It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.

1. Niche Book Bar pop-up at the Sherman Phoenix: Saturday, April 24
   
   In honor of Independent Bookstore Day, the Niche Book Bar is hosting a pop-up event at the Sherman Phoenix. The Black-owned bookstore will be located on the lower level of the Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The bookstore features Black authors, both local and national. Read: NNS Spotlight: She’s writing a new chapter for Black-owned bookstores in Milwaukee.
2. Neighborhood cleanup and Black-owned food truck party: Saturday, April 24
   
   The Harambee Community Association is hosting the fourth annual Harambee Cleanup at the Beerline Plaza, 3356 N. Holton St., from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 24. The first 50 people will get a $5 food voucher for the block party that is scheduled to follow. In addition, MKE Black is hosting a Black-owned food truck block party. This is an opportunity to support Black-owned business owners. The party will take place at the Beerline Plaza, 3356 N. Holton St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The vendors include Twisted Plants, Karol’s Kitchen, Mr. Greens, Soulful Juice, Immy’s African Cuisine and Pops BBQ.
3. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day: Saturday, April 24
   
   Safe & Sound and its community partners are teaming up for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This is an opportunity for community members to safely dispose of their prescription and over-the-counter medications, including ointments, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vials and pet medications. Drug Take Back Day will take place at Johnson’s Park, 1919 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. This is a drive-thru event, but there will be resources available and free giveaways.
4. Pete’s Pops begins spring hours: Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25
   
   Pete’s Pops is extending its hours this weekend. It will be open at its original location, 3809 W. Vliet St., from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. The Pete’s Pops Shed, 916 E. Russell Ave., will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. For more information on store hours, visit Pete’s Pops Facebook page.
5. Pop-up community donation drive and giveaway: Friday, April 23 and Sunday, April 25
   
   Dream Team United MKE is doing a pop-up community donation drive and giveaway event this weekend. The group will be accepting the following donations: non-perishable food, new bed sheets, light throw blankets and monetary donations. The donations can be dropped off at the Generation of Excellence Trendsetters, 7143 W. Greenfield Ave., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 23. The community giveaway will take place at the Generation of Excellence Trendsetters from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.

Bonus: West Vliet Street art walk: Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24
West Vliet Street, the business corridor that runs east to west from North 43rd to North 62nd streets, is hosting an art walk. The two-day event is taking place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 23 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. This is an opportunity to support locally owned shops, enjoy the murals and interactive art demonstrations, check out food trucks and more.

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5 things to do and know the weekend of April 23

by Ana Martinez-Ortiz, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
April 23, 2021

<h1>5 things to do and know the weekend of April 23</h1> <p class="byline">by Ana Martinez-Ortiz, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />April 23, 2021</p> <br /> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-74640 size-large is-resized"><img src="https://milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/48750821361_857c5187c2_o-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-74640" height="683" width="1024" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">After a long winter, Pete’s Pops is extending its spring time hours. (Photo provided by Pete’s Pops)</figcaption></figure> <p><em>It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as the nation grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.</em></p> <p><em>If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon <strong>Thursday</strong>.</em></p> <ol class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/FindYourNicheMKE/photos/pcb.1264474460616827/1264474417283498/"><strong>Niche Book Bar pop-up at the Sherman Phoenix</strong></a><strong>: Saturday, April 24 <p></strong>In honor of Independent Bookstore Day, the Niche Book Bar is hosting a pop-up event at the Sherman Phoenix. The Black-owned bookstore will be located on the lower level of the Sherman Phoenix, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The bookstore features Black authors, both local and national. <strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2020/12/03/nns-spotlight-shes-writing-a-new-chapter-for-black-owned-bookstores-in-milwaukee/"><strong>NNS Spotlight: She’s writing a new chapter for Black-owned bookstores in Milwaukee</strong></a><strong><strong><strong>.</strong></strong></strong></li> <li><strong>Neighborhood cleanup and Black-owned food truck party: Saturday, April 24 <p></strong>The Harambee Community Association is hosting the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/762764987554865/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22%5B%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A676606776397040%7D%7D%5D%22%7D">fourth annual Harambee Cleanup</a> at the Beerline Plaza, 3356 N. Holton St., from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 24. The first 50 people will get a $5 food voucher for the block party that is scheduled to follow. In addition, MKE Black is hosting a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/292474649111767">Black-owned food truck block party</a>. This is an opportunity to support Black-owned business owners. The party will take place at the Beerline Plaza, 3356 N. Holton St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. The vendors include Twisted Plants, Karol’s Kitchen, Mr. Greens, Soulful Juice, Immy’s African Cuisine and Pops BBQ.</li> <li><strong>National Prescription Drug Take Back Day: Saturday, April 24 <p></strong>Safe &amp; Sound and its community partners are teaming up for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. This is an opportunity for community members to safely dispose of their prescription and over-the-counter medications, including ointments, non-aerosol sprays, inhalers, creams, vials and pet medications. Drug Take Back Day will take place at Johnson’s Park, 1919 W. Fond du Lac Ave., from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. This is a drive-thru event, but there will be resources available and free giveaways.</li> <li><strong>Pete’s Pops begins spring hours: Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 <p></strong>Pete’s Pops is extending its hours this weekend. It will be open at its original location, 3809 W. Vliet St., from noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. The Pete’s Pops Shed, 916 E. Russell Ave., will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. For more information on store hours, visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/petespopsmke/photos/a.1249874151816291/2127748640695500/">Pete’s Pops Facebook page</a>.</li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/105429154570251/photos/a.105429204570246/283483230098175/"><strong>Pop-up community donation drive and giveaway</strong></a><strong>: Friday, April 23 and Sunday, April 25 <p></strong>Dream Team United MKE is doing a pop-up community donation drive and giveaway event this weekend. The group will be accepting the following donations: non-perishable food, new bed sheets, light throw blankets and monetary donations. The donations can be dropped off at the Generation of Excellence Trendsetters, 7143 W. Greenfield Ave., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 23. The community giveaway will take place at the Generation of Excellence Trendsetters from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 25.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Bonus: </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/486462882357787/?event_time_id=486462882357787"><strong>West Vliet Street art walk</strong></a><strong>: Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24<br /> </strong><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WestVlietStreet/">West Vliet Street</a>, the business corridor that runs east to west from North 43rd to North 62nd streets, is hosting an art walk. The two-day event is taking place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 23 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 24. This is an opportunity to support locally owned shops, enjoy the murals and interactive art demonstrations, check out food trucks and more.</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2021/04/23/5-things-to-do-and-know-the-weekend-of-april-23/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=74638&amp;amp;ga4=G-HGM4XK3QCM&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2021/04/23/5-things-to-do-and-know-the-weekend-of-april-23/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/milwaukeenns.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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