Though Halloween is still a week away, various places around the city are offering the opportunity to get a head start on Halloween celebrations. This weekend, Milwaukee will be alive with people getting a jump on celebrating the holiday of scares, and they’ll have just enough time to rest up before the real big day.
“Death on the Downbeat”
No, it’s not another low-budget movie creating a craze like “The Blair Witch Project,” it’s actually a concert and murder mystery combined. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is presenting “Death on the Downbeat,” a pop concert within a theatrical performance.
According to Rebekah Schaefer, public relations and marketing director for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the performance will have a feel reflective of the 1930s and 1940s. It will feature classic movie music and popular theme music, such as that of “Perry Mason.”
Schaefer describes the concert as a “very Casablanca murder mystery whodunit.”
The renowned Magic Circle Mime Company will make its way into town this weekend as part of the performance and will make everyone in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Uihlein Hall a murder suspect — everyone including the orchestra. Schaefer said the lineup of suspects will also include “prominent businessmen and other famous faces in Milwaukee.”
According to Schaefer, this production “certainly gets (people) in the mood for (Halloween)” because “it’s different — it’s a combination of really great music with a world class symphony and theater.”
“Death on the Downbeat” will be playing Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. For information on tickets call the ticket office at 291-7605 or visit the office at 222 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Spirits on Grand Avenue
Just a hop, skip and jump away from campus, people interested in a more sophisticated Halloween party can walk over to the Pabst Mansion and taste champagne, sample candy provided by Quality Candies and have their fortunes told.
Spirits on Grand Avenue will celebrate its second year of exploring Victorian practices and perspectives on Halloween. According to Rikki Thompson, director of visitor services, the success of last year’s event prompted its return this year. Thompson said the Pabst hasn’t hosted an annual Halloween event in 10 years, since it stopped having a haunted house. Thompson said the haunted house was discontinued because of the amount of time needed to clean up and begin Christmas decorations, but he is glad that the mansion can restore its Halloween celebrations.
Though Spirits on Grand Avenue is “an upscale Halloween event,” according to Thompson, great costumes are encouraged. Thompson also promises that visitors of all ages will be entertained either by the food, the children’s activities or the fortune telling. Thompson even encourages students to “have their fortunes told for their grades.”
Spirits on Grand Avenue will take place on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. The Pabst Mansion is located at 2000 W. Wisconsin Ave. Admission tickets for adults are $7.
Frank’s Spookfest
Venture a little bit off campus, and maybe take a child with you, to enjoy this Southridge Mall rendition of Halloween fun. Frank’s Spookfest features actors and singers of the Alliam Productions from New York to provide some spooky entertainment.
According to Cheri Rouse, marketing director for the mall, the event is “something different” from other celebrations because it is a musical that “appeals to the entire family.” Rouse said the show is not expected to last more than 35 minutes, but then audience members can interact with the group following the performance. The entire Halloween gang will be a part of the celebration, including Frankenstein, Dracula and of course, witches.
Frank’s Spookfest will have three showings on Saturday: 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Southridge Mall is located at 5300 S. 76th St. in Greendale.
Halloween: Traditions and Superstitions
Perhaps this event at Old World Wisconsin is the scariest of them all because it tries to do something that many college students feel they need a break from — it tries to teach us.
Now don’t freak out, Old World Wisconsin isn’t providing a class about the dynamics of Halloween or anything like that, but it is offering visitors an opportunity to step into the 19th and early 20th centuries and learn a little bit about the traditions and superstitions that once were a part of Halloween.
According to Deb Ruesch, public relations and marketing director of Old World Wisconsin, the event is very “specific to history,” but is nothing like a typical lecture. In fact, it is very interactive and provides a variety of games and activities that “anyone from (ages) 5 to 100 would enjoy.”
Ruesch said that although the event concentrates on the traditions of a specific time period, it doesn’t show how present-day traditions were formed. People dressed in costumes particular to that era explain the celebratory activities of the 1800s and are spread out throughout the site. Ruesch said that fortune telling was among the most popular activity of the time and visitors of this living history museum can also have their fortunes told by using obscure things such as beans and peas.
According to Ruesch, this is the second year that Old World Wisconsin is hosting this activity. She is expecting a large turnout because the museum typically gets thousands of visitors on special events day — visitors that can be easily accommodated on the museum’s 576 acres.
Halloween: Traditions and Superstitions will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Old World Wisconsin is located at S103 W37890 Highway 67, Eagle. Adult admission is $14.