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CONTENTS
publisher Towns & Associates, Inc. 126 Water Street Baraboo, WI 53913-2445 P (608) 356-8757 • F (608) 356-8875
madisonessentials.com
may/june 2018
vol. 55
essential
editor-in-chief Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com
arts Jeff Zimpel.....................................36
publication designer Linda Walker
community
senior copy editor Kyle Jacobson
Chads.............................................50 Self-Improv-ment...........................46
copy editor
entertainment Betty Lou Cruises..............................14 Ultimate Frisbee.............................18
Krystle Engh Naab
sales & marketing director Amy S. Johnson ajohnson@madisonessentials.com
sales & marketing manager Kelly Hopkins khopkins@madisonessentials.com
sales representative
finance The Smart Way to Save for Travel, Vacations, and Kids Activities......54
food & beverage See the Beer, Hear the Beer, Taste the Beer................................56
Terri Groves
home
graphic designers
Perennial Favorites.........................60
Jennifer Denman, Crea Stellmacher, Barbara Wilson
landmark
administration
nonprofit
Jennifer Baird, Sandy Carlson, Lori Czajka
contributing writers Chelsey Dequaine, Sandy Eichel, Jeanne Engle, Cara Erickson, Josh Heath, Kyle Jacobson, Elissa Koppel, Lauri Lee, Krystle Engh Naab, Derek Notman, Lori Scarlett, DVM, Liz Wessel, Faye Zemel, Joan W. Ziegler
Breese Stevens Field.......................26 Engage.Educate.Empower..........10
pets A Tick’s Story...................................40
shopping Grills, Grills, Grills.............................22 Rutabaga Paddlesports..................6
travel
photographer Eric Tadsen
Camping........................................32
additional photographs
well-being
Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Bayfield County, Betty Lou Cruises, Breese Stevens Field, Chris Lotten Photography, DAIS, Green Concierge Travel, Kyle Jacobson, Madison Radicals, Patio Pleasures, Ed Reams, Wolff Kubly, ZDA, Inc., Jeff Zimpel
Domestic Violence.........................30
including From the Editor................................4 Contest Information......................62 Contest Winners............................62
(continued) madisonessentials.com
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Watch for the next issue July/August 2018. Cover photograph—taken at Breese Stevens Field by Chris Lotten Photography. Photographs on page 3: top—taken at Rutabaga Paddlesports by Eric Tadsen.
from the editor Welcome to our first Open Air Issue. I find this topic very exciting because I love things that take us outdoors, and it signals the arrival of spring! Rutabaga Paddlesports is the perfect resource when equipping yourself for outdoor activities. Their expertise lies not only in everything paddlesports, but also camping and snowshoeing—from gear and clothing to transportation and storage. You’ll also be impressed by their commitment and hard work to positively impact our community. You may feel like you’ve seen it all in Madison, but if you haven’t toured Wisconsin’s capital city by water, you’ve missed perhaps the most beautiful perspective. Betty Lou Cruises offers a variety of dining cruises that are open to the public or privately chartered. It’s an outing you and friends—old and new—will remember and want to make a tradition. The history of Breese Stevens Field is fascinating, and the abundance of activities available there for you to experience are plentiful: concerts, community festivals, and sporting events. We tell you about both in our Breese Stevens article. Breese Stevens Field is also home to the Madison Radicals, one of the top teams in the American Ultimate Disc League. Many people are unaware of their success, as well as the other ultimate opportunities offered in our area. We attempt to do our part to change that with our ultimate article. We also have more Open Air topics along with our regular features. In addition, this issue introduces a new series about the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) organization. The work they do is so important, and we want to do our part to continue to spread the word. Until next issue, enjoy some air time!
amy johnson
middle—Provided by Betty Lou Cruises. bottom—Provided by Madison Radicals.
Eric Tadsen 4 | madison essentials
Photograph provided by ZDA, Inc.
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essential shopping
by Krystle Engh Naab T he name Rutabaga is from the Frank Zappa song Call Any Vegetable ( Absolutely Free, 1967). You can hear Rutabaga being yodeled about half-way through the song.
Rutabaga Paddlesports is not your typical outdoor recreational store. One of the few shops that specializes in paddlesports with some camping and clothing on the side, you’ll find when visiting Rutabaga an impressive display of canoes, kayaks and paddling accessories, and people passionate about sharing their love and expertise about paddlesports. Rutabaga started in 1976 in the first owner’s basement as Rutabaga Whitewater Supply and grew from there. Rutabaga’s first store was on the corner of Fish Hatchery & Park Streets at a gas station, then South Park Street, and finally in 1993 to their current location at 220 W. Broadway Avenue in Monona. 6 | madison essentials
Darren Bush, a self-proclaimed highfunctioning introvert, purchased Rutabaga in 2002. Before that, in 1990, he had worked at Rutabaga as a parttimer on weekends while balancing a full-time position as a statistician at various agencies in state government. When he realized he wasn’t really challenged in his career, he made the decision to make paddling his full-time profession. “Just to see what would happen. Turns out I stayed a lot longer than I thought I would.” Rutabaga’s mission statement is “To create and foster communities to help people enjoy the outdoors.” Darren was deliberate in making this the focus of his store. He knows it’s, “all about
relationships with our customers, if we don’t go out and build them every day, then we don’t deserve their business.” An impact Rutabaga has on the community are the various programs created to bring people together who are interested or wanting to know more about paddling. Rutabaga’s Youth Programs serves over 600 children a year, many from underprivileged communities, with support through scholarships. Private and public organizations, community centers, and nonprofit groups all work together to get kids on the water. Rutabaga Outdoor Programs teaches adult classes as well, from beginning courses to master classes.
Safety is incorporated into all of their programs. Most drownings related to paddlesports result from poor judgment, such as not wearing life jackets (PFDs), and very often, alcohol is involved. Paddling is not inherently dangerous, and using common sense and precautions like wearing life jackets and leaving the alcohol on shore radically reduces accidents or fatalities. Rutabaga’s Door County Sea Kayak Symposium, where 175 participants get a weekend of intensive instruction, is held in Door County every July. It’s a quality experience with over 30 instructors, and they provide an evening meal where everyone gets together “under a big circus tent to celebrate successes. If you haven’t kayaked before, the first step is learning how to capsize, the first step to overcoming any fear you might have of being caught in the kayak.”
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Another popular and renowned event Rutabaga hosts is Canoecopia, the world’s largest paddlesports expo for consumers. Held at the Alliant Energy Center every March, Canoecopia
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features over 250 vendors and exhibitors, and speakers give seminars about paddling skills and destinations. “People come from all over the world to Canoecopia,” says Darren. “This year we had paddlers fly in from Iceland. ... It’s like a paddling smorgasbord.” Even at a huge event like Canoecopia, it’s all about community. Many people have been coming to this event for two or three decades. Darren shares an example of a father and son that meet every year at Canoecopia; the father is from Oregon and his son lives on the east coast, so they meet for the weekend and spend time with each other and people who love to paddle. Darren has his own fleet of a dozen or so canoes and half a dozen kayaks, and compares it to the different types of shoes used for activities. “Like shoes, different boats have different applications. Paddling the boundary
waters, you want a light and fast boat. On a small, rocky river, you want a boat that is shorter and more maneuverable.” His fleet varies from an Algonquin native-built birchbark canoe (on display at Rutabaga) to an ultralight Kevlar tripper that weighs just 33 pounds. Customers can test boats on the pond behind the store, getting expert advice before purchasing. “My goal for people coming to the store is for them to get to the point where their skills are developed and they don’t have to think about it. They’ll enjoy their boats more because they’ll have the skills to handle anything they may encounter in their paddling.” Darren has paddled all over the world, but finds the best places to paddle are right in his neighborhood, like Lake Wingra (close to his house and Arboretum)—a unique experience of paddling in the city but surrounded
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by trees. He also enjoys the Wisconsin River, Baraboo River, Dells area (especially in October), and the rivers of Driftless area. When asked why people paddle, Darren says that paddling is a tool—people use it for many reasons, some solitary, some social. While stamina and endurance are needed for racing, Darren considers his paddling more like kinetic mediation. “I’m not a go-fast guy anymore, unless I have to be. I figure the last one off the water wins.” Sea kayaking is sort of like aquatic backpacking, is great for people looking for a low-impact exercise with less strain on their bodies. “Old backpackers love sea kayaks. Same gear, new scenery.”
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As well as numerous industry awards and honors, Rutabaga was voted one of the Top 50 Places to Work in the entire outdoor industry by Outside Magazine. Darren explains, “I just hire good people and teach them what they need to know. I hire for a person’s character, not their skills.” Darren sums up that “my life and work are the same thing. I love people and forming relationships. Many of my best friends come from working at Rutabaga.” With 28 years working at Rutabaga, Darren has too many inspiring and amazing stories to count from people he’s helped along life’s journey to the
perfect getaway. Darren recalls people coming up to him excited to share their stories and experiences of paddling all over the world. “Customers have come back to the store and told us after we helped with the purchase of their boats say ‘You’ve changed our lives.’” Krystle Engh Naab is a freelance writer and copy editor for Madison Essentials.
20 Minutes from Madison
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Kayak fishing is also growing in popularity. “A fully outfitted fishing kayak can take you places you can’t go in a powerboat, like where the water is only four inches deep.” Plus, kayaks are easier to transport, quieter, and simpler, and that gives you the advantage in capturing your next trophy fish. Kayakfishing tournaments are starting to pop up all over North America.
Krystle Engh Naab
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essential nonprofit
“I’ve been coming here since I was three. My first memory of this place, I was knee deep in the marsh with my brother’s old, oversized boots on … mud was sliding over the top of the boot and slithering down to my toes, that, of course, were wiggling and wriggling in the cool wet muck.” At Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC), memories like Althea’s, a Junior Naturalist, are created every day, and upon arrival, it isn’t hard to see why. Situated on nearly 20 acres of restored prairie, basswood forest, oak savanna, and wetland habitats—and nestled between Woodland Park and Edna Taylor Conservation Area—the nature center provides the perfect spot to explore the land and connect with nature, especially for the youngest adventurers among us. “I clearly remember the tall cattails swaying in the wind … and that I 10 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
wasn't paying much attention to the list of creatures living in the marsh that the naturalist was calling out. That is, until I heard, ‘And snapping turtles.’ I spent the rest of that hot sunny afternoon catching tadpoles and identifying life in the pond.”
It was my very first week away from my parents and I was terrified. But when we returned Friday evening and my mom was waiting for me in the parking lot, I wasn't ready to go home. Something changed … I had the most amazing experience.”
Through immersive educational programs, such as school field trips, summer camps, preschool, home school, and after-school programs, and family-friendly public events, such as Maple Syrup Fest and Fall Fest, ALNC is leading the way to engage, educate, and empower the next generation of land stewards for a healthy, happy, and sustainable future by providing a conduit for children and adults to build connections and foster memories.
The benefits of getting outside and building connections with the world extend far beyond the time spent outdoors, and at ALNC, we see it firsthand. Unlike a generation ago, children today have little exposure to the outdoors, with most children— especially those from economically challenged homes—spending just 1 percent of their time outside, missing out on the countless benefits a connection with the natural world provides. Study after study has shown that children who participate in nature-based programs, like those offered at ALNC, reap physical, emotional, academic, cognitive, and even transcendental
“My eighth grade year was very hard. It was an awful year. When summer came, my parents signed me up for ALNC’s Porcupine Mountain backpacking trip.
benefits, such as better overall physical and mental health, improved academic scores and test performance, and greater respect for oneself, others, and the environment. “On the trip, I had gotten to know the leaders, Virginia and Brian. I was able to open up to them and gain trust and admiration for them. I also made two new friends, Jenna and Liam, who are now two of my best friends and whom I refer to as my nature Brother and Sister. The whole trip was truly life changing. That week away was incredibly cleansing after an awful year … to tromp through the mountains, away from the city, and be so exhausted and sore at the end of the day, to then just wake up and do it all again … it honestly changed my perspective and made life that year a little easier.”
It’s through these connections with the land and with our community that magic occurs. When we, young and old alike, get outside and connect with the earth, something happens, and our perspective on life changes. When we walk the prairie or hike the basswood forest, noticing seasonal changes and cherishing the fleeting sights, we are connecting with the bigger world and gaining an appreciation and an understanding of our earth, our home. We are, in our own ways, adopting Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. “I have percolated my dreams at ALNC. I want to go to college and major in vocational rehabilitation. I want to help people with disabilities get out into nature on backpacking, canoeing, and camping trips. I have learned from the nature center that everybody needs a
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12 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
connection to nature, and my dream is to ensure that people who have been told they can’t [are given a chance to] get into nature. I want to share the joy nature brings me with people who might not get the chance.”
establishing harmony between people and nature as a moral obligation. In return for this harmonious relationship, we experience meaning and purpose, coexistence, inner peace, joy in nature, and sustainability.
Aldo Leopold wrote, “When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” With his awareness of interdependence and responsibility, Leopold proposed
In light of stories like Althea’s and visions like Leopold’s, the ALNC is looking forward to the next 25 years. After recently engaging our community in strategic planning, a new energy is
moving through the nature center, and, in the spirit of Aldo Leopold, we have reaffirmed our mission to engage and educate current and future generations, empowering them to respect, protect, and enjoy the natural world. In addition to our core programming, we’re gearing up for some exciting new initiatives, starting with accessibility. This year, we are expanding equitable access by eliminating public admission fees to all of our exhibits and indoor play spaces by working with community partners to strengthen and expand our scholarship programs and by opening our family-friendly events to the public at no charge. And this is only the beginning. Stay tuned… “My mother grew up in the woods and wanted my brother and I to have the same experience, but was worried she couldn’t provide it since we lived in the city. She was thrilled that she found the Aldo Leopold Nature Center when my older brother was little … and frankly, I am too.” Cara Erickson is the Marketing & Communications Manager at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center. Photographs provided by Aldo Leopold Nature Center.
Cara Erickson
ALDO LEOPOLD NATURE CENTER 330 Femrite Drive Monona, WI 53716 (608) 221.0404 aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org
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essential entertainment
Discover Madison and Lakes
A BOA RD
To really discover the true character of Madison, those who live or visit here seek out unique experiences and local dining to uncover what sets the city apart from everywhere else. The beauty of the lakes draws people to our city. Enjoying great food and a boat cruise on Lake Mendota and Lake Monona aboard Betty Lou Cruises showcases Madison and takes in the natural beauty of the lakes while enjoying a beautiful Madison sunset on the water. Betty Lou Cruises has been a special part of the 14 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
lakescape of Lake Mendota since 1998 and Lake Monona since 2002. Since the two lakes hug the city's isthmus, the best view of the state’s capitol and waterfront splendor is from the lake. Every seat on Betty Lou Cruises has a great view, and passengers aboard this floating eatery get to enjoy the lake and great food while viewing the luxury homes and condominiums. These properties were built to both have a view and to be viewed from the lake.
The Lake Mendota cruise showcases the properties on the Gold Coast of Westport, Maple Bluff, and other significant homes. There are nearly 22 miles of Lake Mendota shoreline. Lake Monona has 13 miles of shoreline and an unparalleled vista of Monona Terrace and the Madison city skyline. Betty Lou Cruises offers both public and private charter cruises aboard motor yachts. The main level cabin is enclosed and the upper decks have protective
canopies to enable the cruise to go out rain or shine. All cruises include a captain and crew, buffet food, and bar service. They moor at Mariner’s Inn on Lake Mendota and at the Machinery Row building on Lake Monona. The season starts the last Friday of April and continues through the third weekend of October. Betty Lou Cruises operates four boats—two on Lake Mendota and two on Lake Monona— that hold between 20 to 50 passengers. Public cruises are offered every day of the week and require advance reservations and payment. No tickets are sold at the boat. Special public cruises are either party themed holiday or special event cruises. Private charter cruises can be scheduled on any day at any time. See bettyloucruises.com for a complete list of cruises and themes, as well as to make reservations. The cruises are more than a boat ride that happens to have food. The chefs at Mariner’s Inn make the food for the cruises, which features a signature buffet menu suited for those mingling and having fun aboard the cruise. Great hospitality is an art, and aboard the Betty Lou, the authentic, attentive,
and engaging crew, along with topnotch food, elevates the quality of customer service to the next level. The caliber reaches from great to exceptional to provide a memorable experience. In addition to public cruises, they make family functions, weddings, receptions, anniversaries, and birthday parties, and any other special occasion, including company parties and promotional events more special. From a casual pizza or ice cream event to formal receptions, the food and beverages aboard Betty Lou Cruises complement any occasion. Betty Lou Cruises has local partners for a few featured cruises. Ian’s Pizza is a partner for the Thursday Pizza and Beer Cruise. The Friday night Seafood Cruise features Wollersheim wine, and the Sunday Ice Cream Social and Sightseeing Cruise features six flavors and nine topping choices from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. The children’s eyes pop out of their heads, thinking they’ll never get full eating ice cream the entire cruise.
“
A weekend in Green Lake is the perfect way for us to disconnect from life’s chaos and reconnect with each other. The natural beauty of the lake is breathtaking and calming, and there’s lots to do off the water— biking, golfing, hiking, shopping and dining. There is something special about this place that everyone should experience!
”
—Jo Ellen, Evanston, IL
Plan your weekend getaway at www.visitgreenlake.com
Betty Lou Cruises is owned by von Rutenberg Ventures, which also owns Mariner’s Inn, Nau-Ti-Gal, and Captain Bill’s lakefront restaurants, known for
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steak and seafood. Mariner’s Inn, opened in 1966 by Bill and Betty von Rutenberg, was the first. Their three sons, Bill, Jack, and Robert, who grew up immersed in the hospitality business, are now at the helm of the restaurants. It made sense for von Rutenberg Ventures to bring Betty Lou Cruises to the Madison tourism scene since they possessed the attributes needed to get
16 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
started and thrive. They owned three successful lakefront restaurants that could cross promote the cruises, and had a protected harbor with convenient parking. Hospitality and great food that could be made at Mariner’s Inn by experienced chefs are important elements that have helped the cruises stand the test of time. After all, good food and a great experience bring people back to visit time and time again.
“Betty Lou Cruises was named to honor the memory of our mother,” says Jack. “She passed away at age 64, two years before we launched the cruises.” The research had been in the works for 14 years, so the family thought it was fitting to pay tribute to Betty’s fun, vivacious, and loving spirit combined with her love of Madison, the lakes, and people by naming the cruise business after her. She excelled at
experience, they come back two by two to try the other lake or a different cruise. Lauri Lee is a foodie living in Madison, Wisconsin. Photographs provided by Betty Lou Cruises.
hospitality and is remembered for her verbal menu presentation where she playfully demonstrated the location and tenderness of the steaks using the leg of one of the guys in the party. It was a memorable and entertaining start to their meal and for those at tables nearby. Betty’s legacy of hospitality lives on and is adhered to by all the crew and staff of von Rutenberg Ventures. “We place
such high value on hospitality that when we hire new crew, we look for great hospitality personalities and then train them to do knots, docking, and tying lines.” The best way to see Madison’s splendor is from the deck aboard Betty Lou Cruises. People may reserve a cruise one by one, but because they have a “wow”
Lauri Lee
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esse ntial ente rtain men t
ULTIMATE
is Madison’s Alternative Sport by Chelsey Dequaine
Warning—this story may cause you to grab a Frisbee, run out your front door, leap into the air, and whip the disc as hard as you can. Or at least I wanted to after talking to two of Madison’s ultimate leaders: Madison Radicals Owner and Head Coach Tim DeByl and Madison Ultimate Frisbee Association President (MUFA) Pete Schramm. These two have been living on the isthmus and in the ultimate scene for more than two decades. Airbenders (an exceptionally good disc handler) across Dane County can feel the growth in awareness as well as the connection the sport brings to the community. The biggest buzz is the announcement of the seventh American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) Championship Weekend at Breese Stevens Field on August 11 and 12. The tournament was held in Madison two years ago and 18 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
had the highest attendance in AUDL championship history. Since 2013, the Radicals have made it to the final four tournament every year. There are four divisions in the AUDL, allowing each divisional winner to face off in the tournament. Game attendance continues to grow thanks to the sport’s affordability. Regular season tickets are $9 and kids 12 and under are free, and tickets for the AUDL Championship Weekend are $20 for all three games. MUFA, a nonprofit founded in 1993, is dedicated to providing opportunities for people to play ultimate. The league offers spring, summer, fall, and winter leagues. Pete says the sport is unique in that there isn’t a barrier to play it. “You can pick up a Frisbee, lace up your shoes, and find an open space.” In other words, no gear or shoulder-breaking gym bag to haul around.
This year marks a milestone for MUFA: the league’s 25th anniversary. Pete notes that over the years many players met their spouses in the league, including himself. He met his fiancé, Lindsay, during the 2014 fall league. This leads to why MUFA wants to pursue a youth program. “Many of our players have children growing up around Frisbees and the sport.” Aside from a conversation about youth, ultimate focuses on equity. The Radicals and AUDL have partnered to host a women’s game for the first time, where local women’s team Madison Heist will take on a team of European all-stars during the week of the AUDL tournament. “It’s awesome because we are trying to do more outreach,” Tim says. The same goes for MUFA. While the league has had mixed play, this summer
a new rule has been instated that says the ratio of men and women playing on the field will rotate, giving everyone a fair chance of game time. “We have the opportunity to be a leader at the local recreation level to demonstrate and use equitable practices,� Pete says. Teams made up of a minimum of six individuals of each gender must be registered by May 15 for the summer league. In the summer of 2017, over 200 MUFA teams and 4,000 players competed on 14 Madison area parks. Parks were worn so much you could see spots on Google Satellite. Pete says the city has developed a strong plan at rotating parks to ease wear and tear, and allow them to recover. Tim has been playing ultimate for nearly 20 years. In 1993, the World Flying Disc Federation played its final tournament at Warner Park. At that time, there were less than 400 MUFA players. When Tim started playing in 1997, summer leagues were already becoming more popular, with nearly 800 players.
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teams. Their first season was in 2013, and they went on to achieve an all-time regular season record of 64-8, taking home Midwest Division Champion titles in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. Last year, the Radicals averaged over 1,000 fans a game, compared to its first year of about 550 fans. The first time ultimate was on ESPN was in 2010. Last year, the AUDL was on Sports Center 16 times. Ultimate is now in the media more frequently, people understand the sport more, and coverage of the sport has grown. At the time of this writing, the team prepares to kick off the 2018 season. “Anytime you know the championship is at home, it’s a different vibe,” Tim says. On January 20, more than 90 people from Iowa to cities across Wisconsin attended tryouts—the highest attendance to date. During the 2015-2017 seasons, the Radicals have been number one in attendance in the AUDL. They plan to continue this trend in 2018.
From Green Bay, Tim attended the University of Wisconsin Madison to study math and programming. After finding that creativity was his calling, he graduated with a B.S. in creative writing, and in 2004 he became coowner of Distillery Marketing + Design. Seven years later, he came across a Craigslist ad for an AUDL ultimate league franchise. “I called the guy who started it, and he told me it had just
20 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
been bought.” After being connected with the buyers—David Martin and Chad Coopmans, who were also from Green Bay—they became partners and, to Tim’s surprise, even more. “Chad ended up being my second cousin; we had never met before.” Each AUDL franchise is owned and operated locally. The Radicals play in the Midwest Division with five other
Pete was born in Madison and started playing ultimate in 1999. He started the way a lot of people started—with a friend who played. In the last 10 years, Pete became a MUFA league coordinator, was elected to the board, and, in 2015, was elected board president. “What I love about ultimate isn’t so much the sport itself, it’s the sport and people,” he
says. “Playing ultimate, for me, is more of a way to spend time with a group of people I like than just about the sport that I’m playing.” Pete says Madison is known around the country for having one of the largest and most vibrant ultimate communities. Since the league has only one sponsor, Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. since 2001, that’s where the team gathers after games. At the end of the summer league, MUFA holds both the championship game and a festival, allowing the two top teams to play in front of a crowd. Likewise, as soon as the games are over at Breese Stevens Field, kids run onto the field with their discs ready to throw around with the players. Keeping activities like this incorporated in games is intentional. The sport is meant to be low cost and accessible for everyone. The sport won’t break your bank, it’s not hard to follow, and it has a community with a big heart. Pete also points out it’s an alternative. “It’s a noncontact sport in an era where sports are dealing with concerns about concussions.” For more information on MUFA, visit MUFA.org or MUFA’s Facebook page. For more information on the Madison Radicals or to buy tickets, visit radicalsultimate.com. Chelsey Dequaine works as director of social media strategy for designCraft Advertising and is a freelance writer. Photographs provided by Madison Radicals.
Chelsey Dequaine
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essential shopping
by Kyle Jacobson Strip steaks and baby back ribs. Or the vegan-friendly take: cubed tofu and portabella caps. Then there’s pizza, kabobs, apple pie, and...yes, apple pie. Perhaps some clarification is merited. I was once like you, blissfully unaware to the contemporary world of grilling. Now I know many ways to make, well, burgers and brats, but a more adventurous soul has the opportunity to turn their backyard grill into a second kitchen without breaking the wallet or doing some serious landscaping.
22 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
On grilling, I grew up in the world of propane. The convenience and efficiency of those hand-jivin’, swing-poppin’ inventions of the 1950s still hold true. Scott Getz of Wolff Kubly Hardware believes the strength of the propane grill lies in its speed. In terms of Weber grills, a more reliable electronic starter only scratches the surface of innovation. “They also have been integrating the iGrill system, so you can have an interior temperature of the meat and the grill right on your phone,” says Scott. I,
for one, have used a highly calculated measure of guesswork in ensuring my food comes out somewhere between rare and well-done. I’m happy to admit this wifi wonder might hold the edge over my less-than-precise methods. Then there’s the world of charcoal, and few do it better than the Big Green Egg. This beauty can grill as good as any charcoal grill, but beneath a thick ceramic shell is one of the best smokers money can buy. Josh Herman of UW
As great as it is to have a cold-hardy grill, the Big Green Egg is also sustaining some Wisconsin jobs. Josh says, “The powder coating comes from Janesville, and all the metalwork comes from Argyle, Wisconsin.” And these monsters, the XXLARGE model weighing in at 424 pounds, come with a lifetime warranty, no questions asked. That way if it falls over on your back porch and takes out your deck railing, you’ll only have to worry about some light carpentry.
Big Green Egg
So we got our trusty propane grill for efficiency and Big Green Egg for smoking, but there’s a third type that I had no clue about: the pellet grill. The pellet grill seems like an all-in-one machine. It smokes better than a propane grill, and it grills with consistency. For some, the fact that it’s electric may be a turn-off, but I was blown away after talking with Rene Huston of Patio Pleasures about all the functions these things have. “My husband’s done beef jerky, and, for Thanksgiving, he smoked the turkey. I like to do quick little things for the kids when I’m throwing some chicken or burgers on.” That’s everything I could ask for in a grill. Oh, one more thing. It bakes! That’s right, you can do pizzas on this thing, and Rene says they’re fantastic. “We’ve also done more convection-type projects, like baking. Gosh, we did
Photograph provided by Wolff Kubly
Provision sums it up nicely. “They’re pretty cool, man.” Speaking of cool man, this is a Wisconsin grill in more ways than one. “In Wisconsin, you can have this thing goin’ when it’s 20 below outside, and on one load of charcoal, you can have probably like a 12-hour smoke period running on this thing.” A smoker isn’t really something I’ve considered owning, but the more I see it as an industrial crockpot, the more I’m buying into the possibility.
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Pellet Grill
these little apple-pie dumpling things for dessert.” She adds, “It’s a product that allows you to get creative.” When it comes to food, I’m not as creative as Rene, but for my small family, sometimes one oven isn’t enough depending on the meal. Just having a pellet grill on hand seems like the perfect solution to a problem I thought I’d just have to live with. Like the Weber iGrill system, many of these grills have a wifi feature, allowing the user to save a recipe that turned out perfect and keep an eye on those grill temps. Though it’s certainly handy for grilling, I imagine there’s an added level of convenience when smoking meats and such for hours on end.
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Pellet Grill
Photograph provided by Patio Pleasures
Photograph provided by Wolff Kubly
Lastly, they’re portable. Just like a propane grill, it’s light enough for you to take camping and tailgating. They also have the added benefit of making you look like you know what you’re doing, considering they look more involved than the propane and charcoal grills everyone is familiar with. You’ll just need to buy a tailgate power inverter to hook up to your battery or plug into your cigarette lighter so you can access a traditional electrical socket.
Oh, one more thing. It bakes! “It’s a product that allows you
to get creative.”
Now seems like a good time to point out that if you get a pellet grill or already own one, be sure to use 100 percent natural wood pellets. You don’t want to be burning chemicals and binders into your food. Pellets cost about the same as a bag of charcoal, and come in different varieties of tree flavors, including hickory, cherry, and oak. When all is said and done, grilling culture is something we enjoy in Wisconsin. From the outdoors to the backyard, it doesn’t seem like there’s a wrong time to throw on a few brats or portabella mushrooms. And when it comes to what kind of grill you’re using, there’s really no wrong choice. Everyone that has a Weber swears by it, and will only buy Weber, as did their father and their father’s father. The same can be
Photograph provided by Patio Pleasures
Propane Grill
said for the Big Green Egg. And though the pellet grill is a recent trend, it’s not going to be for everybody. Grilling only comes with three rules: never insult the cook, eat what you touch, and, especially when you’re grilling in a state or county park, clean up after yourself. Full disclosure, I own a nonWeber propane grill, and, just like everything I own, I’ll swear by it until the thing breaks.
THANK YOU
A TRADITION SINCE 1968
TO ALL OUR CUST OMERS! HERE’S TO ANOT HER 50 YEARS!
celebrating 50 years
Kyle Jacobson is a copy editor for Madison Essentials, and a writer and beer enthusiast (sometimes all at once) living in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
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Photograph provided by Breese Stevens Field
e ssential landmark
Breese Stevens Field by Jeanne Engle Breese Stevens Municipal Athletic Field holds a special place in the hearts of many Madisonians. Not only is the field the oldest city-owned and -operated athletic field, it’s also the oldest surviving masonry grandstand in Wisconsin.
including the concrete bleachers along the north wall, that still exist today, and a perimeter wall. This makes Breese Stevens Field one of the few baseball facilities built or expanded by the shortlived CWA.
Breese Stevens Field opened on May 5, 1926, as a baseball stadium consisting of a grandstand and playing field encompassing an entire city block. The field’s Mediterranean Revivalstyle grandstand was designed by Claude and Starck, an important Madison architectural firm in the early 20th century.
The bleachers are backed by an imposing 20-foot high sandstone wall. The sandstone came from the Hoyt Park quarry on Madison’s west side. At the east end of the bleachers, the wall drops to a height of eight feet and continues around the field as a perimeter wall.
The first night game of baseball in Wisconsin using portable lights was held at Breese Stevens Field in July 1930. Attendance was such that the field was outfitted with permanent lights the next year and was the only city park with floodlights until the mid-1960s. In 1934, the Civil Works Administration (CWA), a Depression-era jobs program, made several additions to the structure, 26 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
A wooden press box was added in 1939. Three heating units were installed in 1945, and in 1947, the first electric scoreboard was erected on the field. In 1982, a rehabilitation project converted Breese Stevens Field to a soccer facility. The City of Madison, owner of Breese Stevens Field, has invested approximately $4 million in nearly a decade to rehabilitate and restore the facility. The intent was to preserve the facility and to create better future-use
opportunities. Major projects included repairing bleachers; installing accessible seating, entrances, and restrooms; roof canopy repairs; installation of a new press box; improvements to the entrances; deck waterproofing repairs; and lighting and sound system improvements. Four years ago, the installation of synthetic turf, a $1 million project, resulted in a field that could see more use because it didn’t have to be closed down due to the grass having to grow back after some athletic events. Currently, the city’s Parks Division is in early stages of design development with Isthmus Architecture to add a new concession and restroom building. The addition will be located west of the athletic field and adjacent to the older 1925 portion of the stadium. Breese Stevens Field was designated a Madison landmark in 1995 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. According to the
Breese Stevens Field was the home of the Madison Blues semi-professional baseball team. Following a game in 1938, sprinter Jesse Owens, 1936 Olympic gold medalist, ran in three exhibition races at the field. In 1931, a rodeo occurred over a period of six days. Later in the 1930s, midget auto races were held but were subsequently canceled because of noise concerns and damage to the field’s cinder track. Over the years, Breese Stevens Field has also hosted track and field competitions, circuses, drum and bugle corps competitions, religious services, and concerts. Currently it is home to Edgewood College soccer teams; Madison East High School teams; the Madison 56ers amateur soccer team; and a professional ultimate frisbee team, the Madison Radicals.
LOCATIONS
Photograph provided by Breese Steven
National Register nomination, the 1925 grandstand, the 1934 CWA bleachers, and perimeter stone wall have been painstakingly restored and retain a high degree of historic integrity. This historic stadium seats 3,740 in its grandstand and 5,593 on its field only, with a total capacity of 9,333.
s Field
Photograph provided by Breese Stevens Field
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according to a report in The Capital Times. But he was countered by another who said that Madison was about 20 years behind the times already.
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The city hired Big Top Baseball in 2015 to operate Breese Stevens Field, due largely to the company's success in reviving the baseball stadium at Warner Park. Under Big Top's management, Breese Stevens has hosted several concerts, local sporting events, and community festivals.
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downtown campus) and the city was first proposed. More than a year later, Madison’s city council voted 19 to 1 to purchase property owned by Mrs. Breese J. Stevens for an athletic field that would be named in honor of her late husband. The purchase price was
The block that Breese Stevens Field occupies was originally owned by Sidney Breese. He sold it to his nephew Breese Stevens (1834-1903), an attorney who had moved to Madison from New York in 1856. Stevens was elected mayor of Madison in 1884 and served one term. At that time, he was president of the Madison City Gas Light and Coke Company. A mayoral committee had been studying the feasibility of electric lights, but Stevens declined to reappoint the committee, preserving the city's use of gaslights for five more years. Stevens was also a University of Wisconsin Madison regent from 1891 to 1903.
$35,000, reduced by $10,000 from the original asking price. The dissenting alderman thought the council was moving too fast on the project and residents should be given an opportunity to be heard on the matter,
The first concert of the 2018 season features rock band Queens of the Stone Age, scheduled for May 22. Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers play on June 16. For concerts, the stage is on the east side of the field. Concertgoers with
Photograph by Chris Lotten Photography
28 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
Beer & Bacon, a celebration of the best craft brews and bacon-inspired foods in the Midwest, will be hosted by Run Strong Madison Inc. on June 23 at Breese Stevens Field. The popular Bodega, a free public market featuring farmers, artisans, antique dealers, and craftspeople selling locally sourced goods and produce, returns as well. A growing variety within the vendor lineup, live entertainment, food carts, interactive displays, a zip line, free yard games, and local beers and wines will highlight the 2018 series. Check for more information at breesestevensfield.com/bodega. Along with hosting Madison Radicals home games, Breese Stevens field will also host the league’s championship August 11 and 12. Later, on August 19, is the fifth Yum Yum Fest, a celebration of artistry in food from the Madison Area Chef’s Network.
Breese Stevens Field is available for private events and weddings. “It’s a beautiful site in the heart of the east side of Madison. We can do a variety of events and will work with individuals and organizations to create an awesome experience,” Liz says. Jeanne Engle is a freelance writer. Photograph by M.O.D. Media Productions
general admission tickets on the field can bring blankets, according to Liz Kern, vice president of Big Top Baseball.
Jeanne Engle
Breese Stevens Field 917 E. Mifflin Street Madison, WI 53703 (608) 622-1414 breesestevensfield.com
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essential well-being
Domestic
Violence
by Faye Zemel It began like many other relationships. They met through mutual friends and Monica was immediately taken with Andrew’s charm. He was intelligent, witty, and charismatic. When they went out, he attentively listened to her in a way that she had never experienced before. He wanted to understand her passions, her values, and her dreams. When she introduced him to her parents, her father ended the evening by taking Monica aside and saying, “Honey, he may actually be the one!” Though Monica had always been the type to take her time, she felt it too— that maybe Andrew was the one. When Andrew asked her to move in with him, she didn’t hesitate. Shortly after Monica moved in with Andrew, things began to shift. It started with subtle things, like Andrew pouting when Monica went out for happy hour with her girlfriends one Friday 30 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
after work—a tradition they had since graduate school and which had never bothered Andrew before. Next, it was the dress she bought from her favorite store. When she came downstairs before work, Andrew told her that she looked like she was trying too hard, and he wondered aloud who Monica was trying to impress at the office and if he needed to be worried. Over time, Andrew’s jealousy became more pronounced. Monica stayed late at the office to meet a deadline. When she came home, Andrew was waiting for her. He accused her of lying and cheating on him. When she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm and twisted it so severely that she thought it might break. Crying, Monica told Andrew she wanted to break up. He fell to his knees. He told her he couldn’t live without her and he had never been so in love. If she left him, he said he’d kill himself. Andrew promised to never
hurt her again. Monica was touched by his outpouring of emotion and felt so much tenderness to this man who clearly adored her. She decided she was overreacting and that he would never do it again. She had given up so much to be with him that she wanted to make it work. As the months went on, the controlling behaviors worsened and she became fearful. Her friends and family members were so charmed by Andrew that she didn’t know if she was overblowing her fears or if anyone would understand why she was afraid. Every time she talked to Andrew about separating, he would threaten to commit suicide. She felt trapped. Domestic violence (DV) is when one intimate partner tries to gain power and control over the other by creating an environment of fear and
intimidation. Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial, verbal, spiritual, and psychological. Behaviors can include anything that is used to humiliate, terrorize, manipulate, coerce, frighten, and harm the other person. DV can affect anyone regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, racial identity, religion, and level of education. While no two experiences are exactly the same, a commonality is for the abuse to manifest as a cycle. Abusive relationships often begin with a honeymoon phase, just like any other romantic relationship. The abuse doesn’t typically begin until emotional investment has been established. Survivors often report tension slowly building and a feeling of walking on eggshells when around their partner. The tension often culminates in an abusive episode that can include any of the forms of violence mentioned above. Afterwards, the abuser may apologize and promise to never behave that way again. They may also minimize
the abuse that took place or shower the survivor with gifts, beginning the honeymoon phase again. Often, the longer the relationship continues the more frequent and severe the abuse becomes. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four women and one in seven men will experience physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. This does not include other forms of abuse, which means even more people experience abuse in some form. DV is also vastly underreported. The impact can be felt long after the relationship has ended, and, in the worst-case scenarios, DV can result in homicide. DV is an epidemic that is plaguing communities, and we must all work together to end it. One of the most common myths about DV is that victims can just leave. There are many reasons a person may stay, such as serious safety concerns, fear of losing children, lack of access to money
or other supports, immigration status, and many more. In fact, victims are more likely to be killed by their abusers when attempting to end the relationship than at any other time. That is why it’s important for victims who may be considering leaving to create a safety plan. We all know someone touched by DV, and it’s important to know how to best support those experiencing violence in their relationships. Here are some tips to support someone in your life.
Believe Them/Listen Without Judgment The most important thing you can do for someone is to believe them. They have likely been told repeatedly that no one will ever believe them, so reinforcing that you believe them can be incredibly supportive. Validate their experience and the fact they chose to share it. Tell them that the abuse is never their fault. Remind them of their strengths.
Follow Their Lead and Offer Options Survivors have often been disempowered. Part of the healing process is to regain one’s power. We may unintentionally obstruct that process by telling someone what they should do. The survivor knows their situation better than anyone; they have been navigating their partner as long as they have been experiencing the abuse. Continue offering your support of them while also presenting options.
Reach Out to a Local DV Agency Consider calling a DV hotline for yourself so you can learn about the various resources available as well as how to best support your loved one. The DAIS Help Line is answered 24/7/365. The number is (608) 251-4445.
Faye Zemel is the Director of Prevention and Community Programs at DAIS and has over 14 years of experience working in prevention, advocacy, and social justice education. Photographs provided by DAIS.
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Camping Photograph provided by Green Concierge Travel
essential travel
ADD
Adventure TO YOUR
Weekend!
By Liz Wessel
At its most basic level, camping is an overnight stay away from home in a shelter, such as a tent. For many, it’s an urban getaway with a natural setting and few distractions. Simple meals and sitting around a campfire round out the experience.
experience, you can find canvas tents with all the amenities. Creative Retreats, which specializes in luxury canvas tenting, just expanded to Governor’s Island in New York City harbor, adding to their variety of offerings.
You can rough it or not depending on your needs. Creature comforts can be provided and health issues and disabilities can be accommodated to a certain extent. Facilities for differently abled campers are still limited. The state offers 10 cabins for campers with disabilities; the closest one is at Mirror Lake State Park in Baraboo. And gear to make you comfortable, like an inflatable double mattress, can be found easily and may entice people back to camping.
In general, you pay a camping fee per night whether you are at a public or private campground. Beyond the fee, you may need other permits or have to pay an entrance fee. Private campgrounds often have a resort fee to cover the amenities they offer. State and national parks have vehicle entrance fees or an annual pass. And if you like to bike ride or fish, you might have to get an additional permit.
I prefer a more rustic, simple experience without a lot of gadgets, which means a tent, a few chairs, a gas backpacking stove, and possibly our portable barbecue. But if you want a luxury
Tents come in all shapes, sizes, and weights depending on your needs. While primarily for sleeping, your tent also serves as shelter from thunderstorms or pesky mosquitoes, so make sure it is up
32 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
Expenses
Tents and Yurts
to the job. To rent camping gear, try the University of Wisconsin Madison Union or look online for options. For a more substantial shelter, you can rent a cabin or a yurt. Yurts are circular tent structures usually with a canvas roof. Beyond these components, experiences and prices vary depending on the amenities provided. Some yurts, like those offered by Bayfield County, are minimalist and not accessible by car. Other yurts, like those at the Baraboo Hills Campground, include electricity, appliances, and other amenities. These come with a higher fee, of course.
Finding the Right Campground Where you go really depends on your main objective for the weekend. Maybe it’s just camping or maybe attending a music festival, county fair, food festival, or knocking off a segment of the Ice Age Trail. Some ideas are offered below with thoughts on how they might pair with other activities.
Photograph provided by Bayfield County
Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo Both in- and out-of-state campers flock to Devil’s Lake for camping vacations. The spectacular scenery, large deciduous and pine trees, variety of hiking, and the lake and all the activities associated with it, make this an ideal place to camp for a few nights. It also makes a great base camp to explore the Baraboo area—if you can get a reservation.
Wisconsin regulates the movement of firewood in the state to help protect our trees and forests. For this reason, DO NOT bring firewood, but buy firewood locally, preferably at or near your campsite.
Lake Farm County Park in Madison Lake Farm Park campground fills with campers here to enjoy the 328acre park’s wide range of recreational activities, including a boat launch. For bicyclists, this park serves as a hub. Bike the Lower Yahara River Trail one day and tackle the Capital City State Trail the next. The park’s close proximity to the Alliant Center, home to the Dane County Fair and other events, makes this a great base camp for exploring the Madison area.
Blue Mounds State Park in Blue Mounds Blue Mounds State Park caters to bicyclists. In addition to extensive hiking trails, it has dedicated mountain biking trails and direct access to the Military Ridge Trail. Families will enjoy camping here. The park has one of the few pools (ADA accessible) in a state park. And the top of the mound’s open space is great for ball games or Frisbee. From the observation towers, you can see the lay of the land or watch the sunset. Even better, you can see fireworks across the region on July 4 or
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Photograph provided by Green Concierge Travel
meteors during the July/August Perseid meteor showers. You will not be alone!
New Glarus Woods State Park in New Glarus
Photograph provided by Green Concierge Travel
For the more adventurous, bike to New Glarus Woods. The park connects to the Sugar River Trail running between New Glarus and Brodhead. In Monticello, the trail intersects the Badger State Trail connecting riders with Madison to the north and the Jane Addams Trail to the south. Use this park as a base for attending one of the summer/fall festivals hosted by New Glarus. And it never hurts to have a well-established microbrewery, New Glarus Brewing Co., just down the road from the park.
Governor Dodge State Park in Dodgeville Governor Dodge State Park has a variety of hiking loops, springs, and wooded trails for when the temperatures soar, as well as lakes for fishing and swimming. This park also has equestrian camping and trails. I like to book a campsite on an evening when we have tickets for a show at American Players Theatre (APT), only a few miles down the road. Pick some berries and arrive early at APT to linger over your picnic dinner. After the show, let the Madison crowd disperse. Drive leisurely back to your campsite. Finally, the best-kept secrets are the county park campgrounds. Known mostly to locals, they often have 34 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
reservable campsites with generally lower fees. A great example is the county park I discovered with a great campground and a lake for fishing and swimming while attending the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer. Get creative and consider combining your favorite activities with camping. You will create some memorable weekend experiences. Liz Wessel is the owner of Green Concierge Travel, which has information for honeymoons and other ecotravel at greenconciergetravel.com.
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es s ential arts
“This is a framework we’re going to use to make art, organize events, and try to get some energy going. Ultimately, it’s how we’re going to activate the space. Right here.” Jeff Zimpel recounts the pitch he and Nick Schilz gave to Cardinal Stritch University to earn a studio space via artist residency in the university’s Communication Arts building to house their project, Create Space MKE. I receive the enthusiastic reenactment as I sit with him in his organization’s current base, a single room with high ceilings; long, clean wooden tables at its center; and countless large paintings that form layers of canvas encircling the space. It’s in this studio that Jeff regularly assembles Milwaukee’s civil activists and local front-runners in social innovation to offer them his seminal concept,
36 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
“What does Milwaukee look like?”, and a regimented six-step process—stated problem, research, brainstorm, ideation, presentation, and reflection—through which to explore its potential. Jeff’s brainchild turned urban arts collective aspires to confront social inequities and foster vision through a visual arts framework. Aside from teaching two-dimensional design coursework, Jeff dedicates his current capacity at the university to nurturing leaders’ explorations of this idea with the hope of activating human potential in the city he loves. While Create Space MKE may seem miraculous, what is perhaps more marvelous is that, upon further examination, Jeff’s current positioning
is the clear fulfillment of half a lifetime’s accumulated potential. Along with his co-curation of the Arts@Large 50th Anniversary of the March on Milwaukee Exhibition with four Milwaukee Public Schools, in the last year, Jeff has made a career for himself at the intersection of empowerment, art, and education. In doing so, he has begun living out a capacity for mentorship and inspiration that has been long waiting on the horizon. Raised in Green Bay, Jeff came to Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee to play baseball and study graphic design. An initially disengaged student, Jeff’s approach changed when he started reading novels outside of his coursework during the latter parts of his undergraduate career. He was
introduced to works of controversy and intention when he began working his way through the “Banned Books” section of the Whitefish Bay library. Jeff’s mental framework changed drastically as he grew genuinely passionate. “I got very angry and bitter when I was a junior in college. I was reading all these books that were just knocking me out. I got angry because I started to look at these structures that were guiding me through my life and seeing a lot of deception. I thought this is a crime! I could’ve been turned on then. Where would I be now?” In that moment, Jeff was responding both to his discovery of joy in learning and his resentment that it hadn’t been actuated by any of his teachers before then. It was at this point that Jeff knew he needed to teach. He had found motivation late in his academic career and wanted to point younger people in the direction of inspired engagement. After completing transitional postbaccalaureate internships in graphic
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design that left him further unfulfilled, in 2009 Jeff earned his Wisconsin teaching license and began Stritch’s Master of Arts in Teaching certification program. In the same year, he read Letters of Vincent van Gogh and was moved both to begin painting and incorporate components of careful planning and process into his graphicdesign practice. Two years later, Jeff began teaching at Shorewood High School, a six-year legacy wherein he would not only drive students toward visual arts, but also toward a comprehension that they could be creators of their surroundings and life outcomes. During his time with the district, he brought A.P. Art History to the high school, curated a summer tour of Europe for students to visit historic art sites, and co-wrote and facilitated a preprofessional course in Visual Journalism. Despite dedicating most waking hours on academic or extracurricular programming, Jeff still carried out personal artistic practice throughout his
time at the high school. “It’s the closest thing I’ve experienced to religion. It’s that structure of life. You go to it every day. You develop spaces around it. You practice it. You talk about it. You even try to sway people into it,” he says, explaining the depth of his love for painting, which roused him to remain devoted to it during his stay at Shorewood. Perhaps ironically, his period at Shorewood lent itself to a prolific era of inventive portrait painting. Jeff found inspiration again in his students. “I paint people who inspire me. I wanted to paint what being excited about thinking about ideas looks like. People are really interesting to do with that. You can do that with landscapes, but it’s significantly more dynamic when you have humans and all that they can represent. You can play with their display,” he says. Though he is still functionally a portrait painter, it feels almost inappropriate to label Jeff the artist as such. In the last several months, his work has transformed
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largely as a result of his incorporation of Create Space MKE’s methodology. Usurping normal dimensional spacing, his subjects exist in a plane unbound by conventional limits. The painter overlays them with both visions of a new city and reflections of Milwaukee as it stands today. Moreover, a collection of symbols and hieroglyphs representing the values of the new city, as Jeff’s group of leaders envision it, appear on these ever-changing pieces of the artist’s opus. Aside from his work, Jeff is currently applying to University of Wisconsin– Milwaukee to complete his Master in Fine Arts. His academic intentions are to dedicate his three-year program to refining Create Space MKE. He plans on using his time to continue exploring his theory of activating people through activating spaces. Through mobilizing individual schools within UW–Milwaukee by activating their physical spaces artistically, he hopes to reinvigorate factions of the campus toward collective action. Jeff has an ongoing show of paintings at Cardinal Stritch University in Bonaventure Hall throughout the school year as an arm of his artist residency. Additionally, the opening of the product of his co-curated March on Milwaukee 50th anniversary exhibit with Arts@Large opened April 20. To otherwise stay up to date on his artwork and development with Arts@ Large and Create Space MKE, visit createspacemke.com, search for Jeff Zimpel on behance.net, and check out his Instagram @j.zimpel. Elissa Koppel is a freelance writer and a local artist.
Photograph by Olivia Loomis
Photographs provided by Jeff Zimpel.
Elissa Koppel
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e ssential pets
by Lori Scarlett, DVM
I recovered this letter from a tick we found in a dog in mid-January. Dear Mom, I am really enjoying living in Madison. After you left me and my 2,500 brothers and sisters in the spring, we hatched into larvae (although I kind of prefer being called a maggot—I think it has a nice ring to it) during the nice, warm summer and immediately found some white-footed mice nearby. Good thinking to lay us near their nest. We all ate our fill of mouse blood and it really filled us up. We couldn’t hold on anymore and dropped into the leaves. It was a soft landing, so don’t worry! It was really interesting to molt into a nymph. I wish you could have told us what it would feel like. Suddenly we were twice the size as before (as “big as ticks,” so they say, but really barely specks) and had two more legs! That was pretty cool. Now I could hold onto a piece of grass with two legs and wave
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six legs at passing creatures. I was big enough to stand up to an ant, but remembered you telling me to be good, so I moved aside. Sadly, I lost track of a lot of my siblings, but several of my sisters and I molted at the same time and tried to stick together. We discovered that we could smell using our front legs and, wow, there are a lot of different smells in the world. Our favorite smell is carbon dioxide— it makes us run to wherever the smell is coming from. Another great smell is ammonia. We discovered it when we saw a big furry creature lift his leg on a tree and let loose a rain shower. I don’t think we’ve ever moved so fast! It’s disappointing how slow we run compared to big furry things. But we found that if we crawled onto a leaf or little branch, we could wave our arms and yummy things would walk by and
we could grab and climb on. Guess I’m glad we’re so small they never know we’re there. Because all that questing for food made me hungry, I wanted to eat wherever I landed, but some of that furry skin is tough. I had to exert my power to hike up the skin mountain until I found a softer, thinner area. I ended up finding a dark cave that was a little slippery with a wax substance, but it was quiet and good eating in there. Once I was “big as a tick” again, I crawled back out and let go. I was glad I landed in a soft pile of grass because I was pretty high off the ground. I must have gotten my nice, hard shell from your side of the family.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
I was surprised to find out I was molting again. I was enjoying my teenage years, eating lots of blood, and now I would have to become an adult. I felt so huge, but still didn’t think anyone really saw me. I was a little disappointed I still only had eight legs, but I’m not sure how I could have fit ten on my body without tripping. I crawled around a lot, questing as hard as I could, but there weren’t many furry creatures to be found. I was getting kind of cold because I just didn’t feel like moving very quickly. I ran into one of my sisters and was surprised she’d had a boyfriend, gotten married, and was already a widow. I guess they met on a big furry creature, got to know each other over delicious blood meals, decided to get married, and had a honeymoon right then and there. I would have been sad to see my soulmate die so quickly, but sis didn’t think much of it. Maybe that was because she was having hormonal stuff going on—she was pretty darn pregnant when I saw her. I’m not sure how you (or she) did it—that big belly looks uncomfortable! She isn’t due until the spring. Since neither of us had any place to go, we snuggled down under some warm leaves to hang out until the weather warmed up. Hopefully next spring I will find my mate and enjoy blood meals by candlelight. Although pregnancy doesn’t look comfortable, I’m looking forward to having my own clutch of babies. I appreciated having so many siblings, and I hope I have at least 3,000 babies too! There are some ticks out there that love telling horror stories. One told me how she bit into a furry creature and suddenly felt all her legs start jiggling, like she was made to do some bizarre dance. She backed out of the feeding hole immediately and fell off the creature. She was still shaking when I saw her and looked like she was about to die. That really scared me and now I’m afraid to grab onto anything with a lot of fur. Creatures that don’t have much fur seem safer. Sometimes they smell of really strong chemicals, but that doesn’t bother me much.
THE WILDLIFE CENTER! If you find a wild animal you believe needs assistance, before intervening, contact Dane County Humane Society’s Wildlife Center at (608) 287-3235. Knowledgeable staff and volunteers are happy to talk you through the next steps to determine when help is truly needed.
giveshelter.org (608) 287-3235
I hope this letter finds you well. I heard some tick say that after all the eggs are born, the mother dies, but I hope he was lying. Love, your little Ixodes
It was helpful to find this letter! Ticks can be active in the winter, especially when the winter is mild. They have to take blood meals in order to molt and reproduce. One thing our little tick didn’t mention, and probably didn’t know, is that there was a good chance she was infected with a spirochete bacteria, like Lyme or anaplasmosis, when she fed off the white-footed mouse. Once infected, the bacteria are passed on to the next host. While feeding, the tick will suck blood, regurgitate some of it back into the bloodstream, then drink some more. The bacteria get into the bloodstream during one of the regurgitations. Because you don’t usually feel a tick when it is feeding, it can be attached for
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Ticks don’t just fall from a tree and land on you, they will actively seek you out when they smell exhaled breath or urine. Ticks can just see vague shapes, so they can’t run out and jump on you. Instead they grab onto a leaf or branch, extend their legs out and wait for something to walk by so they can grab on. They usually crawl around until they find a place with thinner skin: ears, necks, etc. When they bite, they inject an anesthetic chemical that numbs the skin so they can eat without anyone noticing them. The deer tick (Ixodes spp) has to feed on three different hosts before laying eggs. This can take up to three years. They can survive the winter and start looking for a host as soon as the weather warms up a little. It’s very important to continue tick preventative care year-round. There are many effective tick preventative products for dogs, with the newer oral preventatives being more effective than topical ones. These products contain a
opening summer 2018
chemical from the isoxazoline group of drugs. It blocks substances in the nerve synapse of the tick (and fleas) that conveys messages between nerves. The end result is uncontrolled activity of the nervous system, leading to paralysis and death of the tick. Maybe a letter from a flea will be found next, but those little suckers hop away so quickly it’s hard to recover them at all! Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. For more information, visit fourlakesvet.com. Photograph by Brenda Eckhardt
up to 72 hours before becoming fully engorged and falling off.
Lori Scarlett, DVM & Charlie
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Spotlight
Anthology + Catison
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Located on 110 acres of beautiful woods and rolling meadows, American Players Theatre continues to offer a variety of Shakespeare favorites as well as lesser-known, but equally classic plays in a bucolic setting. Reserve YOUR experience now...before it sells out! 5950 Golf Course Rd. Spring Green, WI • (608) 588-2361 americanplayers.org/plays for the 2018 Season Lineup
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e ss ential community
Self-Improv- ment Level One There are a multitude of studies out there that show public speaking still ranks as a top fear for humans, undiminished by the use of note cards, powerpoints, and teleprompters. This past summer, I decided to face that particular fear on behalf of you, the common nervous American, and study improv comedy. I was lucky enough to enroll in Atlas Improv Co.'s level one class. Atlas, one of the two major improv troupes here in Madison, has been around since its inception in 2004, and has been offering the opportunity for interested citizens to dive into the unknown and learn how to craft something from nothing. It seems like yesterday I was interviewing Daniel Row about being 46 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
by Josh Heath
director of Atlas Improv Co., and now it’s already week seven of my class. Our teacher, Michael, starts to explain to the class the next game we're going to run through: Blind Lines. Two people will be starting a scene based off of a phrase gathered from one of the scrap pieces of paper scattered across the stage, all of which contain a phrase or quote. No other criteria, no other rules. Just our one starting line and two minds. I pick up one of the scraps, unfold it, and see the phrase “I have a house in the Hollywood hills.”
mother of three, tries to describe how my character’s newfound hubris has ruined our friendship, to which I replied with utter arrogance. I felt connected with not only my oddball screenwriter character, but the genuinely concerned (and modestly annoyed) friend my scene partner had created. Our scene wound up going for almost 10 minutes. Adding other colorful characters changed our made-up slice of California lifestyle into something tangible.
I repeat the line out loud. Within seconds, I choose to make my character a new screenwriter who just sold his new film, Lava Monster, for a large lump sum. My scene partner, a pre-middle-aged
My class was filled with people whose goal was to combat their fear of public speaking or to improve upon their poise when delivering presentations or their upcoming college theses. We also had
Welcome to improvisational comedy.
a local stand-up comedian who wanted to work on his stage presence. The most surprising aspect of my class was the inclusion of an entire nuclear family: mom, dad, teenage son, and preteen twins. I would imagine some people had reservations about trying to improvise with kids since adults tend to lose a little energy or imagination as the years pass on. Lucky for everyone, the kids were just as quick and with it as the rest of us. The twins in particular had such a comedic shine to them that they would routinely destroy the room during their scenes. My original intent in the first weeks was to be funnier. In retrospect, what a bad call. In those early weeks, I put too great an effort into trying to inject humor into the scene, and classmates told me I seemed like I was trying too hard. Photograph by Nate Chappell
Even Michael, our teacher and regular Atlas troupe member, advised us to abandon our urge to go for the laugh. “The main core of our improv,” says Michael, “is that while we tell jokes
on stage all the time, we want to have real experiences on stage and real connection.” He emphasized that it's not super important to be funny. That, at least in my experience, tends to be a misconception about improvisational comedy—audiences focus too much on the comedy, not on the creation. “Just be in the scene with your partner.” I would also fail early on in that regard to some degree. I would cheat sometimes by preloading ideas into my nervous lizard brain before I would walk on stage. I doubt I was the only one to do so. While eventually that urge faded, it took quite a few weeks to really let Michael's teachings sink in, coupled with some good old-fashioned concentrated effort. I noticed myself trying less and less to be comedic as weeks passed, and instead I was trying to add texture to the scene, flesh characters or situations out, and just simply yes, and...-ing my scene partners. The added spontaneity of (mostly) abandoning preloaded ideas most definitely helped, as it took me out
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of my head and put my mind squarely there with the class' collective conscious. We all started working better as time went on, with the pauses fading and the improv becoming more genuine. Toward the end of class, I was actively working against myself, veering away from my own thoughts down a new path fueled by that strange fear: the kind of fear that tickles at your heart, the anxiety driven by lack of preparation and enhanced by split-second pressure. It's a wonderful feeling to work around those self-built barriers and come up with something truly spontaneous. After graduation and a little reflection, the class was mostly what I was expecting: a disparate group of strangers coming together to strengthen a skill and build a bond. The bond would build the skill and vice versa. I learned
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about myself, my limitations, and my strengths. That's the whole point of a class, to learn something. This class seems more valuable than most, though, in that it teaches people how to deal with the grand uncertainty of life. I can learn math and statistics to try and figure out the world or go to history class to learn of how the past repeats itself, but I can't learn about the future. I can really only learn how to deal with the future as it comes. If I can learn to let go of preloaded ideas of what life can be, live in the moment, and work with what the chaotic spontaneity of the universe throws my way, maybe I’ll yes, and… myself into something extraordinary. Of course, that could all change after level two of my self-improv-ment at Atlas Improv Co. I’ll tell you all about it next issue.
Josh Heath is a Madison-born-andraised writer. He loves comedy, but “can be a bit much” according to strangers at parties and ex-girlfriends. Read his film work at cutprintfilm.com or his Comedy Picks in Isthmus. Photograph provided by Ed Reams. Photograph by Kelly Kittle
“The main core of our improv is that while we tell jokes on stage all the time, we want to have real experiences on stage and real connection.”
Josh Heath
Atlas Improv Co. 609 E. Washington Avenue Madison, WI 53703 (608) 259-9999 atlasimprov.com
essential community
by Sandy Eichel For those of you just tuning in, this is the third part of a series about leaving a life of “should”—I should be this, I should do that. In the last segment, I explained how I studied classical singing and became a professional opera singer largely to please an absentee father who was never happy with me. Like most life stories, there is more to tell. Around the same time that I started taking voice lessons in junior high school, I experienced something else that solidified my already profound sense of should. This single event further instilled in me the unshakable idea that I had to live my life according to what other people wanted from me, not what I wanted for myself. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that incident molded and controlled me for decades. It not only dictated my role as a wife, it permeated every part of my life. At every turn, this one thing determined what I should do to be the person I should be. Admitting that to myself has been instrumental in freeing me from my life of should, and I hope that sharing my journey can help others do the same. I work in an industry dominated by straight white men who largely look 50 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
alike and act alike. They wear similar suits, drive similar cars, and live in similar homes. When I come across one of these men, I often end up referring to him as “Chad.” For instance, if someone asks me who just walked by, I would jokingly say, “I don’t know, I think it was Chad #3.” I’ve known for some time that I have a bias against straight white men, but it wasn’t until I sat down to write this piece that I realized an important part of the reason I feel this way about the men I call Chad. My mind took me back to my first summer music camp at 14. The thought of being away from home by myself for the very first time terrified me, but my father had just started me in classical voice lessons and wanted me to go. So I went. Once I got there and settled in, I felt better. I was surrounded by music nerds like me, and that made me feel at ease. Living and studying music with my new friends made me feel like I was finally home. In choir, I met a boy who was quiet and withdrawn. We started talking and he quickly began to pursue me. I had never dated anyone, and he was both older and more experienced. He started to take me
on long walks away from everyone else, and when we were alone, he would kiss me aggressively. It didn’t feel right, but I thought he cared about me. I thought I should let him do this to me. One day he pulled me into a soundproof practice room and raped me. All I truly remember is feeling frozen—completely numb. I couldn’t comprehend what had happened to me, but I somehow knew what I should do. I should tell no one. I should blame myself. I should pretend like everything was just fine. Put simply, I should let men dictate what I do and who I am no matter what. And that’s exactly what I did for many years. I went on to study classical voice because my father wanted me to. I dated a number of men because that’s what they wanted me to do. I became an opera singer and a Lutheran pastor’s wife. For a long time, I lived a life that was not mine. It was a life of suffering. A life of shame. A life of should. I finally understand a big part of how and why that happened. At 14, I was at a pivotal stage in my life. My father had pushed me toward singing, but, like most teenagers,
I needed more to determine who I would be when I grew up. I might have chosen to pursue classical singing. After all, summer music camp had been a wonderful experience at first. It would have been my choice after a summer immersed in music. I also may have chosen to become a history or German major. Instead, I didn’t get to choose anything for myself because a man intervened and shattered my ability to do anything but what I should.
sing occasionally—anything from Pat Benatar to Verdi. I have come far, but my work is not done. And it’s complicated because I have to navigate a culture that is dominated by straight white men. They’re still in charge, and that is a problem for women in general. #metoo. Not all men are rapists, of course, but there is a lot more to misogyny than sexual assault. And now I know why I call so many of them Chad. My rapist was named Chad.
My assault at camp programmed me to believe that I was not in charge of my own destiny. It was my duty to please men, whether it was my father, my rapist, or any of the innumerable Chads that I’ve encountered in my personal and professional life. I have worked hard to free myself from the prison of should that held me for so long, and I’m finally living the life that I want as an out and proud lesbian who fulfills her true passion for helping people by working as a financial advisor and professional speaker/writer, and raises money for underprivileged kids in Madison. I even
Sandy Eichel is a happy ex-should-er.
Sandy Eichel
Connecting Madison’s
Community Since 2007
Connecting you to our local community The LGBTQ population in Dane County: 50-60,000
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e ssential finance
by Derek Notman
Need to travel for an upcoming business trip? Planning on taking the family on vacation? Kids showing interest in a variety of after-school and summer activities? How are you going to pay for all of it on top of your regular monthly commitments? Don’t fret, it’s all possible with a little smart planning and leveraging of the money you’re already spending, and I’m going to tell you how. But first, I would like to define money for you and perhaps even challenge how you currently think about it. Money, according to Merrian-Webster, is “something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment.” I think we all can agree on this definition, albeit a clinical one. In other words, I would say that most people think of money as something we use to get what we want. We work for it. We save and invest it. We use it to buy food, gas, and pay our rent or mortgage payments. None of this is wrong or incorrect, but I would add that money is a tool, arguably one of the most important and powerful ones we will ever use. Money is also an idea. Think about this. How often do we really handle physical money these days? Rarely. Almost everything we pay for is done with a credit card, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Venmo, or even Bitcoin. Thus, money is really an idea. Something we as a society understand has value and that we exchange for the things we need and want, and we do this without actually exchanging anything physical. 54 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
How do we use this tool to save for travel, family vacations, and activities for our kids? First, start with a calendar and notepad. Write down the different trips, vacations, and kids activities your family will want/ need to save for. • When are they happening over the
next 6 to 12 months?
• Do any of them overlap? • Do any of them interfere with other
obligations, like work, that are non-negotiable?
•
How much will each cost? Are they recurring or one-time expenses?
Once you've mapped this out, add up the costs for each of the months and total them into one annual or semiannual amount. This is the start of your budget. If you don’t have a budget already, this is where you will want to make one for your normal lifestyle spending. In the work I do with my clients, especially the entrepreneurs and founders I specialize in helping, cash flow is one of the most important pieces we focus on. We tend to think about the balances of our bank, retirement, and investment accounts. Although the balance is important, the cash flow coming into and out of your balances
is what actually pays for the things you need. This is why a budget is so important. You can’t plan (save) for things if you don’t know how and if you can’t actually afford them. If you’re just starting a budget, I suggest you find a budgeting program, like Mint, Quicken, or eMoney, to start tracking your cash flow. It can even be as easy as setting up a basic excel spreadsheet. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure you do it. Once you have the budget and cash flow up and running, you can see how much money you actually have to work with (surplus, hopefully) on a monthly basis. Plug in the costs you already wrote down for the travel, vacations, and kids activities to see what you can afford to do without going into debt in the process. How do you leverage money you are already spending? Here are a variety of ways to do this, but I will focus on the one I use regularly: co-branded loyalty programs—airline, hotel, car, and even Disney!—with credit cards. I have written extensively about this in my blog, Smart & Simple Finance, which you can access from my website. I routinely use existing and new credit card bonus offers to get more out of the money I am already spending on my business, travel, family, and every day bills. The trick is, and this is very important, not to spend more money then you already are. This is why a
budget is so important. Know what you can spend each month without going into debt, then leverage it. What do I mean by leverage? An example, I currently employ two virtual assistants. I can pay for this service via check or credit card. There is no additional cost to me to use my credit card, so I use my Delta-branded American Express card to pay the monthly bill. This is money I’m already spending and that I have built into my budget. By using this card, I’m now getting a mile for each dollar I spend. This can add up fast when you start thinking about all the things you could charge. In addition, I keep an eye out for signup bonus offers from credit cards—say 50,000 miles, points, etc.—to take out their card and spend X dollars in the first three months. These points/miles can be used for a variety of things, like free airline tickets, free hotel nights, free car rentals, or even discounts at resorts, like Disney World. If this seems of interest, I encourage you to research it further to learn the nuances of these programs and if they make sense for your situation. In summary, I would boil it down to three things. Know your cash flow, plan your next 12 months of activities and travel, and leverage money you are already spending. Doing these things will make you feel better about your finances, leverage money you are already spending, and ultimately do more of the things you and your family love to do. Here’s to doing more without spending more.
Photograph by Eric Tadsen
Derek Notman is a Certified Financial Planner® and Founder of Intrepid Wealth Partners LLC. intrepidwealthpartners.com.
Derek Notman
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es s ential food & beverage
Photograph by Kyle Jacobson
See the Beer Hear the Beer Taste the Beer
by Kyle Jacobson
“Someone once asked Michael Jackson, the famous beer writer, what his favorite beer was, and his answer had two parts. The first part was ‘a local one.’ But then he asked, ‘What time of day is it? What time of year is it? Is it hot out? Did I just get done with some sort of physical activity, or is it after dinner? Am I sitting by the fire?’ And that gets right to the heart of it. There are so many different styles of beer out there that it makes sense you could find one that’s suited to the particular situation you find yourself in.” This was how my interview with Rob LoBreglio, brewmaster at Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co., started, and it really sets the stage for what I want to talk about. When we drink beer, we’re not 56 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
just experiencing the edge of malt, spice of hops, and twang of yeast, we’re taking in everything around us. As integral to the beer’s taste as the head aroma is, there are other potential smells that can play factors. A piney forest, a fresh spring rain, and the lofty air of a cigar lounge all impact our relationship with our beer of the night—from a boozy to a serendipitous delight. Ever have those moments you just sink into? You’re sitting alone or with a couple of close friends, and you don’t have to fill every void of silence with the uneventful grains of thought some pass for light conversation. The summer breeze floats by as the conduit to life around you, and a hawk pierces the sparrow’s song with a well-timed screech, like a saxophone
emphasizing the jazz. You take it all in, and that sweet juice from a New England IPA rounds the edges. Is there a subjective element to all this? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean the moment is tailored to the whim of the erratic. I like to think it’s sewn with care from those who recognize it. When picking the beer that fits for you, there’s a lot to consider. Rob asks, “Are you with your buddies? Are you out for a long night? Are you just gonna be one and done? There’s just so many factors that tie into what your perception of a beer will be at any given moment.” Funny enough, that subjective decision is seldom yours alone…as though we all experience the world around us through a similar lens.
Our mental states play huge roles in how we taste, and that doesn’t necessarily mean a good mood makes everything taste better and a bad mood makes everything morose. When it comes to piquing the moment, a shared malt after a first kiss can give the same comfort as a hot Irish cream after she breaks your heart. Rob and I discussed how unfitting it is to drink a Miller at a Packer game in the cold of December. “The beer would actually freeze in the neck of the bottle before you could actually drink it, and you’d have to sit there and poke your finger down the hole.” That might make for a good anecdote, but having something like a Doppelbock warming between my gloves would be far more fitting. There’s a rather notorious experiment in which a white wine was colored red and given to wine experts for judging. Unsurprisingly, they used words typical in describing red wine to paint the profile of this impostor. I’m often amused when someone has a Dunkelweizen on tap and seek out my friends that refuse to drink dark beers. Their anticipated refusal
often turns to confusion and delight after their first sip of the fruity and clove flavors mixed, oftentimes, with a hint of biscuit or nuttiness. Breaking the mold of our beer brains and throwing expectations for a loop isn’t just a good way to stay sharp, it’s a good way to stay humble. We live in an amazing place. Our lakes, forests, and prairies have inspired poets and painters for centuries at the least. To recognize how we fit into our world as opposed to forcing our presence into society’s mold coerces an ego to blend rather than harden. A winter hike, a summer camping trip, and a fall picnic can all be accented with the right beer. With summer right around the corner, Rob has some great advice for hikers and campers. “Some of the lighter beers at warmer temperatures don’t taste right, so if you don’t have a means of cooling, try some of the stronger, but lighter Belgians. ... You could find a lake or stream to cool the bottle off just a hair. Those beers have enough funkiness to them that it doesn’t matter
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they’re really at a warmer temperature. At the same time, it’s not like drinking a big heavy beer.” Of course, Wisconsin also has its urban jungles, like Madison and Milwaukee. As being alone provides opportunity to pause and consider a more complex beer where “you’re thinking about each sip, in an urban beer garden, there’s more hubbub and more activity around you. It kinda takes the focus off the beer.”
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It’s easy to forget these things and find yourself asking “what do I want to drink?” But we experience a lot of what life has to offer through touch, sound, sight, smell, and taste, so why should we only consider taste when choosing a beer? Choosing the right beer can actually shape the moment when everything the moment provides is considered. Imagine you’re in a dim-lit bar. The bartender talks a mile a minute for a six-second quip before serving the
next patron, and you got your choice between a table by the speaker and a counter in the corner. The crack from the pool table occasionally splits the din of conversation and a trailing laugh goes on too long. What beer do you order? That’s my kind of personality test. To the times we forget to remember.
Cheers.
Kyle Jacobson is a copy editor for Madison Essentials, and a writer and beer enthusiast (sometimes all at once) living in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
Great Dane’s beers for summer camping: A bottle of Belgian Prairie is a great start, and stop in to pick up a crowler of one of their seasonal fruit beers. Rob’s recommendations: Zenith Saison – Wisconsin Brewing Company Arena Premium Pale Ale – Lake Louie Writer recommendations: Big Sister Witbier with Hibiscus – Door County Brewing Company Oliphant Brewing beers
Kyle Jacobson
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es s en tial home
Perennial Favorites by Joan W. Ziegler Achillea “Paparika” & Nepeta “Blue Wonder” Coreopsis “Zagreb”
Top Picks for Sun
Achillea x “Coronation Gold,” with masses of large bright yellow flowers atop upright ferny foliage, is hard to beat. Achillea m. “Paprika’s” vibrant fire-orange-red flowers ripen into an array of terra-cotta colors—it’s my alltime favorite red. The newer Achillea “Strawberry Seduction” and Achillea “Sunny Seduction” are highly touted for their sturdy, compact, upright habit, but they pale in comparison.
Every spring, garden centers and stores are filled with hundreds of beautiful perennial flowers. New varieties promise the world: special colors, bigger flowers, shorter stature, and disease resistance. Many look fabulous in the store but are less than thrilling in the garden. The best perennials are more than just a pretty flower—they have good foliage, disease resistance, and add texture or structure to the landscape. For me, a perennial favorite has to be the strong and independent type. They need to drink responsibly, stand on their own, and live for years without dividing. Yet even the best of the best will disappoint if they are planted in the wrong place or with the wrong crowd. So it’s important to remember that there are different favorites for different environments. The following are perennial favorites grouped by sunny and shady conditions. 60 | m a d i s o n e s s e n t i a l s
Allium x “Summer Beauty” is a triedand-true favorite. Blooms appear in July with two-inch, globe-shaped lavender flowers on strap-like foliage. Its interesting seed head and compacted, upright form are prized for their winter interest and bold texture. Newer on the block, Allium x “Millenium,” the 2018 perennial plant of the year, promises the same strong leaf texture with a profusion of bright rosy-pink flowers instead of pale lavender flowers. For an interesting diminutive Allium, lateblooming Allium senescens has small curly bluish foliage. All Alliums can handle part shade as well as full sun.
Allium “Glaucum”
Salvia n. “May Night” was the 1997 perennial plant of the year and is one of the best early-blooming perennials for sun. It begins blooming in May with dense spikes of indigo-blue flowers and continues blooming through the end of June. Salvia n. “Caradonna” is taller with deep purple flower stems and blue-violet flowers and starts blooming in June. There is now an abundance of new Salvias on the market that vary in heights and come in an array of colors, including white, pink, light blue, and purple. All may warrant trying, but these two favorites will be hard to beat.
Salvia “May Night”
landscape architects garden designers site planners 831.5098 zdainc.com
OUTDOOR CREATIV VE
Helleborus x hybridus, the 2005 perennial plant of the year, is an amazing shade plant renowned for its tolerance of drought and neglect. Often called the Lenten rose, it starts flowering in early April with the clusters of one-inch blossoms that seem to hang on forever. Traditionally sold as hybrid mixes, cultivars are now available in colors that run the gamut from white, red purple, black purple, pink, yellow, and green. Helleborus x “Ivory Prince” is prized for its outward facing blooms held well above the leaves. Pulmonaria o. “Sissinghurst White” is a tried-andtrue favorite whose round, white polkadot leaves look great all season.
Though not as long lived, Pulmonaria l. “Bertram Anderson” with silver-spotted, lance-shaped leaves and vivid blue flowers, is stunning. Newer hybrids “Majeste” and “Samurai” boast almost pure-silver leaves and flower buds that mature from pink to blue. Though listed as drought tolerant, Pulmonarias are happiest with well-drained, evenly moist soils. All Pulmonarias bloom in May with clusters of blue, bell-shaped flowers and are excellent for brightening up shady spots in the garden. Many of my favorite perennials shine when given the right home, but to make it into my top five they must be long blooming, drought tolerant, deer and rabbit resistant, and good for pollinators: birds and butterflies. Echinacea p. “Kim’s
Helleborus Newest Hybrid
Knee High,” Coreopsis “Zagreb,” Nepeta “Blue Wonder,” and Amsonia “Blue Ice” are great runner-ups that consistently outperform the new varieties. Still, l cannot wait to try the new introductions: Echinacea KISMET, Coreopsis “Broad Street,” Nepeta “Purrsian Blue,” and Amsonia “Storm Cloud.” Old friends may be hard to beat but don’t be afraid to be daring and adventuresome. Every spring I get excited to meet the new kids on the block. Joan W. Ziegler is a horticulturist and garden designer and winner of the 2015 Perennial Plant Association Merit Award for Residential Landscape at ZDA, Inc. Landscape Architecture, 4797 Capitol View Road, Middleton. Call (608) 831-5098 or visit zdainc.com. Photographs provided by ZDA, Inc. Photograph by Betsy Haynes Photography
Top Picks for Deer and Rabbit Resistant, Shade, and Good for Pollinators
Joan W. Ziegler
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advertiser index association
entertainment & media
Aldo Leopold Nature Center........................ 52 Dane Arts.......................................................... 39 Dane Buy Local............................................... 13 Dane County Humane Society.................... 41 Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce............................................. 15 Sauk Prairie Riverway........................................ 9
American Players Theatre............................. 44 Back of the House Online Video Series....... 23 Betty Lou Cruises............................................... 9 Chatter Matters............................................... 51 Fitchburg Center—Agora Art Fair................. 49 Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison......................... 64 Home Elements & Concepts......................... 34 Journey of Aging............................................. 31 Madison Opera............................................... 17 Olbrich Botanical Gardens........................... 41 Our Lives Magazine........................................ 51 Red Arrow Production.................................... 57 WORT-FM........................................................... 43
dining, food & beverage Bavaria Sausage Kitchen, Inc....................... 29 Blue Agave Restaurant and Lounge........... 13 Brat Fest............................................................ 63 Bunky’s Catering............................................. 19 Captain Bill’s...................................................... 9 Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream..................... 27 Clasen’s European Bakery............................. 55 The Conscious Carnivore............................... 12 Drumlin Ridge Winery..................................... 20 Fisher King Winery........................................... 48 Fitchburg Center Farmers Market................. 49 Fraboni’s Italian Specialties & Delicatessen............................................... 27 Fuegos............................................................... 23 Imperial Garden.............................................. 35 J. Henry Tasting Room.................................... 53 Landmark Creamery...................................... 16 The Looking Glass Bakery.............................. 33 Mariner’s............................................................. 9 Mid Town Pub................................................... 24 Nau-Ti-Gal.......................................................... 9 The Nitty Gritty................................................. 25 Off Broadway Drafthouse.............................. 55 The Old Feed Mill Restaurant........................ 27 Old Sugar Distillery.......................................... 24 Oliver’s Public House........................................ 5 Otto’s Restaurant & Bar.................................. 23 Paoli Schoolhouse Shops & Café................. 47 Pizza Brutta....................................................... 35 Porta Bella........................................................ 58 Quivey’s Grove................................................ 59 Riley’s Wines of the World.............................. 58 Samba Brazilian Grill....................................... 29 Sauk Prairie Grill............................................... 45 The Side Door Grill and Tap........................... 29 State Line Distillery............................................ 8 Sugar River Pizza Company........................... 11 Tempest Oyster Bar......................................... 57 Tipsy Cow.......................................................... 42 Tornado Steak House..................................... 57 The University Club.......................................... 37 Vintage Brewing Co. ........................................ 5 von Rutenberg Ventures.................................. 9 Willy Street Co-op........................................... 25 Wollersheim Winery & Distillery..................... 42
home & landscaping ZDA, Inc............................................................. 61
services American Family Insurance DreamBank...... 2 The Buckingham Inn....................................... 59 Capital Fitness................................................. 20 Dane County Credit Union............................ 52 Drake & Co....................................................... 53 Elevation Salon & Spa.................................... 19 Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic.......................... 40 Garden Search & Rescue.............................. 52 Gunderson Funeral and Cremation Care.. 48 Hotel Ruby Marie............................................. 42 The Livingston Inn............................................ 59 Monroe Street Framing................................... 47 Stoughton Hospital......................................... 33 Tadsen Photography...................................... 35 Tosh Washington Shoe Shine......................... 40 Tree Health Management............................. 52 Union Cab........................................................ 53
shopping Abel Contemporary Gallery......................... 37 Anthology......................................................... 44 Deconstruction Inc......................................... 11 The Gingko Tree............................................... 45 Hilldale.............................................................. 28 Hive.................................................................... 45 Karen & Co......................................................... 5 Kessenich’s Ltd................................................. 53 Lidtke Motors.................................................... 21 Little Luxuries.................................................... 15 Luceo Boutique & Styling Co........................ 38 MHAAA Spring Art Tour.................................. 12 Playthings......................................................... 61 Plum Crazy........................................................ 44 Rutabaga Paddlesports...............................7, 8 Woodland Studios........................................... 38
Madison Essentials continues to grow! We are seeking sales professionals who enjoy supporting local businesses, meeting all kinds of new people, and contributing to the success of a quality lifestyle magazine about the Greater Madison area. Please contact Kelly Hopkins for more information: khopkins@madisonessentials.com
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Gift Card! Question: “What current business was first located at a gas station on the corners of Fish Hatchery and Park Streets in Madison?” Enter by submitting your answer to the above question online at madisonessentials.com, or by mail with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email to: Madison Essentials c/o Towns & Associates, Inc. 126 Water Street Baraboo, WI 53913 All entries with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing for one of two $50 gift cards. Contest deadline is May 18, 2018. Gift cards will be honored at all Food Fight Restaurant Group restaurants (see foodfightinc.com— subject to change).
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Winners Thank you to everyone who entered our previous contest. The answer to the question “What current business was previously the Airway Tavern?” is Off Broadway Drafthouse. A $50 Food Fight Gift Card was sent to each of our winners: Lea M Gerend of Middleton and Jim Stout of Oregon.
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