05.17.2024

Today’s Forecast

80º | 7% chance of precipitation | Sunrise 5:30 a.m. | Sunset 8:16 p.m.

🌭 Who’s hungry?

Hope you’re hungry, Brat Fest is right around the corner

Volunteers will be grilling up thousands of brats all weekend long. | Photo via Brat Fest

A week from now, Madisonians will be gearing up to take part in the city’s favorite Memorial Day weekend celebration: Brat Fest.

When: Friday, May 24–Sunday 26 | 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Where: Alliant Energy Center grounds, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
What: A free three-day festival featuring live music, brats, family-friendly activities, more brats, a carnival, and did we mention brats?

Pro tip: Download the Brat Fest map to get familiar with the grounds before arriving.

Look forward to...

Live music | All weekend | Here are just a few of the 70+ acts that are performing throughout the weekend:

Friday, May 24 | Village People | 8-9:30 p.m. | Grand Stage
Saturday, May 25 | Quiet Riot | 7-8 p.m. | Main Stage
Sunday, May 26 | Neal McCoy | 8-9:05 p.m. | Grand Stage

Brat Fest Grand Stage during sunset — Rock out with some of your favorite musicians from the Midwest and beyond. | Photo via Brat Fest

Kid Zone | 4-8 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday | Children of all ages can take part in sports, crafts, and games in a safe, supervised area.

Sports Zone | 12-8 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday | Cornhole, volleyball, giant Jenga, and other yard games will be set up for adults to engage in some friendly competition.

Farm Zone | 3-8 p.m. on Friday; 12-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday | A $5 wristband will grant Brat Fest attendees all-day access to the Farm Zone, which will include animals from Haven’s Petting Farm, pony rides, and farm machinery will be present.

Brids eye view of a large brat-grilling station — Where there’s smoke, there are brats. | Photo via Brat Fest

Take Your Brat to Work Day

Kick the weekend off right with TYBTWD. From 6 to 9 a.m. on Friday, May 24, Madisonians are invited to grab some brats ($5/brat) to bring to work. The drive-up grill is located at Willow Island on the Alliant Energy Center grounds.

Note: If you’re bringing enough back for the whole office, it’s recommended that you pre-order.

More performances + volunteering

Events

Friday, May 17

Burgers and Brats by the Lake | Friday, May 17 | 4-7 p.m. | East Side Club, 3753 Atwood Ave., Madison | $3-$10 | Speaking of brats... bring your own lawn chairs to sit back and have some burgers and brats to support American Legion Post 501 veterans and children programs.

Saturday, May 18

Friends of the Arboretum Native Plant Sale | Saturday, May 18 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | UW-Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy., Madison | Cost of purchase | Browse over 200 native plant species to beautify your home and garden with.
Madison Makers Spring Market and Pub-Crawl | Saturday, May 18 | 12-5 p.m. | The Sylvee, 25 S. Livingston St., Madison | Cost of purchase | Drink, shop, and be merry while browsing home goods from local makers.

Sunday, May 19

Spartan Sprint | Sunday, May 19 | 9:30-11 a.m. | Vel Phillips Memorial High School, Mansfield Track, 201 S. Gammon Rd., Madison | $15-$25 | Support Memorial High School athletes by running as many tracks laps as you can before enjoying a provided breakfast.
DIY Kite Making | Sunday, May 19 | 12-2 p.m. | Thurber Park, 3325 Thurber Ave., Madison | Free | Families can make and fly kites with artist-in-residence Ash Armenta.

Monday, May 20

New Valley Jazz Band | Monday, May 20 | 5-7 p.m. | Breakwater Restaurant, 6308 Inland Way, Monona | $10 | Local musicians from the Madison Jazz Society will serenade you at the Breakwater.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Drink

Wisconsin’s first non-alcoholic bottle shop, Sober Social, is now open at 1814 Parmenter St. Owned by certified recovery coach Kristi Tanner, some brands offered include Ghia, Lussory, and Straight Outta Alcohol.

Traffic

The westbound travel lanes on East Washington Avenue, from Rowland Avenue to Wright Street, are reduced to one lane for repaving until 7 a.m. on Monday, May 20. Expect delays.

Active

In preparation for this year’s Loop the Lake ride, the Clean Lakes Alliance has implemented some options for accessibility. Financial assistance for registration, adaptive bikes, and tandem bikes for visually impaired riders will all be available upon request. Additional requests can be made via this online form.

Sports

Madison’s coming professional women’s volleyball team, LOVB Madison, has named Matt Fuerbringer its head coach. Previously a member of the US Men’s National Volleyball Team staff, he’ll lead the team in League One Volleyball, the first professional full-season volleyball league in the US.

Civic

An east side Madison drinking water well will be outfitted for treating PFAS, or “forever chemicals” that do not break down naturally. The well has been closed since 2019.

Opening

Jade True Food, a breakfast, lunch, and espresso bar in Middleton, will open in late June. Located in the former spot of My Sister’s Kitchen, the menu will feature chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits.

Finance

Ah, the art of the balance transfer. This card offers not one, not six, but 18 months of 0% intro APR on balance transfers, giving you nearly two years to save big. (Plus, you can earn 2% cash back on purchases with no annual fee.) Learn more and apply.*

Development

🏗️ River Food Pantry’s new digs

River Food Pantry has a new facility on the horizon

Digital rendering of River Food Pantry's new facility

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come for River Food Pantry. | Rendering via River Food Pantry

The River Food Pantry has witnessed a 25% rise in demand for its services in the past year, now serving over 2,500 people every week. To accommodate the growing need, the pantry raised over $11.45 million to build a new facility on vacant land off Packers Avenue.

The new 32,500-sqft building — three times larger than the current facility — will feature:

An all-electric commercial kitchen
A drive-thru
Delivery docking stations
A dining area
Multipurpose rooms
Rain gardens

Lead donors include the American Family Insurance Dreams, Pleasant T. Rowland, and Sub-Zero Group foundations. Federal grants and public funding also support the project.

Fundraising is not done yet, the Recipe for Hope Campaign needs ~$550,000 to reach its goal of $12 million, and starting this week, donations of $500 or more will be matched up to $150,000.

Construction starts this summer with a target opening in late spring or early summer 2025.

The Buy

Small biz. Celebrate National Small Business Month by exploring our retail shop, Six & Main, featuring local brands from across the country. Find unique gifts for your friends or treat yourself to something new.

Answered

Earlier this week, we asked which Madison menu items City Editor Ally should recreate next. Here’s what you said:

ICYMI: City Editor Ally recreated her favorite Teddywedgers pasty in a recent newsletter.

“Mac ‘n’ cheese pizza.” - Terry U. (You’re in luck, Terry.)

“Squash curry from Lao Laan Xang.” - Nicole L.

“The bread from Stanley Steamers sandwich shop. They were located in the University Square mall.” - GF

“Porta salad from Paisan’s/Portabello’s.” - Sue G.

“Mildred’s gazpacho (used to be on East Johnson, near Patterson).” - Lori K.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Ally

From the editor

Luckily, I live close enough to walk to Brat Fest. If you don’t, let it be known that car parking is free and there are 200 bike parking spots available.

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