This coming week, in events that get to your heart through your stomach.
Tuesday, July 6
fundraiser today for the food pantry at the Goodman Community Center. On the first Tuesday of every month, this campaign donates 10% of total food sales at selected restaurants. Monty's Blue Plate Diner, 2089 Atwood Ave., and Tex Tubb's Taco Palace, 2009 Atwood Ave., all day. Call 244-8505 for more info.
Summer fun is in abundance at the Sauk County Fair, opening today in Baraboo. The Sauk County Fairgrounds, 850 Lincoln Ave., Baraboo, all day Tuesday-Sunday, free gate admission. Call 608-356-8707 for more info.
Wednesday, July 7
Today marks the opening of the 158th annual Jefferson County Fair, an agricultural celebration that features some 6,300 exhibits with hundreds of animals and other attractions. The fun at this fair includes "Mr. Ed's Magical Midway," tractor and truck pulls, children's entertainment, animal shows and judging, bingo, "cricket spitting," karaoke, motorcross shows, a demolition derby, and grandstand performances. The county has declared this the "Year of the Pig," so attendees would do well to indulge in the pork products offered amidst the medley of fair foods. Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 503 N. Jackson Ave., Jefferson, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, $9 admission, $5 seniors 62 and over daytime on first three days, and children under 5 free. Call 920-674-7148 for more info.
Thursday, July 8
Community Give Back Day, in which 10% of the day's sales are donated to a local charity. The recipient for July is Silly Yak Bakery, 7866 Mineral Point Rd., all day. Call 833-5965 for more info.
The Oregon Area Senior Center invites community members to stop by an ice cream social this evening. The menu for this annual fundraiser includes BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, ice cream sundaes, coffee, and soda. A raffle and live music round out the festivities. Oregon Senior Center, 219 Park St., 4:30-7 p.m., free admission. Call 835-5801 for more info.
Summer fair season continues at the Monticello Homecoming, an annual community celebration held in the Green County village between New Glarus and Monroe. The theme for this festival is "Monticello Moving Forward Year After Year," with attractions including a carnival, softball tournament, talent show, fun run and motorcycle ride, canoe races, water fights, a parade, fireworks, and live music. Revelers will be able to feast at a fish boil and chicken BBQ, as well as partake in cheese curds, homemade pies, beer, lemonade, and plenty of fair food. Monticello Community Park and surrounding locations in Monticello, 7-10 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 9:15 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday, free admission. Call 608-219-8480 for more info.
Live music is the raison d'être for Le Fête de Marquette, the annual Bastille Day celebration on the east side of Madison now in its fifth year, offering an impressive line-up of artists performing styles from around the Francophone world, particularly the Cajun and zydeco traditions of New Orleans and Acadiana in Louisiana. Festival-goers will find plenty to eat and drink though, with vendors including HMI Catering (serving Cajun and Creole cuisine), Madison Sourdough, Buraka, Lao Laan-Xang, Jamerica, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, and others. Bienvenue à Madison! La Rue Dickinson, at the intersection of E. Washington Ave. and S. Dickinson St., 6-11 p.m. Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, free. Call 241-7143 for more info.
Friday, July 9
AlbertFest. Activities at this annual family fair include carnival games, book and toy sales, a raffle, bingo, a Texas Hold 'Em tournament, kids' games, regular mass and a "polka mass," and live music. St. Al's Grill will serve sandwiches on all three days of the fest, and there will be a chicken and ham Sunday dinner to close out the fun. St. Albert the Great Catholic Church, 2420 St. Albert Dr., Sun Prairie, 6-11:30 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, $9 for the dinner. Call 837-3798 for more info.
The are hosting an outdoor screening of Mad City Chickens this evening. This 78-minute documentary, which premiered at the 2008 Wisconsin Film Festival, explores the burgeoning interest in and practice of raising backyard chickens in the city. The film shares a name with an Art Fair on the Square and Art Fair Off the Square, but festival-goers looking to take a break from surveying the tents will find plenty of opportunities to refuel before the next round of shopping. There will be vendors at the four corners of the Capitol Square, as well as along the first block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. These concessions include all sorts of fair foods, including burgers, brats, hot dogs, corn dogs, wings, roast corn, cheese curds, popcorn, cheesecake-on-a-stick, ice cream, lemonade, soda, and beer, along with vendors offering dishes inspired by Chinese, Mexican, Cuban, Thai, and other international cuisines. Capitol Square, 9 am.-6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 257-0158 and 204-9129 for more info.
Sunday, July 11
The Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast this morning. Along with a meal of pancakes, eggs, sausage, milk, coffee, and juice, guests will find vintage and homebuilt aircraft on display. Airplane rides will also be available. Middleton Municipal Airport - Morey Field, 8300 Airport Rd., Middleton, 7:30 a.m.-noon, $6. Call 437-1974 for more info.
Savory Sunday, a weekly free meal offering fresh and hot dishes for the homeless and other hungry Madisonians, is seeking more volunteers to assist with food collection, preparation, and service. "Some weeks may be plentiful, with enough burgers, fresh fruits and vegetables, salad and pasta to go around and ham sandwiches to go, while others are more sparse: the entrees run out too early, there are no buns for the hot dogs or the last in line get little more than a slice of coffee cake and some lemonade," writes a volunteer in a first-person account about working with the charity. "This latter situation seldom happens, and we often have enough for seconds. But the real fruit, so to speak, of Savory Sunday comes not from what we make, but the interactions we have with each other and those we serve." Lutheran Campus Center, 325 Mills St. 11.a.m. preparation and 2 p.m. serving at James Madison Park. Call 233-6967 for more info.
Monday, July 12
monthly meeting and membership drive this evening. Babes Grill & Bar, 5614 Schroeder Rd.. 7:30 p.m., free. Call 628-9806 for more info.
Upcoming eats events
It's worth knowing about some events that require reservations farther in advance.
Monday, July 26
Amuse-bouche feast at amuse-bouche, bite-sized creations designed to "entertain the mouth," and will include inventive variations on shrimp cocktail, fruit roll-up, pork and beans, candy apple, hot chocolate, and much more. This dinner is limited to 50 advance tickets, and is BYOB. Bon Appetit Cafe, 805 Williamson St., seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., $40. Tickets are available online. Call 283-4266 for more info.
