Waukesha's first beer garden opens Thursday

The City of Waukesha's first beer garden opens Thursday, August 17 through September 10 at Rivers Crossing Park. A second Neighborhood Beer Garden will open in Bethesda Park the following weekend.

“We are excited to bring the Neighborhood Beer Gardens to our parks,” said Joanna Adamicki, special events coordinator. “As we prepare for Oktoberfest next month, the Neighborhood Beer Gardens are a great way to spread the word and get out to some of the neighborhood parks with a special celebration.”

Sprecher Brewing Co. will be on hand for the traditional tapping of the Firkin at 5:00 PM on Thurs. facilitating the tapping and free beer tasting. The Brewhouse Polka Kings will kick off the festivities in addition to Fox Fire, a local food truck. Live music will fill the weekend as will a variety of food trucks including Gypsy Soul Food Truck, Scrima’s Catering, and Toast. The event is free and open to the public with no entrance or parking fees.

An additional feature of the Neighborhood Beer Garden is the Wurst Beer Biathlon taking place on Thursday, August 17 and again on August 24 for the Bethesda Neighborhood Beer Garden, and Saturday, September 23 as part of the Oktoberfest celebration. Runners ages 21 and older compete in the biathlon by running or walking and at the end, enjoying a beer. Children of registered runners will have the opportunity to run at no charge. Registration is available at http://silvercirclesportsevents.com/wurst-beer-biathlon

On Saturday, 1:00 to 3:00 PM, City representatives will be on hand from a variety of departments to discuss projects and answer questions.

Hours of the Waukesha Neighborhood Beer Gardens are Thursday and Friday, 5:00 to 9:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

The music schedule includes:

August 17 5:00 to 8:30 PM         Brewhouse Polka Kings
August 18 5:00 to 8:30 PM         Eric Von Klassen
August 19 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Mike Schneider Band    4:00 to 8:30 PM Bryan O’Donnell
August  20 11:00 AM to 3:00 PMJeff Winard                    4:00 to 8:30 PM Alpine Blast