Manitowoc's Metro Jam unveils headliner for free, two-day summer music festival

Brandon Reid, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
·6 min read

MANITOWOC - Metro Jam will return for its 43rd year June 17-18 at Washington Park in downtown Manitowoc.

Admission is free to the two-day festival, which will include 10 performers covering a variety of styles including jazz, blues, reggae, ska, folk, alt-country, Americana, classic rock and original rock.

Headliner will be American southern rockers Atlanta Rhythm Section, which will take the stage at 8:30 p.m. June 18. The band was formed in 1970 and its current lineup consists of founding member Rodney Justo, along with guitarists David Anderson and Steve Stone, keyboardist Lee Shealy, bassist Justin Senker and drummer Rodger Stephan.

Atlanta Rhythm Section
Atlanta Rhythm Section

Part of the southern rock scene for nearly 50 years, their biggest hits include "So Into You," "Champagne Jam," "Imaginary Lover," "Homesick" and "Spooky." They've recorded 15 albums.

The rest of the Metro Jam lineup will be announced at a later date. People can follow the Metro Jam website and Facebook page for the latest news.

Welcome to your Monday dose.

Start your week here in today's Monday dose. Here are some more stories to catch up on:

► Interstate 43 interchange ramps closed this week: The Interstate 43 and County K interchange ramps in Manitowoc County will be closed through Friday this week for concrete base patching.

Drivers can use adjacent interchanges at I-43/State 147 or I-43/County V to exit or enter I-43.

The work is part of a Wisconsin Department of Transportation resurfacing-level improvement project on I-43 between State 310 in Manitowoc County and State 96 in Brown County. More about the project is online.

► Treehouse Theater stages ‘The Lion King JR.’: Manitowoc’s Treehouse Theater will present its spring musical, “The Lion King JR.” with shows April 28-May 1 at the Capitol Civic Centre.

Performances are at 7 p.m. April 28-29 and 2 p.m. April 30-May 1.

Tickets are $16 or $20, plus fees and tax, and can be purchased online or by calling 920-683-2184.

This is the final musical of Treehouse’s 10th season. Capitol Civic Centre is at 913 S. Eighth St., downtown Manitowoc.

► Help count and track declining chimney swifts in Wisconsin: The chittering sounds of the chimney swift will return in late April to early May as they arrive from their winter homes in South America.

While migrating through the state, large numbers can be found in the early evenings — ready to roost in brick chimneys.

Some will stay in the area to breed and others will go farther north.

“Springtime is an excellent opportunity to gauge their population numbers and help assess trends for this species,” said Nancy Nabak, communication coordinator for Woodland Dunes Nature Center and co-chairperson of the Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group, a statewide volunteer effort to keep swifts common in Wisconsin.

Chimney swifts at dusk fly toward an old brick chimney.
Chimney swifts at dusk fly toward an old brick chimney.

“Counting swifts is important because their numbers are declining,” Nabak added. “We’ve been doing this for years in the fall, but we’re now encouraging folks to be watching and counting in the spring as well.”

According to the latest North American Breeding Bird Survey, the chimney swift population has declined by 72% in the past 50 years. By continuing to monitor these populations, the Chimney Swift Working Group hopes to learn more about them and identify important roost sites so it can find ways to help protect them.

Swifts like to roost in old brick chimneys, which makes the historical area of Two Rivers a good place to watch for them.

Here’s how you can participate in the count:

  1. Watch and listen for chimney swifts during the daytime as they hunt for insects to determine when to begin counting. The lower half of the state may see them in late April to early May. The upper half of the state may be a little later.

  2. Look for tall brick chimneys that are uncapped. If you find more than one chimney, do some scouting in the evenings to determine where the swifts will roost. Watch for swifts swooping over the chimney for a while before they enter. Be aware that the roost site choice can change from night to night, especially during migration.

  3. Pick one or more nights to monitor in May. Larger numbers show up two or three weeks after the first swifts arrive.

  4. Observe the roost starting about 20 minutes before sunset until 10 minutes after the last swift enters the chimney. Stay in one location, even if you do not see swifts right away. They may come to your site later and you do not want to miss them. To be sure, stay 30 minutes after sunset to know if it was active. If you have zero swifts in your chimney, record this.

  5. Count (or estimate) the number of swifts as they enter the chimney. Try counting in groups of five or 10 when they enter quickly in large numbers. A hand-held clicker counter can be helpful.

  6. Counts could continue at the large chimneys throughout the breeding season, if large numbers of individuals continue to use these roost sites.

“It’s pretty easy for anyone to identify a chimney swift,” Nabak said. “They have slender bodies, with long, curved wings and a short, tapered tail — they look like a flying cigar.”

The birds fly rapidly, often twisting from side to side and banking erratically. They also give a distinctive, high chittering call while in flight.

Chimney swifts are the only bird that will roost in a chimney, dropping inside at dusk and emerging the next morning.

Data can be entered at ebird.org. When prompted for location, map your roost site to an exact address or point. After you enter the number of chimney swifts, use the hashtag #swiftwi in the chimney swift details section. More about chimney swifts is at https://www.wiswifts.org/.

Last week's top headlines

  1. What’s next for Manitowoc’s Mirro site and how did we get here? Here's a look at the iconic site's history.

  2. Manitowoc school district readies for new direction under 'fully conservative board' as superintendent plans to leave.

  3. What is the Wisconsin name for a sloppy Joe? It depends where — and maybe when — you grew up.

  4. Suspects ram squad cars, injure deputy and canine before being arrested in Manitowoc County chases

  5. Jim Steuer helped create the train whistle at Manitowoc County Historical Society more than 50 years ago. Today, he's a volunteer.

Your weather forecast

  • Monday: High 44, low 33, mostly cloudy and cooler

  • Tuesday: High 39, low 26, cold with clouds and sun

  • Wednesday: High 38, low 31, partly sunny and cold

  • Thursday: High 42, low 36, a shower in the afternoon

  • Friday: High 48, low 39, sun and some clouds

  • Saturday: High 47, low 38, rain and a thunderstorm

  • Sunday: High 48, low 49, mostly cloudy with a shower

Courtesy of accuweather.com.

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Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Metro Jam music festival headliner is Atlanta Rhythm Section