Isthmus Picks (June 18-25)

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Isthmus Picks have long been a staple of our publication. At one point they were called Critics Choice, but the content has always been a curated list of the area's top entertainment. In recent weeks, we've been highlighting a wider range of community events (so far, still mostly happening online) in the Isthmus Picks section of the calendar. You can still find them collected here, and sprinkled throughout all the events. With our print publication still on pause, we thought it might also be handy to have our Picks in a single weekly post.

Lunch for Libraries, Thursday, June 18, noon: The Madison Public Library Foundation’s 2020 Lunch for Libraries will be a livestreamed fundraiser with Mark Bittman, who will be interviewed by To the Best of Our Knowledge producer Shannon Henry Kleiber. Bittman is not only the author of the big cookbook How to Cook Everything (how does one move on from that title, you ask?) but also a passionate advocate for conscious eating, which means more greens and whole grains and a lot less meat. He’s even suggested becoming a vegan before 6 pm. Bittman focuses on clearly written, very cookable recipes. And he’s no fan of b.s., in print, live or via livestream. Individual tickets are $75 for the event and include a copy of Bittman’s book How to Eat (or, for $125, add a Wisconsin Book Festival annual membership). A link to join the livestream on Crowdcast will be sent following ticket purchase.

Creation Story: The Clam Lake Mounds, Thursday, June 18, noon: Miss those noontime brown bag history talks at the Wisconsin Historical Museum? Or maybe it's one of those things you never got around to taking advantage of. Now you can brown-bag it virtually, via a free Historic Preservation Month webinar from the State Historic Preservation Office. State Archaeologist John Broihahn will tell the story of mounds on Clam Lake — yes, that Clam Lake, the one way up by Cable where your high school friend's mom and dad had a cabin. The mound site at Clam Lake dates back 1,000 years, and contemporary exploration of it 85 years. RSVP here; you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar, rescheduled from May 28.

Stacey Abrams, Thursday, June 18, 7 pm: Democratic rising star Stacey Abrams and Democratic Party of Wisconsin chair Ben Wikler will discuss Abrams' just-released book, Our Time Is Now. Abrams, who was narrowly defeated in the race for Georgia governor (though she has not conceded), is a frequently mentioned veep candidate for presumptive Dem nominee Joe Biden; she is currently the chair of Fair Fight Action, a voter rights group, and founder of Fair Count, a group promoting a thorough census count. Abrams says of Our Time Is Now: "This is a narrative that describes the urgency that compels me and millions more to push for a different American story than the one being told today. It's a story that is one part danger, one part action, and all true. It's a story about how and why we fight for our democracy and win." RSVP here for this Wisconsin Book Festival virtual event.

Juneteenth Celebration, Through June 20: Juneteenth is different this year. The celebration marks the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved people in Texas, the last of the Confederate states to do so, thereby ending slavery. This year, the Saturday picnic has been replaced by virtual events both educative and entertaining, streaming at the Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self Determination Facebook page. On Thursday at 4:30 pm, the UW-Madison Black Law Students Association leads a panel discussion on legal studies and the law; 7 pm brings a spoken word open mic with featured poets T.S. Banks, Monica Davidson, Rob Dz and Derek Johnson (open mic performers can register here). Friday features music and a talk by singer-songwriter Adrian Dunn (6:30 pm), virtual line dance lessons led by DJ Ace (7 pm), and a Black music tribute by DJ M White (8 pm). Saturday includes a youth performance showcase at noon; and panel discussions at 1 and 2 pm, centering on health issues and COVID-19, led by Dr. Jack Daniels of Madison College, community health worker Sheray Wallace, Alia Stevenson of The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, the Rev. Marcus Allen Sr., pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and many others. Saturday also features a history of African American foodways and cooking demo online (11 am) and a virtual family dinner at 6 pm (with 100 prep boxes for families; pre-register for both here). For more info: juneteenthmadison.com.

As You Like It, Friday, June 19, 7 pm: Look on the bright side: There are no mosquitoes and no rain-outs with these virtual play readings from American Players Theatre. William Shakespeare's As You Like It is a perfect piece of summer entertainment: not as silly as A Midsummer Night's Dream, yet just as celebratory of the magic of retreating to the countryside to find true love. Rosalind (Melisa Pereyra) is one of the Bard's wittiest heroines, and Jaques (Tracy Michelle Arnold) one of his wittiest fools. Log on for the Facebook livestream with your at-home picnic, or watch any time until July 26 on the PBS Wisconsin website. Read Gwendolyn Rice’s review of the first installment of the series here.

Ced Ba'etch' CD release, Friday, June 19, The Bur Oak, 8 pm: The Bur Oak, you may ask? It's the new name for the Venue on Winnebago Street, which is celebrating its reopening and rebranding with a CD release concert by Ced Ba'etch'. La Pochade Suivante is the second solo CD by the painter and Mal-O-Dua member, and features his distinctive fingerstyle guitar work and vocals sung in French. It's worth noting that the only place you can get Ba'etch's CDs is at shows; the music will not be streaming or sold online. For the time being The Bur Oak will operate at limited capacity, so advance tickets are recommended.

Loop the Lake, Through June 21: It turns out that riding a bicycle around the lake is more of a state of mind than a specific route on a map. This year's Loop the Lake fundraiser for the Clean Lakes Alliance is a little loosey goosey, as folks can cycle, run, walk or paddle "anywhere at any distance" from Monday, June 15, through Sunday, June 21, in order to free up social distancing space that would be limited if everyone were heading out on the same route at the same time. A $35 entry fee goes to fund lake improvement projects, water quality monitoring, and educational programs. Event organizers have a lot of fun ideas for personalizing your adventures, from looping multiple lakes to creating your own takeout-centric food tour loop. Register here.

Sweet Delta Duo, Saturday, June 20, Brink Lounge, 9 pm: Jack Peterson (guitar) and Jeff Clarke (bass) of jam rockers Sweet Delta Dawn have begun playing some shows as a duo, and they will bring it to the Brink Lounge as the venue dips a toe back into the live music waters Saturday night. Judging by a pair of sampler tracks posted on Soundcloud, the lower-key duo format allows Sweet Delta Duo's harmony vocal work to shine. This show is a fundraiser for downtown Madison businesses struggling due to the pandemic and damage from recent protests.

Make Music Madison, Sunday, June 21, all day: Make Music Madison is part of a global celebration taking place in more than 120 countries. There are a dizzying amount of events happening virtually, from lessons, livestreams, one-person marching bands, and lots of safely distanced mini-concerts. Find the global livestream here; a schedule of Madison performers will be posted on makemusicmadison.org. Or, set up in your driveway or porch and let the creativity flow. It's all capped off from 8-9 pm with Drumming from Your Doorstep, where everyone is encouraged to make joyful noise with household members.

The Next 400, Sunday, June 21, Cafe Coda, 7 pm: The Willy Street jazz club reopens with distanced seating — indoors and out — and a powerhouse roster of musicians offering a retrospective look at 400 years of Black life in this unequal nation. Donations support the GoFundMe campaign to keep Cafe Coda alive and help compensate musicians traveling for the gig. Performers include club owner Hanah Jon Taylor (woodwinds), Kirk Brown (piano/keyboard), Yosef Ben Israel (bass), Meredith Nesbitt (cello), Kevin Carnes (percussion), and Rob Dz, R.R. Moore and G'Ra (spoken word). Audience limited to 50 in person (please RSVP), but it is also being livestreamed.

Jerry Awards, Sunday, June 21, 7 pm: The cancellation of many student musical productions was part of the heartbreak caused by the interruption in theater company seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Overture Center's annual Jerry Awards celebrate those performers, this year on Facebook Live with a 90-minute show including award announcements, clips from musical theater performances, and special guests. Along with celebrating the up-and-coming talent in our state, the show plans to honor the productions that were not able to be staged or reviewed by the Jerry Awards this year. “We’re going to give them the honors and recognition they deserve,” the show's co-host Tim Sauers says in a press release. See the list of recipients here. Note: The virtual event was rescheduled for June 21.

Equity in Music and Entertainment, Monday, June 22, noon: Madison's hip-hop community has worked for years to achieve equal access for all in the local arts scene, eventually leading to the formation of the city of Madison Task Force on Equity in Music and Entertainment. The task force's final report of 31 specific recommendations worked its way through the city's committee structure and was accepted by the Common Council in 2019. But has Madison government taken any concrete action since then? The city and Urban Community Arts Network, a key task force partner, will host a town hall meeting to discuss next steps to make the recommendations a reality. Limited spots are available to participate via Zoom, or watch a livestream on YouTube. Musical performances will be by Josh Cohen, Lo Marie and Supa Friends.

Gardens Will Save the World, Tuesday, June 23, noon: Right now the Allen Centennial Garden on the UW-Madison campus is closed to visitors due to COVID-19 but there is a next-best-thing: join a virtual tour led by gardens director Benjamin Futa. Futa will be talking about how gardens are more than the “sum of their plants,” and have the potential to foster healthy and resilient communities. The garden serves as the outdoor classroom for UW horticulture students and is actually made up of several types of gardens, including the Meadow Garden, Rock Garden, English Garden and French Garden. Find this Badger Talks event on Facebook Live.

Drag Queen Bingo, Tuesday, June 23, 7 pm: Although the summer tradition of concerts on the Memorial Union Terrace is paused due to the pandemic, the Wisconsin Union Directorate's Music Committee is back with a virtual bingo contest to help celebrate Pride Month. The caller will be Cynthia Lee Fontaine, a contestant on seasons eight and nine of RuPaul's Drag Race, and the winners of each round will win prizes. RSVP here for this free event, taking place on Zoom; generate your virtual bingo card here.

Partners for Change, Wednesday, June 24, 11:30 am: Unfortunately, many people released from prison end up back in the system. Madison-area Urban Ministry has been working to break that cycle for some four decades. The group assesses the needs, barriers and strengths of returning citizens and provides support services in the areas of housing, employment, education treatment and transportation. This year the organization will livestream its annual awards ceremony and program update on its Facebook page and YouTube channel. It also promises to announce some big news.

Our Kind of Happy Hour, Wednesday, June 24, 6 pm: The beauty of a virtual happy hour is you can create your own vibe, going the sherry and Goldfish Crackers route, or opting to pair a cold PBR with prosciutto and ricotta. At this Chazen Museum of Art social hosted on Facebook, UW-Madison professor of art Fred Stonehouse will discuss his piece in the 2020 Faculty Exhibition, "Death Enters the Golden City." Stonehouse's work owes much to outsider art. Surreal and macabre, his images seem an uncanny reflection of the current zeitgeist. Maybe he'll even talk about how COVID-19 has inspired new work.

Drive-in Concerts on the Square, Wednesday, June 24, Warner Park Duck Pond, 7 or 8:45 pm: The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra had hoped to begin its summer Concerts on the Square program after a several weeks’ delay, but for now the first four concerts are moved to 2021 (the final two concerts are currently scheduled for Aug. 25 and Sept. 1 at Breese Stevens Field). In their stead, WCO will host screenings of past concerts June 24 and July 22 at the Warner Park Duck Pond. June's program, at 7 and 8:45 pm, features the 2015 concert "S'Wonderful," with soprano Amanda Huddleston and tenor Andrew Clark. Find ticket information (and a livestream) at wcoconcerts.org.

Marquette Bungalows Walking Tour, Thursday, June 25, from 1480 Spaight St., 6 pm: The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation's summer tour calendar kicks off in a popular and charming two-block area of 1920s bungalows grouped near Marquette Elementary School. These quaint Craftsman-style cottages are in good shape, lovingly kept up and/or restored by their owners, and represent a uniformity of style not often seen in Madison blocks. This guided tour full of historical and architectural info is actual and not a virtual walk; tickets must be purchased in advance and attendance will be capped to facilitate social distancing. Tickets are $10/adults, $5/students, and free for Madison Trust members. The bungalows tour repeats at 11 am on Aug. 1 and 6 pm on Aug. 27; for more tours, visit the Madison Trust website.

Editor's Note: Updated info has been added to the Cafe Coda pick.