Bike to Work Week
Summer continues to unfurl in Madison this week with the return of Bike to Work Week. The calendar also includes: a production of The Zoo Story; book readings by Jerry Apps and Larry Karp; the Wedding Planner & Guide Bridal Show; live music by Ben Sidran, Landon Pigg, and Steez with Wook; and the Isthmus Block Party with the Cash Box Kings.
Monday 6.7
NOTEWORTHY: King George VI becomes first British monarch to visit U.S., 1939.
BIRTHDAYS: The Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince but Now Known Once Again Known as Prince, 1958; tennis pinup Anna Kournikova, 1981.
827 E. Washington Ave. (former Lussier Teen Center), 8 pm. Also Tuesday-Thursday, June 8-10, 8 pm
The Bricks Theatre, one of Madison's newest companies, concludes its debut season with Edward Albee's absurdist one-act, set on a park bench outside Central Park.
Tuesday 6.8
NOTEWORTHY: Milwaukee Braves hit major-league record four consecutive home runs vs. Cincinnati, 1961.
BIRTHDAYS: Actress Juliana Margulies, 1967; Grammy-winning rapper Kanye West, 1978.
Restaurant Magnus, 5:30 pm
Through the rest of June, jazz pianist-singer Sidran enlivens early Tuesday evenings at Magnus, along with Louka Patenaude on guitar, Nick Moran on bass and special guests. Take the opportunity to see this global star up close.
Barnes & Noble West, 7 pm
The local author discusses his latest book, Horse-Drawn Days: A Century of Farming With Horses. It draws partly on his experience growing up on a central Wisconsin farm.
Wednesday 6.9
NOTEWORTHY: Army counsel Joseph Welch asks demagogue Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no decency, sir?" 1954.
BIRTHDAYS: Star Wars princess Natalie Portman, 1981.
Wedding Planner & Guide Bridal Show
Marriott-West, Middleton, 4-9 pm
Attention brides: With the U.S. economy still shaky, our only hope is for you to spend, spend, spend on flowers, apparel, food, booze, music and all the rest. So find your ideally matched vendors at this expo.
Booked for Murder, 6 pm
Doctor-turned-novelist Karp signs copies of his mystery The Ragtime Fool, third in his Ragtime series. A Scott Joplin devotee vies with Klansmen for the ragtime composer's journal.
Thursday 6.10
NOTEWORTHY: R&B great Ray Charles dies, 2004.
BIRTHDAYS: Author/illustrator/king of all the wild things Maurice Sendak, 1928; actress Elizabeth Hurley, 1965.
100 block of West Main Street, 5 pm
Enjoy beer, music and a bit of dancing, plus a killer view of the Capitol, as Isthmus inaugurates its summer series of outdoor live-music fiestas. Local bluesmen Cash Box Kings will provide the tunes this time out, while proceeds from the brews and booze will benefit Porchlight, a local organization that provides food, shelter, counseling and employment assistance to Dane County's homeless.
High Noon Saloon, 9 pm
The Nashville-based singer-songwriter got his start singing jingles in Chicago as a kid. Now you can find his easygoing vocals in commercials for diamonds and digital TV, and on his chart-climbing 2009 album, The Boy Who Never (see Tour Stop). With Madi Diaz.
Majestic Theatre, 9 pm
The Majestic's SummerJam series is back and better than ever, highlighting local performers for free on Thursday nights. Local creepfunk purveyor Steez will kick things off, along with young-and-jammy quartet Wook.