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Thank you for a great Valley Week!

Thank you for joining us for a week of unique experiences in Milwaukee's Menomonee River Valley!

Valley Week featured 13 events in just one week. From a beer run, happy hour river cruise, job fair, and so much more, Valley Week highlights the many reason the Valley is a great place to visit and a great place to work.

More than 700 people attended events, more than 1,050 participated in a Valley Week special promotion, and tens of thousands were reached through promotions and news stories.

Ultimate Beer Run

Eighty people joined us for a leisurely run between both Valley breweries, City Lights Brewing Company and Third Space Brewing. We had several returning runners and even one couple from Michigan who plan their Milwaukee visit around this event. Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our Valley breweries for a great day that avoided the rain!

 
 

Sunset Kayak Tours

Forty people joined us for two Kayak Tours on Monday and Thursday. We had a beautiful paddle from Milwaukee Kayak Company into the Valley and talked about the history and development of the Valley.

 
 

Business Bags Tournament

Twenty-one teams from 16 Valley companies and Valley Week sponsors competed in a double-elimination tournament on the picturesque South Lawn at MOTOR® Bar & Restaurant. Valley companies faced off and had a great time networking. With great weather and views of the river, it was a hard-fought battle for first place with the returning champions from Komatsu falling to newcomers from City Wide. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

 
 

Career Discovery Day

We welcomed students from three high schools to Career Discovery Day, where they listened to seasoned professionals on how to connect their interests to a future career and met representatives from Valley companies to hear about jobs in their backyard. We heard from students and teachers about how helpful and insightful it was to hear from Valley employees. Thank you to everyone who partnered with us to mentor students in our community. Thanks to Standard Electric Supply Company and Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful for hosting!

 
 

Job Fair

We had a good number of quality candidates from all over the Milwaukee area at this year’s job fair. Candidates were able to meet with representatives from Valley companies, fill out applications, and learn more about what it means to work in the Valley. Thanks to Standard Electric Supply Company for hosting!

 
 

Food Truck (and Spin!) Wednesday

More than 80 Valley employees joined us for three great food trucks and SPIN Scooter demos.

 
 

Campfire Stories

About 50 people joined us for a campfire and stories in the Menomonee Valley Community Park. After enjoying s’mores, Velobahn coffee, Palermo’s Pizza samples, and Rishi Tea, we heard three inspiring stories of transformation.

  • Cindy Angelos told the story of being the first woman to work at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops and the challenges she faced.

  • Giacomo Fallucca described his family’s journey of transformation from a small pizzeria to a family of brands.

  • Finally, Rebecca Heaton-Juarez told the story of leaving the Silver City neighborhood only to return to it, inspired by the transformation it has experienced and the change in the Valley that coincided with the renewed area.

It was a great night remembering just how far the Valley has come and dreaming of where it might yet go.

 
 

Valley Blood Drive

We had a total of 22 units of blood donated, enough to potentially save up to 66 lives! Thank you to the Valley community for your generosity, and to Zimmerman Architectural Studios for hosting.

 
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Happy Hour Cruises

Three happy hour cruises with Riverwalk Boat Tours brought about 100 friends of the Valley on a river tour to see the Valley from a different perspective. Thanks to the Twisted Fisherman Crab Shack for hosting!

 
 

20 Years of Transformation Luncheon

240 guests joined us to celebrate 20 years of transformation in the Menomonee River Valley. We heard about what made the drastic change in the Valley possible from Attorney General Jeff Crawford of Forest County Potawatomi, Secretary Preston Cole of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Rob Henken of the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Thank you to everyone who came out to mark the anniversary and to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino for hosting this milestone event.

 
 

Valley Week in the News

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Menomonee Valley Week returns with virtual and distanced in-person events
Menomonee Valley Week returns with virtual and distanced in-person events

Menomonee River Valley's annual Valley Week autumn festival is back with a series of events that are a mix of virtual and social-distanced in-person events that celebrate the valley's nature, recreation, brewing/distilling, dining, tourism and commerce.

DNR secretary Cole, Potawatomi's Crawford help celebrate Menomonee Valley revival: Slideshow (Milwaukee Business Journal)
DNR secretary Cole, Potawatomi's Crawford help celebrate Menomonee Valley revival: Slideshow (Milwaukee Business Journal)

Community and business leaders, including Potawatomi attorney general Jeff Crawford and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources secretary Preston Cole, came together Sept. 27 to celebrate the revival of the Menomonee Valley and talk about the next major projects in the neighborhood west of downtown Milwaukee. Check out the attached slideshow put together by Milwaukee Business Journal freelance photographer Jake Hill to see photos from the event.

2 breweries, 1 new beer: City Lights and Third Space collaborate to create ‘Urban Escape’ (Fox 6)
2 breweries, 1 new beer: City Lights and Third Space collaborate to create ‘Urban Escape’ (Fox 6)

It is an authentic taste of Milwaukee -- and its creators guarantee you have never had it before. It is a new beer called "Urban Escape" -- and it is being offered for a limited time only.

Menomonee Valley celebrates local businesses with third annual Valley Week (Milwaukee Business Journal)
Menomonee Valley celebrates local businesses with third annual Valley Week (Milwaukee Business Journal)

Twenty years ago, the Menomonee River Valley was at its lowest point, executive director of the Menomonee Valley Partners Corey Zetts said.

“There were hundreds of acres of empty factories and vacant land. You wouldn’t imagine kayaking the Menomonee River, and the Hank Aaron State Trail was just a vision,” Zetts said in an email.

The Menomonee Valley Partners celebrate the revitalization of the area that houses Miller Park, the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino and many other local businesses with the third annual Valley Week Sept. 21-28.

Limited edition beer 'Urban Escape' celebrates Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley
Limited edition beer 'Urban Escape' celebrates Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley

Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley has undergone a remarkable renaissance over the years. 

On Thursday, there was a celebration marking 20 years of transformation in the valley hosted by Menomonee Valley partners Third Space Brewing and City Lights Brewing Company. 

Local woman was one of the first female train conductors in Midwest (WTMJ 4)
Local woman was one of the first female train conductors in Midwest (WTMJ 4)

For more than 100 years a company called the Milwaukee Road was one of the largest employers in the City of Milwaukee. It operated from the Menomonee River Valley, where three sculptures now sit memorializing its history. They represent the stories of thousands of workers, including a woman who overcame resistance in a male-dominated industry and became one of the first female train conductors in the Midwest.

City Lights Brewing and Third Space Brewing collaborate for Menomonee Valley beer (BizJournal)
City Lights Brewing and Third Space Brewing collaborate for Menomonee Valley beer (BizJournal)

On Sept. 18 Third Space Brewing and City Lights Brewing, both located in the Menomonee Valley, will release their first collaboration beer called the Menomonee River Valley Urban Escape, a limited edition brew to kick off Valley Week from Sept. 21-28.

‘A great place to visit:’ Valley Week celebrates Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley (Fox 6 News)
‘A great place to visit:’ Valley Week celebrates Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley (Fox 6 News)

Michelle Kramer, Kevin Wright and Jimmy Gohsman join FOX6 WakeUp to talk about Valley Week.

City Lights and Third Space collaborate on wild rice lager for Valley Week (OnMilwaukee)
City Lights and Third Space collaborate on wild rice lager for Valley Week (OnMilwaukee)

City Lights Brewing and Third Space Brewing have partnered on a collaboration brew that will be launched on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 4:30 p.m. to kick off Valley Week, which runs Sept. 21 through 28, an annual fall celebration that showcases the ever-changing and evolving Menomonee Valley.

Thank you to everyone who joined us throughout Valley Week to celebrate all the Valley has to offer. And thank you to all of our sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

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Hosting Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

see what WE LOVE ABOUT THE VALLEY on instagram

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