Get Away To Grafton

Episode 15: Chasin’ Dem Blues - Paramount Records in Grafton, WI

We’re really excited about this episode because it’s about a unique piece of Grafton’s history – the Paramount Blues. If you’ve driven in our downtown, you’ve noticed our Paramount Plaza with the Walk of Fame, honoring famous and influential Blues artists. In this episode we’ll talk about the history of the Blues in Grafton, Wisconsin with Kevin Ramsey and Angie Mack-Reilly. We’ll also talk to Cara McMullin about an exciting partnership with the Milwaukee Repertory Theater! Kevin Ramsey is the playwright and director of Chasin’ Dem Blues. Kevin has written four plays, two of which were put on at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. He is knowledgeable of our community and the impact we had on Blues history. His love of history and music has inspired him to write Chasin’ Dem Blues. His enthusiasm for not only Chasin’ Dem Blues but also Grafton, WI! Angie Mack-Reilly is our local historian and person who literally dug up the Blues history out of the Milwaukee River. Angie has always been very active with the arts in Grafton and most importantly, instrumental in uncovering the blues history in Grafton. We were in awe of her while talking about the extent of research she did to discover the blues history in Grafton and we hope you will appreciate what she did as much as we do! Our last guest is Cara McMullen. Cara is the Director of Marketing at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Cara spent the early years of her life living in an apartment on 12th Avenue right here in Grafton! She has worked with us to bring our vision of Grafton Night at Chasin’ Dem Blues to life! We are so excited to present this partnership to Grafton and our surrounding communities. Grafton Night at Chasin’ Dem Blues is Saturday, February 29 5-11:00pm. Included in your $100 will be your ticket to the show, a three-course meal with a variety of options and transportation to and from the show via a coach bus. We will meet at the football field parking lot at Grafton High School at 5pm to get to the Milwaukee Reparatory Theater to enjoy dinner prior to the show. You can still purchase tickets online at www.grafton-wi.org! Contact Annalise with any questions celebrate@grafton-wi.org 262-377-1650.

Episode 14: Holiday Events in Grafton

It’s season two which just makes sense to start with the holiday season! On today’s episode, we’ll be talking with three of Santa’s helpers who are instrumental in helping with Grafton’s holiday events. Our first guest is Dave Antoine, Chair of the Tree Lighting Committee, Grafton Village Trustee and the guru of everything Grafton. Join us at the Paramount Plaza on Sunday, November 24th from 4-8pm for the Outstanding Citizen and Group ceremony as well as the 20th Annual Tree Lighting. Next is one of Santa’s busy elves, Becki Schimpf. Becki is the Marketing Coordinator for Cornerstone Community Bank, who is the annual sponsor for this annual magical event for kids and their families. She’ll tell us all about Breakfast with Santa at Circle B Recreation Center. Make sure to buy tickets for Breakfast with Santa as it sells out every year! Breakfast with Santa is Saturday, November 30th 7:30-10:00am at Circle B Recreation Center. After the breakfast come to Downtown Grafton for the 40th Annual Christmas Parade sponsored by US Bank! Sarah McCraw, Administrative Assistant and Programs Coordinator at the Grafton Area Chamber of Commerce, will give us some secrets and insights about this year’s parade! The parade is Saturday, November 30th at 11am! For more information about these events, please go towww.grafton-wi.org [http://www.grafton-wi.org/]or follow/“like” us on Facebook - @VisitGraftonWI [https://www.facebook.com/VisitGraftonWI/]@GraftonChamberofCommerce. [https://www.facebook.com/GraftonChamberofCommerce]

Episode 13: A Food Truck and Festival Filled Summer in Grafton

On this month’s episode of Get Away to Grafton, we prepare for a summer of outdoor food and drink with local experts. We’ll hear about the second ever Beer on the Bridge in Grafton, Grafton’s brand-new Traveling Food Truck Tour, and from the owners of local food truck, That Taco Guy. Let’s get started! To begin, beer connoisseur and Grafton cheerleader Paul Alexander returns to Get Away to Grafton to talk about the second annual Beer on the Bridge tasting event. Paul, owner of 024 taproom in the Grafton Arts Mill, has always felt that Grafton is a city full of beer-lovers with no beer events. Last year, Paul organized the first ever Beer on the Bridge which was an enormous success. This year, Beer on the Bridge will take place Saturday, June 8th. General admission begins at 1pm until the festival closes at 5pm (VIP attendees can enter at 12pm). Like the name of the event suggests, the event takes place on the Bridge St. Bridge, just north of the Grafton Arts Mill. Paul’s event will boast nearly 100 beers from 35 breweries, live music from the Maple Blues Road Band, and food trucks. Tickets can be bought in advance or at the door. To purchase tickets in advance, you can visit the Chamber of Commerce Website [http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eg8k1w1o09323795&llr=r9elbvcab], or pick them up in person at the 024 Taproom or the Bottle Shop of Grafton. General admission tickets cost $50 and designated drivers get in free, but if you’re feeling adventurous you can upgrade to a VIP ticket that allows early entrance to the event and access to a VIP area featuring three rare barrels to sample. All tickets include a 5oz sampling glass and unlimited sampling of all beers for the duration of the event. The inspiration for the event came from Grafton’s festival-friendly layout and the unique location of a waterfall-spanning bridge. Back again this year is Beer on the Bridge’s Homebrewing Competition! For a small fee, contestants can bring two samples of their homebrewed beer rated by local judges. The winner of the competition will have the opportunity to brew their recipe in the Fermentorium’s brewing system! Next, Andrew Swafford of the Traveling Food Truck Series sits down with us to give us a sneak-peak of what to expect at Graton’s Traveling Food Truck Series. Nearly four years ago, Andrew began his food truck journey while organizing the Rockin’ Food Truck tour in Franklin. The event was so successful, the organizers approached the city of Oak Creek about organizing a similar event the following year. The support was outstanding, which lead to the concept of a traveling food truck tour that visits cities around south-east Wisconsin. Andrew says the tour has grown every year and will include an expanded tap-list for this years tour with unique taps and cans from local breweries. Live music, games, and activities for children will be featured in Grafton’s leg of the tour. You can follow the event at travelingfootrucktour.com [travelingfootrucktour.com], which will release a list of all the vendors closer to the event. The Traveling Food Truck Tour will stop at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Grafton on the following dates: * June 25th, 2019 * July 30th, 2019 * August 27th, 2019 * September 24th, 2019 Finally, Eli and Andrea Acosta join us to talk about the history of the “That Taco Guy” food truck, which will be featured during the Grafton Traveling Food Truck Tour. The venture began as a fun idea to stay busy during the weekend and make some extra money. The business was intended to be part-time gig based out of tents, but a great opportunity came up to purchase a food truck and it was full speed ahead. After the first event, it was clear that people loved the tacos. Eli and Andrea say they didn’t tell anyone the truck was opening or utilize any sort of advertising or promotion, which made the success so surprising. They attribute part of the truck’s success to the unique name, which was derived from the idea that hungry bar-goers wouldn’t remember the name of where they got food the night before, just that they got some delicious food from “that taco guy”. Eli runs us through some of his unique recipes and some of his favorite ingredients, including the popular candied jalapenos. Many of the recipes have traditional influence, as well as twists inspired by south-east Asian cuisine. If you want to try some of That Taco Guy’s delectable cuisine, visit their website at ThatTacoGuy.com [http://thattacoguy.com/] or find them at the Grafton Traveling Food Truck Series on the last Tuesday of each month at Veteran’s Memorial Park. For more information about Grafton’s local businesses, event planning, and more, please visit us at grafton-wi.org. We have a helpful directory of all of our chamber member businesses that can help you bring your vision to life! Be sure to follow   us on our Facebook accounts; @graftonchamberofcommerce [https://www.facebook.com/graftonchamberofcommerce/], @celebrategrafton [https://www.facebook.com/celebrategrafton/], and @visitgraftonwi [https://www.facebook.com/VisitGraftonWI/]

Episode 12: The Perfect Party in Grafton

On this month’s episode of Get Away to Grafton, we’re thinking spring, and for us, that means planning a special event in Grafton! Sit back, relax, and hear from our friends in and around Grafton that can help you plan the perfect wedding, shower, family event, and more! We can’t wait for you to hear from our friends at From Scratch Catering, River Room on the Milwaukee, and Bloomin’ Olive. First, our special friend, Donna Erickson of From Scratch Catering, is joining us to share details about her delicious treats you won’t want to miss. From entrees, sides, desserts, and more, we bet you’ll be drooling and wanting to have a taste of Donna’s delicious creations after listening to her segment of the show! From Scratch Catering has a unique story to tell about their business culture and philosophy of their dishes, and offers the best options for any special occasion. For more information about From Scratch Catering, please visit them at https://www.fromscratchcatering.com/ [https://www.fromscratchcatering.com/] or follow them on Facebook @fromscratchcatering [https://www.facebook.com/From-Scratch-Catering-248011525287367/] Our next guest is Tina Gotter of River Room on the Milwaukee. Tina shares with us her background, why she chose to go into the event planning business here in Grafton, and why you won’t want to pass up her venue for your special event. Once you get a look at the beautiful backdrop behind the building, the Milwaukee River, you’ll be absolutely sold! For more information about the River Room on the Milwaukee, and their event packages, please visit them at https://riverroomevents.com/ [https://riverroomevents.com/] or follow them on Facebook @riverroomevents [https://www.facebook.com/RiverRoomEvents/] Finally, we’ve saved the best for last. Any event needs a little pop of color, and our friends with creative minds at Bloomin’ Olive, owner Kim Meisinger and floral assistant Grace King, share their vision for their beautiful flower creations. Learn where the name Bloomin’ Olive came from, and why they are the perfect place to work with for any price point or budget. Bloomin’ Olive is also very excited to announce that they have a Facebook and Instagram account! Be sure to follow them to see the latest images of their works of art. For more information about Bloomin’ Olive, please visit them at https://www.bloominolivellc.com/ [https://www.bloominolivellc.com/] or on Facebook and Instagram @bloominolivegrafton [https://www.facebook.com/bloominolivegrafton/] For more information about Grafton’s local businesses, event planning, and more, please visit us at grafton-wi.org. We have a helpful directory of all of our chamber member businesses that can help you bring your vision to life! Be sure to follow   us on our Facebook accounts; @graftonchamberofcommerce [https://www.facebook.com/graftonchamberofcommerce/], @celebrategrafton [https://www.facebook.com/celebrategrafton/], and @visitgraftonwi [https://www.facebook.com/VisitGraftonWI/]

Episode 11: Thrifty Shopping & Bargain Deals

On this month’s episode of Get Away to Grafton, we share hidden and popular gems in our own backyard for thrift shopping and bargain hunting deals. Join us as we hear from our friends at Deez Dealz, Family Sharing of Ozaukee County, and Goodwill of Grafton and Southeastern Wisconsin. Our friends can tell you how to get great deals on things like toiletries, clothing, Coach Purses, and so much more! First up is Shannon of Deez Dealz. Dealz Deelz just celebrated their one year anniversary in Grafton, and we are so excited to have them in our community. Deez Dealz is full of amazing deals because of liquidation sales or auctions for bulk items that they attend. You can find virtually anything in their store from toilet paper to Coach Purses! Be sure to stop in during their business hours and check out their rotating inventory. For more information about Deez Dealz, please follow them on their Facebook page, @deezdealzllc [https://www.facebook.com/deezdealzllc/] Our next guest is Julie Hoover of Family Sharing of Ozaukee County. Julie shares with us a wealth of knowledge behind the concept of Family Sharing, ways to donate to keep their store full of great items for you to choose from, and when is the best time to come in for great deals and discounts on all kinds of hot items. You’ll be amazed how large their location is from the images on their Facebook and Instagram accounts! Make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram to find out when their “color sales” are! @familysharing [https://www.facebook.com/familysharing/] Finally, for those of you who love shopping for great steals and deals at Goodwill, you’re in luck! Our friends, Cheryl Lighthouser and Gabrielle Walters of Goodwill Grafton and Goodwill of Southeastern Wisconsin, join us in the studio to tell us about their weekly and monthly discounts offered to patrons, why Goodwill is the perfect outfitter for Halloween costumes, and so much more. Stay up to date on everything Goodwill by following them on their social media platforms @Goodwill For more information about places to get the best deals in and around Grafton, please visit us at grafton-wi.org. Be sure to “Like” and follow us on our Facebook pages, @graftonchamberofcommerce [https://www.facebook.com/GraftonChamberofCommerce/], @visitgraftonwi [https://www.facebook.com/VisitGraftonWI/], and @celebrategrafton [https://www.facebook.com/CelebrateGrafton/]