My kids saw the Notre Dame banners on Lambeau this week and asked what was going on. Honestly, fair. It's a weird sight.

Short version: this game got canceled in 2020, everybody waited six years, and now the whole state is driving to our backyard for it. On a long weekend, no less.

Kids are back in school, summer's done, and it's still the biggest week of the year around here.

— MH

Rep. David Steffen of Howard is proposing a bill to make Wisconsin classrooms screen-free from pre-K through second grade: paper, pencils, and books with actual pages. It follows this year's statewide school phone ban, has backing from national teachers’ unions, and he's refining it with parents and schools before January. Timely conversation-starter for week one of school.

How do you feel about this? Reply and tell us what you think.

Zambaldi's Pints with a Purpose is pouring for Green Bay East next Wednesday. From 3 to 9 pm, $1 from every pint, flight, to-go growler, and to-go 6-pack goes to the East Gridiron Club, the nonprofit behind East High football that funds equipment, team meals, camps, and player recognition. Club members will be there with merch and stories, and honestly, "beer that buys a kid shoulder pads" is a pretty easy sell.

A new family-owned startup called Stuffed With Love is bringing the stuff-your-own-plush experience directly to birthday parties and events around Green Bay: kids build, dress, and customize their own stuffed friends at interactive pop-ups, no mall required. Screen-free, hands-on, and homegrown.

That empty UnitedHealth building on AMS Boulevard? It's about to become the biggest thing in Howard. The Village Board approved a $300 million development from T. Wall Enterprises: over 1,100 apartments, 17 single-family homes, shops, commercial space, and community areas, all in a new "Grid Iron District." The old 400,000-square-foot building gets demolished entirely (cheaper than remodeling), and the land jumps from a $1.5 million assessment to an expected $300 million when finished. The village projects $320 million in added value and $61.5 million in tax revenue over the district's 27-year life. Howard is about to grow up fast.

The day before the big game, the Broadway District throws the official party, and all of it is free. It starts at 1 pm with a community cleanup of Veterans Memorial, Shipyard, and Seymour parks (supplies provided; park at the Neville). At 2 pm, the Family Football Combine opens at Leicht Park with the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, QB toss, bounce house, face painting, and balloon animals. Then the UW Marching Band parades over the Main Street Bridge, Bucky and the Spirit Squad make the rounds, Matt Lepay (the radio voice of the Badgers) headlines the Badger Program, Fun with Atoms and FBI & The Untouchable Horns play live, and the whole thing caps off with fireworks over the Fox River. Food trucks, beverage tents, and Badgers gear all day. No game ticket needed.

The market is throwing the kids a send-off into the school year Thursday. Students get $1 kiddie ice cream cones at Smith's Mercantile, and the KI Kids Tent has a prize wheel where everyone wins, with backpacks, pencil cases, markers, and notebooks in the giveaway pile. Shop the market, spin the wheel, start the year with a cone.

Off the App Dating is filling a party bike with singles Thursday evening, split into age brackets (23 to 33, 30 to 45, 43 to 60) so you're pedaling with your people. As of this week, only 8 spots were left, so this is a move-fast situation.

School-year hours start Thursday at the Children's Museum: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, Sunday noon to 4, closed Mondays. Plan around this too: the museum closes Sept 8 to 10 for a deep clean and exhibit reset, reopening Friday, Sept 11, ready for a busy fall.

De Pere's indoor aquatics classes return Sept 9 at Syble Hopp, with evening sessions Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through late October. Low-impact cardio, openings in most classes, and better with a friend.

Upstage Music Co has group piano openings for kids (Mondays and Thursdays, 5 to 5:30 pm at their Ledgeview studio) plus private lessons for every instrument at their main De Pere location. New school year, new skill.

One-day warning: signups for De Pere PD's fall Citizen's Academy close today. Tuesday evenings, Sept 8 through Nov 1, covering everything from the K-9 unit to crime scene investigation.

Contact [email protected] or (920) 339-4070 before the end of the day.

Titletown's Imagination Station returns Tuesday: giant blue blocks, tubes, gears, and chutes for kids (and adults, nobody's checking) to build whatever they can dream up. Free, no registration, just show up. Weather-dependent, so the blocks stay in if it rains.

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Brown County 4-H is teaching kids how ice cream actually gets made, then letting them make their own. Free, hands-on, and capped off with eating your homework. Tuesday evening at the YWCA, reserve a spot online.

This one was supposed to happen in 2020. COVID canceled it, the wait dragged on, and now it's finally here: Wisconsin opens the season against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sunday, with Badger fans from across the state and country descending on Green Bay for the weekend. Organizers are comparing the community effort to last year's NFL Draft. If you're not going, expect downtown and the stadium district to be packed all weekend, and if you are going, wear red and soak in one of the rarest sights in sports: college football under the Lambeau lights.

House of Hope is spending September stocking up on the everyday stuff that makes young families feel human: shampoo and conditioner for all ages and hair types, face and body wash, and hand soap. If you're already at the store this week, one extra bottle in the cart goes a long way for local youth and families working toward stable housing.

The three-story landmark at 402 Dousman St has sat empty for a decade, and the Landmarks Commission just targeted it for "demolition by neglect," accusing the owner of promising repairs and failing to deliver. It's only the second time the city has taken this step. The building anchors the Broadway-Dousman Historic District, may be up for sale, and the city says it's ready to work with a new owner to save it.

🍯 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 an event. Don’t forget to say Hiiiii!

MH.

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