This coming week, in events that get to your heart through your stomach.
Tuesday, August 24
Tuesday Night Grill Out of the summer this evening. The menu for this cookout will feature a spicy tandoori burger seasoned with Whole Foods Market, 3313 University Ave., 4-8 p.m., donations accepted. Call 240-0409.
Staff at the talk this evening about how to use solar drying to preserve fruits, vegetables, flowers, and soybeans. UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station, 8502 Mineral Point Rd., Verona, 6:30 p.m., donation requested. Call 262-2257.
Wednesday, August 25
Adrienne Applegate, a Madison artist who regularly shows her work at State Street Gallery and Art Fair Off the Square, will be attending a reception this evening for "Farms, Dogs, & Their People," an exhibition of her oil paintings depicting rural subjects. Opening on Tuesday, August 24, the exhibit will remain in place through Monday, October 4. Ebling Library, UW Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Ave. 4-6 p.m., free. Call 262-2402 for more info.
Thursday, August 26
Madison's east side bids offers a celebratory toast to summer this weekend at the 45th Orton Park Festival, a four-day celebration of music, dance, food, community under the lofty boughs of the city's oldest park. The features two evening shows by Marquette Neighborhood Association. Comestibles will be plentiful all weekend along a sidewalk lined with food vendors and anchored by a beer garden, with the popular annual International Dinner running from 5-8 p.m. on Friday evening, and the Orton Cake Walk kicking off at 2 p.m. Sunday. Orton Park, 1103 Spaight Str., 6:30 p.m.-close Thursday, 5 p.m.-close Friday, noon-close Saturday, 9 a.m.-close Sunday, free. Call
are hosting a Women's Equality Day celebration this evening commemorating the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States.Wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment, and this free party is being held in a historically appropriate venue, the Women's Building on West Gilman Street, built in 1907, now the home of Samba Brazilian Grill, 240 W. Gilman St., 5:30-7:30 p.m., donations welcome. Call 313-4669 for more info.
Friday, August 27
Summer gets another valedictory send-off this weekend at the Middleton Good Neighbor Festival, a three-day community celebration of the season. The family fun at the Fireman's Park, 7400 Lee St., 5 p.m.-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, free admission. See Facebook and Twitter for more details, or call 800-688-5694 for more info.
The Taste of Portage Market Fair is the third big celebration around the region that marks the penultimate weekend of the summer vacation season. This community festival features a carnival, live music, a car show and cruise, an arts and crafts fair, children's activities, a food court and beer tent, and more. Market Square, downtown Portage, 6-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday, free admission. Call 608-742-6242 for more info.
Saturday, August 28
coop tour today. As detailed in this map, the circuit starts on the north side of Madison, continuing on to a dozen stops around the city, as well as Verona and Marshall. Various locations, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., free. Call 403-5433 for more info.
The Rock Prairie Master Gardener Association is putting on the fifth annual Garden Festival today at festival also features numerous exhibitions that cover tomato taste-testing, fried green tomatoes, salsas, roasting peppers, gourmet mushrooms, beekeeping, and much more. Garden and prairie tours, art and craft vendors, children's activities, live music, food vendors, and a pie baking contest round out the program. Rotary Gardens, 1455 Palmer Dr., Janesville, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free. Call 608-752-3885 ext. 17 for more info.
Women 4 Women summer picnic and party today, complete with outdoor games, swimming, hiking, and a cookout. Women and their children guests are invited, and asked to bring grillables and a dish to share. Governor Nelson State Park, 5140 Hwy. M, Waunakee, 1-10 p.m. Call 255-8582 for more info.
More than two dozen breweries, wineries, and other libations specialists will be on hand today to offer samples of their creations at the second annual Potosi BrewFest, put on by the Potosi Brewing Company. Attendees will each receive a tasting glass and free admission to the National Brewery Museum good for the day. Wisconsin breweries participating at the festival include Ale Asylum, Brewery Creek, Furthermore Beer, the Grumpy Troll, Leinenkugel's, Lakefront Brewery, Pearl Street Brewery, Sand Creek Brewing, Potosi, Stevens Point Brewery, and Vintage Brewing. There will also be several nationally-distributed breweries on hand, as well as four home brewers, another quartet of wineries, Yahara Bay Distillery, a handful of Wisconsin cheesemakers, and live music by the Fever River String Band and Taking the Fifth.