Are your little ones excited to see their favorite princesses and animated characters live on ice this February? Here's a way to get free or discount tickets to "Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic" while helping a great cause.

This Friday from 4 to 6 p.m., donate a jar of unopened peanut butter at the Milwaukee Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. The first 100 donors will receive free ticket vouchers to "Disney on Ice" courtesy of Feld Entertainment and good for opening night, Feb. 14. One  voucher will be given per donated jar of peanut butter, with a two-ticket maximum.

The drive is being coordinated by Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee.

If you're not in the first 100, don't worry – you'll still get a $5 voucher for tickets that will be valid for performances other than opening night.

The HTF is hoping to collect 100,000 jars of peanut butter for the hungry. This convenient, nutritious food is a popular staple with a long shelf-life, and it's easy to donate because most of us already have it in our kitchens.

Learn more about the campaign here.

 

 

Bar month is upon us, dear readers. I've got to be honest: I don't go to bars that often. If I drink at home, I can do it in my pajamas, and let's be honest, everything is better when you do it in your pajamas.

Unfortunately I haven't bought any hard liquor for my new apartment yet, so if I want anything stronger than Miller Lite (Don't you dare judge me – it's low in calories), I have to go elsewhere.

I consulted OnMilwaukee.com's "Best New Bar" list to find a new place to hang out with my friend Emily, who is an overworked college student who really needs her alcohol. We chose J&B's Blue Ribbon Bar at 5329 W. Bluemound Rd., mostly because it had the name "Blue Ribbon" in it but also because their Monday specials looked pretty decent ($1 off taps, rail mixers and appetizers).

I give the place a solid four stars. We went during Happy Hour, so it was pretty dead except for some old-timers – which, coincidentally, is just how I like bars to be. We ordered gin and tonics and they were delightfully huge. I sampled the mozzarella sticks rolled in won-ton wraps, and they were pretty good for bar food. The bartender gave us free shots, though he mocked my request for Jameson ("Everyone does Jameson," he said).

It would be a great place to go before, during or after a Brewers game, because of its close proximity to Miller Park. The Pabst memorabilia (including the wall of PBR cans) was charming, and on our way to the bathroom we discovered a whole back party room, complete with billiard tables and bowling alleys.

A quick internet search revealed that the building is a historic tavern from the 19th century, and that the bowling alley addition was completed in 1946.

And if you happen to be accompanied by some weirdo who likes to drink their whiskey through straws (Hi, Emily!) instead of shooting it like a freaking lady, the bartenders are more than happy to oblige.

Best of all, I was back home in my pajamas by eight o' clock.

I'm going…

I'm not one of those people who makes a New Year's resolution to "get in shape."

I'm not even sure what "getting in shape" entails. For some, it means lusting after the airbrushed perfection of Miranda Kerr's thighs, going to the gym every day for three weeks and then having a meltdown and eating everything in the fridges. For many, it's about strength-building or marathon training. For others, it simply means incorporating more healthy activity into their sedentary lifestyle.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't exercise. At all. My laziness is a really unfortunate hairy mole on the face of my personality. I have a very pragmatic "I'm-going-to-die-one-of-these-days-anyway" view of the world, and while I don't use that attitude as an excuse to do harmful things to my body, I do use it as an excuse to ... let my body lie on the couch watching crime dramas.

One of the things that really turns me off to exercise is the enthusiasm of workout-lovers. You know what I mean. These people come out of the woodwork to guilt me for my inexcusable First World laziness. These are the people that tell me Milwaukee is the fattest city on planet Earth. These are the people who assure me that running every morning will bring me closer to Jesus. These are the people who promise me that I will have a better marriage and be a better, more "present" friend (whatever that means) if I hop on a treadmill every day.

This is why I love yoga. Oh, yoga: the pastime of hippies and stressed-out soccer moms alike, that blissed-out exercise of Hindu philosophers. It has no demographic, and so it bears no judgement. There's just something so delightfully zen about it (and yes, I realize that I'm mixing Eastern religions here). It's, like, 30% breathing, after all. I can get down with any workout regimen that includes something called "heart opening exercises."

As it happens, it's a good time to get into yoga in Milwaukee. This weekend is the opening of the new To…

A lot of us couldn't make the Aug. 11 premiere of "Honor Flight" at Miller Park, or were too busy around the holidays to catch the viewings offered by Marcus Theatres on Pearl Harbor Day in December. 

Luckily, we're getting another chance. This month, Marcus Theatres will show the emotional documentary at eight Wisconsin locations.

"In response to popular demand, we have decided to expand 'Honor Flight' showings in select theater locations. We are pleased to offer encore showings for those that may have not seen the film the first time or would like to see it again. We hope these additional showings will enable more patrons to experience what this exceptional documentary dedicated to our WWII veterans is all about," said Bruce J. Olson, president of Marcus Theatres, in a press release. 

In August, OnMilwaukee.com did a story on the film, which was produced by Freethink Media and features local WWII veterans and their experiences on the Stars and Stripes Honor Flights. The summer event at Miller Park set a world record for attendance at a movie premier; the Guinness Book of World Records reported the official attendance number at 28,442. It is estimated that some 2,200 WWII veterans were also in attendance.

The film will be shown Monday, Jan. 14-Thursday, Jan. 17 at Menomonee Falls Cinema, Ridge Cinema in New Berlin, Saukville Cinema and South Shore Cinema in Oak Creek. Additional showings will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16 and Thursday, Jan. 17 at Ho-Chunk Cinema in Tomah, Point Cinema in Madison, Sheboygan Cinema and Renaissance Cinema in Sturtevant.

Check the Marcus Theatres website for specific movie times.