Highlights
Thursday, August 18
'Tis a humble cob, truly. But for some Madison residents, it's the highlight of the harvest, the epitome of Midwestern fair food, the one unmissable festival of the year. Picture a tent full of steaming corn, volunteers who shovel the ears into cardboard carriers, blocks of butter and salt-shakers on strings. Yes, it is theSun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival, and you will be a happier camper for attending. This festival offers four days of sweet and buttery steamed ears, along with a beer tent, carnival, craft show, auto racing and helicopter rides, bingo, a parade, live music, children's activities, and more. Angell Park Pavillion, 300 Park St., 6 p.m.-close Thursday and Friday, 11:30 a.m.-close Saturday and Sunday, $1 admission and $2 per ear. Call 837-4547 for more info.
Saturday, August 20
It's an open house, or farm, at the Urban Horticulture Field Day. Visitors to the UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Rd., Verona, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., free. Call 262-2257 for more info.
Africa Fest celebrates many aspects of the African cultural experience, and is hosted by the festival can expect music and dance performances, an African village walk-through, a 5K run/walk, craft vendors, a raffle, children's activities, and cooking demos. There will also be several food vendors on hand; hope for the fried chicken dinner stand that's been popular at past fests. Warner Park, 2930 N. Sherman Ave., 10 a.m.-10 p.m., free admission. Call 258-0261 for more info.
London is not burning, it's brewing. London, Wisconsin is, anyway. The tiny community located near the Dane County line with Jefferson County is hosting the eighth annual London Homebrew Festival. This year, the theme is the revival of hop cultivation in southern Wisconsin. Eight brewers are scheduled to serve their creations, and the London Moravian Church will be serving brats, hot dogs, and other treats. Grant County Fair, an annual eight-day community Saving the Harvest class, with instructor Polly Reott of Polly Jane's Pickles & Jams covering the equipment prepartions, and techniques for three methods of food preservation: canning, dehydrating, and freezing. Lakeview Library, 2845 N. Sherman Ave., 5:30 p.m., free. Call 246-4547 for more info.
Wednesday, August 17
Papavero's Fifth Birthday, an anniversary dinner featuring a buffet-style menu. Osteria Papavero, 128 E. Wilson St., all day, $25. Call 255-8376 for more info.
Wednesday Nite at the Lab, with this latest edition of the weekly lecture series featuring author Ed Janus discussing his new book Creating Dairyland: How Cows Made Wisconsin, which explores 150 years of bovine agriculture in the Badger State. UW Biotechnology Center Auditorium, 425 Henry Mall, 7 p.m., free. Call 265-2420 for more info.
Thursday, August 18
preparing pesto and three pastas, including ravioli and tortellini. Whole Foods Market, 3313 University Ave., 6-7:30 p.m., $25. Call 204-0300 for more info.
Herbs for Digestive Health class, covering herbal remedies for gastrointestinal difficulties. Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., 7:30 p.m., free. Call 556-7395 for more info.
Friday, August 19
Old Fashioned Ice Cream Social, a fundraiser for the youth group at Monona United Methodist Church, 606 Nichols Rd., 4:30-7 p.m. Call 222-1633 for more info.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Dinner, an annual fundraiser for the Madison chapter of the St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 605 Spruce St., 5:30 p.m., $20 donation. Call 244-6595 for more info.
Screening of Food Inc. , a 2009 documentary by Robert Kenner that "lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA." Ashman Library, 733 N. High Point Rd., 7 p.m., free. Call 824-1780 for more info.
Saturday, August 20
Madison Mini-Marathon, the third annual campaign promotions. UW Memorial Union Terrace, 800 Langdon St., 7 a.m.-noon, $12-60 registration, packet pickup on August 19 between 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Union South. Call 800-495-0474 for more info.
Paddle & Pig Out in Paoli, a recreation celebration hosted by the Agora Art Fair, a third annual art Agora Center Building, 5500 E. Cheryl Pkwy., Fitchburg, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 277-2592 for more info.
DIY Fair, a celebration held in anticipation of the second annual Eat Local Challenge held by the Willy Street Co-op East, 1221 Williamson St., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., free. Call 251-6776 for more info.
Gandy Dancer Festival, the fifth annual celebration in support of the Free community meal prepared by volunteers. Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St., 11:15 a.m., free. Call 257-4576 for more info.
That's A-moo-re, the inaugural benefit dinner for the West Side Club, 437 Hwy. M., 5:30-9 p.m., $50. Call 219-1172 for more info.
Isthmus Madison's Favorites Party, an annual celebration and announcement of the Madison's Favorites winners in the Annual Manual, featuring food vendors, ice cream from the Sassy Cow Creamery, a beer garden benefiting the Urban League of Greater Madison, live music, children's activities, and more. Zimbrick Buick Community Room, 1601 W. Beltline Hwy., 6-11 p.m., free. Call 251-5627 for more info.
Sunday, August 21
Arts & Crafts on the Lawn, an annual arts festival in Milton, featuring the Milton Historical Society Ice Cream Social with homemade cakes and pies, food vendors, and booths offering the work of over 100 Midwestern artists and craftspeople. Wisconsin Capitol Pride, an annual community LGBT Club 5, a parade and rally, a dance performance by the Fred Astaire Dance Studio, raffles, a commitment ceremony, children's activities, and more. UW Library Mall and Capitol Square, downtown Madison, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 347-8206 for more info.
Sunday in the Garden, the latest monthly gathering hosted by led by historical gardener Marcia Carmichael to celebrate the release of her new book Putting Down Roots: Gardening Insights from Wisconsin's Early Settles, with a lunch at the Clausing Barn Restaurant. Sanford Farm, Old World Wisconsin, W372 S9727 Hwy 67, 10:30 a.m.-noon, $5 with lunch not included. Call 262-594-6300 for more info.
Savory Sunday, with volunteers need to prepare and serve a fresh, hot meal for the hungry. Lutheran Campus Center, 325 N. Mills St., 11 a.m. Call 233-6967 for more info.
Triangle Ethnic Fest, an annual neighborhood festival celebrating the immigrant history of the Greenbush neighborhood in central Madison hosted by the Bayview Community Center, 601 Bayview, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free. Call 256-7808 for more info.
Water Bath Canning - High Acid Foods, a workshop hosted by the Lakeview Lutheran Church, 4001 Mandrake Rd., 4-7 p.m., $25. Call 226-0300 for more info.
Save the date
Tuesday, August 23
Herbal Harvest, a class taught by Lauri Lee of the Olbrich Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., 6 p.m., $38. Please RSVP by August 16, and call 246-4550 for more info.
Sunday, September 18
Harvest Eleventh Year Anniversary, with Chef Derek Rowe preparing a multi-course menu celebrating more than a decade in Madison's restaurant industry. Harvest, 21 N. Pinckney St., 6 p.m., $75. Call 255-6075 for more info.
