed from around Wisconsin.
Green Bay: Music from The Last Waltz to be performed November 26.
You won’t have to go up on Cripple Creek to enjoy the music of the Band and their famous farewell concert. On November 27, a local music collective known as Cripple Creek Caravan will bring some of the magic of “The Last Waltz,” the 1978 documentary of the Band’s legendary farewell concert to Green Bay’s Tarlton Theater. The documentary was directed by Martin Scorsese. The musicians in the collective don’t call this concert a tribute, they say it’s a labor of love. Johnny Mazzariello of Green Bay’s The Chocolateers told the Press Gazette, “Everybody in this band loved that music and has a deep connection to it.” The timing of the concert is by design. It was on Thanksgiving in 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco that The Band was joined by a who’s who of music for a four-plus-hour final performance that would become one of the biggest concerts in rock history. Cripple Creek Collective is made up of 15 northeastern Wisconsin musicians. Full Story
Ripon: Ripon College receives biggest donation in its history.
If you went to college, you’re used to getting countless fundraising communications once you graduate. Even if you’ve been a generous alum, there’s a good chance you weren’t as generous as an anonymous donor in Ripon. An anonymous gift to Ripon will help support residence life and student engagement. The $20 million donation is the largest gift commitment in the college’s history, the college announced Nov. 13. According to reporting in the Fond du Lac Reporter, the donation will benefit The Forever Ripon Campaign. The money will be used to expand student programming, improve student housing and potentially build a new residence hall. With this donation, the Forever Ripon Campaign totals $117 million raised, and the campaign still has eight months before it closes. Full Story
Williams Bay: World’s Tallest Glass Tree returns to Yerkes Observatory.
We can debate over whether it’s too early for Christmas decorations to be up, but it won’t matter in Williams Bay. The World’s Tallest Glass Tree, is being constructed at the Historic Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay. The 36 foot tree is a community-made art piece made from recycled glass. The tree’s construction will be open to the public Dec. 6-8 and Dec. 13-15, and attendees will have the chance to help build the tree themselves and craft their own glass-blown ornament on a bench-top torch. The event culminates with the tree’s star-topping on Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. Milwaukee magazine says that this is the third year that the World’s tallest Glass Tree will return to the observatory. Community members can donate glass of all colors at one of the four collection sites around Lake Geneva and Williams Bay. Full Story
