Yes, finals are approaching. But couldn’t you use five pounds of beer, pizza, tater tots or adult products to loosen up a little?
This Saturday, “The Onion” is throwing a Christmas party at BBC Bar & Grill, 2022 E. North Ave., featuring three live bands and a variety of five-pound prize packages.
Erin Frank, sales manager for “The Onion,” said this is the eighth annual five-pound Christmas party. This year, Frank said, “The Onion” is sponsoring the event with BBC Bar & Grill, 91.7 WMSE, German Brewing Company and Jim Beam.
“There are about 20 local businesses that have donated five-pound prizes,” Frank said.
Frank said there is a $14 entrance fee, or $12 with a non-perishable food item, but attendants do not pay extra for a chance to win the prizes.
“You fill out a raffle ticket when you come in and then before the show and during set breaks we raffle off the prizes in no particular order, and anyone who enters is eligible for anything,” Frank said.
This year, local bands Fever Marlene, Juniper Tar and Mark Waldoch will perform at the party.
“We try to come up with local bands that are well-liked and popular in the community,” Frank said. “It is supposed to be a fun ‘thank you’ to our readers and to the BBC at the end of the year.”
Some prize packages this year include comics from Collector’s Edge, assorted beer from Hi Hat Garage & Lounge and macaroni and cheese from Balzac, Frank said.
She said the Pabst Theater is donating five pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon and five pairs of tickets to Spoon on New Year’s Eve. Tickets for shows such as St. Vincent, Golden Dragon Chinese Acrobats, Magnetic Fields and Colin and Brad of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” will also be raffled.
Frank said other packages include lubricant from the adult store Tool Shed, deli meat from Benji’s Deli, tater tots from Palomino, assorted products from American Science & Surplus, turkey from Jimmy John’s, soup from Erbert & Gerbert’s, pizza from Transfer, and other assorted five pound packages from Pyramid and Magic Hat, 91.7 WMSE, “The Onion,” Times Square Bistro, Blatz and Bella’s.
“It is a 21 plus show, but it’s great if students of age are looking for an opportunity to see some great bands and walk away with some great prizes,” Frank said. “It’s not just your typical night out seeing bands on the East side, you have a real chance at having a winning number, and they are very college-friendly prizes.”
Frank said Marquette students interested in this event should check out The Onion’s local Web site, AVclub.com/milwaukee.
“It’s a great resource for Marquette students to find out what’s going on in the city, and there are also interviews with local business owners, musicians and artists, calendars and certainly more information on the party,” Frank said.
Joe Prusha, owner of Erbert & Gerbert’s, 612 N. Water St., said “The Onion” reached out to Erbert & Gerbert’s for donations. He said they will donate five pounds of soup to the event.
“We just opened in September, this is something that is important to us, we wanted to make sure to get involved in the community,” Prusha said.
Prusha said Erbert & Gerbert’s is open every day until 3 a.m., and also delivers. He said they offer different sandwiches and soups than many other sub shops, and have started catering for Marquette and for other organizations.
“We’re excited to get over closer to Marquette students,” Prusha said. “Come in to sample it before it gets too trendy.”
Matt Klinker, senior in the College of Health Sciences, said he is a regular reader of “The Onion” and plans to attend the party.
“I’m going to the party because it sounds like an absolute blast and the prizes sound awesome,” Klinker said. “I mean where else can you have your choice of five pounds of mac and cheese or lube?”
Klinker said he plans to attend because it sounds like a great way to take a break from the monotony of the library and the stress of finals.
