Camp out with us 🏈

historic camp Randall
The original Camp Randall bleachers
Sandbags being used to test the wooden bleachers’ strength, which would eventually collapse. | Photo provided by Wisconsin Historical Society, image 56849
With the Badgers on the road, Camp Randall Stadium is empty this weekend. However, the stadium itself is full of history.

1861-1865 | Camp Randall before it was Camp Randall

The stadium got its name from the ground it stands on. When the Civil War began, the State Agricultural Society donated the area they used for the Wisconsin State Fair to wartime efforts. Governor Alexander Randall used these grounds as a training camp for Union soldiers.

1865-1917 | Becoming a university landmark

Post-war, the Big Ten’s oldest functioning stadium was bought for $25,000 in 1893 and subsequently granted to the university in the early 1910s. A field fit for 3,000 spectators was put in place for football and track + field events.

With only wooden bleachers, the seating options could not handle the crowd’s energy – the bleachers collapsed during a visit from they who shall not be named (the Minnesota Gophers) in 1915. This event rushed the funding + construction of a concrete stadium which is still in place today and sturdy enough to withstand even the rowdiest renditions of “Jump Around.”.

By 1917, just two years after the collapse, the Gophers were back and the Badgers were ready. The revamped stadium was christened with a Badger victory over the same team who witnessed the collapse. This full-circle moment fueled the long-lasting rivalry between the teams.


Camp Randall stadium view

The Camp Randall we know and love, today.

Photo by 608today

1917-2022 | The rest is history

After not one, not two, but three expansions between 1957-1965, plus more seats added as recently as last year, the stadium has reached a capacity of 80,000 people. Quite the increase from the original stadium’s 3,000.

In more recent years, we’ve seen the stadium undergo renovations to upgrade facilities and create a more modern environment for fans with things like new seats + heated floors.

While we love basking in the new amenities, our appreciation for this Madison landmark is rooted in its rich history.
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Today
  • Comedy Night | Fri., Sept. 23 | 9-10:30 p.m. | Harmony Bar, 2201 Atwood Ave. | $10 | Hear sets from local comics from Madison + Milwaukee hosted by one of Madison’s funniest, Charlie Kojis. 🎭
  • The Bodega | Fri., Sept. 23 | 5-9 p.m. | Breese Stevens Field | Free | Shop local goods (think: everything from maple syrup to handmade jewelry) while grabbing bites and sips from some of Madison’s favorite food carts + vendors.*
Saturday
  • Fermenting Flavor | Sat., Sept. 24 | 2:30-4 p.m. | Giant Jones Brewing Co., 931 E. Main St. | $35 | Learn the art + science behind brewing beer on this informational tour hosted by the owner herself.
  • Bluestem Jazz | Sat., Sept. 24 | 8-11 p.m. | The North Street Cabaret, 610 North St. | $20 | See The Aaron Stroessner Quartet live perform colorful jazz numbers + new releases as part of their “Gifts” tour. đŸŽ·
  • Forward Madison: Inked Out Night | Sat., Sept. 24 | 7 p.m. | Breese Stevens Field | $20+ | Show off your tattoos at Inked Out Night — and if you don’t have a tat, they’ll have temporary FMFC-themed tattoos available.*
Sunday
  • Campus Ghost Walk | Sun., Sept. 25 | 4 p.m. | Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State St. | $25 | Get into the spirit of spooky season on a 90-minute guided tour around UW-Madison while learning about history, paranormal experiences, and ghost stories pertaining to campus. đŸ‘»
  • Dave Thompson Presents Bill Evans | Sun., Sept. 25 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Cafe CODA, 1224 Williamson St. | Enjoy a screening of the acclaimed documentary, “Time Remembered”, followed by a jazz performance of Bill Evans cover songs and Q+A session.
Monday
  • Rigby-oke | Mon., Sept. 26 | 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. | The Rigby, 119 E. Main St. | Free | Sieze an opportunity to become Rigby’s singer of the week during the event hosted by DJ Pearl Marshall. đŸŽ€

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
100+ MORE EVENTS

Now entering: Madison’s golden age of robotics
đŸ€–

A scientist sits in front of his lab.
Most robotic automation is complex and expensive, but Ally Robotic’s programming-free robots represent a step forward for affordable automation. | Photo provided by Ally Robotics
The year is 2022. Robotics company CEO Mitch Tolson is tasked with automating production in a popular fast food chain — and he invents a new type of robot to do it.

It’s not science fiction — Ally Robotics has created a first-of-its-kind scalable robot that bypasses the need for programming and learns by watching humans work.

Madisonians are invited to invest in robotic technology (a $114 billion market) before it rolls out across agriculture, construction, and manufacturing industries — the investment deadline is Thurs., Sept. 29.*
INVEST
Weather
  • 61Âș | Partly cloudy | 23% chance of rain
Holiday
  • Sundown on Sunday marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. People who observe this holiday typically enjoy apples and honey in hopes of having a sweet new year. It runs until the evening of Tues., Sept. 27. Shana Tova! (That’s Hebrew for “Have a good year!“) 🍎
Civic
  • Say hello to Jim Wolfe — Madison’s new city engineer. In his new position, Jim will take on $90+ million in city projects this year alone while overseeing more than 180 employees. 🚧 (Madison.com)
  • Dane County revealed a new policy for public changing stations. Electric, height-adjustable changing stations will be put in every current + future building owned by the county to increase accessibility. (The Cap Times)
Health
  • Dr. Ken Desantes from UW Health Kids sat down with Wake Up Wisconsin to discuss Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Learn about how Dr. Desantes brings light to the issue of Pediatric cancer being an underfunded area of research. (WKOW)
Traffic
  • The City of Madison’s Parking Division warns locals to expect credit card processing outages on all city-owned parking structures starting at 7 a.m. on Sat., Sept. 24 during maintenance. Street meters will be unaffected. 🚗
Opening
Cause
  • The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness celebrates 10 years of improving health + wellness for Black women in Madison. The FFBWW hopes to continue to serve its community in promotion, education, and maternal + child health. (The Cap Times)
Community
  • Show your support for local journalism by joining the 608today membership program. Membership has some awesome perks like exclusive birthday deals, discounts from our online shop, Six & Main + more. Plus, 100% of membership funds help support our local editors — that’s us, Ryan + Ally. Learn more + sign up.
Eat
  • This week, a new Culver’s broke ground in Oregon, WI. The community has been pushing for this development, even going as far as erecting a small diorama of a Culver’s restaurant to gain publicity. 🍔 (NBC 15)
Shop
  • Time to feel the fall breeze + enjoy the autumn leaves with the Fall For Your City Sale happening now on Six & Main, 608today’s online shop. Take 20% off the entire Fall For Your City Collection now through Sun., Sept. 25. đŸ›ïž
Wellness
  • We’ve all been there — trouble falling and staying asleep is infuriating. Your mind races, you toss and turn, and the harder you try, the harder it is to drift off. Healthycell is a new, drug-free, pill-free sleep supplement to help you fall asleep faster, sleep deeply + wake up refreshed. Use code 6AM for 20% off.*
Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

44th Annual Monroe Street Festival

monroe street festival
recognizable Monroe street building, strictly discs
We’ll see you Saturday, Monroe Street. | Photo by 608today team
Meet us on Monroe Street for the 44th Annual Monroe Street Festival, this Saturday.

Eat 🍩
Stop by one of Monroe’s newest additions, Garth’s Brew Bar, for 20% off cans + bottles. Take those drinks to-go and make your way down the street to Chocolate Shoppe for a pumpkin sundae, because what’s a festival without beer + ice cream?

Play 🎊
Parents — we all know half the joy of weekend events is tiring the kids out. This will be easily accomplished with plenty of play activities for the little ones. Pogie the Yogie will have a kid’s yoga show at Trader Joe’s Commons, and Boulders is providing a free climbing wall at Lauer Realty. While the kids are occupied, sneak away to the 1800 block for a 10-minute massage from D-CHAI Thai Massage.

Create 🎹
The Monroe Street Arts Center is opening its doors for a free open art studio all afternoon + putting on a music class for kids under five. This is in addition to balloon animals, face painting, + chalk stations throughout the fest.
THE WRAP
Ally Geiger.jpg

Today’s issue was written by Ally.

Editor’s pick: I’m heading to Milwaukee today for a concert at The Rave. I highly recommend it if you haven’t been. I love the architecture of this venue, which was actually built by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We covered the opening of a new beer hall.
Read More
Connect with us.

Editorial: Ally Geiger, Ryan Waldman, Dayten Rose, Josh Kranzberg, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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