Celebrate De Pere eager to get its 'momentum back' this Memorial Day weekend, after a 2-year absence. Things to know if you go
DE PERE - It’s going to feel extra good when the gates to Celebrate De Pere open on Saturday.
“I don’t know who is more excited, the committee or the community,” said Brandon Beard, vice president of the board of directors for the annual Memorial Day weekend festival that has been absent from the calendar the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It returns for its belated 30th anniversary with three days of bands, food and drink, midway rides and outdoor mingling at Voyageur Park. For organizers, the more people, the merrier.
“We’re really just hoping to draw a crowd and just to see a lot of people again,” Beard said. “To get that buzz going and get the momentum back into Celebrate De Pere.”
Celebrate De Pere is considered the unofficial start to festival season in northeast Wisconsin, so it was difficult for organizers to make the call in 2020 and 2021 to not hold the event. They’re a small but dedicated group of about 20 volunteers who work for months on the fest out of their love for veterans and the community. To have to cancel it, “just takes the wind out of your sails,” Beard said.
“Even both of the years that COVID impacted us, we still spent a lot of time and a lot of effort prepping for those events, not knowing, of course, what the next day or two or month was going to look like, much less Memorial Day weekend, so to finally have that effort pay off, we’re looking forward to that,” he said. “We’re excited for it to finally come to fruition and for all of our hard work to really pay off.”
Proceeds from the festival are distributed to local organizations and programs in the community.
If Celebrate De Pere is on your list of holiday weekend plans — that first burger off the grill or first burst of fireworks — here’s what to know about its return, with a fest-friendly forecast to boot.
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It’s back at Voyageur Park
After making the move across the Fox River to the Brown County Fairgrounds in 2019 for various logistical reasons, including on-site parking needs, it’s returning to its original home.
“Bringing it back was straight-up community feedback,” Beard said. “The community did not like it over there at all.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday.
Admission is $5 across the board
To help offset the rising cost of gas, groceries and nearly everything else from inflation, admission is $5 for all ages at the gates. That’s down from 2019 when adult admission was $10 on Saturday and Sunday.
Beard hopes the price will be a major selling point for people.
“Just being able to find an event that’s cheap and affordable and really still has a lot of the same attractions we’ve had in the past is getting really good feedback" on social media, he said.
Admission includes access to all entertainment, with the exception of midway rides and inflatables. Those attractions will require separate tickets, with prices posted at each ride.
Celebrate De Pere is rain or shine. There are no refunds.
Don't miss out on the fireworks
One of the biggest draws of the weekend is back with a new sponsor this year. The GFL Environmental Fireworks Gala is set for 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
“We’re expecting it’s going to be as big as we always have it,” Beard said. “Everybody from St. Norbert (College) to the bridge to Brown County fairgrounds, wherever people line up to see those fireworks, it should be a pretty awesome show again.”
Other returning attractions
Given the challenges of finding additional volunteer help this year, Celebrate De Pere organizers decided to scale back and stick with those events they know they can staff. Among the returning features:
• Children’s fishing tournament for ages 5-15, 9-11 a.m. Sunday near the boat docks area.
• Classic car show, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
• Bay Area Granite and Marble Redneck Regatta homemade boat race, 3 p.m. Saturday.
• Children’s area, with entertainers and arts and crafts, 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• Marketplace, featuring goods and services from the greater De Pere area.
Veterans salute on Monday
VFW Post 2113 will honor veterans and recognize all branches of the military with a ceremony from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Monday in the area near the Main Stage. A traveling Vietnam War exhibit from Historic Military Impressions is new this year. The walk-through experience will be set up in a Vietnam-era military tent all three days of the festival.
De Pere Kiwanis Memorial Day Parade
The annual event is not part of Celebrate De Pere, but people who come for the parade often head to Celebrate De Pere after it's over. It steps off at 10 a.m. Monday from West De Pere High School, crosses the Claude Allouez Bridge and then ends at Broadway and Cass Street near Voyageur Park.
Bring your appetite
Three community nonprofits will have food booths: Desert Veterans of Wisconsin, De Pere Lions Club and West De Pere Booster Club. That’s down from previous years, but with many nonprofits struggling to find volunteers willing to donate their time, Celebrate De Pere will also have several for-profit food vendors and food trucks on site to help feed hungry crowds.
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be sold on site.
The nonprofit booths and main admission gate will accept credit cards this year, in addition to cash. ATMs will be available on the grounds.
For your listening enjoyment
Country music newcomer and Wisconsin native Anthony Nix is this year’s national headliner at 10 p.m. Saturday on the Main Stage. Longtime Minneapolis rock group GB Leighton (5:30 p.m.) and Fox Valley band Vic Ferrari performing its Symphony on the Rocks show (8 p.m.) highlight Sunday. Big Mouth & The Power Tool Horns will close out festivities on Monday afternoon.
The Riverfront Stage hosts acts Saturday and Sunday, including Wisconsin sing-along favorite Pat McCurdy before and after the fireworks on Sunday.
How’s the weather looking?
The roller-coaster ride that has been spring weather looks like it's headed for a nice stretch for the holiday weekend. The forecast from the National Weather Service in Green Bay calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 71 on Saturday, partly sunny and 76 on Sunday and partly sunny and 83 on Monday. There’s a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday.
What you can and can’t bring in
Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and stake out a spot for enjoying music or people watching. Personal umbrellas are also allowed. Backpacks, coolers, carry-in food or beverage of any kind, purses larger than 8 inches by 8 inches, drones, weapons, bicycles, skateboards and pets (other than marked service animals) are all prohibited.
Where to park
Parking is available throughout select downtown streets and lots. Some lots may be staffed by charities charging a fee. The former Shopko lot will offer parking, Beard said, but because it's not associated with the festival, he was unclear of details.
More information
For the full schedule of bands, information on participating in the children’s fishing contest or registering a car for the car show and other festival details, visit celebratedepere.com.
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Contact Kendra Meinert at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Celebrate De Pere is back this Memorial Day weekend
