Vote on April 1st!

DMI is not endorsing any candidate or position in this spring election, but we want to encourage our members and Madison and Dane County residents to participate and take part in their civic duties.

One of the biggest issues will be the determination of a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Incumbent Justice Louis Butler will face Circuit Court Judge Michael Gableman in the culmination of a sticky race similar to last year’s Supreme Court Election. The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has a handy Voter’s Guide available online if you need a crash-course on candidate qualifications.

Wisconsin residents will also be able to vote on a proposed ban of the governor’s “partial veto” power. The proposed change to the state constitution asks if there should be an amendment “to prohibit the governor, in exercising his or her partial veto authority, from creating a new sentence by combining parts of two or more sentences of the enrolled bill?”.

There are also 17 seats up for grabs on the Dane County Board of Supervisors. The Isthmus has answers from each candidate about what’s most important to them in their district.

If you live in Madison, click here to find your polling station. Dane County Polling locations are listed here. Stations are open from 7am to 8pm.

More information on candidates and issues can be found at the Wisconsin State Journal and Wispolitics.com. Now go out there and get your democratic process on!

Somebody listened!

There really are t-shirts about Madison’s winter!

Obviously this blog has become extremely influential to Madison’s mainstream.

Go big or go home

100.1, friends!!!

We, the collective population of Madison, have triumphed through a winter of OVER ONE HUNDRED inches of snow. Bravo. Kudos. Mazel tov.

Hurray for the surviving what may truly be the longest and hardest winter on record. I think certificates of merit, or at least hardiness, are due to all residents of Madison and the surrounding area. Or t-shirts. Ones that say “Don’t mess with me, I’m from Madison”.

And now for spring, and the deluge of melting snowbanks, rain and flooding. Dare we hope for another new record!?

Celebrate Saint Patty’s Day Downtown!

Winter may not be over but the first harbinger of spring is coming this weekend – St. Patrick’s Day!

What better way to celebrate real and imagined Irish heritage than to spend it downtown, enjoying the emerging green(ish) grass and the ubiquitous emerald t-shirts.

Here is a list of the best spots and events to say “slainte” and pay respects to those crazy Celts:

Friday March 14th

St. Pat’s Pub Crawl

Where: Starts at Brocach Irish Pub, ends at Brass Ring

When: 5:00-7:30pm

 The crawl “plans” to hit up Genna’s, the Great Dane and Argus as well and will be accompanied by the Curley Family Pipes & Drums.  When’s the last time you drank Guinnessi (that’s the plural form of Guinness) alongside a bagpipe?

“The Lieutenant of Inishmore”

Where: Bartell Community Theatre, 113 E Mifflin St.

When: 8:00pm

Cost: $15

A dark comedy about an Irish Liberation group that is hell-bent on avenging the death of their leader’s cat. Kind of like that time Wisconsin voted on making feral cat hunting legal, only different. Produced by the Strollers Theater.

 Saturday March 15

Dane County Shamrock Club St. Patrick’s Day Buffet

Where: Coliseum Bar

When: 12:30pm

Cost: Donation, canned food donation

Corned beef and cabbage. ‘Nuf said.

UW Women’s Tennis: WI vs. Miami (Ohio)

Where: Nielson Tennis Stadium

When: 1:00pm

Support  women’s sports and celebrate Title XI in national Women’s History Month. Saturday March 8th was International Women’s Day, but there’s no reason you can’t celebrate twice.

“My Name is Rachel Corrie”

Where: Overture Center

When: 7:30pm

A powerful one-woman play that recounts the life of a young American activist killed in a peaceful protest in the Gaza strip. Not Irish, but a significant story on conflict and the imprtance of cultural acceptance in the quest for peace.

Sunday March 16th

Too much to list here, so go to stpatsmadison.org to get a full view of what’s going on and then try to fit it all in. High on our list is the Shamrock shuffle at 10:00am and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at 1:30pm. There will also be a raffle for a FREE trip to Ireland at 3pm outside of Brocach – awesome! 

St. Pat’s Eve Celebration

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 3:00-9:00pm

Performances by Rising Gael, Tairis, Trinity Academy of Irish Dance, Greenfyre, Cashel Dennehy School of Irish Dance,  and West Wind. Trad music, step dance and wind quartets, oh my!

Monday, March 17th, St, Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day Party with The Kissers

Where: High Noon Saloon

When: 8:00pm

It’s the Kissers’ 10 year anniversary and CD release party all on the greenest party day of the year. We have found the place to be on Monday night – Tuesdays are never good days to work anyway.