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Posts Tagged ‘Madison’

Madison WI Winter Festival this weekend

February 17th, 2010 by Pat Fischbeck

 

Madison WI will be celebrating winter at Madison Winter Fest this weekend on the capitol square in downtown Madison.  Events begin on Friday and continue through Sunday.  There are all kinds of things to get involved in as a participant or a spectator.  Watch ice carving and snow sculpting.  It is not the olympics but there will be running and racing and snowboarding and tubing and shoeing and xc skiing and just a grand winter fun time.  If you get chilled you can pop into the Wisconsin State Historical Society Museum on the Capitol Squate for a viewing of their Odd Wisconsin display.

The Speckled Hen Inn in Madison, WI lists February events in the area

February 3rd, 2010 by Pat Fischbeck

There are many events in Madison Wisconsin this February that you will just not want to miss. 

  •  This coming weekend, February 6, is the big outdoor hockey event at Camp Randall stadium on the University of Wisconsin campus.  Will it be the largest crowd ever to watch a college hockey game?  The Badger women play at 2:00PM and the Hockey Badger men play at 6:00.  You will have to go to see how they created a level ice hockey rink on a very crested football field.
  • On February 11 Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love will be speaking at the Overture Center.  Her presentation is a part of the Wisconsin Book Festival.
  • Get ready for spring at the Midwest Garden Expo at the Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall.  Just catching the aroma of fresh dirt when you enter the building gets me in the mood to start planning and planting.  The show is February 12-14.  A great thing to add to your Valentine’s weekend celebration.
  • On February 19-21 all of Madison will be having a grand old time at Madison Winter Festival.  Enjoy all of Madison’s favorite winter activities and see how fast cross country skiers can move.  It’s downtown on the beautiful Wisconsin Capitol Square.
  • February 27 we will offer guests at The Speckled Hen Inn an extreme contrast in recommended activities.  On Saturday afternoon head on over to Middleton to Capital Brewery for the celebration of the release of this year’s Blonde Doppelbock (that’s a beer, folks!).  You can even try to catch a smoked chub (that’s a fish, folks) tossed from the roof of the brewery.  Have a rowdy good time and then completely switch gears when nighttime comes and head for the UW Arboretum for their nightwalk.  Hear the crunch of your boots in the snow and then stand perfectly still and listen for the great horned owls or just stargaze. Ahhh.  What a day!

Another Concert on the Square season begins next week

June 17th, 2009 by Pat Fischbeck

It is that wonderful time of year in Madison.  Summer!  Time to celebrate with family and friends in ways that become a tradition.  A very special summertime tradition in Madison is the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s Concert on the Square series.  For 5 Wednesday evenings, starting June 24, the orchestra performs on the steps of the Wisconsin State Capitol building in front of a huge crowd of fun and music loving fans.  Concert goers arrive early, around 5:00PM or a bit later to spread their colorful blankets on the green capitol lawn. 

Reserve your space on the Capitol lawn.

Reserve your space on the Capitol lawn.

 The concert won’t begin until 7:00 so there is time to do a little shopping or just walking around the downtown area.  Some bring games or a good book to pass the time until the crowd has gathered, dined on the available box suppers or well packed picnic baskets, chatted with friends they haven’t seen for ages, and just basically soaked up the sights and sounds of a summer evening.  Then the concert begins.  The music tends toward the light classical.  You can hear it even if your blanket space is not right in front of the orchestra.  Little boys pretend to be the conductor.  Little girls twirl with bubble wands in their tiny hands.  Lovers hold hands.  Grandmas cuddle their grandbabies.  Stressed out workers kick off their high heels and loosen their ties. Those who know the music close their eyes and sway slightly with the melody.  Wine glasses are lifted and all is well in Madison.

Happy folks at the Concert on the Square

Happy folks at the Concert on the Square

 

Start Your Saturday in Madison Right

June 10th, 2009 by Pat Fischbeck

When my guests at The Speckled Hen Inn ask me what there is to do on Saturday morning in Madison, my automatic response is, “Go to the Farmers Market!”  The Dane County Farmers’ Market is the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country.  All the items are produced locally by the vendor behind the table.  The market is back on the Capitol Square for the summer months and thousands of locals as well as and tourists and market lovers from far and near flock to the brightly colored vendor stands to fill their shopping baskets with the freshest fruits and veggies imaginable.  You will also find meats, baked goods, specialty food items like honey and pesto, and, of course, lots of Wisconsin cheese.

Honey and Plants at the Dane County Farmers' Market

Honey and Plants at the Dane County Farmers

If you have ever considered eating seasonally or locally, the farmers market is a great resource.  Vendors will often let you sample their products and are eager to share preparation instructions and sometimes even recipes with their customers.

One of the favorite breakfasts served at The Speckled Hen Inn is the Farmer’s Market Strata.  It contains sourdough bread, cream and mozarella cheeses, fresh eggs, basil pesto, tomatoes, and smoked ham or turkey.  All of the ingredients can be found at the farmer’s market.  Please help yourself to the recipe and share the bounty of Wisconsin with friends at breakfast or brunch some beautiful summer morning.

Farmers' Market Strata served at The Speckled Hen Inn

Farmers