Don't miss the 2022 Strollin’ Middleton Festival and Grand Opening of the Stone Horse Green presented in partnership with the Middleton Community Development Authority and Visit Middleton on Friday and Saturday, October 7-8, 2022. This annual live music festival has been expanded into a 2-day celebration to mark the unveiling of this exciting new community gathering space in the heart of downtown Middleton. All of the activities are free and open to the public.
The celebration will kick off with our annual Friday night Strollin' neighborhood jazz crawl in venues throughout downtown Middleton, including the National Mustard Museum, Villa Dolce, Louisianne's, Middleton Senior Center, and the Stone Horse Green. Ten local bands will perform across five venues, showcasing the diversity of jazz styles performed by our local musicians - from traditional jazz to avant-garde, and Hammond organ trio to “Hot Hawaiian guitar meets Jazz à la Django.”
Saturday’s programming will all take place 1:00-9:00pm on the Stone Horse Green following a morning ribbon cutting ceremony at 10am. Performances led by three powerful female vocalists will further highlight the new bandshell, culminating with a headlining show by renowned Chicago artist Dee Alexander and guitarist John McLean in the Alexander/McLean Quartet (Dee Alexander, John McLean, Emma Dayhuff, and Charles Rick Heath IV).
Family art activities from 1-5pm will be led by artists Maria Schirmer Devitt (letterpress printmaking) and Liz Truong (mixed media and found object sculpture), inspired by the Green’s history and public art. Participants will create art to take home and work together on a community sculpture project.
Professional dancer and choreographer Francis Medrano of Black Power Dance will get community members of all ages dancing between Saturday’s sets. He’ll combine his Afro-Peruvian ancestral rhythms and his passion for fitness into three 30-minute sets that are equally fun to join or watch and listen.
Free ice cream provided by the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company will be available starting at 1pm on Saturday, and downtown restaurants will offer specials throughout the day.
This will be the 6th Strollin’ Middleton Jazz Festival (which was held online in 2020 due to the pandemic). The name of the Stone Horse Green comes from it’s history as Middleton’s first livery stable. It has been designed to be fully ADA-accessible and dementia-friendly. Upon completion, the bandshell will include sound and lighting, a screen for film projection, a fireplace, and public restrooms. The green space will be punctuated with interactive art, including heated stone horses and a lighting installation called Barn Lights. More information about the Stone Horse Green is available at www.stonehorsegreen.org.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 5PM-10PM
MIDDLETON SENIOR CENTER
7448 Hubbard Ave
5pm Middleton Jazz
6:30pm Red Hot TradJazz Band
NATIONAL MUSTARD MUSEUM
7477 Hubbard Ave
5:30pm Doug White Trio
7pm MRS FUN
LOUISIANNE’S
7464 Hubbard Ave
5:30pm Johnny Chimes
VILLA DOLCE
1828 Parmenter St
6 & 8pm UW Student Combos
STONE HORSE GREEN
7550 Hubbard Ave
5pm Christo’s Novelty Combo
7pm Michael Cammilleri Organ Trio
8:30pm Darren Sterud New Orleans Tribute
SATURDAY 10-11AM / 1-9PM
STONE HORSE GREEN
10am Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
1-5pm Letterpress Printmaking and Sculpture on the Green; Free Ice Cream by Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Company*
1, 3:30 & 6pm Black Power Dance
2pm Betsy Ezell Canção
4:30pm Gerri DiMaggio World Jazz Unit
7pm Alexander/McLean Quartet: Dee Alexander, John McLean, Emma Dayhuff, and Charles Rick Heath IV
*Ice cream available while supplies last
