Through all kinds of weather

Bundle up for the WUD Winter Carnival, in Isthmus Picks for Feb. 4-11

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Winter Carnival, Feb. 3-7, UW Memorial Union/Lake Mendota: Traditionally a cure for cabin fever, this year's Winter Carnival was planned as an antidote to being cooped up. For months. The Wisconsin Union's original schedule focused on the outdoors, and unfortunately due to the predicted winter storm and following bitter cold, many of those activities are now postponed. But never fear, there are some virtual events, too, including a fabulous Winter Lady Liberty DIY contest, in which you can create your own Statue of Liberty from anything. Some events and activities require pre-registration and have limited capacities; for an update on the schedule and registration links, visit union.wisc.edu/wintercarnival.

Data Science Research Bazaar, Thursday, Feb. 4, and Wednesday, Feb. 10 1 pm: Data are more indispensable than ever, and more and more of our everyday interactions are now a datum point collected somewhere. So, understanding how to use such information is a valuable skill for both researchers and the general public. The Data Science Hub at UW-Madison is hosting its second "research bazaar" as a series of virtual programs with an overall focus on using data for social good. Upcoming talks include "Flourishing in the Digital Age" by Dr. Shilagh Mirgain (1 pm on Feb. 4), and interactive discussions and workshops on the intersections of racial equity and technology (Feb. 10). Sessions take place through Feb. 25. Find the schedule and register here for the free livestreams.

February Sky, Friday, Feb. 5, 7:30 pm: Veterans of the competitive Chicago folk music scene, Phil Cooper and Susan Urban joined forces as February Sky in 2007, and since 2009 have lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Mixing traditional American and Celtic folk songs and original material written by Urban, the duo keeps the folk tradition alive with Cooper's intricate guitar playing and homespun harmony singing. They make a virtual return to Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse for a Friday evening livestream concert.

CANCELED: Kites on Lake Mendota, Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 6-7, 10 am-3 pm: Enough room for social distancing is not a problem when your venue is a frozen Lake Mendota. It's like, hey, where did this big treeless park come from? Kites on Mendota will feature 20 large show kites, plus skydivers with colorful parachutes from the Seven Hills Skydiving Club will be making ice landings throughout the day on Saturday. It's all a benefit for the Clean Lakes Alliance and, also, something different to do. Kites on Mendota hopes to raise $1,000 per kite in the sky, with a $20,000 goal; donations can be made here. The center of the activity will be in front of The Edgewater, but prime kite-watching can also be had at the Memorial Union, James Madison Park, Tenney Park, Picnic Point and basically anyplace with a clean sight line to The Edgewater. Bundle up, it's gonna be chilly. UPDATE: The cold will win this round; due to the forecast, this event is canceled.

Bald Eagle Watching Days, Saturday, Feb. 6, 1 pm: The Wisconsin River valley in the Sauk Prairie region is an area preferred by overwintering bald eagles. Ferry Bluff Eagle Council president Jeb Barzen will talk about why that is and give an update on this year's eagle spotting as part of the Feb. 6 edition of the council's series of Bald Eagle Watching Days webcasts. Also featured this week are encore presentations of a talk on eagles in Native American culture by Art Shegonee and a Q&A on rehabilitating eagles with Raptor Education Group founder Marge Gibson. Although the council's bus trips can't take place, a pair of self-guided tour maps are available for those who feel like taking a drive to spot birds in the wild.

(Almost) Making "Let's Eat Mary", Saturday, Feb. 6, 7 pm: As of March 2020, Rotate Theatre Company had started rehearsals of Let's Eat Mary, a new play by Brooke Allen imagining future actions of the Bennet sisters after the ending of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The premiere was set for May at various locations in Madison...but we were all homebound by then. The cast and crew reflect on the process of preparing the play for the stage, and the unexpected sudden pause, in this one-time-only webcast on YouTube.

Snow Sculpture Competition, through Feb. 28: Whether you're cursing or loving the snow, there is no question there's a lot of it. So why not use it for a higher purpose? The Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club is looking to build support for public lands and that starts with the fluffy white stuff. Build a snow sculpture, snap a photo, and send it to the club along with a short quote about why access to public lands is important to you. The deadline for entries is Feb. 28. Starting March 1, voting will open on the club's Facebook and Instagram pages and the winners will be announced by the end of the week. Register here.

DATE CORRECTION: This event will actually take place on Feb. 21, not Feb. 7: Iva Ugrčić & Satoko Hayami, Sunday, Feb. 7, noon: Flutist Iva Ugrčić has performed around the world as a soloist and ensemble member, and came to Madison to earn a doctoral degree in flute performance at UW-Madison. In addition to founding the LunART Festival, Ugrčić has performed with various regional ensembles and currently is a member of Black Marigold Wind Quintet and Sound Out Loud. Pianist Satoko Hayami has also performed and taught piano around the world, and is a current UW doctoral candidate. The duo plays works by Valerie Coleman, André Jolivet and Carl Reinecke during this livestream as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater's new Wisconsin Sound Series, featuring Madison-area performers. Tickets here.

The Niceties, through Feb. 7, anytime: It's the final weekend to stream Forward Theater Company's production of the Eleanor Burgess play The Niceties, in which a Black college student (played by Samantha Newcomb) and a white professor (Sarah Day) disagree about the student's thesis on the roots of the American Revolution. The discussion soon heads into territory that may have an impact far beyond the professor's office. Find tickets here to view the play anytime through Feb. 7; a series of talkbacks with the actors and director will also be available, via Zoom.

Steve Wynn & Linda Pitmon, Sunday, Feb. 7, 7 pm: Singer-guitarist Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and drummer-singer Linda Pitmon (Zuzu's Petals) are members of The Baseball Project, and also happen to be married. The duo is in the middle of the "Impossible Tour," featuring back-to back shows from their New York City rehearsal space tailored for venues on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean...including a show this Sunday for Madison's own Kiki's House of Righteous Music, where Wynn and Pitmon have played various concerts in the past. Until we are able to visit Kiki's basement again, this pay-what-you-can livestream is the next best thing to being there (and actually has a bit bigger capacity via the magic of StageIt).

Song Space, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 pm: A new monthly songwriters showcase hosted by Communication, Song Space is coordinated by Madison musicians Heidi Forney (of The Bitter Nothings) and Karen Wheelock. The series plans to be "focused on allowing people to show their uniqueness through music and their engagement through listening," and will feature songs and stories in the round. Song Space makes its debut virtually via Facebook Live, with performances by Crowe, Lynn Hadley-Gillitzer (of 6.4 Sunday), Rory Harris, Mackenzie Moore and Heather Rae.

C'mon — Wisconsin Needs Clean Energy! Tuesday, Feb. 9, 7 pm: On Feb. 2, Alliant Energy announced the pending retirement of its last coal-burning plant in Wisconsin, Columbia Energy Center in Portage. The League of Women Voters of Dane County's next Issues Forum features a panel discussion on the positives of the transition to clean energy in the state, via Zoom. Panelists include Scott Coenen (Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum), Sam Dunaiski (RENEW Wisconsin) and Kenneth Walz (Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education at Madison Area Technical College), with moderator Carol Barford (director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment at UW-Madison).

Ranch Dressing: The Wisconsin Post World War II Landscape, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 7 pm: Architectural historian Jim Draeger is always worth listening to. The former state historic preservation officer is the co-author of a book about Wisconsin bars and another about gas stations. During this event sponsored by Madison Trust for Historic Preservation, he talks about a form of architecture ubiquitous in the state: the ranch house. The talk will take place via Zoom. Tickets are $10; register here.

Turtle Island Confederacies: Relationships and Balance, Thursday, Feb. 11, 6 pm: Been thinking about democracy lately? Same. As the received narrative about the United States and the founding fathers is being revised in many quarters these days, it might be informative to understand that white Europeans did not hatch democracy on this continent. Long before, the Three Fires Confederacy of the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were participatory democracies. The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters' Roots of Democracy Series tackles this topic with a lecture from Rebecca Webster, Margaret Ann Noodin and Richard Monette. This online discussion and Q&A, via Zoom, is open to the public with advance registration.

Four Hundred Souls, Thursday, Feb. 11, 6 pm: Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 is a new collection featuring 90 writers, each taking on a five-year period of U.S. history with essays, personal stories, political statements and other methods. Editors Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, along with contributors Nikole Hannah-Jones, Wesley Lowery and Imani Perry, will discuss the book as part of a free livestream from Barnes & Noble. Find it on Facebook or YouTube.

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 reflect weather-related postponements and a corrected date for the next Wisconsin Sound Series concert.