Bascon Hill’s flamingos are well protected. | Photo by @sarahlmaughan
What the flock is up with all the lawn flamingos on the isthmus?
In 2009, the City of Madison declared the pink lawn flamingo as the official bird of the city. And in 2018, Forward Madison announced its official mascot would be the flamingo. But why?
A prankster group — known as the Pail & Shovel — won the student government election that year, running on a platform that promised to take the school budget in pennies and dump them on the Library Mall alongside many other pranks.
As part of a series of pranks, the group purchased 1,008 (You can only order by the dozen — 12 x 84 = 1,008) pink lawn flamingos to set up on Bascom Hill for the first day of classes. You can imagine what that looked like...
On the 30th anniversary of the flamingo bomb, Madison’s City Council voted 15-4 to recognize the pink plastic lawn flamingo as the official bird of the city.
Dry January Mocktail Bingo Night | 5-8 p.m. | Revive Salt Room & Spa | $20 | Finish Dry January on a strong note with some fun, sober bingo.
Bob Ross Paint N Sip | 6-8:30 p.m. | Young Blood Beer Company - Northstreet | $40 | Make your own happy little trees with this guided class.
Friday, Jan. 31
Kimchi Fried Comedy | | 8-9:30 p.m. | The Forward Club | $5+ | Korean American comedian Josh Glen put together this little comedy show that features other BIPOC stand-up artists.
Saturday, Feb. 1
Galentine’s Beginner’s Makeup Masterclass | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Miriam Bulcher Photography | $107+ | Leave feeling beautiful and with some tips on how to enhance your natural features.
Family Winter Prom | | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center | $5 | Dress up for a family-friendly night of music, crafts, snacks, and other kinds of frosty fun.
Sunday, Feb. 2
2025 Pancake Toss Breakfast with Jimmy the Groundhog | 7:30-11 a.m. | The Pavilion at Angell Park, Sun Prairie | $8+ | Is Madison in for an early spring or six more weeks of winter? Chow down on some all-you-can-eat pancakes while you find out.
Madison Scaled Up Reptile Expo | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Madison Marriott West, Middleton | $7+ | This convention is cold-blooded — because it’s filled thousands of reptiles, invertebrates, amphibians, and more.
Did you see it? Several Madison area residents reported seeing a “meteor-like object” streaking through the skies Tuesday night. The UW-Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences said the debris most likely came from the expected reentry of a Starlink satellite. (Wisconsin State Journal)
Concert
Yee haw — country star Morgan Wallen added a second show to his stop at the Camp Randall Stadium after tickets sold out for his June 28 performance. Presale for the show on June 29 opens this morning, with tickets for the general public opening Friday, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. (WKOW)
Coming Soon
Here’s some hole-some news — a new vegan doughnut shop is in the works for Atwood Avenue. Level 5 Donuts will sublease its new space from candied nut company Fortune Favors starting in April, with it’s opening planned out in stages. The retail counter could be open as early as May. (The Cap Times)
Announced
Get ready to giggle. “Impractical Jokers” comedian Joe Gatto is scheduled to make an appearance at the Overture Center in June with his new stand-up routine “Let’s Get Into It.” Tickets will go on sale tomorrow, Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. (Channel 3000)
Development
The Madison Labor Temple Association is putting its building up for sale. The spot on South Park Street is nearing 70 years old, so the association is hoping to find a buyer who will help redevelop the site. The property listing includes a concept plan for an 11-story building with 675 units. (Channel 3000)
Weather
Why yes, it is a bit toasty outside. Madison is seeing an unusual rise in temps this week leading to weather that’s almost 25° above average. We’ll likely break our daily high record today, which was set in 1974 when temps reached 47°. Things will cool off again over the weekend. (WKOW)
Wellness
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Health
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Job
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City Guide
City Guide
🍕 In pizza we crust
Salvatore’s Pizza. | Photo by 608today
Whenever we’re feeling saucy, we like to dig into a slice of local pizza. Madison’s pizza scene is bubbling with options — and we keep finding ways to top ourselves.
If you’re on the quest for the perfect slice, we’ve pie-oneered a list of 20+ places to grab pizza that are definitely worth the dough.
Glass Nickel Pizza Co. We all love breakfast for dinner, but this spot takes the delicious concept a bit further with its breakfast pizza featuring scrambled eggs, cheese, breakfast sausage, onions, peppers, and tater tots.
Papa Jimmy’s Pizzeria The Mac n’ Cheese pizza is a serious “can’t miss” item on our list.
Lombardino’s This classic Italian American spot has been feeding Madisonians for over 70 years. If you haven’t tried the Pizza Carbonara, this is your sign to do so.
If you’ve been looking out at the waters of Madison’s lakes and wondered what those crazy ice ridges area, wonder no more. Those formations are called ice heaves and they happen as the ice begins to melt. Wind will either push the ice into these shapes, or they’ll occur as water refreezes and expands.
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