I like to review churches based on the strength of their festivals and St Rita's is a pretty good…read moreone. It's big - big enough for 2 separate music tents, both of which hosted cover bands. They were pretty good too - one did Classic rock and one did hair metal (because it isn't a church fest in Stallis until you've heard a Stryper song). Beer ran about $1 less than other fests ($3 for a tall boy) which earns St Rita's an extra star and a special place in my heart. The people working were nice, the crowd was having fun and there's plenty of food on offer. (Of course Friday Fish, Saturday pasta and Sunday Chicken). Cheap beer and Def Leppard covers aside, St Rita's also excels in the games of chance department. There's liquor raffles, that game where you bet on the color a ball lands on, some goofy President game (IDK), pull tabs and a 50/50. The Mister won the last one and netted $77 so he was certainly happy. St Rita's is definitely doing the Lord's work with this fine Fest.

For many years, the Holiday Craft Fair from was held at the State Fairgrounds on 84th St. the…read moreweekend of Thanksgiving from Friday through Sunday. For the past 2 years, the show has moved to the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin. It is probably close in size to the previous venue, but with free parking and easier getting in and out compared to the fairgrounds. Year to year, the shows can vary - some craftier than others. While it is targeted for the middle-aged types who like to decorate their homes with handmade crafty items, it is pretty diverse. Among the vendors you'll find gutter guards, insurance, basement waterproofing and windows. Then there are vendors offering non-crafty items like candy, nuts, even a homemade ice cream stand. For the record, 2013 was not one of the craftier years. We managed to cover the floor pretty quickly. Some of the vendors we always love to see, like "The Nut Man" who sells bulk nuts and chocolates, were there. Other vendors we liked sold hand-crafted ornaments, pillowcases or decorative magnets made from vintage-looking bottle caps. It's interesting to see, even if you're not in the market for something decorative for the home. Still, we always leave with something, a gift, even if it is small. For us Thanksgiving weekend is craft fair weekend and this is usually one of the better ones out there.

Another fun year at TosaFest. It was busier than I expected on a Friday…read more They had a lot of good and beverage vendors but still plenty of other vendors to check out. Same pushy vendors for home needs chasing people down. Some were more respectful than others. Excellent music this year! Really loved Valley Fox. They also had a lot of options for ticketed events like dinners if you wanted a more involved experience. Appreciate this free festival in the village.

Okay festival in the Village. My son and I came here on a Saturday night to see my friend's band…read moreplay. There's a good mix of kids' activities, food looked better than standard fest fare, and there was craft beer and wine, although I hate having to buy tickets for drinks, and the beer workers were pretty unorganized, and also ran out of a few kinds of beer fairly early. Then I saw that we could just have bought good beers from Cafés Hollander and Bavaria for cash! (Not from the Festival, itself). The headlining music acts were good, although the two main stages seemed miles apart, especially in 50-degree weather. We probably parked too far away down the Menomonee Parkway, it's a pretty popular festival, and nice "for the area", would come back for a music act I really liked.

We had a great experience at Greek Fest this year…read more We didn't know what to expect as this was our first time but they did a great job with posting offerings, prices and locations of each beforehand on their site. The portions were generous. The lamb dinner came with delicious rice, salad and plenty of lamb. The gyros were also stacked and the souvlaki was perfect. We also started with the saganaki- perfectly crispy and salty cheese. The drinks were offered by the same company that handles State Fair so you can get cans of beer for $8-9, glasses of wine or they had some frozen cocktails. My only gripe was that they didn't post which gate to enter from. There are so many and when we walked to the pedestrian gate from 2024, we were told we couldn't walk through the grounds to greek fest. The staff helping with food and drinks were great - cooking and bringing up food as quick as they could. Friendly, too! Wish the music would've started sooner but we opted to head out since it was mostly food, games/rides for kids or a small area for greek shopping. However, food was worth it! Definitely check it out!

Ok,this is the 2nd year the chicken was so tough like rub and way over seasoned!…read moreA waste of $15 for one whole chicken. The salad not very good, only 2 olives and 1 piece of cheese 2 cherrie tomatoes, one small dressing,piece of bread,such tint olives for $10 was definitely not worth it. I though I could get filled up on the rice but it was literally crunchy and hard! No easy access for people with disabilities. Had to have my mom walk in for the food to take home because drive through was already closed. Such a waste of money for 3 bites of rubbery smokey over seasoned chicken,lame salad and crunch rice made me decide to not go back for a 3rd time. They are rushing the cooking and not tasting b4 selling to make huge profits. That's stealing people's money. Wauwatosa Greek Fest chicken was horrible last year however, nice and tender this year,great salad,olives,cheese,rice,bread,gyro and portions were worth the price! Please stop rushing the cooking time and taste test b4 selling...I mean how can you mess up rice!?

I hadn't been to the Wisconsin State Fair in almost 20 years and I went on a Saturday morning, the…read morelast weekend they were open. I got there about an hour after the fair opened at 11AM and left by 3PM. Because we got there early, we parked across the street from the fair and didn't have to deal with the long parking lines. I was pleasantly surprised with the fair and I had a great time! Why I say I was surprised is because it was a lot bigger than I remembered and I thought it offered a lot- from carnival rides, to food, to music and drinks. There was something for everyone, children and adults. My favorite part of the fair was a delicious gyro, the goats, and a little girl and her prized cow!! The animals were absolutely adorable and I loved petting the goats, I really felt like a kid again! My husband also had a nice time, he enjoyed a corn dog and he liked seeing the animals. I also appreciated the security. Purse checks, metal detectors, and right when we walked in we saw a security guard watching from a stand. I don't stay at fairs after dark because I know there are drunk people and fights but I felt very safe during the day. I look forward to going back next year!

It is always a great time at the Wisconsin State Fair!! The day we visited it was overcast which…read moredidn't take away the enjoyment of being at the fair. There are plenty of things to do from seen the different farm animals, to rides, to food. We've been going to the fair for at least 25 years and we always make it a point to do a little bit of everything. We had to try some of the dairy products including shakes and of course the cream puffs. They were delicious! The dairy building also has a display showing the process of going from cow to cream puff. One of the new attractions this year is the America 250 Wheel. It gives you a great view of the fair and surrounding areas. Another can't miss attraction is the pig races. Young and old alike have a great time cheering on their favorite pigs during the race. There is always something to do at the Wisconsin State Fair.

I've been to China Lights on a couple of occasions and have always found it delightful…read more China Lights tansforms Boerner Botanical Gardens to a glittering display. You can wander at look at the lights and there's also occasional classic Chinese arts performances to enjoy. We didn't try any of the food but near the performance area there were several vendors offering a variety of food to purchase and dining tables where you can sit and enjoy (very much food court style vibe). One thing I will note: where we were directed to part required traversing very uneven ground. Not a problem for my husband and I but was glad my parents opted to stay home as I think they would have found it difficult. If that's the case for you as well, my suggestion would be to inquire about any sort of accessible parking. Beyond that, a wonderful time. We don't go every single year but when we do go, we so enjoy! Get to it!

A good cultural and visual experience for the entire family. There are vendors with food and…read morebeverages at the event. I wish I had known that there were vendors at the site. Neither the website nor the reminders sent to me indicated so. My friend from China was especially excited about the food. She even asked for a card. Parking is very well organized. Bundle up and have make it a full cultural experience!