Highlights for the Week of August 7th, 2023

MEETINGS

• Save the Date:  Virtual Updates and Q&A at 6:30 pm on Monday, August 14th with District 19 Alder Kristen Slack. Register in advance at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArcO6przktG9TJc_i1ilZA-56XBj1X_oH6   
  • After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

• Parks-focused virtual public meeting is scheduled for 2-3:30 p.m. on August 8th (see the project website for signup information).

• Plan Commission:  The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, August 7, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 9, 12, 13, 14, and District 19, as well as the Secretary’s report on recent Council actions and upcoming matters, and more.
  • Meeting Details including agenda, registration guidance, comment submission and link to watch online.

• City-County Homeless Issues Committee: The City-County Homeless Issues Committee meeting will take place on Monday, August 7, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include a report of updates on the men’s shelter development, presentations on the plan to prevent and end homelessness and the doubled up housing strategy, and more.
  • Meeting Details including agenda, registration guidance, comment submission and link to watch online.

• Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission will take place on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 in virtual format at 5:00 pm. Agenda items include a Metro Transit Development Plan Update - Review of Scope and Process.
  • Meeting Details including agenda, registration guidance, comment submission and link to watch online.

You can visit the City website here for a complete list of meetings this week. 

EVENTS

• Parks Alive | Allied Park | Movie: Shang-Chi, Monday, August 7, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Allied Park: June 26, July 10, July 24, and August 7.

• Wild Rumpus: An Anji Play Experience, Monday, August 7, 2023: Enjoy child-led play at A Wild Rumpus based on the educational approach of AnjiPlay. The library will provide special play equipment to spark your children's imagination at two parks this summer. Messy clothes and a water bottle are encouraged. Bring your own picnic dinner and make an evening of it! All ages and abilities are welcome. No registration needed.

• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, August 8, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.

• Parks Alive | Worthington Park, Tuesday, August 8, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Worthington Park: June 27, July 11, July 25, and August 8.

• Rooftop Movie Night, Tuesday, August 8, 2023: Come and enjoy a free family-friendly movie night on the beautiful rooftop of Monona Terrace. Chairs and concessions will be made available. Attendees are welcome to bring a blanket or lawn chair, and food and beverage. No alcohol allowed.

• Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: The Wednesday Dane County Farmers’ Market is located on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, in between the Madison Municipal Building and the City County Building. While more intimate than the Saturday Market, you will still find many of your favorite Dane County Farmers’ Market members, as well as a full array of fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, bakery items, cut flowers, plants, and many specialty items.

• The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!

• Jazz at Five, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: The Jazz at Five Entrepreneurial events are on hold until fall as we get ready to dive into the Performance Series. Enjoy the Jazz at Five performance series at one of our sponsored tables, bring a chair of your own or rent one from the Jazz at Five info tent. Audience members of the free to the public series are also welcome to picnic on the capitol grounds. This year’s Performance Series dates are August 7, 14, 21, 28 and September 4.

• LIVE @ Lake Vista: Ben Mulwana, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Join us at Lake Vista Café on the Monona Terrace rooftop for live music in a relaxed atmosphere. Lake Vista Café will have a menu featuring delicious fare and drinks for purchase until 7 p.m., including buy one get one free appetizers from 4 – 6 p.m.

Ben Mulwana is a Ugandan-born and raised artist. With thought-provoking lyrics and a diverse range of musical inspiration, Ben’s music has been described as afro-soul rock that takes on a storytelling quality that is both unique and familiar.

• Parks Alive | Warner Park | Movie: Encanto, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Warner Park: June 28, July 12, July 26, and August 9.

• Parks Alive | Meadowood Park, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Meadowood Park: June 28, July 12, July 26, and August 9.

• Conservation Park Tour | Prairie Ridge, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Broad, sweeping views across this glacial ridge provide a glimpse into the landscape of the past. Come see how we are stewarding it into the future. Conservation Park Tours are educational staff-guided walks held at various conservation parks on the 2nd Wednesday, May - October. Event starting times vary, depending on the sunset. and typically last about 90 minutes. Walks are held rain or shine, free to attend, easy-paced, and family-friendly. No registration is required. Most locations do NOT have restrooms. As always, dogs and pets are prohibited in all conservation parks.
• Urban League of Greater Madison: Financial Empowerment Workshop Series #3, Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Do you have financial goals you are working to attain? Maybe you'd like to purchase a home, start your own business, or plan for retirement? The Urban League's free Financial Empowerment series of workshops can help you build the budget to achieve those goals, understand and build your credit score, learn about other community resources that can help support your goals, and much more!
• Madison Night Market, Thursday, August 10, 2023: Madison Night Market is a celebration of Madison's unique and inspiring creative culture.

• Parks Alive | Penn Park | Movie: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Thursday, August 10, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Penn Park: June 29, July 13, July 27, and August 10.

• Capitol City Band Concerts in the Park, Thursday, August 10, 2023: Old fashioned band concerts in the park, "as American as apple pie." Familiar toe-tapping tunes, songs, polkas, broadway tunes and the marches of John Philip SoUSA. Music for all ages and all cultures. Relax, enjoy the music. Bring a friend. Bring a chair for listening comfort.

• The Sessions at McPike Park, Friday, August 11, 2023: The Sessions at McPike Park is in its 10th year and will have great music all seven days and dance and comedy interspersed. This is a free all-volunteer run event that helps raise funds for 6 non-profit partners. Great food and drink for sale.

• Dane Dances: Orquesta Salsoul Del Mad/Luisito Rosario, Friday, August 11, 2023: Join us for a free, family-friendly event held on the beautiful Monona Terrace rooftop. The much-anticipated summer music series every Friday in August is a great way to get down and dance with your friends, family, or coworkers! Dane Dances promotes inclusivity with a fun night of music and dancing for all ages. No ticket needed.

• Mad Lit: Where Arts and Culture Shine, Friday, August 11, 2023: Mad Lit is a free, outdoor concert series featuring live music and highlighting local musicians, artists, and businesses owners of color. The series runs every other Friday from June through September from 8-11pm at the top of State Street in Madison and includes live music, dance, pop-up shops, and visual exhibits.

• Madison Mini Market, Saturday, August 12, 2023: The 15th Annual Madison Mini-Marathon is a scenic running tour. The Madison Mini-Marathon & 5K is a must-do on the Wisconsin running calendar. After your hard work is complete, join us at the 14th Mile Post-Race Party.

• Acewood Conservation Volunteer Workday, Saturday, August 12, 2023: Madison Parks is seeking volunteers in conservation to assist in removing invasive burdock in Acewood Conservation Park. Participants will learn invasive plant identification and removal methods, as well as park history. Gloves and shovels will be provided, or bring your own. Bring water and wear closed-toe shoes. No restrooms onsite.

• Ju-Ju's Block Party, Saturday, August 12, 2023: Ju-Ju's Block Party is an annual event created to promote Black Excellence through multiple outlets.

• The Sessions at McPike Park, Saturday, August 12, 2023: The Sessions at McPike Park is in its 10th year and will have great music all seven days and dance and comedy interspersed. This is a free all-volunteer run event that helps raise funds for 6 non-profit partners. Great food and drink for sale.

• Summer Nights at Westmoreland Park, Saturday, August 12, 2023: Summer Nights at Westmorland Park features and exciting family friendly line-up of entertainers and musical performers.

• West Side Community Market – Saturday, August 12, 2023: The market is located at 505 S. Rosa Rd. in Research Park and is open every Saturday from 7:30 am – 12:30 pm through November 4, 2023. Food Share is accepted, free parking, and accessible by bus.

For a more complete list of Madison farmers’ markets, follow this link.

• Community Health Initiative Block Party, Sunday, August 13, 2023: Join us as we build bridges, empower minds and unlock the limitless possibilities that lie within the resource-rich community we've created.

• Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point, Sunday, August 13, 2023: Mushrooms & Fungi with Kacy Zander and Aaron Cutler ~ Join Myco Rising leaders Kacy Zander and Aaron Cutler for a guided tour to see if you can spot some of the hundreds of different species of mushrooms and fungi that grow along the trails. Look high and low, especially around decaying logs and on tree snags. Remember to stay on the trail and not pick things since this is a Conservation Park. Fungi come in an amazing variety of shapes and colors! The part you see is only a small part of the organism. These important components of the ecosystem help break down decaying organic matter and pollutants and provide important food for a wide variety of birds, insects and wildlife.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• A draft version of the City Annual Housing Snapshot report is available. I am pulling together a separate blog post on the takeaways from this report after I receive some additional information from City staff.
• Transit Network Redesign Adjustments: Based on passenger and driver feedback on redesigned service schedules, a number of adjustments will be made to network starting Sunday, August 20.  Staff will continue to monitor service with future adjustments planned in December. Please continue to leave feedback. All feedback received is reviewed and considered when looking at potential changes. To give feedback or request schedule information in the mail, call (608) 266-4466 or email mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com.

• City agencies have submitted their operating budget requests. You can find these along with agency capital budget requests (shared earlier) here.

• August Moving Days
  • How to Recycle Televisions, Computers, and other Electronics: Electronics must be delivered to the Streets Division’s drop-off sites, or to a reputable private electronics recycler in the area . These steps will protect your data and ensure the hazardous materials inside them are handled and recycled safely.
  • How to Use the Large Item Work Order System during the Move Out: Beginning on August 7, 2023, large item work order rules will be different for residents who live in the downtown move-out area and disposing of items that are collected at no cost. This change will end on the morning of Friday, August 18, 2023.
  • Daily Collection of Carts in Student Move Area Starts August 7: Starting at 6:30 a.m. on Monday August 7, 2023 residents in the downtown moving days area can place trash and recycling collection carts out for daily pickup.
• City of Madison seeks nominations for the next Poet Laureate: In 1977 Madison proudly became one of the first cities in our nation to have a poet laureate. John Tuschen was appointed by Paul Soglin in 46 years ago.
• Water Main Flushing plans beginning Monday August 7th (all flushing is daytime unless otherwise noted): 
  • East (Area 11) – South of Milwaukee St. and west of Dempsey Rd.
  • West (Area 12) – Whitney Way to Midvale Blvd. north of the Beltline
  • West (Area 20) – South of Raymond Rd and east of Prairie Rd.
  • West (Area 28) –East of the Beltline and south of Old Sauk Rd.

• The City is looking to hire Crossing Guards for the start of the school year. Be part of the City's Pedestrian Bicycle team and help make it easier and safer for kids to walk and bike to school. Learn more and apply.