Posts tagged Madison

Dylan Slept Here

What makes an ordinary place extra-ordinary?  Discovering that one of your heroes slept there, maybe.  Commentator Dean Robbins recently stumbled on a little-known piece of music history.

Dean Robbins is the editor of Madison’s alternative weekly, Isthmus.

Sector 67:

Do-it-yourself projects have surged in popularity in recent years. While some have picked up knitting needles and planted gardens, others have migrated to community spaces to work on projects involving complex circuitry, infrared sensors, and motors. Producer Elizabeth Delaquess takes us to one such space in Madison.

Food Pantry Garden:

When you think of food pantries, a leafy garden bursting with fresh vegetables probably doesn’t spring to mind. But a unique program puts food pantry clients in the field — literally.

The food pantry garden is run by the Middleton Outreach Ministry, outside Madison.

Farmers Market Stroll:

Weekly trips to your neighborhood farmers market offer the chance to pick up fresh produce and to chat with local farmers. Writer Michelle Wildgen found all that and something more.

Michelle Wildgen is the executive editor of the literary journal Tin House and the author of the novels You’re Not You and But Not for Long.

Photo by Felipe Gacharna

Civil War Malt House:

This weekend beer lovers will gather in Madison for the annual Great Taste of the Midwest. At one Madison bar, beer lovers have been enjoying some of Wisconsin’s best brews for more than 150 years.

Bill Rogers is the owner of the Malt House, formerly the Union House, in Madison.

Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Image ID 3105.

Civil War Songs:

150 years ago, Wisconsin soldiers slogged through the second year of the Civil War. Madison-based band Count This Penny set the letters of two Wisconsin soldiers to music as part of a unique Civil War arts project at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Today, band members Amanda and Allen Rigell share the song and story of Walter Persons.

Kite Photography:

Photographers are always looking for a new angle. Madison-based photographer Craig Wilson might have one of the most unique views of all. Producer Aubrey Ralph brings us the story.

Lost and Found Language:

Cinco de Mayo is the annual celebration of Mexican heritage, and one of the fastest growing holidays in America. Today, Wisconsin poet and school principal Oscar Mireles shares the story of his struggle to hold onto his first language – Spanish. His poem is called “Lost and Found Language.”

Oscar Mireles is the principal of Omega School in Madison. He’s been writing poems for 25 years and is the editor of two anthologies, called “I Didn’t Know There Were Latinos in Wisconsin.”