There's a specific kind of summer night coming this weekend. Warm out, still light past eight, music leaking out of open doors downtown, and you can just wander until something pulls you in.
We don't get many weekends like this. Feels like a good one to be out in it.
I started putting this thing together every week, and now I can't keep up with it all. This town has way more heart than it gets credit for. You just have to know where to look.

That's what I'm here for. Let's get into it.

— MH

Good long-game news. Green Bay was picked for a $500,000 EPA Brownfields grant to assess and plan the cleanup of underused, contaminated sites around town. Translation: more old eyesores getting turned into usable space, something the city already has a solid track record of doing down by the river.

Here's a rare one: the city is straight-up asking what you'd like to see downtown. Green Bay is running a Retail Market Study, and if you live or work downtown, the survey is short, and your answer feeds into what gets recruited next. More boutiques? A specific type of restaurant? Everyday retail you're tired of driving across town for? This is the moment to say so.

Easy Saturday morning. De Pere Christian Outreach is hosting the ADRC's Grounded Cafe food truck outside the thrift store. Browse, grab lunch, support two local nonprofits at once.

The east side is getting a serious fitness option. VASA Fitness is opening a 58,000-square-foot club in East Town on Saturday, August 15, bringing roughly 70 local jobs. It's their 73rd location nationwide and fourth in Wisconsin.

The build-out includes cardio and strength floors, free weights, indoor turf, a half-length basketball court, a three-lane, 25-yard pool, KidCare, and group classes. On the recovery side, you get massage chairs, red light therapy, a sauna, a steam room, a hot tub, and an indoor cold plunge, which they say will be one of only a few in the state. Memberships start at $14.99 a month.

If you want in early, they're running a Founders Week from August 10 to 14 for people who join online in advance, with tours and class previews. The public grand opening is August 15 with giveaways, door prizes, and free coffee.

This is the big one. The Green Bay Fringe Festival packs 40+ acts of theatre, comedy, music, and dance into 10 venues across downtown over four days. It's weird, it's fun, it's unlike anything else on the summer calendar, and you can hop from show to show all weekend. There's even a Zambaldi Beer tie-in where a dollar from every pint goes back to the festival.

If country's your thing, this is the ticket this week. Riley Green brings his tour to the Resch Center on Thursday night for a big arena show right in town.

Grab a partner and sign up. Badger State is running an 8-week Bags (cornhole) league in their beer garden, starting Tuesday. Seven weeks of play plus a tournament, $2 off 16-oz pours all night, capped at 16 teams so it won't drag on. Good recurring social night if you've been looking for one.

This is the sweet one. Stroll the Broadway District and hit 10+ local businesses for desserts, drinks, and shopping, all in one afternoon. Family outing, girls' day, or a low-key summer date- it works for any of them.

If you want a night that isn't just another bar or ballgame, this is a fun one. The French House of Clay has a stacked workshop calendar, and two land right in the sweet spot this week: Matcha & Clay on Wednesday, and Learn the Art of Collage with Abby on Saturday. Hands-on, low-pressure, and you walk out with something you actually made.

The zoo is throwing the penguins a party, and you're invited. Games, crafts, penguin encounters, and feedings all morning into the afternoon. Best part: it's free with regular zoo admission, so it costs you nothing extra to make a normal zoo day a lot more fun.

Rec on Deck is back this week, and Thursday's is the standout. A wireless dance party where everyone wears headphones and switches between three music channels. Slightly ridiculous from the outside, a lot of fun from the inside, and it turns the CityDeck into something you don't see every day.

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Four straight nights of baseball at Capital Credit Union Park. Cheap seats, cold drinks, and a summer-night ballpark that's built for the whole family. Keep an eye out for ticket-plus-concession deals starting around $11.

Worth passing along, especially if you know someone who could use it. The YWCA is hosting a Wellness Fair on Thursday with a mobile medical unit doing walk-ins, free vaccinations for anyone without insurance, and free fresh produce, meat, and eggs while supplies last. There's also health navigation, financial assistance, and a network of community partners on-site to connect people with resources.

Free outdoor concert, and a good one. Big Mouth, the legendary Wisconsin horn band, takes over Howard Commons on Saturday night. Big vocals, a blazing horn section, and a stage show that does not let you sit still. Bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring a chair. Howard Commons has quietly become one of the area's best summer gathering spots.

Too hot outside or just need to get the kids out of the house? The Children's Museum has something going every day this week. Pint-sized Picassos painting runs most afternoons, plus Recycled Art Studio all day Thursday and STEAM Saturday on the 18th.

If you've got a spare pack of diapers sitting around, this one's for you. The Diaper Green Bay drive is running through July 24, collecting diapers (all sizes), Pull-Ups, and baby wipes for families facing housing instability. Nearly one in two families with young kids struggle to afford enough diapers, so even an open or partially used pack helps. Drop-off is in the YWCA lobby, and the donations go to House of Hope and other local agencies.

Shop local, stroll, and get deals all week in downtown Denmark. This came straight from Betty Duckett, a Denmark Community Closet coordinator who reads the Buzz every week.

A couple worth marking down for next Thursday, the 23rd, both in the Ashwaubenon and De Pere area:

🍯 That's the week. Downtown's the place to be, so go catch a show, grab a treat, and I'll see you next Thursday.

📩 Got something Green Bay should know? A new business, event, or shoutout? Just hit reply; we’re all ears, or click the link here.

Stay local. Stay buzzing, and maybe see you at one of the events. Don’t forget to say Hiiiii!

MH.