Wisconsin
Noah Kahan’s sold-out Alpine Valley show in Wisconsin evacuated, postponed due to storms
Watch: Noah Kahan’s sold-out Wisconsin concert evacuated due to storms
People in the lawn at the sold-out, 37,000-person-capacity East Troy venue were told to evacuate to their cars due to impending storms.
A sold-out Noah Kahan show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy on Saturday was partially evacuated due to storms before the folk-pop superstar took the stage.
The show was officially postponed at 10:15 p.m., according to a message on the Alpine Valley Facebook page, with an announcement made in the venue five minutes later. A new date will be announced on the venue’s social media pages, and previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new date.
At 8:07 p.m. Saturday, the first announcement was made over the amphitheater’s sound system that due to incoming storms, everyone seeing the show in the lawn “must seek shelters in their vehicles at this time,” while people seated in the covered pavilion were told they could shelter in place.
The announcement caused an uproar – with most people in the lawn not moving as of 8:18 p.m. The weather was still clear in East Troy at that time.
A second announcement was made at 8:29 p.m., but at that time, thousands in the lawn remained in place and the weather remained clear. Then at 8:45 p.m., fans in the lower bowl started singing Kahan songs like “Stick Season” and “Growing Sideways” a cappella, as well as “HOT TO GO!” by pop breakthrough Chappell Roan.
A third announcement was made at 8:55 p.m. “Folks, up in the lawn, again, we’ve got weather coming. Please seek shelter in your vehicle until the storm passes,” a crew member said on stage. About five minutes later the first strike of lightning hit the area, and the lawn started thinning out but thousands remained there as of 9:02 p.m.
Ten minutes later an announcer told people remaining on the lawn to come down in an orderly fashion to the covered seats. Winds picked up rapidly soon after that, and the first rumble of thunder hit at 9:14 p.m., followed by chants of “Noah.”
Adding to the complications: terrible phone and internet connections at the packed venue in rural Walworth County.
Ivy Bloomfield and Jillian Myers came to the show from Chicago, and since they didn’t have a car, were struggling to connect with their ride to update them on the show’s status.
“It’s scary,” Bloomfield said about the situation and struggling to connect with their parents, adding that the situation was “anxiety-inducing.”
Lennon Maher and Avery Tiller from Madison were trying desperately to connect with their parents. They were separated from them at the time of the evacuation order, and since they didn’t have keys to the family car, and were concerned they would be stuck in the unsheltered lawn parking when the storm hit, decided to hunker down in their seats. They were able to connect again in their seats around 10 p.m.
The amphitheater has about 7,500 seats in the sheltered sections closest to the stage, with the vast majority of seating available in the lawn. The amphitheater can accommodate up to 37,000 people.
Folk-pop breakout Kahan is slated to have one of the largest audiences of any artist in Wisconsin in 2024, par for the course for one of the most rapid ascents in recent years, thanks to his breakout album “Stick Season.”
In February 2023 he played a sold-out Miller High Life Theatre in Milwaukee for about 4,500 people – then four months later performed for one of the largest crowds ever assembled for a Summerfest side stage headliner at the Milwaukee festival’s UScellular Connection Stage.
This is the second concert at Alpine this year impacted by bad weather. Dave Matthews Band had to cancel a planned show June 22, part of a two-night stint. It was rescheduled for June 30.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25
MADISON (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets, authorities said Sunday.
Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
Owen Ziliak/The Wisconsin State Journal via AP
The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence.
Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Amber Arnold/Wisconsin State Journal via AP
Those arrested included the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, who was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary. But most arrestees were just booked and released, the sheriff’s office said Sunday.
“No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort,” Hsuing said in a statement from jail Sunday that also accused authorities of using excessive force. “The animals of this Earth are not “things.” They’re sentient beings. And we have the right to rescue them from abuse,” he concluded.
Protesters took 30 dogs when they broke into the facility in March, when authorities arrested 27 people.
Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 in a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
On its website, the company says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
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