It was 24 years ago that my wife and I stumbled upon Peanut Butter and Jam in downtown Kenosha. This Kenosha “must-do” summer tradition is now a quarter-century old. It seems impossible to believe. Every Thursday after the 4th of July, and running through August, the KTown lakefront is filled with music….a couple of times a day. Frank and Kim Carmichael have hosted a matinee and an evening show, free of charge, for the public’s enjoyment downtown by that big fountain. This season got off to a slow start with Week 1 being rained out and Week 2 being air-quality-ed out. But the third time was the charm, and PBnJ The Silver Edition went off, as usual, without a hitch.
Somehow, in year one of PBnJ, my wife and I never found our way to the lakefront on a Thursday in July or August. Thank heavens for that happening in year two. I remember seeing Barney Barnhill, Eric Olsen, and Bird Dog Johnson in the first couple of sets of groups we came across. Whatever was playing was pretty decent, and we settled in… it wasn’t packed, but there were plenty of people there. And 24 years later, we truck down to the lakefront to experience something. Yes, there are toons. Sometimes good… sometimes great. But that is really only part of it. It goes deeper for most. This place has always been a city that loves tradition. PBnJ has become tradition. One guy’s opinion.
Real relationships are hard to come by. And a world steamrolled by technology ain’t helping in some circumstances. Places and events like PBnJ cement relationships. They allow them to continue and to thrive. It’s funny, I can love not leaving my house for 3 days, and then when I do, either for work or pleasure, I go from shut-in to being among thousands of people, and both feel normal. I guess that is what it means to be comfortable in your KTown skin, ha! The only thing better than people-watchin total strangers is people-watchin your own people, then having them walk up and sit down next to you. And you can expect to be a people-watched right back!
The 2026 version of PBnJ finally beat the early-season blues by presenting The Judson Brown Band. They were a perfect band to open the season… a great mix of popular tunes mixed with some quality original stuff. It has been a quarter of a century of new acts and old favorites. I’d say my favorite new act I was introduced to at PBnJ was The Honey Island Swamp Band, with my old favorite being the incomparable Little Ed and the Blues Imperials. Everyone has favorites…my wife loves the 70s sing-along bands…I tolerate them until Boogie Shoes by KC and the Sunshine Band gets played…then I like em. The moral of the story was stated earlier….there is music, there is just a whole lot more.
In closing, a huge thanks to Frank and Kim Carmichael and Happenings Magazine for 25 years of excellence. Frank is “the best at what he does” in KTown USA history. From a raffle between the movies “Destroy All Monsters” and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein” at the Roosevelt Theater back in the day, to a raffle at the break of the band of the night at PBnJ, Frank Carmichael has delivered, and he has earned a lifetime of respect. He has given us 25 years of connecting. Frank always incorporates his personality into PBnJ with questions like “Whatdayathink, should we ask em to do one more?”, and “Whatdayathink, should we ask em back next year?”. But no Frank-ism is more anticipated than “And remember, call me when you get home….you know how I worry”. I’ll let you in on a secret Frank…PBnJ IS HOME!!
