Summer Nights Concert Series 2026

Summer Nights Kickoff Concert!

Baba Ghanooj Summer Nights Kickoff Concert WCAB Chain o Lakes Waupaca Live music MoJoe and Flipside
Baba Ghanooj Summer Nights Kickoff Concert WCAB Chain o Lakes Waupaca Live music MoJoe and Flipside

June 10— 6:00- 8:45 p.m.

  • Doors open at 6 p.m., music starts at 6:30 p.m.

MoJoe & Flipside featuring Carolyn Jo Weber & Baba Ghanooj

at the

Indian Crossing Casino on Waupaca’s beautiful Chain O’ Lakes!

Summer Nights Concert Series

The Summer Nights Concerts are totally FREE and everyone is welcome to join us for an evening of creativity, music, and fun! The Concert Series will take place at South Park in Waupaca. The FAMILY ART PROJECTS start at 5:30p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate, but this is especially fun for the kiddos. This year, our art project for each of the concerts will be “HATS OFF” which is in celebration of Arts on the Square turning 20 years old this year! Participants will make a cardboard hat that you can deck out however you would like. Materials and instructions will be provided so join us and let your creative side shine.

The live music will start at 6:30 p.m. until 8:45 p.m. Each concert will feature an artist that spans a different genre. Keep scrolling to learn about each of the bands!

As always, there will be a 50/50 raffle occurring during the concert. One lucky winner will take home half the pot while the other half goes right back to WCAB so that we can keep bringing you amazing live music and more!

We are accepting donations to the local food pantries during the concerts as well.

In the event of inclement weather, check out Waupaca Community Arts Board Facebook page at 3 p.m. the day of the show to see if the location of the event has moved to the Indian Crossing Casino. Bring your lawn chair to use for seating.

Schedule

June 24-

Angela Puerta Band- 6:30 p.m. Lively Latin group that plays to children as well as adults!

Family Art Project- 5:30 p.m. “Hats Off”

Food- Victory Church will be serving up Mexican food.

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase

July 15-

Chicken Wire Empire- 6:30 p.m. Dynamic, thoughtful, and energetic bluegrass!

Family Art Project- 5:30 p.m. “Hats Off”

Food- Wisco Eatery Food Truck “Fresh. Local. Comfort.”

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase

This concert is sponsored by Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative- Thank you!

July 22-

Tae & The Neighborly- 6:30 p.m. Soul, pop, and R&B group that you won’t want to miss!

Family Art Project- 5:30 p.m. “Hats Off”

Food- Benny Bakes will have delicious wood fired pizzas!

Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be available for purchase

Summer Nights Artists-

Angele Puerta Band-

Angela Puerta Band is a dynamic four-piece Latin group rooted in Afro-Colombian rhythms such as Cumbia, Bambuco, Salsa, and Vallenato, while seamlessly blending in familiar American influences like rock and pop. Formed in 2018, the band has maintained a steady performance schedule, appearing at music festivals across Wisconsin as well as private and community events.

The band’s mission is to serve as a bridge between the source of tropical and folkloric Latin music and contemporary global sounds. Their high-energy performances get audiences on their feet with infectious Latin grooves, Colombian folkloric traditions, and well-known songs performed in both English and Spanish. Influenced by artists such as Shakira, Soda Stereo, Alanis Morissette, Janis Joplin, and Celia Cruz, her live performances are known for their energy, emotional depth, and strong sense of cultural pride.

Fronted by Angela Puerta, a Colombian-born singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Madison, Wisconsin, the band is driven by her powerful artistry and cultural vision. Angela is a seven-time Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) Award winner, Latino Musician of the year (2025), Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latino Leader (2024), and Best of Madison Latin Artist (2019 & 2020).

Chicken Wire Empire-

Chicken Wire Empire is a Wisconsin-based bluegrass band known for their dynamic musicality, thorough arrangements, and true-to-life songwriting. The band emerged in 2016 with their debut self-titled album and have since released a prolific catalogue of studio projects and live performances. Their sixth and latest album, Growing Pains, releases June 1 and is a veritable culmination of the band’s growth through the past decade. 

CWE continuously captivates audiences with thoughtful, energetic performances. Their high-level musicality turns up a fresh conversation with each show, like a brainstorm of creative musical substance. Americana Highways writes “These musicians must enjoy what they do because their joy translates through their instruments. The energy, fingering techniques are all proponents that deliver substance with a modicum of joy. There aren’t any low points, missteps, loss of heat in any of these melodies.”

The band has been recognized worldwide for their performances and recorded works, with Americana UK calling their latest album “a variety which transcends genre and rewards careful listening.” Capturing the ever-evolving sights and sounds of the road through the lens of their Midwestern roots, the band’s catalog of songs is ever-growing and CWE continues to be acknowledged for their pensive attention to detail in writing and crafting deeply engaging songs. 

 Chicken Wire Empire has partnered with dozens of artists from all corners of the bluegrass genre, from Sam Bush and Peter Rowan to Vince Herman and Keller Williams. Their forthcoming album features guest appearances from Grammy-winning artists Jerry Douglas and Kyle Tuttle. The long list of collaborators has lent a lifetime of taste and knowledge to CWE’s musical journey while the band has grown into its identifiably authentic yet original sound.

Tae & The Neighborly-

Tae & The Neighborly, a Wisconsin based Soul-pop R&B group, found themselves playing music together in a very unconventional way. They were all neighbors, each one living alone on one floor of a five-story flat. Cake baking is a shared passion of the five-member group, but in the sugar shortages early in the 2020 pandemic, they found themselves so continually knocking on each other’s doors asking for a single cup of sugar that a group decision was made to all move in together and share cake-baking resources. And since everyone knows all good rhythms begin in the kitchen, it wasn’t before long that the group began to write and perform together across the nation. Critics hail the group as “having more kick than a bagged-up mule” (Rotary Times) and their live show “...going down smoother than a can of [beans] warmed on the campfire” (Cowboy Gazette).

Inclement Weather!

In the case of inclement weather for any of our Summer Nights Concert dates, our rain location will be the Indian Crossing Casino. Check the WCAB Facebook page at 3 p.m. to see if the event has moved locations in case of rain or storms. Bring your lawn chair to use for seating. Thank you!

Hutchinson House Tours

Take a moment to experience all the history right next door to South Park at the Hutchinson House. The Waupaca Historical Society will have the Hutchinson House History Museum open for tours during the Summer Nights Concerts from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Free tours!

Thank you to our Summer Nights Sponsors! Your generous support helps us bring this great event to Waupaca—

Turner’s Fresh Market

Udoni & Salan Realty Group

Farmer’s State Bank

The {Tre} of Life

Janssen Accounting

McDonald’s

Office Outfitters

River Hill Dental

Indian Crossing Casino

Doc Kelly’s Public House

Faulks Bros. Construction

Faye Wilson Realty

Waypoint Financial

Parry Law Office

Join Us This Summer!