Pipeline Fighters’ Benefit Extravaganza

press release: Inspired by the Standing Rock Sioux and their allies, local activists from Madison Action for Mining Alternatives (MAMA) and 350 Madison Climate Action Team will host the Pipeline Fighters’ Benefit Extravaganza on February 4, 2017 at the Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St. in Madison. This family friendly event is intended to raise awareness of the Enbridge pipeline expansion through Wisconsin and to build the legal defense funds to stop it.

The Pipeline Fighters’ Benefit Extravaganza will kick-off with an Art Build at 10:00am.The afternoon program starts at 5:00pm with a welcome and opening ceremony followed by a meal of foods that would be threatened by a pipeline spill. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early; only the first 100 will be able to be served.

10 AM -- 6 PM Art Build led by Phyllis Hasbrouck in basement of WilMar. Make a poster! Help build a puppet for political theater, paint a banner and more! There is no charge to attend the Art Build but all works of art stay with 350 Madison for future events, protests and theater.

5:00PM - Welcoming and Opening Ceremony; 5:15 - Networking & Silent Auction Tables; 6:00 - Local Foods dinner prepared by 350 & MAMA volunteers; 6:30 - Raging Grannies; 7:00 - Environmental Jeopardy and piñata smash; 7:30 - Tales of Solidarity; 8:00 - Solidarity Sing Along; 8:30 - Walker’s Bribery Game – A Production by 350 Madison Players; 9:00 - Thistle & Thorns, artistic soulful original music; 9:45 - Chandraya Dance Collective performs "The People!"; 10:00PM - Tani Dikiate & the Afrofunkstars, rhythmic, upbeat dance music

A silent auction will run throughout the event; guests will be able to bid on exceptional crafts and other items from local artists and businesses. Representatives of grassroots environmental groups will be on hand with literature and ways to get involved. A game of Environmental Jeopardy and a piñata smashing for kids will add to the fun.

Speakers include Phyllis Hasbrouck and Peter Anderson of 350 Madison Climate Action Team.

Musical acts will  take the stage. Performances will feature the local talents of Tani Diakite and the Afro-Funkstars, Thistle & Thorns, the Solidarity Singers, Chandraya Dance Collective, Solidarity Singers, Raging Grannies, and 350 Madison Players’ production of Walker’s Bribery Game.  

For more information and complete schedule with times: https://www.facebook.com/events/575344789329796/

Background: The nation’s attention has been riveted on the courageous acts of the Standing Rock Sioux to protect the waters of the Missouri River from Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access Pipeline crossing it. While continued construction of that pipeline has been temporarily halted, a pipeline expansion with similar threats to bodies of water right here in Wisconsin is currently taking place. Enbridge Energy, which operates Line 61, is tripling the capacity of that line from the original 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of toxic tar sands oil to 1.2 million bpd. And plans are afoot to build Line 66 to carry an additional 800,000bpd. This is the same company that recently caused the worst inland oil disaster in U.S. history. Some of the same troubling facts that faced the tribe in North Dakota have now arrived on Wisconsin’s doorstep.