Category Archives: Willy Street Arts & Entertainment

Mythical Tree Spirit to Fly at Orton Park Fest

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Cycropia Aerial dance to perform “Kodama” in the Orton oak trees

Cycropia Aerial Dance performs at Orton Park in 2011. This year they can be seen on the evenings of August 23 and 24. Courtesy: Crycropia Aerial Dance

In Japan they call it “Kodama”, the mythical tree spirit that protects old trees. Cycropia Aerial Dance hopes to evoke that spirit in Orton Park, a former graveyard, as severe drought has plagued southern Wisconsin this year. The trees are also the center of a neighborhood debate over the effect of thousands of feet and infrastructure the Orton Park Festival (August 23-26) has each year on the park’s Burr oaks.

For the past 10 years Cycropia Aerial Dance, a local collective named for a silkworm moth that is native to Wisconsin, has electrified the first two evenings of the festival with aerial displays to entertain what last year was an estimated 4,000 people crammed into the park.

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Willy Street Co-op Mural Dedicated

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Graffiti artist/activist tapped as part of ongoing neighborhood art project

“The Siamese Twins”, a mural painted on the Willy East Co-op by Brazilian Graffiti Artist Panmela Castro.

A large mural, covering the entire west side of the Willy Street Co-op East, was dedicated July 6 with a reception in the courtyard of the Co-op building along Jenifer Street. “The Siamese Twins” mural is one phase of the Marquette Neighborhood Association (MNA) Art and Culture Committee’s Public Art Concept, an ongoing project in coordination with the City of Madison Arts Coordinator that will populate the Willy Street Corridor with various art projects.

The Committee commissioned Brazilian graffiti artist Panmela Castro to design and paint the mural. Many in the neighborhood may have already seen her work earlier this year on the side of the Mother Fool’s Coffeehouse permission wall. Castro grew up in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and soon established herself in the Rio arts scene, going by the graffiti name Anarkia.  Continue reading →

Willy Street Co-op Expansion Pays Off

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Co-op profitable two years ahead of schedule

Perfect weather made for a great opening night to La Fete de Marquette 2012. Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble, plus Sarazino got the crowd dancing.

The first day of La Fete de Marquette was a nice mix of community, fun, and music. It was the perfect night to start a 4-day music festival with temperatures in the mid-70s, no wind and clear skies. The Willy Street Co-op held their annual membership meeting on the grounds, offering a free dinner to members, while also reporting on the state of the Co-op 18 months after opening Willy West in Middleton.  Continue reading →

La Fete de Marquette is Magnifique

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Four day music festival growing with style

La Fete de Marquette, July 12-15, 2012 in the Marquette Neighborhood.

The seventh annual La Fete de Marquette, celebrating French music and culture, begins today (July 12) at the corner of South Dickinson and East Main Streets. While Pere Marquette did traipse through these lands in the 1600s (see Portage, Wisconsin), the relative lack of a historical French connection to the Marquette neighborhood will not stop them from holding a really cool party for Bastille Day.

The free four-day event is one of the “Big Four” Marquette neighborhood summer festivals and is a fundraiser for the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center.

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Ale Flows on Atwood

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One Barrel Brewing hopes to involve patrons in the brewing process

The word “Nano” is now a trendy way to describe something on a small scale. One Barrel Brewing Company, Madison’s first nanobrewery, opened Friday (July 6) on Atwood Avenue in Schenk’s corners, and hopes to embody this concept by offering small batches of experimental beers in the spirit of home brewing while making it accessible to all.

Photographer and Atwood neighborhood resident Nataraj Hauser was fourth in line for the opening and reports that it quickly grew to around 75 and soon the place, which was once a grocery store early in the 20th century, was packed with people.  Continue reading →

The Best Goat Salami in America

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Underground Meats goes whole-hog with local hand-crafted charcuterie

Inside The Cure Box at Underground Meats.

I discovered Underground Meats much in the same way the name suggests: not screaming from a sign or on a loud TV commercial but by word of mouth and a chance encounter on the patio at Mickey’s. There was beer, really tasty brats, and then there, in the corner; some kind gentlemen offering salami samples, including something I had never seen or tried: Goat Salami.

It’s really not that mysterious. Underground Meats is part of the Underground Food Collective (UFC), which is a group that focuses on all kinds of different artisan food projects. UM focuses on dry-curing sausages and whole muscles as well as producing some fresh sausage. The operation is a nod to the days when local production of foods was more prevalent.  Continue reading →

Let The Fire Burn!

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Solstice Festival Marks the Beginning of Summer in Madison

The 10th Annual Solstice Festival was held on the lake side of Olbrich Park Saturday (June 23) and featured afternoon and evening of events culminating in a bonfire at sunset. The solstice is primarily an astronomical event but also has varied cultural significance for humans.  The word solstice is derived from two latin words rammed together to basically state “the Sun stands still”. Continue reading →

Gallery: FruitFest 2012

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Fruit Fest, Madison’s LGBTQI Summer Music Festival, was held on June 16, 2012 in the parking lot of the Plan B night club in the 900 block of Williamson Street. The Marquette Neighborhood and its surroundings boast a large number of  LGBTQA residents which just adds to the fun, eclectic, and diverse pedigree of the area.

This year’s music was headlined by Cazwell, but also featured folk musicians, punk bands, DJs and of course, drag queens. The festival has grown in the recent years it has been around and now includes a 5K run called the Fruit Loop, Star Fruit Idol Karaoke contest, and the 1st Annual Summer Camp Bingo AIDS fundraiser.

 

Orton Turtle Sculpture Leaving Fast

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Courtesy: Caffeinated Politics

A metal turtle sculpture that has graced the Spaight Street entrance to Orton Park for the past few months may be leaving soon (June 21) unless the City of Madison purchases the piece of art. The artist was commissioned to make the sculpture through grants from two city entities and Orton was the first place artist Tim Sprenglemeyer had in mind for the work due to the natural beauty of the park.

Read more at the Caffeinated Politics Blog 

 

Dandelion Dash Gives Waterfront Fest A Fast Start

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Little Dandelions get ready for the 2012 Dandelion Dash at the Marquette Waterfront Festival at Yahara Place Park, June 9, 2012

The annual Dandelion Dash, part of the Marquette Neighborhood Association’s Marquette Waterfront Festival was held at Yahara Place Park in Madison, WI on June 9, 2012. The 5K walk/run featured approximately 50 participants with the winning time clocked in under 17 minutes.

While the 5K Run for is for everyone, the “Dash” is just for the kids and is one of the more exciting events to watch. The Dash portion is now run in two heats as the participation by the little Dandelions has grown. Video cameras on phones were not available when the race began 17 years ago as a fundraiser for the Greater Williamson Area Business Association. I was remarking to a fellow spectator that now with mobile technology it’s much easier to describe and share how delightful the “Dash” is for both kids, parents, and spectators.

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