Reading Josh Wimmer's cover article this week, "This Boy's Life," took me back through the haze of memory to the time when I was 12 years old. High on my reading list back then was Boys Life magazine, a sort of Rolling Stone for preadolescent boys (before there was a Rolling Stone) that trafficked in the currency for that age group in those days: the outdoors, the West, adventure. Girls were still a nuisance, their true allure yet to be revealed.
Well, boys are still turning 12, and their primordial instincts are still in need of some enlightenment, though there's a lot more of the adult culture that seeps through to them these days. All the more reason boys should have a man or men to spend time with, if not to provide guidance, then at least to be there to answer questions.
Wimmer provides that service to his mentee KaAndrae, through the auspices of Madison-area Urban Ministries' mentorship program. The Josh/KaAndrae nexus is one that could stand to be replicated many more times in the Dane County area.
The annual Madison's Favorites polling continues with the ballot being printed in this issue for the second and last time, on pages 30-31. In reality, we prefer you to fill out the ballot online at TheDailyPage.com/favorites, it being so much easier for us to tally. The ballot holds 120 questions, and you must fill in at least 20 for your ballot to count. The deadline for submission is Monday, June 21, at 5 p.m.
The winners will be revealed at the Isthmus Block Party at Pinckney and East Main on Aug. 19. Complete results will be published in the Annual Manual, our yearly guide to all things Madison, appearing on Aug. 26.
Speaking of block parties, a good time was had by all who defied the threat of rain and attended our first summer block party on West Main last Thursday. Sponsored by Wisconsin Distributors, the event featured the Cash Box Kings and raised money for Porchlight through beer sales. The next event is scheduled for July 8, 5 to 8 p.m., at the top of State Street, and features the Midwest Beat and Elf Lettuce.
