5 things to do in Milwaukee this weekend, from Empty Bowls to the Milwaukee Comedy Festival

Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Handmade bowls, with soup samples by chefs, will be sold at the annual Empty Bowls event on Oct. 9 in Milwaukee's Deer District. This year, advance ticket sales will guarantee each attendee a bowl.
Handmade bowls, with soup samples by chefs, will be sold at the annual Empty Bowls event on Oct. 9 in Milwaukee's Deer District. This year, advance ticket sales will guarantee each attendee a bowl.

1. Empty Bowls in Deer District

Empty Bowls, the tasty fundraiser where you get the soup and keep the bowl, returns at a new location this year — the Beer Garden in the Deer District adjacent to Fiserv Forum — Oct. 9 from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets are $30 for one artist-made bowl, with which you get two soup samples. (You get to pick your own bowl.) Additional soup samples are $5. Student-made bowls are also available for $15. All proceeds benefit organizer Friedens Food Pantries' four Milwaukee food pantries. Info: friedenspantry.org/empty-bowls.

RELATED: Empty Bowls will be back in person, in Milwaukee's Deer District with new organizers

2. Waukesha Unlocked

The historic Andrew Frame house, 507 N. Grand Ave., is one of the stops on this year's Waukesha Unlocked.
The historic Andrew Frame house, 507 N. Grand Ave., is one of the stops on this year's Waukesha Unlocked.

Check out about 60 public, private and somewhere-in-between spaces Oct. 8 and 9 during Waukesha Unlocked, a Doors Open-style event that highlights the city of Waukesha's history and architecture. Visiting hours vary by location; see the website for a complete list. Info: waukesha-wi.gov/residents/waukesha-unlocked.php.

RELATED: Waukesha Unlocked, a hit in 2021, returns for second historic tour of places and businesses

3. Final weekend for Milwaukee Comedy Festival

Stand-up comic Laurie Kilmartin
Stand-up comic Laurie Kilmartin

The Milwaukee Comedy Festival goes out with a bang this weekend — eight programs of regional and national comedians Oct. 7-9 at the Laughing Tap, 706 S. Fifth St., and a closing-night performance by comedian Laurie Kilmartin at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave. Tickets for Kilmartin's show are $25; the other programs go for $15 and $20. See the website for a full schedule. Info: mkecomedyfest.com.

4. Vliet Street Fall Festival

The Vliet Street Fall Festival celebrates the season along the Washington Heights thoroughfare from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 8, with a make-and-take scarecrow lot, pumpkin giveaways with a combined purchase of $30 at Vliet Street retailers, and more. Info: West Vliet Street Fall Festival Facebook event page.

5. Urban Ecology Center's HKE MKE

HKE MKE, a fundraising hike for the Urban Ecology Center, runs (well, walks) from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 9. Starting and ending at the center's Riverside Park campus at 1500 E. Park Place, the 2½-mile hike's course follows both sides of the Milwaukee River. The registration fee is $25, $15 for children ages 6 to 17 and free for kids 5 and younger (participants also can seek donations for additional support). Info: urbanecologycenter.org.

Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12. 

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 5 things to do in Milwaukee this weekend, including Empty Bowls