So long, 2020, been good to know ya...not

Livestreams to catch as the clock ticks down on 2020 and more Isthmus Picks for Dec. 31-Jan. 7

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Big Queer Slumber Party, Thursday, Dec. 31, 6 pm: In a year when making it to the end feels like a major victory, the typical celebratory events are transforming into indoor activities with your quarantine pod. Happily, Kat and the Hurricane has organized a stellar night of entertainment to keep us occupied while the last minutes of 2020 tick away. The Big Queer Slumber Party, on Facebook or YouTube, features music, interviews, drag performances and more; the lineup announced so far includes K.I.L.O. aka Skit'Lz, Dana & the Joanis, 4th Curtis, Bicycle Shorts, Cal Smith and many others.

A Christmas Carol: Home for the Holidays, streaming through Dec. 31: No humbug here. Madison's venerable Children's Theater of Madison has created a wildly ambitious and inclusive virtual Christmas Carol experience featuring a cast of 95, including many past Scrooges and public figures including Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Gov. Tony Evers and First Lady Kathy Evers, UW Marching Band director Corey Pompey, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, the Rev. Dr. Alex Gee, and former Madison poet laureate Fabu. The classic tale is reimagined and read, underscored by a six-person string ensemble, and interspersed with clips from past productions. It's a wonderful gift for the community, and thanks to the sponsors, the webcast is absolutely free.

The Docksiders, Thursday, Dec. 31, 9 pm: Count down to the end of a year we all want to say goodbye to with some smooth sounds courtesy of The Docksiders. The Milwaukee yacht rock tribute band is captained by songwriter-producer (and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee director) Kevin Sucher. Signs point to the possibility of Toto being part of their full show, livestreamed from the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. The night also features performances by BoDeans, B~Free & Quinten Farr, Rocket Cat, and Shonn Hinton & Shotgun. Proceeds benefit the Imagine MKE Artist Relief Fund and National Independent Venue Association. Tickets here.

Free Bikes 4 Kids Raffle, tickets sold through Dec. 31: The Madison nonprofit that refurbishes and gives bikes to families in need hosts its annual raffle fundraiser, this year with a Schwinn Monroe 250 e-bike, donated by Pacific Cycles. Tickets are $20 each, and on sale here through the end of 2020. The drawing will be Jan. 3.

A Madison Symphony Christmas, streaming through Dec. 31: Earlier in December, Madison Symphony Orchestra made official the postponement of the remainder of its 2020-21 celebration of Beethoven's 250th birthday (never fear, the programs will move to next season). In happier news, the MSO's annual holiday concert is available virtually, with a free concert available to view through Dec. 31. The orchestra will be joined by the MSO Chorus, Madison Youth Choirs and Mt. Zion Gospel Ensemble, as well as vocal soloists Kyle Ketelsen and Emily Secor. Register here for a link to the concert.

Lights, everywhere holiday lights, ongoing in December and beyond: Lighted holiday displays spread cheer during the days with the least daylight of the year. This is a tradition people usually take part in while driving around in their cars anyway, so in that sense, this activity won't feel much different this year. The only Waunakee in the world has a packed park full of lights courtesy of the Waunakee Rotary at Village Park, 410 E. Main St., from 5-9 pm, through Dec. 31. Drive or walk through this ecstatic display; donations welcome. Not far away at 1808 Dover Drive in Waunakee, “Lights on Dover” features lights choreographed to music that you can tune in on your car radio at 96.1 and folks, it’s waaaay more than “Jingle Bells.” And yes, this is just somebody’s house. The University Avenue Holiday Lights were refreshed with LEDs for this season and will remain on all day through the middle of January. And the car may be the best way to take in Olin Park's Holiday Fantasy in Lights (4:30-10 pm through Jan. 3; donations).

Skating and cross-country skiing, daily, Madison and Dane County Parks: As the last week has demonstrated, snow comes and goes, and so do skiing conditions. Snow on Dec. 29 provided a base and chilly temps predicted until the weekend should give a few days of good conditions for cross-country skiers. Remember that most designated city of Madison and Dane County cross-country trails require purchase of a permit (click the links for trail conditions); note that due to COVID-19 safety precautions, permits are no longer available onsite and must be purchased online or by calling 608-266-4711. As of Dec. 29, all city ice rinks and lagoons are closed, but keep an eye on the city website for the status of each individual rink. When they do open, COVID-19 will have forced some adjustments: While there will be skate rentals available, the warming huts will not be open and sorry, no hot chocolate, either.

NOFX, Friday, Jan. 1, 3 pm: It seems hard to believe, but Los Angeles punk band NOFX has been around since 1983. Remaining fiercely independent through the years, the group's long history includes plenty of political activism, self-deprecating and/or scatological humor, and the occasional bout of controversy (it is punk rock, after all). To celebrate making it to 2021, NOFX plays their 1994 breakthrough album, Punk in Drublic, and participates in a Q&A to start the afternoon at 3 pm. The concert (starting at 4 pm) also includes a set by The Last Gang. Tickets here.

First Day Hike, Friday, Jan. 1, anytime/place: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources often organizes guided hikes on New Year's Day at various state parks, but during our current COVID times is encouraging a self-guided jaunt. If you do plan to visit a state park, don't forget you'll need a new admission sticker; while most visitor centers are currently closed, you can purchase one online (you will receive instructions and a code that can be posted in your vehicle window until the sticker arrives). Of course, just getting outside is the important part, and county and city parks are free.

Matt DeBlass, Saturday, Jan. 2, 6:30 pm: A regular presence on stage at Cargo Coffee's East Washington Avenue location during the before times, Matt DeBlass is a singer and multi-instrumentalist who performs many kinds of music but specializes in American and Irish folk music. And one of the multi- in his instrumental kit bag is Celtic harp, which is not an axe often seen out in local clubs. Catch DeBlass livestream style as part of Cargo's ongoing virtual concert series.

Wisconsin Ensemble Project, streaming through 6 pm, Sunday, Jan. 3: The Wisconsin Ensemble Project (aka WE Project) is a new group formed by professional musicians during the dark times of COVID-19 to bring songs and light to worthy organizations. The group's inaugural online concert features chamber music by Black women composers and benefits the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness. The program includes "Strum" and "Voodoo Dolls," by Jessie Montgomery; "Modes," by Dorothy Rudd Moore; and String Quartet in G Major, by Florence Price. Performers are Christopher Dozoryst, Karl Lavine, Leanne League and Mary Theodore. The concert will be available through Jan. 3 at wisconsinensembleproject.com, and donations will be accepted.

Badger Army Ammunition Plant films, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 6 pm: The River Arts Center will be virtually screening two films about the huge munitions plant you may have seen the remnants of on your way up Highway 12 to Devil's Lake. Built during World War II despite the protests of the farmers whose land was taken to construct it, the plant is now decommissioned and returning to green space. The first documentary, Restoring the Sauk Prairie: A Story of Hope and Healing tells the story of that return to green space. The second, Of Connection and Renewal: The Historic Apple Trees of the Badger Army Ammunition Plant is about the rare heirloom apple trees found on the land. Both films were created by local filmmakers for the Sauk Prairie Conservation Alliance. Register here.

Krista Eastman, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 7 pm: The Madison essayist will read from her 2019 collection The Painted Forest, a series of mostly Wisconsin-centric musings that often focus on Eastman's original home in the Driftless Area. The title essay centers on the folk art site of the same name in Valton, Wisconsin, but throughout the book, Eastman will have you reconsidering and reimagining this place we call home. The collection was named one of the best literary nonfiction debuts of 2019 by Poets & Writers magazine and won the Council for Wisconsin Writers’ Nonfiction Book Award and an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Library Association. This reading from Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point is, like the rest of its 2020-21 readings and discussions, offered virtually via Zoom. Register here.

Wednesday Nite at the Lab, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 7 pm: If there is ever a time we in Wisconsin can consider the possibility of a "friendly mosquito," it is certainly January. At the next Wednesday Nite at the Lab webcast via Zoom, UW-Madison Department of Bacteriology assistant professor Kerri Coon presents the lecture "Why Mosquitoes Love YOU (and Other Things You Never Knew about Skeeters & Their Microbiome." Learn how what researchers are finding in a mosquito's gut can help develop strategies to contain the pests, and also teach us about the effect of microbes on other common insects. RSVP here if you haven't joined a previous WNTL this school year; lectures are also posted after taking place on YouTube.

Plant Sale with the Pros, online sales through Feb. 1 (while supplies last): During a Wisconsin winter, it's never too early to start dreaming about spring. To that end, this seasonal rite hosted by Olbrich Botanical Gardens has been reimagined as an online storefront. Packages of curated perennials and vegetables and individual fruit trees are available for purchase now through Feb. 1 (or when supplies run out). Individual perennials and ground cover plants will be posted on Jan. 15. Curbside pickup will begin May 7, and while the usual interaction with experts for plant advice can't happen in person, you can email questions to horticulture librarian Amy O'Shea (aoshea@cityofmadison.com).

We hope it's handy for you to find the Picks in a single weekly post. The individual Picks can still be found in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.