Oshkosh’s Sawdust District is coming alive with new collaborative

Chris Rugowski

Contributor

September 7, 2026

OSHKOSH – A group of Oshkosh business leaders are teaming up in hopes of boosting the city’s Sawdust District through a new partnership focused on entertainment, tourism and hospitality.

Organizers said the newly created Sawdust District Entertainment Collaborative (SDEC) aims to bring more activity and visitors to the district while supporting continued economic growth.

The effort – according to Zach Clark, owner of Fifth Ward Brewing Co. and a member of the collaborative – builds on years of interest in revitalizing the area.

When he moved into the area, Clark said people were already talking about putting more energy into the south side of downtown.

At the time, he said downtown Oshkosh was becoming increasingly developed, making the south side a natural opportunity for additional redevelopment. 

That potential became more apparent, Clark said, as he and his business partners worked to get Fifth Ward Brewing Co. established in the Sawdust District – a name that pays homage to Oshkosh’s history as a center of lumber and furniture manufacturing. 

Clark said they were struggling to secure financing for the brewery’s full buildout when another development helped bring new attention to the area: the announcement that Oshkosh had been selected as the home of the Wisconsin Herd. 

“We were two young kids trying to get banks on board to give us loans for our full buildout in the district and struggling,” he said. “At the same time, the [Wisconsin] Herd had put out an advertisement for cities to propose bringing the team to the city. When it was said that Oshkosh won, that prompted city developers to look into it more seriously, and it brought a new energy.”

Clark said the city initially structured the district through tax increment financing (TIF), but redevelopment has moved slowly over the past decade.

That’s where the SDEC, he said, hopes to help, bringing businesses together to generate more activity and build momentum around the district.

A shared vision 

Maria Turner, marketing and sales manager for VenuWorks of Oshkosh and Oshkosh Arena, said the collaborative is still in its early stages, with members meeting monthly since May to develop ideas aimed at strengthening the district.

Turner said the group’s members all represent entertainment, tourism or hospitality businesses, giving them a shared interest in increasing activity in the area.

One of the group’s priorities, she said, is pursuing Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) status for the district, a process that is still underway. 

“We all have alcohol that we serve as some component of our overall business plan, and it makes sense [to have] DORA district [status],” she said. “When the SDEC conversations started, it was a talking point for all of us, knowing that having it over here would be complementary to our growth and development in terms of housing.”

Turner said the recent growth in housing nearby, including the Mill on Main development and several newer apartment complexes, is another reason to build more activity in the district.

Clark and Turner said that growth reinforces the collaborative’s central goal: bringing people to the district and giving them reasons to stay.

The Oshkosh Arena, Clark said, demonstrated the area’s potential before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the district would bustle with activity around Herd games. 

“Every place was packed before Herd games back then,” he said. “COVID really shook that all up and the hospitality industry.”

Clark said conversations with bar owners across Wisconsin point to the same trend: people are looking for things to do, but are becoming more selective about where they spend their time and money. 

Ultimately, Turner said the group hopes to capitalize on the traffic generated by the arena and its events.

If DORA approval comes through, she said businesses could benefit by giving visitors another reason to linger in the district – and another opportunity to spend locally before heading home. 

A holistic approach to community

Turner said the SDEC grew out of VenuWorks’ effort to rebuild relationships and community trust after taking over management of the Oshkosh Arena, which had experienced challenges under previous ownership.

She said the idea began with a conversation between her and her boss about bringing neighboring businesses together.

Turner said her boss supported the idea and tasked her with helping make it happen.

“We were spending a lot of time the first year we were in the arena rebuilding relationships and community trust,” she said. “Zach at Fifth Ward has been a partner since the beginning – they’ve jumped back in, and that’s awesome. Building those types of relationships with your direct business neighbors is super important, so we decided to formalize it with the SDEC.”

A similar effort took shape before the pandemic, but Turner and Clark said the new collaborative effort has brought renewed momentum to the idea.

Turner said one early opportunity is creating a centralized place for the participating businesses to promote their events.

Rather than residents having to search individual businesses for what’s happening, she said the SDEC could provide a one-stop source for events and activities throughout the district.

Clark said the collaboration also opens the door to joint events, including Sawdust Nights, which will hold its first event Sept. 30 during the Wednesday Night Market.

“The idea is we all partner up – we all have a little bit of space to advertise our businesses and sell some products,” he said. “We want to emulate what the Downtown Green Bay and On Broadway Districts have done with their markets, allowing for alcohol to be sold and carried outside the venues and give sellers an opening to more avenues for other events and bigger events in the future.”

Turner said the current iteration of SDEC is essentially a pilot program, allowing the group to see what collaboration can look like within the district, particularly among entertainment-focused businesses – highlighted by Sawdust Nights.

“We all have events at our various venues, but Sawdust Nights is going to be an event where each of those businesses is represented in an indoor and outdoor market at the Oshkosh Arena,” she said. “We’re going to allow some food trucks to come in, which is different for us, but we want to offer something new and different for the community looking at different entertainment that would fit with it being darker out sooner in the night, such as fire dancers or glow artists.”

Turner said the group hopes the first Sawdust Nights event will serve as a springboard for future SDEC initiatives.

As a grassroots effort, she said, the collaborative is using its early momentum to test what works before putting more structure around the organization.

Once DORA and Sawdust Nights are underway, Turner said members plan to step back, evaluate the results and determine where to focus next.

Community reaction

Though still in its early stages, Turner and Clark said the response to SDEC has been encouraging.

Within a few weeks, Turner said the group’s Facebook page had attracted nearly 600 followers, while community members have also expressed interest in getting involved.

She said several city council members have also reached out to ask how they can help support the effort.

“In my conversations with both of them, Joe Stephenson and Alec Lefeber, I expressed how cool I thought it was because usually the process is opposite – the constituent is reaching out to the elected official asking for help,” she said. “It was very encouraging.”

Though south side redevelopment efforts have experienced their share of peaks and valleys since similar ideas emerged before the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark said rebuilding momentum over the past five years has been a challenge.

Still, he said interest is growing as redevelopment in the district picks up. 

“Now, with actually seeing the redevelopment down here, hopefully that’s igniting excitement in people who will want to come down here consistently,” he said. “We get a lot of people here on the weekends from over the highway and river, but the weekdays are a real struggle. Now that we are tying in the new residential areas, which I’ve always been a big fan of, we just need bodies that live and work down here.”

Looking forward

Clark said he is hopeful the district can build on its current momentum and see excitement return in a big way.

Turner said for her, the push carries a greater sense of urgency.

She said the longer redevelopment takes, the greater the risk that businesses and other key players change, potentially slowing the district’s growth – which is why SDEC partners are taking a long-term view.

From VenuWorks’ perspective, Turner said she would like to see meaningful progress over the next three to five years, with the district’s broader development keeping pace as the collaborative gains momentum.

“As the arena continues to thrive, the neighboring businesses thrive, and that’s what the collaborative is about: looking at ways we can play off each other and everyone does better,” she said

Turner said the collaborative’s vision aligns with VenuWorks’ “people first, profits follow” philosophy, emphasizing community engagement as a foundation for economic growth. 

Looking three to five years ahead, she said she hopes the apartments currently under construction will be filled and the next phase of residential development will be underway.

Turner said she envisions a more active district where residents and visitors can walk between businesses, gather and enjoy the area’s venues, particularly during the summer months.

Clark said he wants to see more businesses and property owners invest in the Sawdust District as a whole.

“What stands out to me is there’s definitely a couple of properties that have changed over a few times since this whole redevelopment started,” he said. “I want to see people invest in the properties, whatever that looks like, whether it’s tearing down old buildings or renovating them.”

Together, Clark and Turner said the SDEC hopes those efforts can turn years of redevelopment plans into a district with lasting activity, investment and community appeal. 

Turner said the SDEC plans to use its Facebook page to keep residents informed about upcoming events and developments.