Beats & Eats festival expands for second year
This year's Beats & Eats will again feature a 5K Run, Walk and Roll race.
Building on a successful debut, the Beats & Eats festival at the Milwaukee VA will feature an expanded family friendly lineup this year, including live music, a farmers market, car show, food trucks and kids’ activities.
Beats & Eats will be held Saturday, Sept. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Milwaukee VA campus. Admission is free, along with free parking on the grounds.
The event also includes bus tours of the Milwaukee VA Historical District and a Veterans art show, along with wood carving and fly-tying demonstrations.
Information on health care, benefits, fitness, whole health, suicide awareness, fire safety and Veterans issues will be available from more than 30 organizations and services.
“We want to bring the Veterans, employees and their families, along with the community at large, together on the grounds,” said Dr. Christina Orr, assistant medical center director. “It’s a way to involve everyone and celebrate all we have to offer.”
The 5k Run, Walk and Roll kicks off the event at 8:30 a.m. Race registration forms and course rules and regulations are available on the Beats & Eats website.
The farmer’s market runs from 9 a.m. until noon and is scheduled to include organic produce, honey, maple syrup, food items, jewelry and fresh flowers.
Kids’ activities will include VA coloring books, face painting and games such as Giant Jenga and Yard Yahtzee, as well as the Milwaukee Fire Department's Survive Alive House.
Kids’ activities include VA coloring books, face painting and games such as Giant Jenga and Yard Yahtzee. The Milwaukee Fire Department also will have its Survive Alive House, which is designed to teach the safe way to escape from a burning building.
Free bus tours of the Milwaukee Soldiers Home National Historic Landmark District will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. One bus will be wheelchair accessible.
Self-guided walking tours with a pamphlet also will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Music will be provided by Cold Sweat, whose energetic blend of funk, R&B, soul, dance, disco, rock and pop has made the band a favorite on the area festival scene.
Cold Sweat will perform from noon-2 p.m. DJ Wigglez will provide music from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
More than 100 classic and custom cars already have been entered for the car show, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and concludes with a parade of cars around Lake Wheeler.
“We started this event with the intention of engaging the community and outreach to Veterans,” said Katherine Clarke, co-chair of Beats & Eats. “This event also gives us the chance to showcase some of the wonderful opportunities we have for Veterans.”
