Insider's Guide to Virtual Events On Demand

Film & Theater

Binge-watch all of the submissions to CREATE portage county's 48-hour film festival, aptly named Still Rendering: Covid-19 Style. What makes this film festival a bit different? Well, all of the participating teams have only 48-hours to come up with their creation! This year, every team was tasked with preparing a post-apocalyptic film of any genre, while working in a character named Ray (a certified conspiracy theorist), using a fanny pack as a prop, and incorporating the line "I'm going to try to say this in a positive way...". Of course, bonus points were awarded for secretive product placement for Point Brewery too. (Want to know who took the top spots in the contest? Learn more here.)
 

Grab the popcorn and join the CinePoint Media Festival, a livestream event scheduled for 7pm on May 14 (and will remain available to stream afterward). Hosted by the UW-Stevens Point Division of Communication, the festival screens and celebrates UWSP student work to foster a growing community of artists and creators. From still image and video to interactive materials, this event highlights the inspiration and creativity the community has to offer. 

Enjoy the works of student playwrights, eager to share their work as part of UWSP Players Student Artistic Alliance. Tune into Current Voices Staged Reading Series to watch the shows come alive virtually. All of the works are included in the embedded video below or watch them individually here.   

Fringe 2020: Restart, featuring recorded staged readings of this year's Fringe plays, are also available from UWSP Players Student Artistic Alliance.

Live Music

District 1 Brewing Company, one of the newest additions to the Central Wisconsin Craft Collective, started streaming live music events to help support their staff, which was laid off during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Help support their staff here.)   

Join Main Street Taps for their virtual Empty Venue Series. The series showcases local and regional talent safely recorded within the empty venue of Main Street Taps. The series has featured bands such as Open Tab and Catalytic, with more to come as well. Content is available on the Main Street Taps Facebook page. 

Looking for more live music? The band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, which got their start in what they lovingly refer to as Point-Town, is welcoming people into their homes for some music. Check out their Facebook page for available in-home concerts from Adam Greuel, Davey Charles, Collin Mettelka, Sammy Odin, Russell Pedersen and for a live-stream of their performance during the 2019 Blue Ox Music Festival, made possible by JamGrass TV.

For a classical take on music on demand, join the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, as they roll out their CWSOunds REWIND. Volume 1, below, features the first movement of Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 16. Dr. Molly Roseman is the piano soloist. (Performance from Sentry Theater on October 19, 2019.)

Craft Beverages

Central Waters Brewing Company is offering a virtual guide to beer and cheese pairings. Paul and Anello went live on April 30, but it's not too late to tune in on your own time! Before you start, here is what they recommend you have, so you can enjoy the same experience from where you are!  

• Sharp Cheddar (their pick was an 8-year sharp cheddar from Carr Valley)
  • Beer - Rift IPA or Szechuan Dragonfruit NEIPA
• An aged Gouda Cheese (their pick was Smoked Gouda by Carr Valley)
  • Beer - Mudpuppy Porter
• Blue Cheese (their pick was Carr Valley Pentacreme Blue, but they noted if you're a fan of blue, just substitute your favorite Goat Cheese)
  • Beer- Satin Solitude Imperial Stout/Any of our barrel-aged beer

Point Brewery is serving up history and local flavor through video on their Facebook page. Even if you don't catch it live, you can enjoy a history lesson with local beer historian and author, of Stevens Point Brewing Company, John Harry from their first stream. Then, John Harry and Point's Brewmaster Mike Schraufnagel team up for a Q&A and discussion (introducing seasonal brew Lake Side Vacation Ale). A third installment is focused on Ciderboys for a virtual Happy Hour with John Harry being joined by Quality Director Farryn Guarino for Q&A about the science behind creating hard cider. Head to their Facebook page to watch other content, including vintage ads! 

Want more inspiration, while you are staying at home? Check out the #CocktailsinPlace video series, which featured weekly cocktail themes in partnership between Great Northern Distilling, Copper & Pines Cocktail Co., Siren Shrub Co., Tapped Maple Syrup, Northern Oasis Spirits, and the Bottle Stop!

Staying Active

Gyms and studios might be closed, but many have shifted to online classes, to keep everyone connected and moving, from home. Check out a few of the options below.

Ana Marie Yoga is offering Flow Yoga On Demand, with a free preview video here. 

Artha Yoga Studio is offering Vinyasa Flow for virtual yoga sessions, on Tuesday's, Wednesday's and Thursday's.

Plover Yoga has shifted their yoga classes, including Basics, Flow, Restorative, Core, Slow Burn, Power and Yin, to online live classes. 

Studio B Pilates is offering live, interactive online classes, in addition to on-demand options. 

Fit with Nicole is hosting challenges with videos of specific movements and exercises. 

D1 Training is offering Zoom workouts with coaches, in addition to a selection of training videos on Facebook.

Fiternal Crossfit is offering online options, with a Zoom live feed and a recording of the WOD.

Community Building

CREATE portage county is always building community, and even with social distancing, they haven't slowed down. Watch this community conversation, about staying connected with customers and community, while driving engagement with your audience. Hear from Sarah Jo of Main Grain Bakery, Jared from Ruby Coffee Roasters, and William Koepke - hosted by Jade Arnold from Thousand Lumens Productions. 

Storytime

Portage County Public Library has been going live every weekday at 10:30 am for a virtual Book Break. This storytime live stream is an entertaining brain break for youngsters adapting to learning from home. Previous episodes are available for viewing on the Portage County Library Facebook page. 

To expand the book breaks to the whole family, check out the curbside pick-up available through the Library, by calling (715) 346-1548. 

UWSP Museum of Natural History has also switched to a virtual storytime experience including a nature or wildlife-themed children's book. While the live streams were only scheduled until May 8, you can watch past videos on the UWSP Museum of Natural History Facebook page. 

Join Shannon Semmerling for #StorieswithShannon, which originally streamed on Facebook Live and is available on-demand here. 

Family Nature Programs

Schmeeckle Reserve's bevy of family-focused programming may not be available in person, but they are on-demand. These programs, which are created by UW-Stevens Point students studying environmental education and interpretation, open up the natural world to anyone who is interested in learning more. Check out the family nature programs, nature notes, and the preschool discovery programs on their Youtube Channel. Then, head out to explore the 280-acre nature preserve for yourself as it is still open to visitors to hike and bike (while observing social distancing). 

Family Nature Programs

Nature Notes

Preschool Discovery Programs