All right, we're talking fun time now. Kevin McDougal from 5K events is with me and you're
going to be with me the first Thursday of every month because we got a ton of events
to talk about here. And before we talk about all the events, people that 5K, what is
that? Like 5,000? What is right? 5,000? Did you know what? 5,000 dollars? Give us a little
history of 5K events. Well, 5K events originally started as a company that did endurance events.
You know, runs, you know, things, things of that nature. And once the opportunity to answer
the request for proposal from the city came around to manage the Racine Civic Center and
all its venues, we submitted a proposal. And we're very experienced at running events, all kinds
of events. And so it was a natural fit for us. And especially all of us with 5K events,
just, you know, we're from the area. We remember what it was like when the festival park was vibrant
and there was something happening every weekend. So we have a real passion for it. So that's why,
you know, we got into it and we're well on our way. When my other incarnation here, when
a salmon arame back in the 90s, we actually set up a boat at festival hall and we had a broadcast
from a boat. Sure. Normally, the easy now with the equipment. We have a back then the equipment
was very bulky. We had antennas. We had a whole we need electric cables going all over the place.
Sure. And I said, from a boat. We have to be from the boat. Well, salmon arama. I said,
we got wires everywhere. How are we going to do this with wires and cables all over the place?
And they said, we'll make it where we had string them up over that little octagon building.
It was a little bit over the college. But once we did it for 11 days, we were set, but it was like,
oh, you've got to be kidding. Yeah. Like you said, the technology is such you can broadcast
from anywhere. Yeah. And how you get your cell phone. That's the worry about geography or
not like that. Okay. So five key events is responsible for the events at festival hall,
memorial hall. How about the lakefront there at that festival park or rotary park? Yes, we also
managed that as well. Now you said rotary park. Yeah. It has been renamed. It was renamed some
years ago for Paul P Harris, the founder of the rotary, the international rotary. He's right from
right here in Racine. So there's rotary chapters all over the world that do great work. And it was
begun by Paul P Harris, who was born here in Racine. So it's rotary park now. Yes. Yeah.
More commonly known as festival park. But I know people still say the brewers are playing a county
stadium. Yeah. Well, there's two incarnations. You're missing there. County stadium and Miller park.
Yeah. There's a couple between there. Jump over the amp amp field. Yeah. Okay. So we'll call
the festival park right now because people understand that. All right. What's our first event coming up
this summer? Actually, in the, yeah, this, well, actually, we've got an amazing lineup of events
this year. You know, last year when we took over, we were just kind of getting our feet under us
this time. Last year, we were able to finish out the year very strong. But, but this year,
looking at our calendar, we are busy with festivals and events practically every weekend from now
through the end of the year. So coming up in Memorial Day weekend, it's kind of the grand opening
of the park for the year, our Hot Harbor Nights opening weekend. Hot Harbor Nights is our few,
our free music in the park event on Thursday nights. So we're kicking it off with three straight
days on Memorial Day weekend, Thursday, the 22nd, Friday, the 23rd and Saturday, the 24th live
music, food trucks, full bar service. Some of the areas favorite local acts mean Jake,
who have been in the market for a long time. If you haven't seen mean Jake over the last 30 years,
you're just not trying everybody has seen mean Jake. Great band from Kenosha called conviction
and another great band from here in Racine called waiting for Eddie. So you can see them on
the opening weekend of Hot Harbor Nights Saturday and Sunday Friday Saturday. Actually,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Now, be honest, do you sit at home looking at the weather forecast?
Oh, yeah. Just a please. No, please pass over. Please. Yeah. Rain on Jamesville modest.
Please. We certainly do. And we're lucky that, you know, the technology is such where we can,
you know, look on the weather app and see what's happening. But, you know, if we're going to have
an outdoor event, we do have the opportunity to move things into festival hall. If we have enough
notice that the weather's going to be in Clement, we do try and give it that great stage right on
the lake. Yeah. Yeah. It's it really is picture asking. It's perfect for outdoor events.
Okay. That's the first event. That is coming up the weekend of May 22nd through the 24th. What
is Memorial Day this week this year? So be the 26th. Yeah. Because my birthday is always on
Memorial Day weekend. So I'm trying to figure out. I don't think it is this year. I think it's
okay. We've got prom on core. Yeah. The the prom on core is a new event that that we created.
And it is a dinner that we're going to be hosting at festival hall for the prom goers before they
go off to their, you know, their school events and then end up out at the county fairgrounds
for the post prom. It's an elegant but faced out dinner against server to festival hall from
four to eight. And then again, you just join classmates out at the post prom. You know,
very affordable kind of keeps you from having to go through the process of making reservations
at some of the local restaurants that you might find that are filled. So we're hosting that,
tickets are $35 and available at festivalpark.com. You know, and I used to love watching the kids
come into festival hall. Yeah. All dressed up. And oh, it was so nice. My wife and I used to sit
there watching the girls and the guys coming in. Yeah. Yeah. It's it really is an amazing
tradition here and we're saying still going to be out at the at the county fairgrounds where they'll
do the walking the red carpet see the kids in their in their formal wear. We made the pitch to
bring it back to festival park for this year. Didn't quite work out. You know, we're we're we're
really involved with the folks from the rotary for a lot of events, but there's a lot of moving parts
that go into this event. And unless you've been on the inside and really worked with it,
it's hard to fathom just how big of a deal it is to put this event on for the kids.
Well, you and I would talk about our proms. You had yours at a rodeo in Dallas,
and I had mine at the old world's fair. Actually, it wasn't a rodeo, but it was in Dallas.
In Dallas, yeah. Yeah. You remember it like yesterday. I do actually. What happened to the girl you
took to the prom? You know, funny story. She was a the my girlfriend at the time that I was supposed
to go with broke up with me shortly before prom. We're supposed to go. So I had I had a girl in my
physics class that was dating a guy that was older than us. He was the manager of the local
dominoes pizza across from our high school. So she didn't have a date and I didn't have a date.
So we went together and it was a great time. I mean, there are a lot of things that I can't
really relate on the air that that that happened that night. Oh, good. We'll save that for our late
night interview after after midnight. Yes. WRJ after dark. Yeah, I told you mine.
Why was it the old world's fairgrounds in New York and Queens? And the girl I wanted to take
the most beautiful girl in the school. And she was just a sweetheart of a person. You know,
sometimes you get beautiful girls that didn't know they're beautiful. Sure. She was just so nice.
She was just a sweet person. And I didn't want to be the 25th guy in line to ask her to the prom.
So I didn't ask it. Took somebody else. When I got to the prom, I saw she came with her cousin
because nobody asked her. Isn't that always the way? Everybody was afraid to be rejected.
Sometimes the most beautiful girls are the most lonely. Just for that reason. And 20 years later
at our high school reunion, I saw her sitting there and you know, how you wearing your little
name tag. Sure, you're sure. I walked up to her and I said hi, Karen. She squinted. Looked at
when I said hi, Don. I was it. You remembered me. 20 years. 20 actually said,
hello, Donald. 20 years. I'm standing. All right. So that's a senior prom. It's always a special
night. It is. And that's great. I work for another company that the bank, if you don't have a
prom dress and you're a girl, you don't have a prom dress, they will give you one. Yeah.
And there's like six or seven nights during the month where they open it up. You can go into the
the bank. You see a special room and they have all these prom dresses. Sure. And you can pick one
out and keep it. Yeah. Isn't that a nice idea? That's an amazing idea. It's not everybody can afford one.
No, no. And you know, some of these get worn once and then hanging closets for years.
Like a wedding dress. Yeah. So we're not giving one out. Give it another spin. That's good. I love
that. Okay. This spaghetti dinner fundraiser is coming up. I'm hungry now. Yeah. So it's that's
this is another amazing event. It is May 21st at festival hall. $15 pasta bread. Just a fantastic
meal and it will benefit the volunteer center of Racine County. Okay. The VFW post 1391.
It's got bingo and bites. Yeah. We've revised bingo at festival hall working with our partners
at the VFW post. It happens the second Thursday of every or second Tuesday every month.
The next one coming up is May 13th at Memorial Hall games started 630. You can play for as little
as $5 cash prizes. If you've ever seen some of these folks, you go to Potawatomi to play bingo.
I mean, it's it's serious stuff. So the only about it. Yeah. So so the bites on this first week
coming up are tacos taco Tuesday. And then we do a different food each month. And again,
it's the second Tuesday of each month at Memorial Hall. I took this tour of
Graceland Cemetery. Okay. And actually, I didn't take it. I showed it online. The tour and the
guy who gives the tour, his mother is buried there. Here's the story about his mother. She was playing
bingo and you know, those ink things. They stand up. Yeah. Dobbers. Yeah. Well, she was filling
up her card and she had I 16 left. That was the last one she had. I think it was I 16 whatever.
That was the last one she had left. And just before she knows the next one's going to be here,
somebody else bingo and they fill up their cards. She takes that job and smashes it in all over
everybody around there. She lost her temper. On the back of her tombstone is a bingo card. And it
says in search of I 16. That's amazing. You got a great story. Yeah. But you can go to
Graceland Cemetery and see her tombstone. Okay. Each kid was able to put something on her tombstone.
And that's it. There's an etched in bingo card. That's incredible. And that's that.
Some of these people are real serious. They got their things lined up in front of them. They're
dobers. That's the. Yeah. The the dober is a little the little troll. Yeah. They got a
little joke. You're so good. What's your line up in front of them? Yeah. You don't get into
their area, boy. It's it's serious stuff. The big one harbor fast. Come back June 13th and 14th.
Yeah. This is one that, you know, we're very excited about. And there's been a lot of talk in
the community since this has been kind of revived. Anybody who's from the area here remembers
the first incarnation of harbor fest that ran for for 20 years 1987 through 1990 or 2007.
Just an amazing event. You know, I was on the board of directors the last 10 years of it. And
if you, you know, run down the list of national acts that performed, then it's pretty much a
who's who of the rock and blues world. But we're fortunate that a couple former sponsors of
the previous incarnation of harbor fest got together over too many bourbons and cigars and
thought it'd be a great idea to to revive harbor fest. And we've been working pretty closely
with them. And when they sober up, they're going to change their mind. Yeah. Every time we meet
with them, like, what would we get into? But but everybody is very excited about this. And
it's June 13th and 14th at festival park. Same weekend as it always had been back in the day,
Father's Day weekend. So a lot of great regional acts Friday night. Their headliner is a great
foreigner tribute act called feels like the first time. And their headliner on Saturday night
is Bella Cain. So who everybody knows around here, you know, great country act in a lot of great
support acts too. So, you know, food, family activities, you know, great beer. Of course,
you know, you've got to get a cell beer and have fun with that. And so we're we're really looking
forward to that. And you know, it's just around the corner. We're what about, you know, maybe
six weeks away from it now. It's coming up. So jukebox hero. Yeah, they can do it. Yeah,
they're very, very good. And and coinciding with that is the 47th annual lighthouse run. So
everybody who's from receiving this familiar with the lighthouse run that's been going on. And we have
a 10 mile competitive run, a four mile competitive run, a four mile fun run for kid or four mile fun
run. And then a kid's run and cash prizes this year for the competitive divisions. And that
originates from festival park on Saturday, June 14th. And the run kicks off at 745. Okay, my
division, the one block crawl. Yeah, yeah, minus the the old football players who don't run run
more than a hundred yards. Now that goes right past my house. Are you doing it on Main Street
this year again? Actually, not down Main Street just because of some of the logistical things that go
along with closing down Main Street, but, uh, but we've got another route that's been laid out.
Used to come down Main Street in front of my house. And what I did was I took my hose. I put it
on mist. Yeah, I put it. I had a ladder and I had a little clip on the ladder and I made a shower
out of this. Yeah. And when it was. So it was it was up there and people used to when they were
down, they'd go into the mist and walk around. So when did the cop pulls up his police car across
the street and he's staring at it. And I said, what's wrong? God, how did you do that? That's
right. It's an old mop handle. Yeah. And I took the clip from the mop handle. Uh, and I
gaffer taped it around the, uh, the ladder. Perfect. And he's looking at it and he said, wow,
that's kind of interesting. Yeah. How did you do that? And so anyway, so we did that every year,
but this year we don't have to do it. Obviously, because you're not going past my house. Okay.
Unfortunately. That sounds good. All right. Just in the last few minutes here, let's talk about
some of the up now. You this calendar that I have here. How did people get this? Yeah. If you go
on to festivalpark.com and go to the upcoming events page. Uh, so you got the bar at the top,
go to events, click that drop down the upcoming events page has all of our events listed.
They each have their own individual web page for that. But we've got an amazing schedule coming up
throughout the entire year. Some, uh, you know, if you were to tell me a year ago, this is where
we'd be sitting with events, I would have said, I'll, I'll have what some of your smoking because
on the festival trees coming. Festival trees is coming back. We're very excited about that.
That's going to be an amazing event. Um, you, you mentioned Sam and Arama. Sam and Arama is coming
back for for fish fest. Yes. Or affectionately known as slam and Arama to those of you who've
been around for a while. Um, but it's coming back for its second year of its return to the park,
where it should be. We're excited about that. Um, we're seeing Riverfest was my favorite event
last year. Um, it's a collaboration amongst all the yacht clubs along the river, um, you're dragging
boat races, cardboard boat races, duck races, um, live music along the river, water taxis to go
between. And then at the park, we're going to have, uh, you know, bar service yard games, um,
then the fireworks, uh, literally evening shoot off from the breakwater near the park.
Now, I noticed you having the Racine Symphony there, December 5th. You know, I proposed to my wife
at the Racine Symphony concert in festival hall. I was filling in, I think for Greg Burke,
I'm trying to remember who I was filling in for that night. So they had me as the MC. Yeah.
And my, I said to my wife, it's a dressy thing to dress up. Sure. And when they had the intermission,
the conductor told the. Or just stay where you are. Don't get up until he's finished.
Yeah. They didn't tell him what it was. Uh-huh. And then I brought my wife on stage, my fiance,
and she was shaking. And I got that on one knee. And that was the night that our sister,
Sadie and France was there. So it was packed. Oh, and I proposed to her right there in front of
everybody gave her the ring and the rest of history. And the, and the pressure is on to say yes.
Well, she picked out the ring. Okay. So she do. She knew it was coming eventually. She didn't know
it was coming at night, though. That was awesome. And of course, when she got off stage,
all the women started running around. Oh, let me see. Let me see. Sure. I want to make sure I
wasn't a cheap skate. Yeah. Yeah. That's what he got to. No, it was an. That's just two months
salary. Two or three months. Isn't that what the guideline that, which is a complete marketing
thing that jewelers came up with, but sorry, Rasmussen, if you listen. They all got together in one big
thing. And they said, I'm going to make it how many months do we come up with? Let's take a vote.
Okay. So again, it's festivalpark.com, right? Yes, festivalpark.com. You see all the events.
It's all they have festival easy to remember to festivalpark.com. Yeah. And we're also,
you know, we have dates open for for weddings, quencineras, corporate events, a quencinera.
Oh, quencinera is a Mexican tradition that celebrates the 15th, the 15th birthday of a young lady.
And that those are big deals. We host those fairly regularly. And just the, the opulence of them
is pretty incredible. Yeah. Wow. They're amazing. I don't think I see one of those. Yeah. I'm still
trying to get invited to one. Oh, you have to be as an invite only. Okay. It's like the
Academy Awards invite only. Sure. Okay. So Kevin McDougal from 5K events is going to be
your every third first Thursday of the month. First Thursday of the month. All the events coming
on. So if you missed them today, go to festivalpark.com or join us on June, whatever the first Thursday is in June.
Yeah. Yeah. Have a look at the calendar, but that's what I'll be here. Thank you, my friend.
All right. Thanks. This is like a lot of fun coming up. What a great city. A lot of fun.
We mourn it without stone frozen.
WRJ.
