Remember the dream

Annual events in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and more Isthmus Picks for Jan. 14-21

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UPDATE: Tres Reyes Celebration: Every January, Centro Hispano hosts a celebration of the Three Wise Men who attended the birth of Jesus, a Spanish holiday also observed in Mexico. This year the traditional gathering can't take place as usual, due to COVID-19. Initially planned as a drive-through event featuring toys for kids ages 12 and under, Centro has transitioned the toy distribution to a delivery model. Sign up begins at 8 pm on Jan. 13 on Facebook or at the event page on the Centro website, while supplies last.

Home Office Energy Efficiency, Thursday, Jan. 14, noon: Many folks have not made a trip to the office since COVID-19 hit. Transportation costs may be down for those working from home, but have you noticed a jump in your utility bills? Sustain Dane offers this free livestream talk on ways to save energy when the home becomes the office, given by Chad Laibly of Focus on Energy. RSVP here to receive the Zoom link.

Shemekia Copeland, Thursday, Jan. 14, 6:30 pm: Since bursting onto the blues music scene in 1998 with Turn The Heat Up, Shemekia Copeland has grown to be a musical powerhouse with a fiery musical vision increasingly unconfined by genre boundaries. The 2020 album Uncivil War is Copeland's strongest statement yet, addressing gun violence, civil rights, and the political disharmony pulling America apart. The songs make their live debut with a full band during this livestream hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center; make a donation here for a link to the concert.

Nick Petrie, Thursday, Jan. 14, 7 pm: Milwaukee mystery writer Nick Petrie is virtually visiting Madison bookstore Mystery to Me, discussing his latest Peter Ash novel, The Breaker (Penguin/Random House), with fellow mystery author Erica Ruth Neubauer. Petrie received his master of fine arts degree in fiction from the University of Washington; in addition to writing, he runs a home-inspection business in Milwaukee. Petrie is the author of five previous Peter Ash mysteries. Register here to attend via Crowdcast.

MMoCA Mosaic 5K, January 15-31, anytime: Madison is lucky to have two great art museums, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Chazen, both of which are free to visitors. MMoCA is raising funds to keep admission free going forward. The Mosaic 5K is a socially distant run; participants can "run, walk, or roll the 5K anywhere — inside or out." Furthermore, if watching movies on your couch is more your thing, go for it. You do have to set your fundraising goals, though, and ask family and friends to support your run (or movie marathon). Registration is $35 and all registrants will receive a limited-edition scarf featuring the artwork of up-and-coming Madison artist Terrence Adeyanju.

Straight Outta the Hip Hop Architecture Camp, Saturday, Jan. 16, 11 am: Thanks to the tireless efforts of Madison College's Michael Ford, "the hip hop architect," more than 600 participants from around the country participated in an online edition of the Hip Hop Architecture Camp where they developed projects with architectural firms. This event features presentations of final projects, including music, renderings and animation. Register here to witness the future of architecture.

Bald Eagle Watching Days, Saturday, Jan. 16, 1:15 pm: The Wisconsin River valley in the Sauk Prairie region is a perfect spot for overwintering bald eagles, and each year the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council organizes bus trips to see the birds as well as a weekend festival focused on raptors. This year the fest events will take place virtually on four Saturday afternoons in January and February, with the first installment featuring a talk on eagles in Native American culture by Art Shegonee, a Q&A on rehabilitating eagles with Raptor Education Group founder Marge Gibson, and a presentation on animals that share the eagles' ecosystem by naturalist/humorist David Stokes. Future programs take place on Jan. 23, Feb. 6 and Feb. 20. Also, the council has created a pair of self-guided tour maps for those who feel like taking a drive to look for birds in the wild.

Winter Wonders, submissions open through Jan. 31: Madison Children's Museum invites kids ages 12 and under to participate in an online photography contest examining the world during Wisconsin's coldest season. It's free to participate, and prizes include items for both outdoor and indoor recreation time. Up to two photos per child can be submitted through Jan. 31; find more guidelines and the submission form here. And visit this page for more information on the museum's continuing MCM at Home video programming, offered via Facebook.

Dream Ball, Saturday, Jan. 16, 6:30 pm: This annual event hosted by Women in Focus helps raise money for the all-volunteer organization's scholarship fund, which has been helping Dane County students of color attend college since 1986. This year there is no admission charge as the Dream Ball transitions to a virtual program, with funds raised via a silent auction (with bidding open now) and donations. The livestream also features guest speakers Naman Siad (a 2011 scholarship recipient) and Carlton Jenkins (Madison schools superintendent), entertainment by East High School graduates Thaddeus McCants and Tilly Evans-Krueger, DJ Drew Masters, and more. Register here to participate.

Watershed Reading Series, Saturday, Jan. 16, 7 pm: The Arts + Literature Laboratory kicks off the poetry year 2021 with an online reading by Dorothy Chan, Ernest O. Ògúnyẹmí and Kirwyn Sutherland streamed live on its YouTube and Facebook pages. Chan is the author of Revenge of the Asian Woman as well as Attack of the Fifty-Foot Centerfold and the chapbook Chinatown Sonnets. Sutherland has been published in American Poetry Review and elsewhere and has a chapbook, Jump Ship. Ògúnyẹmí has also published widely and is the editor of The Fire That Is Dreamed of: The Young African Poets Anthology. The Watershed Reading Series is Madison's longest-running monthly curated reading series. Free, but donations to support the series are welcome.

Beginner Fly Tying, RSVP by Sunday, Jan. 17: It seems to us that fly tying, like knitting, is one of those activities that is best learned at the physical knee of an expert, but obviously COVID-19 has prompted this class to go online. Experienced fly-tying instructors from Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited will teach a six-week beginner fly tying course. And it's free! Specifics are being finalized, but classes are planned to start in late January or early February on Tuesday evenings via Zoom. Unsure about whether you want to learn fly tying? Check out the course booklet. SWTU will provide materials, at no cost, for tying 14 different flies, along with a finished sample of each fly. But hurry, pre-registration is required and the maximum class size is 20 students. Send name, address, phone number, email address, member number including chapter (if a Trout Unlimited member), and any fly tying experience (this information will only be shared among course organizers and instructors) no later than Jan. 17 to: swtu-flytying@outlook.com.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations, Monday, Jan. 18, noon (state) and 6 pm (city/county): While in-person commemorations of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday are not possible during the pandemic, it is more important than ever, in the midst of multiple national crises, to celebrate his activism and advocacy of peaceful dissent. At noon, tune in to Wisconsin Public Radio for audio highlights from past celebrations hosted by Jonathan Overby. You'll hear excerpts from the 2011 tribute with Michelle Alexander (author of The New Jim Crow), and revisit performances by the Latino Strings of Milwaukee and GMAC Mass Choir of Chicago. Pre-recorded segments will introduce the recipients of the 2021 MLK Heritage Award, and Gov. Tony Evers will present the official MLK 2021 State Proclamation. (A video rebroadcast will air at 10 pm on PBS Wisconsin, and at 7 pm and 11 pm on The Wisconsin Channel.) A virtual edition of the city-county observance will be livestreamed at 6 pm; the featured speaker is New York Times bestselling author Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (pictured). Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway will present the Madison-Dane County Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, and the event will be emceed by Angela Fitzgerald, host of Wisconsin Life. Gospel choir director Leotha Stanley will lead a virtual version of MLK Community Choir. Find the livestream and info about more events at mlkingcoalition.org.

LOCATION CHANGE: Madison Community Meal in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Monday, Jan 18, Boys and Girls Club-Allied Family Center, noon-5 pm; Goodman Community Center; 11 am-2 pm; East Madison Community Center, noon-3 pm: The King Coalition's community meal is cancelled this year, but this drive-through, pay-it-forward event from the Overture Center, Downtown Madison BID and Little John's Kitchen will at least get people eating together in some fashion, as everyone will dine on ham, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and mac 'n cheese — and consider King's legacy. Dinners are $5 and those who can are urged to buy a meal for those who can't afford one. Sign up here. See Linda Falkenstein's full story on the dinner here. NOTE: The main location has changed from downtown to the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County's Allied Family Center, 4619 Jenewein Road, Fitchburg, from noon-5 pm. Satellite locations will operate from 11 am-2 pm at Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St, and noon-3 pm, East Madison Community Center, 8 Straubel Court.

Greater Madison Music City project kickoff, Tuesday, Jan. 19, noon: Remember live music? How about live hip-hop? When the pandemic crushed virtually all live performances in 2020, a group dedicated to a more equal and inclusive music scene did not close shop. After a 2019 report from the city of Madison Task Force on Equity in Music and Entertainment recommended systemic changes to Madison's music landscape, a new network was born: Greater Madison Music City (GMMC). Now the network has hired a global consultant, Sound Diplomacy, to help Madison emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on making our music scene vibrant and fair. Visit greatermadisonmusiccity.com to register for an update on the project and performances by local musicians.

Water Management at the UW Arboretum, Past to Present, Tuesday, Jan. 19, noon: Over time, best practices have changed for how to preserve ecosystems in the UW Arboretum, and what to do about water — both natural and urban runoff — is an important factor. David Liebl, a past chair of the Arboretum Stormwater Committee, will give an overview of water's role in the historic research facility, as part of the Friends of the Arboretum's perennial Luncheon-Lectures Series; the series has pivoted to a virtual format for 2021. Register here.

Life on Other Worlds, Tuesday, Jan. 19 (6 pm) and Wednesday, Jan. 20 (9 pm): Life on other worlds? Uh, where do we go to sign up? Find out about extraterrestrial life with this National Geographic Live virtual show from the Overture Center. The show, with planetary scientist and astrobiologist Kevin Hand and senior mechanical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Kobie Boykins, will center on the upcoming landing of the Perseverance on Mars to search for signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples, and research into Jupiter’s moon Europa, which has a subsurface ocean. The 60-minute virtual show includes live, moderated conversation and audience Q&A. Tickets are available at overture.org for $20.

Winter Wonderland, through Feb. 14: Are you bored yet? Stop the fibbing please. The Wisconsin Union feels your pain and has come up with a series of special events and activities to safely and distantly coax you through the winter: Tuesday night hikes (including trivia on Jan. 19), a scavenger hunt (register to win gift cards from $5-$25), and even a snowman craft project with free materials available for pickup. The events, which are open to all members of the community as well as UW-Madison staff, faculty and students, require advance registration.

John Odin Jensen, Wednesday Jan. 20, 7 pm: We're far from the coasts here in Wisconsin, but the shores of the Great Lakes are not so very far and both Michigan and Superior loom large in local legends. John Odin Jensen has written Stories from the Wreckage, about Great Lakes shipwrecks from the age of wooden ships. Jensen, himself a shipwreck survivor, has a degree in history from Lawrence University, a master's degree in maritime history and underwater archaeology from East Carolina University, and a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. His position in the history department at the University of West Florida has not kept him from the Great Lakes! His Book Bites talk will stream live on the WHS Press Facebook page.

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.

Editor's note: This post has been updated to include new information on the Tres Reyes Celebration and a location change for the Madison Community Meal in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.