The mornings are starting off a little cooler, the school supply lists show up on the kitchen counter, and everybody quietly agrees to squeeze every last drop out of summer.

This weekend feels like the whole town got that memo at the same time. Downtown is turning itself into one big outdoor gallery, and just about every corner of the area found a reason to be outside one more time.

So that's the plan. Get out there.

— MH

Here's some news for anyone who's ridden the Zippin Pippin or wondered why the Scat sat still most of the summer. On Tuesday, the City Council accepted a deal with Friends of Bay Beach that wipes out the park's remaining $3.75 million in debt 12 years early. The Friends are donating $1.5 million, and the city is covering the rest from the park's development fund.

Why it matters: those annual debt payments were eating roughly $600,000 a year, leaving almost nothing for actual upkeep. That's why the Scat has been down (they can't find parts for the old ride), why the parking lot is rough, and why the train needs work. With the debt gone, the park expects about $750,000 a year it can finally put toward fixing rides, renovating the pavilion for year-round use, and inching toward the sandy beach we've been promised for generations.

One string attached: no new debt for the park through April 2028, as the Friends insisted. A community group putting up seven figures so kids keep getting 25-cent rides is about as Green Bay as it gets.

Bittersweet one for downtown De Pere. Luna Coffee Roasters is closing its Main Ave coffee shop on September 1, citing the wave of upcoming road and alley construction among other challenges.

The good news: the roaster isn't going anywhere. Beans will still be roasted at the same spot, pickup orders continue, and the space will live on as an event venue. The Bellevue location on Monroe Road stays open too. If Luna's shop has been your spot, you've got about a week of visits left. Make them count.

Green Bay just signed on as a founding city in America the Entrepreneurial, a national push to get more people starting businesses. The local centerpiece: Kindred Kitchen, a shared commercial kitchen coming to the former Erbert & Gerbert's space at 226 N Washington St, giving food entrepreneurs a licensed place to cook, test, and launch without buying a building first.

The riverfront project years in the making just cleared its last big hurdle. This week the City Council awarded construction company 8Pine the contract to build out Phase 2 of the Shipyard, roughly 2.5 acres along the Fox River that will include a dog park, playground, splash pad, great lawn, sand volleyball, terraced seating, hammocks, an exercise area, and a scenic overlook.

The budget sits at $13.35 million in grants and tax incentive financing, and a late $2.15 million grant literally saved the dog park, which was on the chopping block. Construction starts this year with a 2027 finish. Mayor Genrich admitted it has been a costly project, but called this the most pivotal piece. A contaminated brownfield to a riverfront hangout is a trade most of us will take.

The city and the Oneida Nation broke ground Friday on a new splashpad on the west side, and this one is more ambitious than the usual. It's designed as a serpentine, river-like journey with ground sprays, an overhead spray seating area, an interactive water zone, and boulders and natural materials throughout, plus a Oneida dedication boulder on the east side.

It will sit right next to the playground, and the parks department is upgrading the whole site's stormwater management while they're at it. West side kids, next summer is going to be a good one.

A new WalletHub study out this morning compared 300 US cities on 17 measures of housing-market health, from price appreciation to affordability to job growth. Green Bay landed 36th in the country overall, and 10th among all small cities under 150,000 residents. Madison came in 7th nationally, and both of us finished well ahead of Milwaukee at 187th.

Here's the flip side of a healthy market, though: it's getting brutal to break into. Five years ago, more than a third of Wisconsin listings were priced under $200,000. Today it's 16.4%, per the Wisconsin Realtors Association, with the statewide median now at $360,000 and supply still firmly in sellers' market territory. Great news if you own here. Tough news if you're trying to.

Downtown becomes one big outdoor gallery this weekend. The Art Fair presented by TDS Fiber brings 130 local, regional, and national artists to Cherry and Jefferson Streets, with live demos, handcrafted work from paintings to sculptures to jewelry, food, and live music all weekend. FBI & The Untouchable Horns play Saturday, Copper Box plays Sunday, and the Experience Zone has hands-on art activities for the kids.

The final one of the summer series. Downtown De Pere's alleyways transform into art, food, music, and pop-up performance spaces for one night, with local makers, immersive art, live music, comedy, dancers, and more. If you missed the June and July editions, this is your last shot until next year.

No partner, no experience, no problem. Fox Valley Latin Dancers are running a bachata lesson at 7 pm at Bichota downtown, then the floor opens up for bachata, salsa, cumbia, and merengue until 10. The class is $10; the social dance after is free; one drink minimum; 21 and up.

Golden-hour music in the gardens. The Whiskey Belles bring their country, folk, and Americana sound to the Green Bay Botanical Garden Thursday evening. Bring a chair, catch the sunset, call it a perfect school-night outing.

A professional nature photographer is leading two evening workshops on shooting Wisconsin's wildflowers, with real-time coaching in the field and a Zoom photo share afterward to compare everyone's best shots.

Meijer Day at the Zoo means free admission for the first 500 guests through the gate on Saturday. The NEW Zoo doesn't do free days often, so if the kids have been begging to see the red pandas, this is the cheapest trip of the year. Get there early.

Sunday is for the dogs at Heritage Hill. Bring your pup for the Find Sammy scavenger hunt, paw print keepsakes at the Print Shop, and a photo op with a professional photographer. There's a free fastest dog contest running all evening, plus cutest dog, ugliest dog, pie-eating, and costume contests if you're feeling competitive. The first 100 dogs through the door get a commemorative souvenir, JDogz food truck handles dinner, and your visit supports Heritage Hill.

The Chamber's Young Professionals are taking applications for S.O.U.P. (Support of Urban Projects), where community members pitch ideas to make Greater Green Bay better and get a shot at real support to make them happen. If you've been sitting on a "somebody should really..." idea, this is the somebody-could-be-you moment.

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One year ago, best friends Erin Sherwood and Sydney Vassal launched loom & lore, a romance bookshop inside a purple bus named Millie, and they've been putting on miles all over Wisconsin since. Saturday, they're bringing Millie back to where it all started for the Second Chapter Festival: more than 20 local, women-owned businesses popping up at The Barrel Haus, plus themed cocktails from Badger State, eats from The Wandering Table food truck, and interactive experiences. Free to attend, and a pretty good excuse to buy a book from a bus.

The Packers visit the Broncos Friday night for preseason game two of three. The storyline worth watching: Tucker Kraft is back in team drills for the first time since tearing his ACL last November, and he's trending toward playing Week 1. The other date to circle is Tuesday, when rosters get trimmed. And a fun bit of local trivia while we're at it: this fall marks Lambeau Field's 70th season.

Brown County Parks just installed something quietly beautiful: a wind phone. It's an old phone with no line connected, placed along a trail so anyone can pick it up and talk to someone they've lost. Say goodbye, share a memory, ask for advice, and let the wind carry the words.

The idea has spread around the world, and this one exists because a local donor who went through a loss of their own wanted to bring it here. The parks department hopes to add more phones to trails in the future. Sometimes the best thing in the county costs almost nothing.

🍯 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.

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