Category Archives: Willy Street

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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Waterfront Fest Opens ‘Big Four’ Festival Season

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Courtesy: David Michael Miller

Summer in the meteorological sense may have started a month ago, but the summer festival season here on the near-east side of Madison is about to get underway. The Marquette Waterfront Festival at Yahara Place Park is this Saturday and Sunday (June 9-10), the first of four major festivals in the neighborhood that are the toast of the city.  Continue reading →

Drunk Driver Causes Mayhem on Willy Street

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A drunk driver fleeing Madison Police damaged two buildings and cars on Williamson Street early Wednesday morning.

A drunk driver fleeing police crashed into an apartment building, bakery, and at least two cars in the 1500 block of Williamson Street shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday (June 6). The driver, Christoper M. Brunetto, 29, of Fairfield, Connecticut was injured but no one else in the buildings were hurt.

Brunetto was involved in a hit-and-run minutes earlier near the Echo Bar on Bedford Street which led to the chase and crash 20 blocks later on Willy Street. Brunetto, according to a police news release will be charged with his fourth drunk driving offense. Madison.com reports that Brunetto may be a hockey goalie; related equipment was found in his car.  Continue reading →

Willy Street Park says ‘Thank You!’

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The Willy Street Park has been a green refuge just off the street for over 30 years.

Over 30 years ago the owner of a small parcel of land on the corner of Williamson and Brearly Streets started building a Taco Johns restaurant.  Horrified by the prospect of a nondescript fast food establishment clashing with the fabric of the neighborhood the local community organized against it and the building was never completed. In its place grew the Willy Street Park, a welcome patch of green space along Williamson that has been operated by an all-volunteer corporation; tending to the gardens, flower beds, and trees while making constant improvements.  Continue reading →

Fine Swine on Willy Street

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A Pig in a Fur Coat newest eatery on Williamson

The newly transformed Pig in a Fur Coat at 940 Williamson Street will open soon, likely before Memorial Day.

It’s not easy to find in Madison such dishes as wild boar black truffle sausage stuffed in a pig’s foot, veal breast with house-made sauerkraut, or egg yolk-filled ravioli with pancetta and brown butter sauce. But the wait may be over, as fine dining usually found in Chicago is coming to the 900 block of Willy Street, but with a relaxed casual style. A Pig in a Fur Coat, a communal-style eatery, is set to open later this month featuring Mediterranean dishes with a little touch of Kazakhstan.

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Eastside Farmer’s Market Debuts

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The Eastside Farmer’s Market made it’s 2012 debut in the parking lot of the Immanuel Lutheran Church across from the Wil-Mar Neighborhood center (953 Jenifer Street) on an eventful Tuesday this week. Earlier in the day Kathleen Falk voted at Wil-Mar in the Wisconsin Recall Primary and then moved to the parking lot to address the press as preparations for the market were underway.

A quick canvass of the vendors showed a nice mix of farm and garden-fresh produce, cheese, honey, potted plants, and even chemical-free lamb. The weekly market, sponsored by Wil-Mar and the Willy Street Co-op, will be held each Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. through December 18.

 

If You Build It…They Will Poop

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The former site of Research Products Corp. along Ingersoll Street will host Madison’s Central Park’s restroom and storage building that features a “green roof” to collect rain runoff.

Madison’s Central Park has been approved for its first official structure, restrooms. Earlier this month the Urban Design Commission approved the $600,000 structure which was designed to jive with an “Art Approach” the concept that will shape the entire park, blending Madison-style park activities, the natural glacial geography of Madison, and the industrial tradition of the corridor. It reminds me of my first act of civil responsibility when I was maybe seven, I too advocated for restrooms in a park and I wrote Mayor Soglin a letter…wait a minute, is he still Mayor?

Porta potties as I was taught to call them; came to Orton Park due to my single letter writing campaign which somehow landed on Da Mare’s desk. You see my friend and I loved Orton Park and we were there most warm days since it was only a two-block walk. But inevitably the excretory system would hold sway and those two blocks seemed awfully far away and threatened our mirthful play.

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