'Beach House Burn' event is Sept. 21 at Simmons Island Beach
Heating into the fall, the Beach House at Simmons Island continues its popular Friday Bonfire Nights.
Added to the mix is a special Saturday bonfire event called Beach House Burn.
The free event is scheduled for 6-10 p.m. today on the Simmons Island Beach and features live music performed by Indigo Canyon.
Beach House Burn is patterned after the annual Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert but was inspired by a famous Kenoshan.
"We invite the public to celebrate the burn with us," said Meryl Strichartz, who reopened the landmark building this summer. "We are having a special bonfire honoring Zalmon Simmons and his heirs.
"Simmons and his family were generous philanthropists who established Simmons Island, and we are forever grateful. He was very friendly and loved to walk around Kenosha with a fake beard. When it was pulled, it would trigger a mechanical bird to pop out of his top hat. It's true, Google it."
As for entertainment during the event, "Indigo Canyon, an alternative rock band, will take the stage with originals and covers that are sure to make everyone happy," Strichartz said.
The Kenosha event does include a key feature from the Burning Man Festival: The burning man itself.
Each year in the Nevada desert, Burning Man culminates with the burning of a towering wooden effigy, referred to as "the Man."
On Simmons Island Beach, "we will have fun burning a large figure in 'Burning Man' style in our bonfire," Strichartz said..
The event also features what she calls "special fall treats."
The regular bonfire nights will continue through fall, with the public invited to "gather around the fire pit" from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Fridays. On those nights, the bonfire starts at 8 p.m. Food, drinks and s'more kits are sold.
"It's been very popular, and it has a really cool vibe," Strichartz said of the bonfire nights.
"We light the bonfire and move the benches around the fire. It's like being at a campfire."
For more details about upcoming Simmons Island events, go to kenoshabeachhouse.com .
Features/GO Kenosha
