A big gift

Good morning, Madison!

We could get a couple of inches of snow this weekend, but warmer temperatures will keep it from sticking around. Spring is on its way! 🌼

— Sam

💸 MacKenzie Scott is making a seven-figure gift to the Dane County Boys & Girls Club.

• Sixty-two Boys & Girls Clubs from around the United States will split a $281 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The Dane County Boys & Girls Club will receive an unspecified seven-figure amount.
• The funding will be used as a “challenge grant” to support the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center, a training center focused on trades like plumbing and construction that is scheduled to open in 2023.
• Scott is the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos and has given away roughly $6 billion since their divorce in 2019.

📜 “Wait a minute, what ever happened to that [abortion/Covid/education/] bill?”

• State legislators just closed out their session. The Cap Times rounded up the status of some of the most noteworthy legislation.
• Governor Evers, a Democrat, is expected to veto much of the legislation that was sent to him, including bills about abortion and changes to elections rules.

🇺🇦 The Dane County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in support of Ukraine.

• Two Monona Grove High School students helped cowrite the resolution, the State Journal reports.

"Hopefully everything's going to be over soon, because the amount of refugees is enormous, and some of the refugees are my relatives, my friends." – Kateryna Popava, a high school student with family in Odessa

🌭 About that sign at the mustard museum…

• A sign at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton announcing it would no longer be displaying Russian mustards went viral last week. A picture of the sign has been retweeted more than 11,000 times.
  • The sign’s full text: “The Russian mustards have been temporarily removed. They will return once the invasion of Ukraine is over and Russia recognizes and respects the sovereign nation of Ukraine.”
• But mustard collector-curator Barry Levenson says he’s had a change of heart in the days since the sign went viral, ultimately deciding it was unfair to Russian mustard makers. The Russian mustards are back on display, and the museum is going to post signage encouraging humanitarian aid to Ukraine instead, WKOW reports.

🍔 A so-called “ghost kitchen” started by The Nitty Gritty is expanding to Sun Prairie.

• The Nitty Gritty has three physical restaurants where food is prepared for Cluck Fried Chicken, which is only available via delivery apps.

“It was an idea that Eric Sumnicht, our CEO, and Ryan Kirby, who’s our culinary director for the three Nitty Gritties, had talked about even pre-COVID times, and, I think, hoped would maybe develop into an actual brick and mortar restaurant location.” – Nitty Gritty Marketing Director Brandi Hintze

🐰 Is your pet super cute? Here’s a chance to prove it.

• Madison Magazine’s cutest pets contest portal is now open. Photos of the winners will be published in the June magazine edition.
• “All pets in the animal kingdom” are qualified.
• Oh by the way, here’s the photo I submitted for my little buddy Phillip. We don't mind some friendly competition.

Phillip Edward Hoisington, whippet, 4.5 years old

🏒 Your lunchtime read: Madison Ice Arena has become an unofficial hub for sled hockey in the Midwest

• From Madison Magazine: “Madison Ice Arena first offered an adaptive learn-to-skate class in 2008. Since then, the arena has gone through changes to allow for more adaptive opportunities.”

🦠 Covid-19 Update

Wisconsin Vaccination Rate: 60.6%

Dane County Vaccination Rate: 78.4%

Resources

• Here's where to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.
• Need a COVID-19 test? PHMDC has you covered.
• Do you still need your flu shot? Start here.
• Request an at-home testing kit from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
• Where to pick up free masks from the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program
• What to Do if You are Sick or Possibly Exposed (PHMDC)

📅 The weekend

Mult-day

• Bach Around The Clock 2022 Hybrid Festival. Friday through Sunday.

Friday, March 18

• Opening Celebration: “Seeing Audubon” and “Pressing Innovation” at the Chazen. Enjoy an opportunity to mingle and explore two temporary exhibitions. 5 p.m.
• And Then We Danced (2019) screening at Union South Marquee. From IMDb: "A passionate coming-of-age tale set amidst the conservative confines of modern Tbilisi." 6 p.m. Free.
• A Man Of Integrity (2017) at UW Cinematheque. Screening at 7 p.m. Free. Read more in Tone Madison's review. 🟠
• Isaiah Collier And The Chosen Few at Café Coda. 7 p.m. $20. 🟠
• Guided By Voices at Majestic. Music at 8 p.m. $35 advance, $37 doors. 🟠
• Purim Party for Ukraine at North Street Cabaret. 8-11 p.m.
• Death Metal Mayhem at BarleyPop Live. Featuring Hex Tripper, Illusion of Fate, Yotuma. Music at 8. $10.
• Bottoms Up Aerial Burlesque show at Crucible. Show at 9 p.m. $8.
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Crucible featuring the cast of Madison's Velvet. Show at 12 a.m. $8.

Saturday, March 19

• Dane County Farmers’ Market Late Winter Market at Garver Feed Mill. 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Free admission.
• International Festival at Overture Center. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Performances, food, arts + crafts. Free.
• Afoutayi concert at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Part of the Rainforest Rhythms series. Two performances: 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. $8 adults, $4 children ages 6-12, children 5 & under free.
• Beatlejam sing-a-long at The Rigby pub. Starts at 3 pm. "You don't have to be great, but you must participate." Free.
• Lucky’s St Patrick’s Day Bar Crawl. 4-10 p.m. $20 group tickets, $25 single tickets. Includes two complimentary drinks, food specials, waived covers.
• Full Moon Night Walk at UW Arboretum. Guided nighttime stroll, no pre-registration required. 6:30 p.m. Free.
• Monsters of Poetry Presents Jones/Ligot/Nelson/Swanson at North Street Cabaret. 7 p.m. Free. 🟠
• Jon Mueller at Arts + Literature Laboratory. Music at 7 p.m. $10 advance, $15 doors. 🟠
• The Bad Plus at The Bur Oak. Music at 8 p.m. $35. 🟠
• Ladies Must Swing at Café CODA. All-female band performing 1940s big band music. Two shows: 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
• Maxo Kream at the Majestic. Music at 8:30 p.m. $20 advance, $25 doors.

Sunday, March 20

• Brunch Cocktail Class at Garver Feed Mill. $160 for 2 people. 2-3 hour class, leave with recipes and key ingredients. 2 p.m.
• Week 8 of the Winter Festival of Poetry. 8-week series features six poets each week, reading for roughly 10-12 minutes each. 2 p.m. Free.
• Big Diss Roast Battle at The Rigby. Comedians battle 1-on-1 to throw insults, cheap shots, and major shade. 7 p.m.

Wondering what that 🟠 means? That symbol next to an event listing means that Tone Madison’s team of writers and editors recommends checking it out.