Isthmus Picks (July 23-30)

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With the printed version of Isthmus on pause, we thought it might be handy to have the Picks in a single weekly post. You can still find the Picks in the usual places online: collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events.

Extra AF Comedy, Thursday, July 23, 7:30 pm: Although its regular IRL home, Crucible, is currently unable to host gatherings, Lady Laughs Comedy has upped the ante in moving the monthly Extra AF Comedy show online. It's now happening every other week, streaming on both Facebook and YouTube, and scheduling comedians from around the country. Thursday's performers include Maya May (Los Angeles), Jake Noll, Janice Rodriguez and Sarah Vulpio (all from Chicago), and host Lalita Dee, who not long ago departed Madison for the Bay Area.

Hip Hop Architecture Camp, Aug. 1-11: Madison College's Michael Ford, the Hip-Hop Architect, spearheads an online camp for middle and high school students. Sessions include appearances by hip-hop artists, athletes, fashion designers and architects; classes in product design and rap; and a celebration of the 47th anniversary of hip-hop on Aug. 11. Space is limited for this Zoom camp, so register soon.

Truth, Trust and the Future of Journalism Ethics, Thursday, July 23, 6:30 pm: What’s a journalist to do in the era of “fake news”? UW-Madison journalism professor Kathleen Culver leads an online lecture focused on how the news media can work to regain the public's trust, even when partisan rhetoric is turned up to 11. Culver will discuss the ethical dimensions of journalism and social media, as well the current state of the media and where it may head next. Receive the Zoom link to this free Middleton Library event by registering at tinyurl.com/truthtrustethics.

Let's Whoop it Up, Thursday, July 23, 7 pm: The International Crane Foundation completed a renovation of its Baraboo-area facility earlier this year, but the official grand reopening had to be postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, now a global audience can get a sneak preview of the renovations during a livestream hosted by ICF co-founder George Archibald and current CEO Rich Beilfuss. An online auction helps support the International Crane Foundation, as its headquarters has had to remain closed to visitors for a second season.

Jurassic Park, Friday, July 24, The Bodgery, 9 pm: Makerspace The Bodgery moved to the former Oscar Mayer complex in fall 2019, and is now making use of the ample parking lot to create a pop-up drive-in theater. The third installment in the free series features the tale of what happens when you cross industrial malfeasance, corporate sabotage...and dinosaurs. It's Steven Spielberg's 1993 film of Jurassic Park, of course. Gates open at 8 pm if you want to grab the best spots.

Saturday Science, Saturday, July 25, 10 am: This monthly program for kids of all ages from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Morgridge Institute for Research is heading to the virtual world for a "Picnic Party" on Saturday. Visit the Discovery Building Facebook page at 10 am for livestream experiments by professor Bassam Shakhashiri (Science is Fun). Find other activities that teach about the science involved with fireflies and fireworks at the Saturday Science page to do anytime on- or off-line.

Digital Opera in the Park, Saturday, July 25, 8 pm: This year, due to the pandemic, Madison Opera expands the definition of "park." You can enjoy this virtual edition of the annual Opera in the Park concert from the comfort of your own home, backyard, or safely distanced with your own pandemic crew at a park. The cast features sopranos Jasmine Habersham and Karen Slack, tenor Andres Acosta (pictured), and baritone Weston Hurt. Violinist Suzanne Beia will be on the program, and we'll get a rare opportunity to see maestro John DeMain on piano. To create this special edition, the out-of-town singers recorded aria with accompanists in their home cities, and chorusmaster Anthony Cao will perform the magical feat of both accompanying and conducting the “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore. Madison Opera general director Kathryn Smith and WKOW-TV news anchor George Smith will co-host; Kathryn Smith will join the artists afterward for a post-show Q&A.

Beef Dinner Drive-thru, Sunday, July 26, St. Dennis Parish, 11:30 am-4 pm: You might be from the east side of Madison if...you remember the two pillars of summer as the East Side Business Men's Association festival at Voit Field and the St. Dennis Festival at, of course, St. Dennis on Dempsey Road. St. Dennis has been thriving even though the ESBMA festival is long gone (and its building now known more gender-neutrally as the East Side Club). This year, the parish is making its famous beef dinner — always a hot ticket — a drive-through, with pickup at the church (delivery is also available for people who can’t get out). Pre-ordering here by July 22 is an excellent idea, but you can drive up day of fest as well. Menu options include the legendary beef dinner ($10) with roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, coleslaw and dessert. There's also Italian sausage ($4) and Sinsinawa Mound Cinnamon Bread ($7; you are Catholic and from south central Wisconsin if this makes your heart beat faster). You can even order a drink or two, like One Barrel Brewing Company's Commuter Kolsch or O’so Brewing Company Hop Snack Pale Ale. We guarantee it will be cooler drinking it at your house than it would have been in the beer tent.

Charlie Parr, Sunday, July 26, 4 pm: Earlier this year, southwestern Wisconsin Americana artists The Sapsuckers added a pair of new band members and relocated to St. Louis on a part-time basis...and then, the world stopped. This summer the duo of Nikki Grossman and Joe Hart is hosting a socially distanced outdoor concert series at their Soldiers Grove-area home, also available as a livestream. This Sunday's concert features visitors from Minnesota: country blues legend Charlie Parr, songwriter Ben Weaver, and old-time music trio Clancy Ward, Kyle Ollah and Liz Draper. The Sapsuckers (pictured) kick off the show. Note: Last weekend's concert was postponed due to the rise of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, so watch The Sapsuckers website for updates.

Patriotism and the Cost of Apathy, Monday, July 27, 7 pm: Christy Clark-Pujara stole the show at a panel discussion following the recent premiere screening of Justified Journey, a documentary on the Rev. Alex Gee’s family roots. The associate professor in the Department Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison is a dynamic speaker who appears to need no notes as she shares her deep knowledge of history. Her live online lecture will give you a taste of what she regularly offers as a presenter for Gee’s nine-week Justified Anger course in Black history. The $75 ticket price will support the group’s efforts to build a virtual learning platform.

Teens Open Art Studio: Poetry, July 27-31, 2 pm: Summer enrichment classes. So different from "summer school," which is what you might end up taking after you fail algebra. Summer enrichment was the fun stuff you didn't have time to take during the regular school year, like art and creative writing. And that's exactly what this four-week workshop series for teens from Communication focuses on. The series kicks off with a week-long session devoted to poetry, with guidance and inspiration by Tiffany Lee. Illustration, mixed media and comics, and papermaking are the topics in following weeks. Art kits will be made for students and can be picked up at Communication; drop-offs can also be arranged. This project is free and funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board. Limit of 20 students. Sign up for one week or all four here.

Insect "Rockstars" of the Garden, Monday, July 28, noon: It’s that time of year again when many of us are consumed with swatting away mosquitos if we dare venture out at dawn and dusk, when those blood-thirsty ne'er-do-wells are most active. So it’s good to be reminded of all the ways insects contribute to our ecosystem. This Badger Talks lecture with UW Arboretum staff should do that. Karen Oberhauser (who studies monarch butterflies), Susan Carpenter (bumble bees), and Brad Herrick (dragonflies) will talk about how insects do good by pollinating plants and controlling pests, among other things. But populations are on the decline. Hear how staff at the Arb are supporting insects by providing needed habitat, and supporting citizen science programs to monitor species.

Locally Grown, Nationally Known, Tuesday, July 28, 6:30 pm: Have you been missing schmoozing in real life? It does have its charms, and many thrive on it. Check out "Locally Grown, Nationally Known," a fundraiser for the Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club, via Zoom, where the food, drink and grassroots activism goes virtual. A highlight will be a cooking demo featuring Wisconsin ingredients, and a similar cocktail demo, alongside discussion of how the chapter's work connects to the ingredients. Plus, trivia! The event is free, but donations are requested. Registration is required to get the Zoom link.

Larry Tye, Wednesday, July 29, 6 pm: Former Boston Globe reporter Larry Tye has covered a wide range of topics in his books, from PR pioneer Edward Bernays to baseball pioneer Satchel Paige (the excellent 2009 biography Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend). His latest book examines a legend of a much different sort, and one with Wisconsin ties (unfortunately). Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joseph McCarthy offers another look at an oft-caricatured Cold War era villain, as Tye gained access to previously sealed McCarthy documents both professional and personal. He'll discuss the book via Crowdcast at this Wisconsin Book Festival event.

Awakened By Beauty, Thursday, July 30, 2 pm: Many of us found our schedules opening up to our hobbies this spring. No movies, no concerts, no dinner dates equaled time to pursue a passel of passions too often sidelined. But in those pursuits, we have also wanted companionship, inspiration and guidance. A group of Madison "contemplative photographers" (also Buddhist practitioners) have created a four-week series of "conversations" with professional photographers to discuss their work artistically and as contemplative practice. "Awakened by Beauty" is hosted by Atwood Avenue's Threshold as part of its Virtual Wheelhouse. The series opens on July 30 with a presentation by Flint Sparks titled "Photography as a Spiritual Practice," followed in subsequent weeks by John Barclay (“Creativity and the Heart of Contemplative Photography"), Rikki Cooke ("Seeing Simply, Simply Seeing"), and Dewitt Jones ("Visual Prayers and Celebrating What's Right"). Tickets for the series, in two price tiers, are at tinyurl.com/awakenbeauty. Proceeds go to create community projects to support photography among youth and in communities of color.