Breeze or Hurricane?

Both can be enjoyed because you’re in the know with Isthmus Picks for June 24-July 1

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Madison Children's Museum reopening, Thursday, June 24, 100 N. Hamilton St., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. : Following a members' only soft opening earlier in June, the wonderland for tots that is Madison Children's Museum is once again opening for the general public as of June 24. However, for the time being it's not quite as simple as strolling in at any time. Tickets ($12 for ages 1 & up) must be purchased in advance online, and are designated for arrival during a specific hour of the day, and are good through the end of that day. Masks must be worn by everyone ages 3 and up. The museum is currently open Thursdays through Sundays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For more guidelines and to purchase tickets, see madisonchildrensmuseum.org/visit.

Summer Breeze, Thursday-Friday, June 24-25, Olbrich Gardens, 4-9 p.m.: Olbrich Gardens remains one of Madison’s favorite getaways, winter and summer, but there is a certain decorum one maintains as one strolls the flagstone walkways...usually. Summer Breeze encourages visitors to let down their hair a little. If this were your own private garden, you could have a drink, play some bocce, dance. Well, now you can do all that at Olbrich. Kubb, Pass the Pigs, giant dice, Twister, ping-pong, dominos, playing cards, hopscotch, hula hoops, blowing bubbles and a flamingo ring toss will be on hand, plus DJ GinJahviTiz (Thursday) and DJ Fabulove (Friday) as well as other performers. Consider that there will be beer and cocktails, and food from Banzo, La Taguara and the Chocolate Shoppe...you may never want to leave. Admission at the gate ($15/$10 members) helps keep the gardens free for everyone. There is an additional cost for food and beverages (no carry-ins) and face masks are optional.

Cork ’n Bottle String Band, Thursday, June 24, UW Memorial Union Terrace, 7 p.m.: This bluegrass band’s extended residency at long lost Ken’s Bar, just off the Capitol Square, is fondly remembered by music fans and the many local musicians who attended the weekly gigs. (Maybe remembered isn’t quite the right word for some of us, thanks to copious pints quaffed.) Ken’s may be gone but one of Cork ’n Bottle’s long-time alternate haunts, the Union Terrace, is again open to the public. After celebrating its 25th anniversary in May, Cork ’n Bottle will make an assuredly triumphant post-COVID return, aided by their robust recent schedule of socially distanced barn practices.

Jenny Kalvaitis + Kristen Whitson, Thursday, June 24, 7 p.m.: Authors Jenny Kalvaitis and Kristen Whitson will discuss the new book We Will Always Be Here: A Guide to Exploring and Understanding the History of LGBTQ+ Activism in Wisconsin, during this Zoom launch event co-hosted by Woodland Pattern Book Center, Milwaukee Pride and Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Aimed at engaging and educating young people, the book tells stories of LGBTQ+ people and allies whose activist efforts have been often overlooked. The Pride Month event will include the authors leading a panel discussion with teens to discuss the book’s contents and other aspects of LGBTQ+ history in Wisconsin.

Within These Walls: Stories of Home, Thursday, June 24, Overture Center-Promenade Hall, 7:30 p.m.: Forward Theater Company returns with its biennial monologue festival, exploring the meaning of the word “home” and what it is to belong. The festival features 12 original monologues by playwrights throughout the country, and many who are new to the festival (including Dane County residents Emily Glick, Amber Palmer and Opal Tomashevska). Performances will be at 75 percent capacity, and masks will be required for all attendees. Tickets to the festival are $29. ALSO: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 25-27; on-demand streaming (choose this option at purchase) available June 27-30.

Tuttle-Greuel Experience, Friday, June 25, The Sylvee, 6 p.m.: Adam Greuel is familiar to Madison audiences as guitarist-singer for Stevens Point-based string band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, and more recently as a member of the Americana supergroup The High Hawks. Kyle Tuttle was the 2017 Walnut Valley National Bluegrass Banjo Contest winner and a Nashville-based musician who has worked with many jamgrass stars, including a stint in the Jeff Austin Band. For this free show on the Sylvee Side Stage, Greuel and Tuttle will play as a duo, but fans should note they’ve also been recently playing in a trio with Larry Keel Experience mandolin player Jared Pool, resulting in the just-released album Cosmic Nudge.

Kat & the Hurricane (EP release), Friday, June 25, Robinia Courtyard, 8 p.m.: The annual Hot Summer Gays concert series kicks off with a barn burner. Synth pop trio Kat & the Hurricane celebrates the release of The Sorry EP, which employs their intriguing mix of acoustic and electronic textures in a set of anthemic new cuts. They are joined on the bill by sets from rapper K.I.L.O aka SkitL’z, local pop quartet LINE, and DJs Saint Saunter and Femme Noir.

Days of Reflection, Through Friday, June 25: More than a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the continuation of systemic injustice and violence towards Black, Indigenous, Asian American and other community members of color, has affected all of us. The city of Madison’s Neighborhood Resource Teams invite individuals, businesses and community organizations to participate in Days of Reflection. Take some time during the week to slow down and recognize what everyone in the community has been through, whether by journaling, gathering together, creating or viewing art, taking walks, or participating in other solo or group activities. Find information on community events (or submit your own event) at namidanecounty.org.

Serendipity Saturday, Saturday, June 26, various MPL branches, noon-2 p.m.: Madison Public Library is helping kids get back in the groove with drop-in events from noon-2 p.m. each Saturday as part of its We Read program. At multiple library locations, activities geared towards kids ages 4-plus will take place — outside and safely. These might include planting seeds, creating robots from recycled materials and of course signing up for a library card. On June 26 activities are at Alicia Ashman, Goodman South Madison and Lakeview branches. Find more information and future events here.

GSAFE Celebration of Leadership, Saturday, June 26, Monona Terrace, 5 p.m.: This year marks 25 years of awards from Madison-based organization GSAFE, which works to help ensure equitable school communities for LGBTQ+ Wisconsin students. Help celebrate with a return to an in-person event honoring educators and student scholarship winners, also featuring a social hour, light meal, music from DJ Martinez M White, and a silent auction. Find tickets here, as well as information about participating in the silent auction online.

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Saturday, June 26, 7:30 p.m.: “Brave New World” is an on-point title for the 2021 concert series by Madison-based chamber musicians Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society. Each concert (also individually named for iconic books) will premiere on Saturdays, June 12-July 3, and remain available on demand through Sept. 1. The Russian-themed June 26 concert, “The Master and Margarita,” features works by Lera Auerbach, Modest Mussorgsky and Dmitri Shostakovich. For more information on performers and repertoire, visit bachdancing.org, where you can also find information on one-on-one concerts/talks on Zoom with BDDS performers.

Tenney-Lapham Art Walk, Sunday, June 27, 1-5 p.m.: Following the recent heat wave, temps are predicted to be much more seasonal during the next week...which means it’s the perfect time for a jaunt in the neighborhood between Tenney and Reynolds parks for the annual Tenney-Lapham Art Walk. Works on display range from puppets (by Ken Vogel) to paintings (Frank Lind, Sharon Redinger and others) to glass flowers (Jeannette Deloya and Patti Coffey). Find more info on the artists and a map at tenneylapham.org, or pick up a map on Sunday at 408 Washburn Place.

Live Well @ Your Library, Sunday, June 27, Pinney Library, 1-3 p.m.: Live Well @ Your Library is a new series of wellness events brought to you by Madison Public Library, Be Well Madison and Wisconsin Mujer. Focused on reflection, the first event — open to adults and children — will include chair yoga, community conversations and dance, as well as self-guided writing (in both Spanish and English) and crafting activities. The series continues on the fourth Sunday of each month through September, with future themes of renewal, restoration and celebration. Register here for the free event.

Benny Benack III Quartet , Sunday, June 27, Cafe CODA, 7 p.m.: A dynamic trumpet player and swinging vocalist, Benny Benack III is perhaps most widely known as a singer with the touring sensation that is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. But Benack is also making a name for himself in the jazz world as both a charismatic interpreter of standards and a songwriter/arranger; on his most recent album, A Lot of Livin’ to Do, he manages to put a jazz sheen on “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” aka the theme to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Benack finishes a brief Midwest tour at Cafe CODA accompanied by a trio led by Chicago pianist Jeremy Kahn; tickets here.

Democratic Senate Candidates Forum, Tuesday, June 29, noon: While it may feel like the 2020 election just happened (or may never end), the campaigning for some 2022 races began even before last November. One of the most hotly-contested seats in the U.S. Senate is sure to be that currently held by Oshkosh Republican Ron Johnson, who has pledged in the past not to run again but is currently leaving his plans undefined. So far there are five declared Democratic candidates — Gillian Battino, Sarah Godlewski, Chris Larson, Alex Lasry and Tom Nelson. The quintet will participate in a Q&A hosted by WisPolitics.com (along with one possible candidate, Steven Olikara). Register here for a link to the webinar.

It Takes a Village, Tuesday, June 29, Penn Park, noon-5 p.m.: Learn about available resources for south-side residents and reconnect with community members at a community resource fair hosted by Goodman South Madison Library. Learn more about the library’s services, as well as those offered by Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, Odyssey Project, Operation Fresh Start, South Side Planning Committee, Tales with Big T, Urban Triage and other organizations. The festivities also include free books for kids (from Madison Reading Project), food, story times, a DJ, and Madison police and fire vehicle displays, as well as a free, mobile COVID-19 vaccine clinic by Public Health of Madison and Dane County. Register here for this free event.

National Women’s Music Festival, Wednesday, June 30-Sunday, July 4: This annual fest celebrating women in the arts — and serving as a counterbalance to under-representation in the music industry — debuted in 1974 on the campus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and has been taking place in Middleton since 2008. As in 2020, the 2021 edition will be a virtual fest, streaming on the Mandolin platform, but there’s a silver lining to the fest remaining online: a festival pass is a super bargain at $50. That includes four days of stage performances (including Holly Near & Jan Martinelli, Big Bad Gina, Tammy Lynne Hall and many others), as well as a plethora of workshops, talks, film screenings, open mics and more. Find tickets and schedules at nwmf.info.

Make Way for Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 30, UW Cinematheque, 5 & 7 p.m.: UW Cinematheque kicks off its summer series of free film screenings at 4070 Vilas Hall with Leo McCarey’s Make Way for Tomorrow. In the 1937 American drama, a couple (Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi) facing homelessness are forced to seek financial help from their adult children. Close to 16 months after Cinematheque halted screenings due to the pandemic, it returns to in-person screenings Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings through August 6. Seating for these free screenings will be socially distanced in accordance with UW-Madison policy, and to help make up for space constraints most films will screen twice an evening. See the full schedule at cinema.wisc.edu.  

Kathleen Ernst, Thursday, July 1, Mystery to Me, 7 p.m.: Kathleen Ernst will be reading from her new poetry collection, Balancing: Poems of the Female Immigrant Experience in the Upper Midwest 1830-1930 — a topic that may resonate with you if your family has lived in these parts for a couple generations. Ernst looks carefully at the first wave of pioneers, mostly New England Yankees, but also researched later immigrants from all over Europe. Balancing will be released on July 1 by Little Creek Press. Attendance is free, but pre-registration for the Crowdcast stream is required. Ernst will sign books pre-ordered through Mystery to Me.

Rough Crossing, Thursday, July 1, American Players Theatre, Spring Green, 8 p.m.: You had us at Tom Stoppard. Rough Crossing, by the storied British playwright, is taken from another play (by the Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár). The themes are pure Stoppard — a meta look at theater, with wordplay and wit in every line of the script. This is all APT’s wheelhouse, to be sure. The cast features Kelsey Brennan, David Daniel, Jamal James, Josh Krause, James Ridge and Marcus Truschinski. In repertory through Aug. 7; the coming week includes performances at 8 p.m. July 2-3, 6 p.m. on July 4 and 7:30 pm, July 6-8. Tickets here.

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.