5 things you probably should be doing this weekend in Milwaukee, from Disney on Ice to Mama Tried
1. Anime Milwaukee
The 11th annual Anime Milwaukee, a three-day gathering to celebrate all things anime, manga, Asian culture and gaming, returns Friday through Sunday to the Wisconsin Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., and the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 333 W. Kilbourn Ave. There's more gaming opportunities, panel talks, social events, a film festival and other doings than be counted on a dodecahedron-sided dice. Last year's Anime Milwaukee drew more than 10,000 people to the all-ages event. (All four official convention hotels already sold out their blocks of rooms designated for the event.) Registration and some programming begin each day at 9 a.m.; the opening ceremonies are at the Wisconsin Center at 11 a.m. Friday. At the door, an all-weekend pass is $60, with single-day badges at $40 Friday, $45 Saturday and $35 Sunday ($15 for kids ages 7 to 12, free for children 6 and younger).
Info: animemilwaukee.org
CALENDAR:What's going on in Milwaukee this week: Feb. 15-21
NEW MOVIES:2 more Academy Award nominees debut, plus Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Murphy and more
2. Disney's Fiserv Forum debut
When it comes to a greatest-hits package, Disney has more than an arena-rink-ful. More than 50 performers on skates present 14 stories (and lots of favorite Disney tunes) in Disney on Ice's "100 Years of Magic," the first-ever Disney ice show at Fiserv Forum, 1111 N. Phillips Ave. Shows are 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and 11 a.m., and 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $20.
Info: fiservforum.com
RELATED:Disney on Ice is coming to Fiserv Forum for the first time
3. Think spring (please?)
Spring brings hopes eternal — of spring actually getting here, for starters. So we're taking it as a positive sign that one of the surer signs of the season, the NARI Spring Home Improvement Show, is back this weekend in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis. Scores of exhibitors peddling new ideas for everything from bathrooms to outdoor grilling will be on hand. Other doings include the state SkillsUSA carpentry competition; a Make-It-Take-It vintage wood sign attraction; and a culinary stage. The show's hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets at the door are $12, $8 for seniors 60 and older, and free for kids 17 and younger as well as former and active members of the military.
RELATED:Head into the kitchen with LeRoy Butler at the NARI Spring Home Improvement Show
Info: narimilwaukeehomeshow.com
4. Not just for motorcycle Mamas
The Mama Tried Motorcycle Show is a weekend-long celebration of bikes by and for the people who make them, love them and ride them. The show itself goes on from 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Eagles Ballroom, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.; there'll be vintage and custom bikes on display, a pop-up ice bar and screenings of the biker documentary "Oil in the Blood." But there's also the Flat Out Friday flat-track races (riders scoot over tracks slickened by sticky Dr Pepper) at 7 p.m. Friday at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave. Tickets for Flat Out Friday are $20 to $90. Advance tickets for Mama Tried doings at the Eagles Ballroom are $18.
Info: mamatriedshow.com
5. Meet 'The Chinese Lady'
The first known female Chinese immigrant to the United States toured the country as a carnival attraction. Naturally, Afong Moy was more than that, and the Milwaukee Repertory Theater's latest production, "The Chinese Lady," explores her story, and, in a way ours. Lisa Helmi Johanson plays the title character in the show, which formally opens Friday at the Rep's Stiemke Studio, 108 E. Wells St. (The show runs through March 24.)
Info: milwaukeerep.com