Before Gnarly Cedar Brewery moved in, the building at 420 Washington Street belonged to the Village of Wrightstown's public works crew. Co-owner Katrina Magnuson has described the spot as a place that used to store salt and trucks. It sits on the Fox River, and it now pours beer.
That handoff explains how the next two weekends fit together. Wrightstown's fall calendar rests on two pieces of public ground, the school campus at 600 High Street and a riverfront yard the village no longer needs for equipment. Knowing which event lands on which one makes it easier to plan a Saturday.
A Building That Changed Jobs
The Magnusons bought LedgeStone Vineyards on Highway 57 in Greenleaf in 2017 and started brewing Gnarly Cedar beer in 2019. For more than four years the brewery shared production space with the winery. According to a report in The Business News, the village approached them in 2023 about turning the former public works building into a brewery. Adam Magnuson had driven past it for years, and he liked its five garage doors and open riverfront.
The property has 184 feet of frontage on the Fox River, according to a 2024 preview of the project. Before opening, the owners described a fire pit and outdoor seating where kayaks can pull up. Once it opened, the taproom drew a wave of new faces, in Adam's telling, from people who had been waiting for something like it. Yelp's listing shows Gnarly beers, LedgeStone wine, non-alcoholic options, and a kitchen serving bar bites and Detroit-style pizza.
"It creates a positive space for the community to enjoy."
Adam Magnuson said that about the riverfront in the same interview. He also described a plan for the taproom to host trivia one night and a guest-speaker series called "Think and Drinks" another.
The taproom is one of two downtown buildings in Wrightstown that changed jobs in recent years. Lost Key Tap opened in March 2022 in the historic building that once housed The Tigers Den Pub and Grill. Its owners say that ended a decade-long vacancy downtown.
The riverfront block has a third anchor. The village's River District at 104 High Ct. is the address for The River Coffee and Cream. It also hosted the free Tunes on Tuesday concerts, which ran from 6 to 9 p.m. on six dates between June 9 and August 25 this year. That season is over. The block still has a coffee counter and a taproom, so it has reasons to be busy after the concerts end.
Saturday, October 3, Starts at the School
The first October Saturday begins on the other public property. The Color Blaze Run is a 2-mile run and walk at 600 High Street, with a start time of 11 a.m. on October 3. Registration is open through October 2 at $15 plus processing and taxes, which comes to $18.04 on Race Roster. That leaves three days from today.
The Wrightstown Community School District describes it as a non-competitive fundraiser hosted by Wrightstown High School's Sources of Strength campaign. Participants get covered in colored cornstarch powder. The district says the money goes to its Christmas Meals for Adopt-A-Family Program and to Sources of Strength campaigns on student wellness. It also says the run kicks off the annual Wrightstown Fall Festival.
The festival's 2026 schedule was not posted where I could find it. The village's 2024 Fall Fest and Car Show ran October 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so early October is the expected window. The village has posted a Fall 2026 newsletter listing community events, and wrightstown.us is the place to confirm times before you go.
The Second Weekend Returns to 600 High Street
The district says the annual Wrightstown FFA Craft Sale takes place the second weekend of October. This year that means October 10 and 11. The 2025 sale ran Saturday, October 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the 2024 sale ran Saturday, October 12, in the same hours. This year's hours have not been posted.
The 2024 listing gave a sense of scale, with more than 125 craft vendors and $2 admission for anyone over 12. Proceeds went to student-funded activities and scholarships. Confirm this year's admission and vendor count with the district.
Both October Saturdays use the same address, 600 High Street, and both send money back into school programs. The riverfront block sits between those two Saturdays as a place to get coffee or a pint.
What to Eat Around the Two Saturdays
The calendar below lines up the dated items in this post.
| When | What | Where | What the sources say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 2 | Friday fish fry | Crosswind Grille at Royal St. Patrick's | Perch, haddock, walleye and salmon, made to order; open daily from 11 a.m. through early November |
| Fri, Oct 2 | Color Blaze Run registration closes | Online | $15 plus processing and taxes |
| Sat, Oct 3 | Color Blaze Run | 600 High Street | 11 a.m., 2 miles |
| Early October | Wrightstown Fall Festival | Confirm with the village | 2024 edition was October 5 with a car show |
| Second weekend | FFA Craft Sale | 600 High Street | Recent editions ran Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
For a meal, the options in the research are these.
- Gnarly Cedar Brewery, 420 Washington St. Yelp lists Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is closed Monday. Hours change, so check before you go.
- The River Coffee and Cream, 104 High Ct. It serves specialty coffee, espresso, sandwiches, salads, soup, ice cream and bakery items, based on its business listing.
- Lost Key Tap. The owners describe a chef-driven menu that pairs comfort food with fine culinary techniques.
- La Toxica Taqueria & Bar, 450 High St. It is on High Street, the same street as the school campus.
- Crosswind Grille at Royal St. Patrick's. The bar has 78 windows and the veranda looks out over the course. The restaurant sits off the Hwy U exit on US-41 and is open daily at 11 a.m. from April through early November, with a fish fry every Friday.
The Trail Repairs Skipped This Stretch
The Fox River State Trail was in the news this month. Brown County Parks closed two sections in September for asphalt repairs. The first, from Heritage Road north to Bomier Street in De Pere, closed September 14 through 18. The second, from the Fox Point Boat Launch crossing to the Highway 172 bridge in Allouez, closed September 21 through 25. Both scheduled windows have now passed, and no detour was marked for either one.
Neither section is in Wrightstown. Brown County says the trail is asphalt from the Green Bay trailhead to Lasee Road and limestone screenings from Lasee Road south to the county line. Wrightstown sits on that southern crushed-stone stretch, so the asphalt repairs were made on a different section of the trail.
The trail is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. year-round, according to the Wisconsin DNR, and bicyclists 16 and older need a state trail pass. Friends of the Fox River Trail lists paving from Lasee Road to the Greenleaf trailhead as planned for summer 2026 or 2027. I found no confirmed schedule for that work.
Between those dates, the river block holds its own. The village's former salt-and-trucks yard is now a taproom on 184 feet of riverfront, and the school campus at 600 High Street hosts both Saturday events.
If you want a hand tracking what happens to Wrightstown's riverfront block and the properties around it, the agents at CENTURY 21 Ace Realty follow the Fox Valley closely and are happy to talk through what you're seeing. Contact us.
