Like spring, this issue of Isthmus is bustin' out all over. Historical remembrances, kids in dirt, being green around the house, an embarrassment of filmic riches - it's all in this first issue of April.
The first and most serious order of business is staff writer David Medaris' memorial, "The Day King Was Killed," commemorating the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968. Ten years after the Supreme Court finally put the lie to the segregationist "separate but equal" with the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling; 20 years after the war against fascism in Europe exposed the hypocrisy of a segregated America; 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery - Dr. King dragged ancient racial prejudice out of the courtroom, out of the statehouse and put it in the streets for all to see and ponder. If he hadn't, I doubt that even 40 years later we would have the Barack Obama phenomenon. And that we have it is undoubtedly a good thing for America, no matter who ends up running for president in the fall. Read the reminiscences of Madisonians deeply affected by MLK.
As it's the first issue of the month, you'll find Kids & Parents in this issue. Besides Mary Ellen Gabriel's "Can You Dig It?," talking about the importance of introducing kids to gardening, there's an extensive ad section touting a range of kid camping opportunities in the summer. You folks with kids know that now's the time to start signing up to secure your choice.
It's finally safe to start thinking green, as in Abode: The Green Design Issue. In a nod to the upcoming Isthmus Green Day (April 26, Monona Terrace), David Medaris interviews Kenneth Brown, the keynote speaker for Green Day. Brown, for the uninformed, is the host of a popular design show on HGTV and a proponent of eco-design. Also in the edition: green homes, green renting, green pets, green beans and...reupholstery.
With all that's going on, do you have time to take in a movie? You bet! Kent Williams, award-winning film critic, gives us "A Perfect 10," a brief retrospective on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Wisconsin Film Festival, happening now (April 3-6) all over downtown Madison. From humble - make that bumble - beginnings, the WFF blows us away with 220 films crammed into four days. After filling us in on the origins and growth of WFF, Williams synopsizes 10 documentaries that exemplify the width and depth of the festival. He also includes glimpses of the three feature films on the bill of fare that were shot right here on the green streets of Madison.
After consuming all this, you're on your own, until next week, when we deliver an entirely new package.