This coming week, in events that get to your heart through your stomach.
Tuesday, August 10
benefit as part of it Tuesday Nights Grill Out summer series. Proceeds will go to the National Brewery Museum, maintained by the non-profit Whole Foods Market, 3313 University Ave., 4-8 p.m., donations accepted. Call 240-0409.
Bob Tomesh, a University of Wisconsin-Extension specialist in horticulture, is leading a garden walk this evening at the UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Rd., Verona, 6:30 p.m., donation requested. Call 262-2257.beer dinner this evening, one of several stand-alone events this week scheduled in anticipation of the Great Taste of the Midwest on Saturday. The five-course menu pairs locally-sourced dishes with beers from Alchemy Cafe, 1980 Atwood Ave., seatings at 5 and 8 p.m., $30. Call 204-7644 for more info.
The pre-Great Taste libations continue this evening as , a highly-regarded brewery in Chambly, Quebec. Many of its primary beers will be served, including La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistole, Blanche De Chambly, Don de Dieu, Maudite, Éphémère, La Terrible, and Quatre-Centième. Tickets can be purchased at any of the three Vintage Brewing Company, 674 S. Whitney Way, 7-8 p.m., $10. Call 204-2739 for more info.
Thursday, August 12
Community Give Back Day. in which 10% of the day's sales are donated to a local charity. The recipient for August is , 7866 Mineral Point Rd., all day. Call 833-5965 for more info.Paint the Town Blue fundraiser at the US Bank Plaza on the Capitol Square. benefit features appetizers from Ocean Grill, desserts from Daisy Cafe and Cupcakery and soiree, held at the atrium and deck of the Boardman Law Firm on the fourth floor of the Glass Bank, will be the Capitol dome, which is illuminated blue this week in support of child abuse prevention awareness. King Carnahan Visuals will be on hand to shoot professional photos of guests posing in front of the Capitol. Attire can be casual, formal, or anywhere in-between, but a blue element is strongly encouraged. US Bank Building, 1 S. Pinckney St., 6-9 p.m., $50. Call 241-3434 to RSVP and for more info.
of Kalamazoo, Michigan are teaming up this evening to put on a special beer dinner in anticipation of the Great Taste. The menu features: an amuse bouche of duck confit with sage cracker and blackberry gastrique, paired with Oberon; a first course of steamed Penn Cove mussels with chorizo, pickled peppers, and crostini, paired with Bell's Porter; a second course of pan seared halibut cheeks with braised fennel and tomato broth, paired with Bell's Pale Ale; a third course of barbecued St. Louis pork ribs with Brickhouse sauce, creamy potato salad, corn on the cob, and basil butter, paired with Bell's Amber Ale; a fourth course of smoked lamb chops with pistachio risotto, collard greens, and cherry-balsamic demi glace, paired with Bell's Cherry Stout; a fifth course of arugula salad with candied walnuts, shaved Parmesan, and citrus vinaigrette, paired with Two-Hearted Ale; and, a sixth course of fried beignet with goat cheese ice cream and Batch-9000 caramel sauce, paired with Batch 9000 Ale. Brickhouse BBQ, 408 W. Gorham St., 6-8 p.m., $60. Call 257-7675 for more info.
Friday, August 13
'Twas the night before the preview parties and tastings the night before the event are growing larger and more popular every year. All around Madison, happy hour-bar time.
Saturday, August 14
The Stoughton Coffee Break Festival is an annual celebration of the time-honored workday tradition, which is reputed to have its origins among Norwegian immigrant wives who found employment sorting tobacco in the Dane County community. The fun at this 13th annual festival includes a car and motorcycle show, an arts and crafts show, the 5K Java Jog and a one-mile family run, live music, children's activities, and more. The centerpiece of the event, though, is the Coffee Brew-Off, which will feature brews from True Coffee Roasters, Watershed Community Church with Ancora Coffee, Firefly Coffeehoues with Kickapoo Coffee, Door County Coffee, and OrGano "Healthy" Coffee. Mandt Park, 321 S. Fourth St., Stoughton, 8:30 a.m.- 7 p.m., free. Call 873-7912 for more info.
Kids who live in the food and school supplies drive today in front of Franklin Elementary School. Community members are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items, for distribution through the St. Mark's Lutheran Church food pantry, as well as new and gently used school supplies, which will be provided to families that attend Franklin, Randall, Lincoln, and Thoreau schools. There will also be a free will donation bake sale and lemonade stand at the event as part of the effort. Franklin Elementary School, 305 W. Lakeside St., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Call 772-1242 for more info.The India Day celebrations today. The fun at the party includes Bollywood, Bharatanatyam, and Kathak dances, vendors selling Indian clothes and costume jewelry, booths displaying traditional Indian dolls, and a Mehendi stall where revelers can get henna tattoos. There will also be food stalls selling chat, pakora, samosa, chana masala, chicken, nan, vada, sambar, lassie, desserts, and more. Capitol Square, 100 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., free Call 845-9644 for more info.
Madison locavores are encouraged to stop by the front courtyard of the Good Neighburgers, a benefit cookout for Willy Street Co-op, 1221 Williamson St., 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $5. Call 251-6776 for more info.
Old Sugar Distillery is celebrating the debut this month of its new Cane and Abe Freshwater Rum by throwing a grand opening party this afternoon with music by Darrin James. Originally named "Spirits of Madison," the distillery released its inaugural creation, Old Sugar Factory Honey Liqueur, back in February. Its east side facilities are also open on Thursdays and Fridays for free tours and tastings. Old Sugar Distillery, 931 E. Main St., noon-6 p.m., free. Call Call 260-0812 for more info.
The Great Taste of the Midwest returns to Madison today with an estimated 750 beers from more than 120 breweries. Don't expect to just walk in, though, as tickets sold out within an hour of going on sale back in May. For those who did manage to acquire tickets, more information is provided in a FAQ about the festival. Olin-Turville Park, 1156 Olin-Turville Court, 1-6 p.m., originally $40 and now whatever resale price one can find.
Sunday, August 15
Today marks the last chance to pig out at the Wisconsin State Fair until next summer. The cream puff to the burgeoning ranks of food on a stick, along with pretty much any and every edible product grown, raised, foraged, and/or concocted from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Details about the what and where of this colossal feast can are provided in a food map covering 19 sections of the fair. Wisconsin State Fair Park. 8100 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, $9 admission. Call 800-884-3247 for more info.
The Triangle Ethnic Fest. A celebration of the long history of cultural diversity in the Greenbush neighborhood, the festival features performances by more than a dozen traditional and contemporary music and dance groups, along with arts and crafts vendors and kids' activities. A global array of food vendors will be on hand, including the Italian-American Women's Club, Jamerica, Viet Cart, Vientianne Restaurant, Cafe Costa Rica, Loose Juice and several other vendors. Bayview Triangle, 301 Bayview at the end of Braxton Pl., 11 a.m.-6 p.m., free. Call 256-7808 for more info.
Military Families for Peace and Military Family Compassion Groups are holding their annual cookout this afternoon. Speakers at this potluck include WISC assignment manager Ric Blume, Isthmus news editor Bill Lueders, and One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to pass. Rennebohm Park, 115 N. Eau Claire Ave., 4-8 p.m., donations encouraged. Call 277-1249 for more info.
