Plus, Madison Night Market street closures.
 
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Today’s Forecast

76º | 97% chance of rain | Sunrise 5:42 a.m. | Sunset 8:06 p.m.

 
🍹 It’s happy hour somewhere
Multiple cocktails on a table
Cheers, 608. | Photo by Merchant
On the rocks, neat, dirty, frozen, or zero proof — we’re spilling the Long Island iced tea on the best happy hours in Madison. Get ready to drink up at 15+ places lifting spirits with their sip-worthy specials.

Beer lovers

Cooper’s Tavern, 20 W. Mifflin St. | Weekdays, 3-6 p.m. | Belly up to the bar for $2 off draft beers, or get 25% off growlers to go.

Vintage Brewing Co. Capitol East, 803 E. Washington Ave. | Weekdays, 2-5 p.m. | In addition to other cocktail and food specials, in-house brewed beers (<7% ABV) are $1.50 cheaper during happy hour.

Weary Traveler Freehouse,1201 Williamson St. | Every day, 3-6 p.m. and 10 p.m.-Close | During “Magic Hours” $5 will buy you any tap beer, or a canned beer with a well shot.

Mocktail musts

Merchant, 121 S. Pinckney St. | Every day, 3-6 p.m. | Swap out liquor for an offering from the non-alcoholic spirits menu instead.

Settle Down Tavern, 117 S. Pinckney St. | Tuesday-Saturday, 2-6 p.m. | Besides beers, non-alcoholic options include a seasonal craft mocktail menu with sips including piña coladas and cran-ginger goodness.

608 Settle Down

If you’re a fan of Settle Down Tavern, check out “The United States of Cocktails”

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Photo by 608today

Late-night gems

Come Back In, 508 E. Wilson St. | Mondays, 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. | Get $2 margaritas and domestic beers, and $3 microbrew bottles.

Dexter’s Pub, 301 North St. | Thursdays, 7 p.m.-Close | Keep it simple with a $5 Domestic tallboy paired with a shot.

Red Rock, 222 W. Gorham St. | Thursdays, 9 p.m.-Close | Take advantage of a variety of liquor deals — $2 Dr. Bombs, $4 double rails, $5 double Jack and Tito’s mixers, and $6 Coors pitchers.

Fun in the sun

The Boathouse, 1001 Wisconsin Pl. | Thursdays, 4-10 p.m. | Located at The Edgewater Hotel, grab a burger and a pint of beer for $20.

The Boathouse patio overlooking Lake Mendota and a boat pier.

Soak up some sun at The Boathouse. | Photo by The Boathouse

Lake Louie Brewing, 1079 American Way, Verona | Thursdays, 3-9 p.m. | Rent a firepit for up to eight people and kick back with a few $3 canned beers.

Sardine, 617 Williamson St. | Weekdays, 4-6 p.m. | Sip on $6 house wines and $8 featured cocktails while enjoying the lakeview patio.
 
Asked
 
Test your happy hour knowledge: Which of the following is true? (select all that apply)
A. One of the first references to happy hour was by Shakespeare
B. Massachusetts was the first state to ban happy hours
C. Ireland celebrates happy hour more than any other country
D. All of the above
 
 
Events
 
Tuesday, May 7
  • K.T. Johnson | Tuesday, May 7 | 7-9 p.m. | Red Rooster Madison, 2513 Seiferth Rd., Madison | $5 | The duo from Waunakee delivers acoustic twists on classic hits.
Wednesday, May 8
  • “Top Chef” Watch Party | Wednesday, May 8 | 7-9 p.m. | Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green, Madison | Free | Celebrate “Top Chef: Wisconsin” with Madison foodies and Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians.
  • Late Late Comedy Show | Wednesday, May 8 | 10 p.m. | Liquid Madison, 624 University Ave., Madison | $5-$10 | Laugh the night away while enjoying some late-night open mic sets.
Thursday, May 9
Friday, May 10
  • Fairways for Food | Friday, May 10 | 12 p.m. | Pleasant View Golf Course, 1322 N. Pleasant View Rd., Middleton | $50-$125 | Proceeds from this golf outing will help fund Badger Prairie Needs Network’s fight against food insecurity.
  • Story Pirates | Friday, May 10 | 5:30 p.m. | The Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave., Madison | $16-$46 | Performers will take stories submitted by kids and turn them into comedy sketches and musical numbers.
Click here to have your event featured.
 
 
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Real Estate
 
What sets Victory Homes of Wisconsin apart from the competition?
a gif featuring different images of model homes built by Victory Homes
Their expert designers can help you personalize one of the base plans or design a truly unique home to meet your needs. | Photos by Detour Marketing; GIF by 608today
Thinking about your dream home, but aren’t sure where to start? Victory Homes can help. Their team of in-house designers can create a personalized design if you’re looking to build a custom home. Pro tip: Victory has a database of available land in a nine-county area if you need help finding the perfect spot to build.

Get inspired by exploring one of their model homes (available to tour every weekend, or by appointment). Happy house building, Madison.
 
News Notes
 
Traffic
  • Portions of West Gilman, North Broom, West Mifflin, and North Carroll streets will close for the Madison Night Market starting on May 9, from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m. the following day. These closures will take place throughout the market season.
Biz
  • Travelers can now hitch their wagon to the Saddlery, Madison’s newest luxury hotel. The 46-unit hotel at 327 E. Wilson St. is in the former Rubin’s furniture store. The project is from the same hospitality group that recently opened The Moxy. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Open
  • The $9 million Bayview Community Center is now open. It is part of the Bayview Foundation’s $60 million affordable housing redevelopment being constructed in “the Triangle” near Regent and Park streets. The entire project should be completed by February 2025. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Festival
  • Tickets are now on sale (in-person and online ticket lottery) for the Great Taste of the Midwest, one of the nation’s largest craft beer festivals. It takes place on Saturday, August 10 at Olin Park. Over 200 breweries will be in attendance serving over 1,400 different beers.
Edu
  • Forbes named UW-Madison one of the country’s best “New Ivies.” The school’s high marks are accredited for turning out “smart, driven graduates craved by employers of all types.”
State
  • In 2023, Wisconsin maintained its lead in the US cheese industry, producing 25% of the nation’s cheese. Specialty cheeses constituted 27% of its production, totaling 942 million pounds, with a notable rise in feta and parmesan wheel production. (In Business Madison)
Award
  • Halei Heinzel, an Oconomowoc native attending UW-Madison, is the 77th Alice in Dairyland. Heinzel will work full-time over the next year, educating the public about Wisconsin’s agriculture industry. (Channel 3000)
Travel
  • You don’t have to be a roads scholar to know this. Reader’s Digest has named US 151, starting near Dodgeville and taking drivers into Dubuque, Iowa, as one of the “40 Most Scenic Drives in America.”
Community
  • Your 608today Editors here. We care about Madison. We also care about the people in it. That’s why every day, we bring you positive, impactful news stories about our city — skipping the political talk, crime coverage, and biased reporting. Support our approach to local news with a one-time donation.
 
 
Sports
 
🚲 Handlebar none
bike lake
Who needs a bike trail when we have a frozen lake? | Photo by Kenton Fowler
May is National Bike Month. While Madison doesn’t hold its annual Bike Week until the first week of June, there are plenty of bike-centric resources and affinity groups to get yourself in gear in the meantime.

BCycle

Adult Madisonians can rent a pedal-assist bike from one of the 50+ stations around the city. The e-bikes don’t have to be returned to the same station you got them from, so adventure freely.

Pass prices
  • Single ride: $7.39
  • Monthly pass: $33.76
  • Annual pass: $174.08
  • Library community pass: Free (library cardholders can check out a BCycle pass for up to a week at a time)

It’s more fun with friends

Looking for a bike buddy? Find a club that best suits you.
 
The Buy
 
A gift for your favorite teacher. We promise this is better than a shiny apple on their desk. Check out our teacher appreciation giveaway on Six and Main’s Instagram.
 
 
The Wrap
 
Ally Geiger.jpg Today’s edition by:
Ally
From the editor
Maybe I’m too much of a hermit, but I often prefer a peaceful drink on my balcony after work over a bustling happy hour. That’s why I’m thankful for The Mason, its to-go spicy marg crowlers really hit the spot on a warm spring evening.
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