STEVENS POINT — The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has a host of events coming up during the next several weeks.
Discover how Schmeeckle Reserve wakes up from the long winter, learn about Stevens Point and enjoy nature this spring with free, public programs offered at the reserve in April.
The programs are taught by UW-Stevens Point students at the reserve’s Visitor Center, 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, unless otherwise noted. Some activities are outdoors, so dress for the weather. For more information, call 715-346-4992.
April programs include:
Writing on our Walls, April 28, 1-2 p.m. What do Stevens Point and ancient Egypt have in common? Explore the murals of downtown and design your own. Meet at the entrance of the library at 1001 Main St., Stevens Point.
The student voices of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s combined choirs will join in concert Sunday, April 28, featuring several student conductors and a song accompanied by American Sign Language interpretation.
The concert will be held at 3 p.m. in Michelsen Hall at the Noel Fine Arts Center, 1800 Portage St., Stevens Point.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for
UW-Stevens Point students, faculty and youth are free the day of the concert for students with a UW-Stevens Point ID if not sold out.
Tickets are available at the University Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center, by calling 715-346-4100 or 800-838-3378 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the door if available. Proceeds benefit student scholarships.
NEW! The Campus Band and Campus Orchestra at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will join in concert April 30.
The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. in Michelsen Hall at the Noel Fine Arts Center, 1800 Portage St., Stevens Point.
Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $5 for UW-Stevens Point students, faculty and youth and free the day of the concert for students with a UW-Stevens Point I.D. if not sold out. Tickets are available at the University Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center, by calling 715-346-4100 or 800-838-3378 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu. Tickets may be purchased at the door if available. Proceeds benefit student scholarships.
NEW! A new work that layers dance, wearable art, film and music to explore chain reactions will debut at Danstage 2019 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point May 3-5 and May 8-10.
Performances of the annual dance concert will be held 7:30 p.m. May 3-4 and May 8-10, with a 2 p.m. matinee May 5. The UW-Stevens Point Department of Theatre and Dance production will be held in the Studio Theatre in the Noel Fine Arts Center.
The May 5 matinee will include a 1 p.m. pre-show talk with the choreographers in Noel Fine Arts Center Room 221.
For the second time, “Danstage” will be presented in the round, with the audience seated on four sides. This gives the audience a chance to see the dances unfold with multiple fronts and the choreographers an expanded approach.
Danstage 2019 tickets are $23 for adults, $13 for youth and $11.25 for students with UW-Stevens Point ID. First Nighters tickets, which includes dinner, also are available. Get tickets at the UW-Stevens Point Information and Tickets in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by calling 715-346-4100 or http://tickets.uwsp.edu.
An eight-mile ruck march and run will help raise money for a student scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
The fifth annual Reeder’s Ruck and Run will be held at 10 a.m. May 4. It will start along the Wisconsin River near the Riverfront Arts Center in Pfiffner Park in downtown Stevens Point and follow a loop of the Green Circle Trail.
Participants may walk, run or march the eight-mile route with or without a “ruck sack,” a backpack weighing at least 35 pounds. There is also a four-mile route for walkers. Individual awards will be given to the top male and female finishers in two classes: age 40 and younger, as well as age 41 and older who complete the course wearing a ruck sack.
Registration is $30. Special rates available for students and service members, while dogs and children younger than 13 are free. For more information and registration, visit reedersruck.eventbrite.com.
NEW! The popular candlelight hike and several nature programs will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve in May.
The 2019 Spring Candlelight Hike Festival will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. May 3 at the reserve’s Visitor Center, 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point. Open to the public, the event has a suggested donation of $2 per person or $5 per family.
This year’s festival, themed “Builders of Schmeeckle,” includes two different campfire presentations at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. at the new Pankowski Friends Amphitheater. “Virtual Schmeeckle” has a Minecraft theme, and “Master Builder Beaver” is Lego-themed.
Visitors may choose from several different torch-lit paths around the reserve and Lake Joanis, as well as enjoy snacks, crafts and passport stations. The reserve’s Browse Shop will be open.
In addition, the reserve’s last three public programs of the semester will be taught by UW-Stevens Point students and held at the reserve’s Visitor Center:
“Backyard Grocery Store,” 6-7 p.m. May 7. Learn about native plants that have medicinal values or that make tasty additions to a salad.
“Fox Tales,” 6-7 p.m. May 9. Hear tales of red and gray foxes and look back on Wisconsin history. Dress for the weather.
“Bold Badgers,” 1-2 p.m. May 12. Dig up the dirt on the strong-willed badger and learn why they make Wisconsin “The Badger State.”
For more information, call 715-346-4992.
Children ages 3-6, along with a parent or guardian, will enjoy hands-on nature experiences as well as games, crafts and snacks as part of new series of programs at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve.
Preschool Discovery programs will be offered select Friday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m., taught by UW-Stevens Point students. All begin at the reserve’s Visitor Center, 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, and will include outdoor activities, weather permitting. Registration is not required. Children must attend with a parent or guardian and dress for the weather. The programs are open to the public free of charge.
The programs will include:
May 10, Bugs in our Backyard – Learn about all the bugs in backyards, including some that glow in the dark, glide and buzz around flowers.
May 17, Rambunctious Reptiles – Sing, craft and play the reptile way while learning about turtles, snakes and other reptiles at the reserve.
Located on the north end of the UW-Stevens Point campus, Schmeeckle Reserve is a 280-acre conservancy area with five miles of trails and boardwalks, a 24-acre lake and a Visitors Center with hands-on exhibits, Browse Shop and the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame. For more information, call 715-346-4992.
Photos courtesy UWSP.
