Madison Locally Sourced - July-August 2024

publisher & editorial director

Amy S. Johnson

lead designer Jennifer Denman

copy editor & lead writer Kyle Jacobson

sales & marketing director

Amy S. Johnson

designers

Linda Walker, Barbara Wilson

administration

Lisa Abler, Olivia Seehafer

contributing writers

Jeanne Engle, Chris Gargan, Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM, Shelly Torkelson

photographer Eric Tadsen

additional photographs

Hannah Jo Anderson, Courtney Dicmas, Brian Johnson, Liz Lauren, Catherine Nguyen, Lindsey Taylor, Caitlin Williamson

Watch for the next issue SEPT-OCT 2024

PUBLISHER from the

subscriptions

Madison Locally Sourced is available free at over 150 locations. To purchase an annual subscription (six issues), send $24 and mailing information to:

Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC, PO Box 559

McFarland, WI 53558 comments

We welcome your questions and comments:

Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC, PO Box 559

McFarland, WI 53558 mls@madisonlocallysourced.com advertise

To inquire about advertising space, please call (608) 729-4888 or email mls@madisonlocallysourced.com

all rights reserved. © 2024 No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without prior written permission from ASJ Publishing LLC.

The number of things to do in the Greater Madison area is always high, but during the spring, summer, and fall months, the number expands to include numerous outdoor activities and events.

Our already expansive choices of food increases when fabulous food cart cuisines become regular and plentiful, making our decision process an even more difficult one. In this issue, we highlight two food carts: The Walking Jerk, which has a special jerk sauce from years of working it to perfection and a menu that is entirely vegan, and The Roost, featuring the always popular fried chicken and taking it up a few levels.

Though popular year-round, bicycling is in full boom this time of year. Located on the corner of Williamson Street and John Nolen Drive, next to Lake Monona and a perfectly appropriate bike path, Machinery Row Bicycles can match you with the perfect bike, be it a road, mountain, gravel, or e-bike. They’ll make your biking experiences even more enjoyable by fitting your individual needs.

What’s summer without a visit to American Players Theatre (APT) in Spring Green? Personally, I love the theatre in any form, but having it occur outdoors makes it something truly special. Everything about the experience feels personal in this secluded setting. It’s like the players are performing just for you, and no matter how many times you go each season, each visit feels new and fresh. That’s the special gift of APT.

cover photograph

Taken by Eric Tadsen at Machinery Row Bicycles

photographs on page 3 (top left to right):

Taken by Eric Tadsen at Machinery Row Bicycles

Taken by Eric Tadsen at The Roost (bottom left to right): Catherine Nguyen from the 2022 Diversity in Conservation Internship cohort provided by Catherine Nguyen

The Merry Wives of Windsor, 2023 at American Players Theatre by Hannah Jo Anderson

We share Stoughton’s East Park Historic District as well as the work of artist Courtney Dicmas, and Dr. Lori Scarlett talks about protection from parasites for your pets. The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin also shares information about their Diversity in Conservation Internship Program; perhaps you or someone you know will be interested in pursuing it.

We hope you’ll incorporate what we’re sharing into your upcoming plans. We’re very fortunate to have so many wonderful things to experience in what we at the magazine like to call the Open Air season. See you out there!

BY KYLE JACOBSON

CARTIER Food THE WALKING JERK

Food carts are the go-to lunch hotspots in Madison, and it’s no secret why. Great food; fast service; and you’ll be eating outside, enjoying parks, sights, breweries...anywhere the carts set up. We’re excited to share two newer favorites that, if you haven’t heard of them yet, are bringing something fresh to an already eclectic scene.

The Walk ing Jerk

Madison native Daijah Wade, chef and creator of The Walking Jerk, comes from a long line of Black women who know how to liven up a kitchen. She talks about how her grandma’s Southern spirit always made the house sizzle and how her mom and every one of her aunties bring their own flair to the kitchen. As the only one compelled to open her own restaurant, Daijah finds herself playing a pivotal role in her family legacy.

The Walking Jerk - Smoked Phoenix Oyster Mushroom Taco with mango habanero pico and jerk sauce

The vision came when Daijah lived in Indianapolis. There, she served her tacos to small, local businesses, like barber shops and people she knew. “I didn’t really know what the heck I was doing. I was just doing this because I love to cook and I kind of needed the money. I was in pure survival mode.” She was at a point in her life where choosing between gas and groceries was a weekly occurrence.

As bad luck would have it, Daijah moved back to Madison in March 2020, the beginning of COVID. To cope, she tried to think of what she could do to make lockdowns easier for everyone around her. The answer came in the form of candles and body butter because, in that moment, opening a restaurant didn’t make a lot of sense.

“I really wanted to cook, but I was a little bit scared. I didn’t really know how this would turn out. Everything inside me was just driving me to follow my dreams. I couldn’t ignore it anymore. My partner, Andrew Ack, was like, ‘What do you love to do?’ I love to cook. Delicious foods are my love language. So we went back to the taco thing—I came up with this vegan jackfruit taco, and we just ran with that.”

The Walking Jerk’s menu is entirely vegan, making it stand out from other Madison food trucks with vegan options. Daijah often talks about appealing to the vegan-curious, but I don’t think that does justice to her food. Vegan-curious implies some degree of testing the waters

The Walking

Jerk's menu is entirely vegan.

The Walking Jerk - Chickpea Coconut Curry and Rice

18TH 1 1 T H - 1 8 T H

of a lifestyle to see if it’s right for an individual, but good food is just good food. Nothing to be curious about here. If you like jackfruit, a variety of locally sourced oyster mushrooms, and damn good jerk sauce, there’s no doubt this is the place for you.

Perfectionist that she is, Daijah’s jerk sauce comes from a lifetime of getting it

just right. “Jerk was something we only ate if we went to Chicago. Other than that, I didn’t really eat it, but I would crave it when I got home. I didn’t know there were jerk marinades you can use, and when I found them, they didn’t really taste like what I knew. So I started obsessing over the flavor profiles of it. When I created it on my own, my recipe was pretty off. I didn’t have the right ratio, but I had all of the ingredients. This drove me to want to create this flavor that I fell in love with.”

Green onion, thyme, garlic, ginger, a little bit of brown sugar, salt, and allspice. Throw in some Scotch bonnet peppers or habaneros and, when done right, you’re left with a truly addicting jerk sauce. To wash it down, Daijah offers a fruitof-the-day lemonade. If the jerk sauce wasn’t enough to take your brain all the way to the Caribbean, this is the islandhopping puddle jumper you needed.

Now, if you’re jerk-curious, The Walking Jerk offers a jerk platter to let you discover if the jerk lifestyle is right for you. “A jerk platter comes with red beans and rice, your choice of jerk mushrooms or the jerk jackfruit, we have a barbeque sauce now or a hot jerk sauce, and then you get some stir-fry cabbage, sweet potatoes, and macaroni.” Side note: the jerk lifestyle can be right for everyone.

Daijah is hoping to one day open a brick-and-mortar space. It’s ambitious, but that’s who she is. Big dreamer, big doer. She also knows it’s important to

take it all one step at a time. “Embrace the journey and have a lot of gratitude. Things aren’t always how you plan them to be, but just keep at it.”

This year, expect to find The Walking Jerk at a lot of pop-up events and

breweries (check out their Facebook page for up-to-date information) as Daijah seeks a more permanent spot for her food truck.

The Roost

THE ROOST

Fried chicken, the food so good they serve it in buckets. That said, I’d rather eat one freakin’ good fried chicken sandwich over several pieces of meh. Enter The Roost, Nate Krause’s Midwestern interpretation of a Southern staple giving tastebuds a reason to wake up.

Far from a classically trained chef, Nate had a short stint earning his stripes in the kitchens of Great Dane and Lombardino’s. Then COVID happens, so he and his roommate start a ghost kitchen concept in their apartment, Secret Restaurant. “We called it the restaurartment, and our electricity bill was...large. It didn’t really pan out. Then I started working for Jason Beilke, who owns Jason’s Jerk, and I found somebody who was selling a food cart for a great price. Bought it and went from there.”

The Roost - Badgerville Spicy with Fries

There’s no way

to lose with fried chicken.

As Nate saw it, there’s no way to lose with fried chicken. It’s a concept that’s proven itself time and time again. In addition, he already had a recipe he could work with thanks to Secret Restaurant.

“We do our own brine and breading. We cook everything to order in the cart. You’re not allowed to have raw chicken in the cart, so what I do is brine it, bread it, then I bake it. It’s fully cooked, then it’s flash-fried in the cart. But it doesn’t lose the moisture because of the brine; it’s still juicy and tender.

“What we’re really known for is our Badgerville Spicy Sandwich. That’s a chicken cutlet that’s breaded; fried; then dipped in our spicy butter, which

is cayenne, honey, and butter. It’s just delicious. And it’s topped with our house coleslaw, which we shred the cabbage for and make the coleslaw base from scratch. It’s both creamy and vinegary—nice and creamy to cool the heat of the sandwich, and vinegary to cut through that heavy fried chicken butter. It all comes together for a really nice bite with a little bit of pickle and brioche bun.”

So how spicy is it? Well, Nate initially called the sandwich the Nashville before receiving a lot of complaints because it wasn’t spicy enough. Instead of making the sandwich spicier, he simply acknowledged that he’d made a really good chicken sandwich and just changed its name. “I call it Midwest spicy; it’s not gonna hurt you, but you’ll get a little zip. It’s not a food challenge. It’s meant to be enjoyed.”

profound appreciation for being part of Madison’s restaurant scene. “Madison takes a lot of pride in its restaurants. There’s beautiful scenery here, like the terrace, but the thing I feel connected to is the restaurants. I’ve only felt encouragement and positivity from the people here.”

That community connection feeds Nate’s aspirations to grow within it. He wants to one day open a small counterservice restaurant with a couple taps,

Drumlin Ridge, located just outside Madison, offers a private rental space for small gatherings. Guests can relax with a glass or a custom flight of locally produced wine while overlooking the hillside vineyard. Enjoy small plates or browse the gift shop.

6000 River Rd., Waunakee 608-849-9463 DRUMLINRIDGEWINERY.COM

In Wisconsin, a deep fryer also means fries and curds. It’s a simple menu, and it’s solid. There’s also lemonade and sweet tea to wash it down, meaning Arnold Palmers are par for the...well, you know. Nate’s also adding the option of a honey mustard sauce to go with his sandwiches and tenders.

Having worked in two of Madison’s landmark restaurants, Nate has a

The Roost - Chicken Tender Basket with Curds

but he’s not looking to overextend his passion. In fact, it seems to me he sees the potential to grow stronger through humbler undertakings.

“I have a good relationship with a lot of people in the community. I’m trying to build this into something special. I’m proud of the business, but I’m trying to get to a point where I’m even more proud of it and I can do even more things. I’d love to be in a position to give back—give people jobs, help with charitable giving. It’s important to me.”

In a sense, he’s already there. In addition to operating The Roost, Nate plays guitar in Distant Cuzins (The Cuz), a Wisconsin-born band playing with the passion of punk and gall of rock. Not a lot of food truck owners can say they perform at the venues they serve, but it’s bittersweet. Nate compares the experience to watching your baby grow up because he has to acknowledge that, with the great staff he has on board, the food cart can work just fine when he needs to step away. It also means he’s done a fine job putting The Roost in a position where it can add to what makes the Madison food scene so special.

Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks, hot or cold, revenge is a dish that just shouldn’t be served.

The Walking Jerk facebook.com/p/The-Walking -Jerk-100084987496450 The Roost facebook.com /TheRoostFriedChicken

Photographs by Eric Tadsen

Photograph by Barbara Wilson

Kyle Jacobson

American Players Th eatr e

by Kyle Jacobson

American Players Theatre (APT) has been celebrating the persistence of Shakespeare for 45 years. As the world according to us changes, APT’s attention to shifts in the zeitgeist provides fresh and familiar avenues for sharing a range of poetic language through open-air theatre.

Sara Young, managing director of APT, says, “Most performances start in the light. Because of the shape of the audience in a thrust stage, you’re looking at your fellow audience members. You’re experiencing the play with them, and then as it gets to night, it becomes just you and what’s happening on stage and the trees and the stars and what’s around you.”

With so many layers to the experience, there’s a heightened sense of authenticity. Even for the Shakespeare aficionado,

every word hits different. We’re often bombarded with notions that bigger is better—that if we’re to have a grand experience, everything around us must be larger than life. But at APT, it’s about a shared experience: a world-class play in a secluded setting. Even after the play is over, everything that just happened on stage is given time to sink in as you look out to tree silhouettes against a midnight-blue sky.

The experience of theatre is timeless, and APT strives each year to enhance that by giving their performances a taste of today. Sara says, “Over the last decade, APT’s mission and our vision has evolved to include not what we used to call classics—classics is such a complicated word now—but the great plays of the past and also emerging voices of the future. What are going to be those plays that are going to stay with us?

“As we explore these newer plays, we hope that we’re bringing our audience along with us on this journey on how to share a wider variety of voices. Good plays are good plays. When people came to see Fences [a play with a predominantly Black cast] and our predominantly white audience saw themselves in that play, they knew this is a good playwright. Any play is not just for one segment of the population. Great plays have something to say to everybody.

“That said, representation matters. So having an audience that’s diverse, you want to have an acting company that’s diverse. You want people to be able to identify, see themselves represented on stage. In diverse casting, we have to take into account what that world is for that character. What are going to be the ramifications of having a Black body or Latine body on stage experiencing those

Love’s Labour Lost, 2023.

“It’s a play in the woods. That’s real. When you come to see a play and the quality of the work is excellent, put those two things together, and you have a really powerful experience.”

who’s all about the artist. Sara says, “She’s going to look for directors that want to tell a story. They have a play in mind and have a point of view on a story. That’s the first piece. From there, she’ll make sure we have the actors that can make that work, starting with our Core Acting Company members. Then you have to look at the mix because we’re doing all our plays at the same time. ... Because we’re in rotating repertory and most of the actors in the company are in multiple plays, we have to layer in that all those roles have to be understudied. There are crazy logistical considerations.”

It’s pretty incredible how APT continues to culture a perpetual blossom of authenticity and intention, all stemming from its founders, Charles Bright, Randall Duk Kim, and Anne Occhiogrosso. “We’re so grateful to them for having that vision to come to the middle of nowhere and work on

MOLINA, THE LIAR, 2023. PHOTO BY LIZ LAUREN.

Photograph by Hannah

Jo Anderson

Photograph by Liz Lauren

The Merry Wives of Windsor, 2023.

Shakespeare,” says Sara. “It’s a play in the woods. That’s real. When you come to see a play and the quality of the work is excellent, put those two things together, and you have a really powerful experience.”

Be sure to join everyone at APT to celebrate their 45th anniversary on July 21 with live music, presentations by Core Company members, games, fun, and more. Tickets and information at americanplayers.org. Box Office: (608) 588-2361

Kyle Jacobson is a writer who enjoys learning from failure so much that he has nothing to show for it.

Photograph by Barbara Wilson

Kyle Jacobson

2024 Performances

The Virgin Queen Entertains Her Fool World Premiere [LIMITED AVAILABILITY] by Michael Hollinger directed by Aaron Posner

June 14–September 19

Wolf at the Door by Marisela Trevino Orta directed by Melisa Pereyra

June 25–September 18

Constellations by Nick Payne directed by Vanessa Stalling

August 10–September 28

Nat Turner in Jerusalem by Nathan Alan Davis directed by Tyrone Phillips

October 17–November 10

On the Hill

Ring Round the Moon by Jean Anouilh (adapted by Christopher Fry) directed by Laura Gordon

June 8–September 20 Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare directed by Robert Ramirez

June 14–September 29

Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson directed by Gavin Lawrence June 21–September 7

Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel directed by Brenda DeVita August 2–September 27

King Lear by William Shakespeare directed by Tim Ocel

August 9–September 28

Photograph by Liz Lauren

Bringing New Faces to the Field

The lack of diversity in the environmental field is well documented. Green 2.0’s annual Transparency Report Cards have shown some growth in the last five years in full-time staff of color at environmental organizations, but not in leadership roles. The same goes for women and gender identities other than men. With climate change looming, invasive species spreading, and people feeling more connected to their screens than to nature, it’s clear that conservation work is more important than ever, and the lack of diversity amongst conservationists makes it harder to protect nature.

Conservation efforts have a greater impact when they include diverse voices, perspectives, and approaches. A table full of people with very similar points of view isn’t going to provide a range of good ideas. With all the ways the environment needs our attention, it’s important to cast as wide a net as possible.

More conservationists also matters because there’s a lot of work to be done. If we want to protect biodiversity and share the beautiful places in Wisconsin that we enjoy now with future

Bottom: The 2023 cohort of the Diversity in Conservation Internship Program in front of Science Hall at UW–Madison before their final presentations.

by Shelly Torkelson

generations, it’s all hands on deck. The more people who work to conserve Wisconsin’s wild places, the better.

Unfortunately, some groups who’ve been historically excluded from outdoor recreation and conservation efforts include Black, indigenous, and people of color; the LGBTQIA+ community; people with disabilities; women; and people from underresourced communities. Students from these groups are encouraged to apply for the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin’s Diversity in Conservation Internship Program. The internship is a way to help young people from a variety of backgrounds enter the conservation field, and the program is open to students from University of Wisconsin–Madison, Lawrence University, and UW–Milwaukee. Previous environmental science background or education is not required. Students join a cohort of 10 interns for the summer and spend the 10-week internship immersed in conservation:

• Exploring Wisconsin’s diverse landscapes and learning about the lands, waters, and wildlife that make our state unique.

• Learning what a conservation career might look like, from ecological restoration and wildlife monitoring to policy, engagement, community outreach, and more.

• Building relationships with other students in the cohort and learning from and supporting each other through the experience.

• Networking with conservation leaders and practitioners from across the state, building connections for future career opportunities.

Photograph by Caitlin Williamson

Left: DC interns Drake Stallworth, Jaeden Carrasquillo, and Eliana Cook with Mike Mossman

Photograph by Caitlin Williamson

The 2022 Cohort of the Diversity in Conservation Internship Program on Lake Tomahawk.

• Gaining practical work experience and skills by working with a conservation nonprofit or agency.

• Receiving professional development support, including mock interviews, resume reviews, and one-on-one mentoring.

• Receiving college credit and a $6,000 stipend.

Though conservation has not been diverse, equitable, or inclusive historically, it shouldn’t stay that way— the need is too great and nature is too important. Let’s take action together to change that.

Learn more about the Diversity in Conservation Internship Program at wisconservation.org/diversity-in -conservation-internship or make a donation to support the program. Become an NRF member at wisconservation .org/membership.

Shelly Torkelson is the communications director for Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.

From previous internship participants:

“The Diversity in Conservation Internship Program provided me one of the most fulfilling summers of both my academic and personal life. I can now see a possible future in conservation for myself.”

- BRIAN DUONG,

2021 COHORT

“As much as I wanted to pursue a career in conservation, I thought it wasn’t somewhere where I belonged… finding this internship seemed like the perfect opportunity.”

- NICK SAUNDERS,

2023 COHORT

“One of the most exciting aspects of my internship was native plant identification and birding. It’s crazy the amount of knowledge I have gained on Wisconsin’s native plants and ecosystems in just two months.”

– ELIANA COOK, 2023 COHORT

Putting the Urgent Back into Urgent Care

Stoughton Health accepts Dean Health Plan, Quartz, and over 160 other insurance plans! Stoughton Hospital

Shelly Torkelson

Nick, one of the interns in the 2023 cohort of the Diversity in Conservation Internship Program, in action during his internship with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.

Photograph by Caitlin Williamson

Machinery Row Bicycles

by Kyle Jacobson

My biographical timeline can be separated into eras defined by what bike I was riding, from a grade schooler on a chrome bike decorated with Pizza Hut stickers best described as late ’80s radical to an overconfident 10-year-old feeling too cool on a green department store mountain bike with its own fanny pack to three BMX bikes that brought me from a preteen into adulthood to a more refined and capable mountain bike I bought to ride in Colorado. One thing I’ve learned through my journey is that nothing beats the feeling of kinship when swinging into your local bike shop for a tune up or just to see what’s new.

Machinery Row Bicycles, on the corner of John Nolan and Williamson Street, has been that bike shop for a lot of Madison locals and visitors for over 20 years. Ben Classon, general manager, says, “We try to make it a one stop shop. We’ve got a lot of customers that have been with us for a long, long time. We’re really thankful for their continued business over the years.”

Entering the shop is a treat all its own. It starts with a walk up overly reinforced steps that used to serve as a ramp for farm equipment. In the winters, farmers would bring in whatever

needed service and repairs, so that space needed to have high ceilings and massive support beams. There was also a crow’s nest in the middle of the room that has since been removed.

Today, all that space houses a lot of different styles of bikes, including e-bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, and gravel bikes. Ben describes the bike scene as “very cyclical. It wasn’t too long ago, 10 or 15 years, that fixed-gear bikes were all the rage. Everyone wanted to have their single-speed fixed gear to ride

around town. Present day, not nearly as many people are looking for that kind of stuff.

“We originally opened here with a focus on the road and the tri scene—Ironman Wisconsin. We used to be very closely tied to all that stuff going on with the race being right here. We used to deal with hundreds of triathletes every year that would be shipping their bikes to us and having us assemble things, get them ready for race day. Over the past 20 years, that has slowly declined to a level where we still sell tri bikes, but it’s not a large part of the market.”

These days, it’s mostly about e-bikes. Even Ben rides his e-bike from Monona to the shop when he can, and he says it’s even quicker than driving. Though some purists still take issue with the e-bike scene, those electric motors are giving a lot of people a second chance to get on a bike.

“If you go out and ride on the bike paths these days, it’s not unusual to see half the bikes people are riding right now are e-bikes. It’s a lot of commuters and a lot of people who are unable to ride something else. ... We try to move and adapt with the market, and that’s one of

the things about being an independent dealer that’s nice. We have a little bit more control over what we keep in our building and put on our floor.”

That flexibility also dealt them an interesting hand during COVID. “Bikeo-Rama is our large sale we do once a year at the Alliant Energy Center. We fill that place up with way too many bikes over the second weekend of March every year. That’s our start to the year. In 2020, that weekend lined up perfectly with right where Dane County Health began to enact health restrictions on large numbers of people in an enclosed space.

“That year, we set up our entire show, and three hours into our first day of it going, Dane County Health showed up and said, ‘We’re red tagging this. You got to shut it down. You got to get everyone out of here.’

“So we started that year without knowing what’s going to happen. We purchased a lot of inventory specifically to have for that sale and for the start of the year. A lot more inventory than anyone brings on that early. We brought all those bikes to the shop, and they sat here. For a couple weeks, we had no idea what was

going to happen. There were questions of how we’re going to pay these bills. How are we going to deal with this?

“All the sudden, this little switch flipped in people’s heads. They realized, ‘I can’t go do things indoors with other people. I want to have something to be able to do outdoors.’ We started seeing parents

• Housemade Frozen Pizzas

• Hot Sandwiches & Dinners

• Homemade Deli Salads

• Lasagna & Mostaccioli

• Spaghetti with Meatballs

• Gluten-Free Pastas & Sauces

• Homemade Pasta Sauces

• Prosciutto & Mortadella

• Meatballs & Sausages

• Great Wine

showing up in force looking for kids’ bikes. Then basic riders looking for their first bike or to replace that broken one that’s been in their garage. We started seeing things just disappearing. Through that year, we literally went from thinking we might have to close our doors to we will sell any bike we can get our hands on.”

That’s the thing about being a community bike shop—it goes both ways. As the community helped Machinery Row during the pandemic, Machinery Row integrates itself into different community events; works with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA); and even sponsors their shop-affiliated road bike team, Brazen Dropouts. Though different biking trends come and go, the die hards of any group can find a home here.

“The owner of our business [Roger Charly], since the late ’70s, has put about 300,000 bikes out into the world here through all of his stores. If you see a bike, there’s a very good chance it came from us. They’ll be times where I’ll be looking at a used bike someone’s selling, and it’ll be ours. Or I’ll see a bike in California with our sticker on there.”

Machinery Row Bicycles doesn’t want to be the only bike store in town. Ben believes that when more people ride bikes, every bike shop benefits along with the city as a whole. People are healthier, there’s less pollution, and the biking infrastructure gets better and

Kyle

Photographs by Eric Tadsen

Photograph by Barbara Wilson

Kyle Jacobson

PARASITE Protection

by Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM

A recent study, using data from the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study and published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, shows less than 40 percent of dogs were on a heartworm preventative. This is alarming because heartworm infection is on the rise for numerous reasons.

Heartworm disease isn’t as prevalent in Wisconsin as it is further south. The 2023 incidence rate for Dane County was 1 in 300 dogs, but for dogs in Alabama, the risk increased tenfold. Is this relevant if you don’t travel with your dog? Yes, because many dogs being adopted at shelters and rescues in Wisconsin are brought up from Alabama and Texas. Not all of these dogs have been treated for heartworms, and many are incubating the microfilaria (baby heartworms) and don’t test positive for four to six months after adoption.

Mosquitoes spread heartworms. A mosquito will take a blood meal from one dog then fly up to three miles to another dog and get another meal. If the first meal contains microfilaria, then microfilaria will be injected into the next dog, which can develop into adult heartworms that infect the dog’s pulmonary artery. If your “never leaves

my Wisconsin backyard” dog lives next to a newly adopted rescue dog from the south, there is a high probability that they are sharing mosquito friends. If your dog isn’t on a heartworm preventative, he could be the 1 in 300 that tests positive on his yearly heartworm test.

Climate change is also impacting mosquitoes. Typically, mosquitoes are the most active from May through September, but they can be out looking for a meal anytime the temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In Madison, there were seven days above 50 degrees in February, and for all of 2023, the average temperature in Dane County was 50.4 degrees.

Finally, because heartworm preventatives aren’t given year-round by many owners (not even in the south), heartworms are developing resistance to some of the more commonly used preventatives. This is scary!

Mosquitoes are the wimpiest of the parasites that like to feed on our pets. Fleas don’t die until temps go below 45; ticks don’t die, but become dormant at temps below 45. Deer ticks are the most active October through May, as long as daytime temperatures are above 32

degrees. Looking at last year’s average temperature in Dane County, only January 2024 saw average temperatures below 32 degrees. There’s a reason your veterinarian recommends year-round flea and tick prevention.

Unlike heartworm disease, there is a much higher prevalence of tick-borne diseases in Wisconsin. Lyme disease is diagnosed in almost 7 percent of dogs and anaplasmosis in over 12 percent.

Though dogs are more likely to get heartworms and tick diseases, cats are not immune. None of us want our pets to get any of these infections, so why aren’t they getting year-round preventatives?

Let’s discuss the many options for heartworm, flea, and tick prevention so you can decide which gives your pet the best protection that fits your lifestyle and budget.

When I graduated from veterinary school many years ago, my first practice carried Filaribits. These were given daily as a heartworm preventative and could potentially kill a dog if given to one with heartworms. Soon after joining that practice, a new monthly preventative, Heartgard, was introduced. Heartgard

contained ivermectin, which does a great job killing microfilaria, even in a heartworm-positive dog. Heartgard Plus, which contains both ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate, controls both heartworms and several intestinal worms (roundworms and hookworms), and is still broadly prescribed today. Many generic versions of Heartgard are available and may be less expensive, but still very effective. A similar drug, selamectin, is found in topical heartworm preventatives, like Revolution. Efficacy is the same, but some people prefer a topical medication instead of one their pet has to eat.

Other heartworm preventatives were developed with a different active ingredient. Interceptor contains milbemycin, which can also be found in some generic heartworm preventatives. It’s equally as effective as ivermectin. Moxidectin is another preventative in the same family as milbemycin. It’s found in Advantage Multi, a monthly topical preventative, and Proheart 12, a once-a-year injection. All heartworm preventatives require a prescription from a veterinarian.

Some flea and tick preventatives don’t require a prescription, but for the most part, these aren’t very effective. Inexpensive flea collars are a waste of money. They only repel fleas hanging out near the collar, and the active ingredient is often an organophosphate, which can be deadly to cats and harmful to humans. If you like the idea of a collar, I recommend the Seresto brand, which contains flumethrin and imidacloprid— both have been used extensively in other products for flea and tick control. The ingredients slowly diffuse out of the collar and into the oil layer of the pet, distributing over their body and providing protection for up to eight months. They’re very safe for both pets and humans.

One reason cited for poor compliance with heartworm prevention is that some pet owners thought what they were using prevented heartworms, fleas, and ticks when it was really only a flea/ tick preventative or vice versa. This is not surprising with the vast number of different brands of heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives available.

In 2010, a new group of oral flea and tick prevention was discovered. These isoxazolines were found to be highly effective against fleas, ticks, and sarcoptic and demodex mites in dogs. Soon, every pharmaceutical company had developed their own compound, and dogs were being prescribed Nexgard, Bravecto, Credelio, or Simparica, and cats were receiving oral Credelio or topical Revolution Plus or Nexgard COMBO. They aren’t recommended for dogs with seizures, but have otherwise been well-tolerated by dogs and cats. In addition to being efficacious against fleas and ticks, it’s now rare to see a dog with skin issue due to mites.

In the last several years, combination products have become available. Nexgard Plus and Simparica Trio are both all-in-one monthly chewables. Now, you only need to remember one pill each month. In addition to heartworms, fleas, and ticks, the preventative also covers infection with roundworms and hookworms. Elanco is coming out with their version, Quattro, which will also eradicate tapeworms.

On the near horizon is a once-a-year flea/tick injection from the maker of Bravecto, Merck Animal Health. When given with a once-a-year Proheart 12 injection, you won’t need to remember to give your dog any preventatives each month.

We have come a long way from daily Filaribits, and, hopefully, we can greatly increase the percentage of dogs getting heartworm, flea, and tick preventative. Our pets deserve to be parasite free!

Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. For more information, visit fourlakesvet.com.

Dr. Lori Scarlett

STOUGHTON’S

East Park Historic District

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, East Park Historic District’s nomination states, “the district is made up of small- to medium-sized, single-family residences on modest lots. ... The scale and orientation of the contributing buildings, the narrow streets, [East Park’s] sweeping lawn studded with mature trees, and the topography ... combine to make the district feel both secluded and welcoming, pedestrian and family friendly, and evoke an earlier time.”

The East Park Historic District, located in a corner of east Stoughton overlooking the railroad depot and a group of historic tobacco warehouses a block south of Highway 51, began as the site of the first Stoughton Fair, in 1879. O.M. Turner, local businessman; civic leader; and son-in-law of Stoughton’s founder, Luke Stoughton, leased his land to the Stoughton Fair Association. A grandstand and racetrack were built.

After a few years, the fairs ended, but the driving track, known as the O.M. Turner Driving Park or Turner Park, was still used. By 1899, the driving park no longer functioned, and Turner platted the section in 1903, but it wasn’t until 1913 that he began selling the lots. The City of Stoughton purchased a triangular

portion of the parcel for a public park: East Park.

Once the lots were sold, home building began. Construction ebbed and flowed between world wars and the Great Depression—by the end of World War II, most of the 19 houses in this historic district were built. Two more were added, one in 1947 and the other in 1952. All face East Park.

Making up almost 50 percent of the district, the most popular style of home is the bungalow, which was the first style built in 1913. A popular building style in the United States for more than a century, bungalows are characterized by lowpitched roofs with gables or eaves, large covered front porches, and are usually one and a half stories.

The district’s National Register nomination notes that bungalow neighborhoods “like the East Park Historic District are found in all of Wisconsin’s larger cities but are not common in smaller communities. ... Of the houses in the district, no two are alike.”

Brian Johnson, resident of the district who owns one of its bungalows, reports, “I enjoy sitting on the porch and watching

By Jeanne Engle

activity in the park: family events, parties, concerts.” Brian moved into the district almost 20 years ago from a new subdivision in Stoughton. His family has roots in the Stoughton area, and he also owns Cheesers in downtown Stoughton.

“The craftsman construction of this house is amazing when you look at the materials that were used,” says Brian. “The woodwork is stunning. Unfortunately, some of the features of my house have been covered by vinyl siding, but the original look of the house has been retained.”

Brian has redone the kitchen and the full bathroom on the second floor in his 1,300-square-foot house, and he refinished the floors. “There was old, ugly green carpeting in the house. We were amazed at all that gorgeous oak hardwood that was hidden underneath.” He advises anyone who wants to live in a historic house to “be willing to invest time and energy to updating it.”

Peter Welch, another resident of the East Park Historic District in Stoughton, sums up the charm of his neighborhood by saying, “We can have a campfire in the backyard and soon the neighbors will show up with their lawn chairs and drinks.”

Photograph by Eric Tadsen

Peter and his wife, Brianna Stapleton Welch, live a few houses away from Brian in a Dutch Colonial Revival style house. The 1,200-square-foot home, which they’ve owned since 2017, has a gambrel (barn) roof with two slopes on each side, a broad dormer, and an off-center entrance framed by multipaned sidelights.

“We like the charm and history of our house,” says Peter. “You can tell there’s a level of quality in an older house that’s not apparent in new construction. It helped that the previous owner, who we think was born and raised in the house, took very good care of it. We redid the kitchen terrazzo countertop and floor. The footprint stayed the same. We were able to find replacement appliances that fit the space. We also replaced the water heater. This house has been a dream.” For anyone looking to buy an older home, Peter recommends having a knowledgeable realtor who understands older houses.

It’s an easy walk from the East Park Historic District to the post office, library, or to get a cup of coffee. “We’re not in a super urbanized neighborhood and yet we have the same access to places like they would in downtown Madison,” says Peter.

Several other styles of houses can be seen in the district, including Foursquare (cube shaped); Cape Cod; front gable form; and the Craftsman style, of which the bungalow is a subtype. The Craftsman style emerged from the British Arts and Crafts movement of the mid-19th century and is known for simple design, use of natural elements, and a belief that objects must be well made as well as decorative.

Advocates of the movement prized fine workmanship above the mass production of the Industrial Revolution.

According to the National Register nomination, “Although the homes in the district are small and most were built for families of modest means [many of them laborers], each house shows individuality and architectural flair.”

Nic Miles, Stoughton’s Zoning Administrator, believes that residents of Stoughton have respect and a similar sense of protection for historic buildings. A total of five National Register historic districts are within the city limits. In addition, 32 individual properties have been designated as local landmarks by Stoughton’s Landmarks Commission. Stoughton even has a mini-grant program available to owners of historic properties.

“Our residents understand that visitors are drawn to what has been preserved and want others to enjoy the community as much as they do,” says Nic. “I have a lot of respect for property owners

who own those type of assets and put in the work to preserve them. I admire their passion.”

Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer.

The Welches have reserved East Park shelter, 225 S. Lynn Street, for a book swap on Saturday, September 14. The public is invited to participate beginning at 1:00 p.m.

Jeanne Engle

Photograph by MOD Media Productions

Photograph by Brian Johnson

Photograph by Eric Tadsen

Photograph by Eric Tadsen

Dicmas Courtney

by Chris Gargan

“Because children grow up, we think a child’s purpose is to grow up. But a child’s purpose is to be a child.”

–Tom Stoppard, The Coast of Utopia

Children’s book writing and illustration lies within the murky geography of necessity and the oft held belief that, being for children, it’s a task that any reasonably thoughtful person could accomplish. Its necessity is due to the insistence that children must be entertained, educated, and enlarged in all aspects of their being. Its beguiling simplicity and directness disguise the enormous effort it takes to successfully accomplish.

Here in the Madison area, our two world-renowned children’s authors and illustrators, Kevin Henkes and Renee Graef, have been joined by Courtney Dicmas, returned from her global journeys and international education. Courtney now sits on the faculty of Madison College, where she was recently named Teacher of the Year. She has joined this august company by way of England and, specifically, the Cambridge School of Art at the Anglia Ruskin University.

Courtney grew up in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and chose Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to begin her formal art education, where she graduated in 2006 with a major in fine art painting. Noticing the lack of employment opportunities with her new degree, she applied to teach art and ESL (English as a Second Language) in South Korea through a program affiliated with the University of Wisconsin. While engaged with her teaching, she happened upon

children’s books as a way to help instruct her students while continuing to paint and participate in group art exhibitions.

Among the books Courtney found were those by English author/illustrator Alexis Deacon. Courtney was immediately convinced that this was the career direction she must pursue. She was particularly enchanted by the picture book Slow Loris. Her subsequent contact with Alexis resulted in her discovery that he taught in the Cambridge School. He invited her to apply and, struck by his kindness and generosity, she joined the program in children’s book illustration graduate studies.

The course of study at Cambridge is 18 continuous months resulting in an opportunity to meet people in the publishing world with a specific focus on work for children. While there in 2012 and 2013, Courtney shared a flat and kitchen sketching sessions with two other students in the program.

When Courtney began, there was a strong emphasis placed on observational drawing, often built around themes like solitude and companionship. These directives led her to working in subways, coffee shops, bus stops, and other places of public congregation, encouraging her to work quickly and intuitively with immediate resolve. This was followed by courses focused on sequential imagery. Courtney said it was like “pulling back on a bow and arrow while focusing on a remote target.” She developed clarity on issues, such as developing narrative arc, understanding pacing, and optimizing layout.

Courtney began her illustrative efforts using acrylic and ink painted on Mylar® (clear acetate). Another instructor, the very famous David Hughes, encouraged her to simplify her approach and stop laboring her work. Gradually, her personal aesthetic and style began to emerge, evolving into the gouache and color pencil work that became her first book, Harold Finds a Voice. Having experienced the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy halfway through her studies, resulting in desperate moments of crying in the bathroom, Courtney was prepared with her graduate portfolio. She described this event as a “fire hose of publishing,” where art slams into commerce, oftentimes resulting in 10-second reviews. She overcame the “bunny-eats-bunny” climate by recognizing that her strengths were in inserting herself into her stories rather than trying to please people with work tailored to their likes. She found that themes of loneliness and alienation informed her creative output in a fresh and inviting manner.

Harold was accepted at the book fair and became the first of her nearly one dozen titles. In 32 pages, Harold tells the story of a clever, ambitious, and vocally talented parrot living in Paris, France, Europe. Harold can imitate the sound of anything

he hears, from the vacuum cleaner to the flush of a toilet, but he cannot find a voice that is uniquely his. His subsequent journey, much like Courtney’s, into the wider world brings him into contact with others who encourage and celebrate his new vocal identity. It’s a charming story of self-discovery and self-confidence that has immediate appeal to any child looking to find their place in the world. The drawings are deceptively simple, consisting of bold patches of broadly painted color with super-imposed line work done in color pencil and ink. As Courtney describes it, “Ink is like an EKG line. That’s where the life is.”

As her work continued, Courtney introduced us to The Great Googly Moogly, a mythical fish with a fearsome reputation that has eluded fishermen for centuries. Intrepid, Stella is driven by

dreams of capturing this elusive prey. Her experience results in an unexpected encounter and a dramatic change of intention. The whole story evolves over a beautifully and simply rendered narrative that reveals multitudes about the inner life of an ambitious and determined young girl. As Courtney’s stories evolve, the confidence and certainty of her style does as well.

The economy and forthrightness of Courtney’s drawing and the restraint of her color application echo the very tenets of contemporary art: the notion that simplicity accompanied by grace can be a welcome departure from a surfeit of detail and complexity. Just as Matisse recognized that a certain spareness of description coupled with boldness of execution could evoke a powerful emotional response, Courtney

demonstrates that children can recognize authenticity and sincerity with those same attributes.

Courtney develops stories of wanderlust and gratitude in Home Tweet Home, the tale of two nestlings struggling with domestic overcrowding seeking relief in new horizons only to realize the comfort and security of home. A New School for Charlie confronts the anxiety of every child being thrown into challenging circumstances. Charlie, an ebullient and effervescent dog, is being sent to a new and exciting school. Little did he suspect it was composed entirely of cats. Awakening ensues.

In the end, Courtney’s stories send every young reader off with the famous advice A. A. Milne’s Christopher Robin gave to Pooh: “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

Chris Gargan is a landscape artist and freelance writer working from his farm southwest of Verona. You can find his work at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton. He’s seen here with his dog Tycho Brahe.

by Courtney Dicmas

Chris Gargan

Photograph by Larassa Kabel

Photographs

Abel Contemporary Gallery

Image:

INDEX advertiser

association

Aldo Leopold Nature Center 7

Dane Buy Local 21

Dane County Humane Society 14, 25

Madison Black Chamber of Commerce 8

dining, food & beverage

Cambridge Market Cafe 17

Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream 11

The Deliciouser 5

Drumlin Ridge Winery 10

Fitchburg Center

Farmers Market 32

Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen 20

Lombardino’s 5

Madame Chu 27

The Old Feed Mill Restaurant 28

Porta Bella Italian Restaurant 29

Sugar River Pizza Company 11

Teddywedgers 19

Tempest 5

Tornado Club Steak House 5

entertainment & media

American Players Theatre 13

Boulders Climbing Gym 2

Fitchburg Agora Art Fair 32

Our Lives Magazine 21

Stoughton Opera House 31

services

Edgerton Hospital 15

EPIC 8

Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic 23

Katharisma Cleaning LLC 11

Monroe Street Framing 21

Stoughton Health 17

shopping

Abel Contemporary Gallery 29

Anthology 9

Deconstruction Inc. 23

Goodman’s Jewelers 7

contest

Win a $50 Gift Card!

question:

“At which local food cart can you find the Badgerville Spicy Sandwich?”

Enter by submitting your answer to the above question online at madisonlocallysourced.com or by email or mail. With your answer, include your name, mailing address, phone number, and email to mls@madisonlocallysourced.com or Madison Locally Sourced c/o ASJ Publishing LLC PO Box 559 McFarland, WI 53558

All entries with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing. Contest deadline is August 5, 2024.

good luck!

winners

Please support our sponsors!

Thank you to everyone who entered our previous contest. The answer to the question “Whose resume included L’Etoile, Weary Traveler, and Lazy Janes before starting a business with his own pots of goodness in Spring Green?” is David Pedersen of Soups I Did It Again. A Pancake Cafe Stoughton gift card was sent to our winner, Alan Reisner of Fresh Meadows, NY.

congratulations!