Fiddlin'around
Ken Waldman, "Alaska's Fiddling Poet," draws on two decades of living in Alaska, setting his original poetry to traditional and original fiddle music. He'll play a family-friendly gig at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3300 Atwood Ave., at 2 pm on Sunday, March 16. Local Nob Hill Boy John Fabke, who met Waldman a few years ago and has previously joined him onstage at the High Noon Saloon, will provide guitar, mandolin and banjo accompaniment. Waldman says his family show is "fast-paced with lots of changes." Also expect to hear tunes from Waldman's children's album, Fiddling Poets on Parade. More info: kenwaldman.com or 608-246-4550.
It's time to get serious about the March 14 deadline for the Isthmus "Get Green" Challenge. Students in kindergarten through grade 12 (along with an adult supervisor) are encouraged to participate in a science fair of sorts that will highlight interactive projects focused on environmentally friendly products, ideas or practices. Need suggestions? How about brainstorming creative ways to collect rain, grow organic vegetables or conserve energy around the house? Projects should be presented in photograph, video or PowerPoint format and will be judged based on educational value and creativity. Prizes will be awarded and some participants will be selected to present their projects at Isthmus Green Day, April 26 at Monona Terrace, an expo to help area residents make their lives a little greener. More at TheDailyPage.com/green or 608-251-5627, ext. 119.
Oh the humanity
It's been 13 years since German scientist and physician Gunther von Hagens introduced Plastination, a process that halts the decomposition of bodies after death, replacing all fluids and soluble fat with resins and elastomers to make them rigid and lifelike. More than 200 perfectly preserved specimens - transparent body slices, individual organs and whole bodies that reveal the effects of both healthy and poor lifestyles - are on display through June 1 in the wildly popular Body Worlds exhibit, now at the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St. Organizers warn that some of the displays are graphic and include exposed genitals, and they recommend all children under 13 be accompanied by an adult. This is an enthralling exhibit, but you've been warned. More info: mpm.edu and bodyworlds.com.
Voice-activated
A bit of off-Broadway comes to the Verona High School Performing Arts Center, 300 Richard St., at 7:30 pm on Saturday, March 29, with the a cappella vocal outfit Toxic Audio. Formed 10 years ago in Orlando, Fla., the group soon attracted the attention of Disney execs, and Toxic Audio spent more than a year performing at Disney/MGM Studios. Since then, the men and women in Toxic Audio (sweetly referred to by their fans as the Toxins) have taken their jubilant harmonies, vocal sound effects and improv comedy on the road - opening for everyone from Tony Bennett to comedian Wayne Brady and starring in their own off-Broadway production. It's a two-hour, all-ages show that incorporates pop, jazz, country, hip-hop and R&B influences. Details and ticket info: vapas.org or 608-848-2787.
