Wake up and smell the death flower

⛅ Today's weather: Mostly cloudy. High: 62° Low: 42°

Gooooood morning, Madison.

It’s Thursday and Brat Fest needs your help.

The world’s largest brat festival is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year bringing food, fireworks, music, and more to Madison May 27-29. But Brat Fest only has about 60% of the volunteers they need to make things run smoothly.

“We don’t want to make any changes, but we also want to make sure we have a safe environment for all of our guests,” ‘Brat Man’ Tim Metcalfe told NBC15. “We don’t want to do those things, so sign up today and make sure that we can do Brat Fest that we have always done it.”

You don’t need to be a master griller to make a difference. Volunteers are needed for all positions, ranging from set-up and take-down to traffic direction, and condiment handlers.

To top it off, Brat Fest volunteers will have their hours turned into charitable donations. You’ll also have access to all those brats…just sayin’.

You can learn more and sign up to volunteer here.

— Hayley

🗳️ Dane County Board Supervisor Analiese Eicher is running for state Assembly.

• Eicher made the announcement Wednesday, adding her name to the growing list of candidates vying for the District 46 Assembly seat.
• So far, Eicher is the third Democrat to join the race. Dane County Sup. Melissa Ratcliff and Madison Ald. Syed Abbas have also announced their candidacies.
• Where is District 46? It's much of the eastern part of Dane Couny. The district is comprised of Cottage Grove, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and parts of Madison’s East Side.

🏫 Gov. Tony Evers made three new appointments to the to UW Board of Regents.

• Evers appointed former Assembly Rep. Dana Wachs, Goodwill Industries executive Angela Adams, and UW-Parkside and U.S. Army veteran Jennifer Staton to the board.
• The three new appointees replace Michael Grebe, Andrew Petersen, and Corey Saffold, whose terms ended Sunday. Grebe and Petersen were president and vice president of the board when it conducted a "widely criticized and unsuccessful search for a new system president in 2020," the Wisconsin Examiner reports.
• The fate of the new regents' tenure, however, rests in the governor's election. The state Senate has not yet confirmed seven of Evers' appointees, meaning their appointments could be withdrawn if he does not win re-election.

🥒 The Hilldale farmers' market is back this weekend.

• It's officially farmers' market season. The annual Hilldale farmers' market will kick off its 2022 season this Saturday and will run every Wednesday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October 29. Vendors will vary each week.
• Also coming soon to Hilldale: Amara. Rule No. One Hospitality Group, which operates Lucille and Merchant downtown, will open its third restaurant venture in August. The State Journal reports the restaurant, called Amara, will take the former Pasqual’s space and "serve 'contemporary coastal Italian cuisine' with sharable small plates, homemade pastas, and seasonal entrées."

🥫 Let's Gooh to the grocery store.

• Plans for a new independent grocery store on the East side are moving forward, slowly but surely. Gooh (pronounced Go) Grocery is set to open in the former home of Visions strip club at 3554 E. Washington Ave.
• The store still needs approvals from the city but could be open by this fall, IB Madison reports. The store will sell affordable, culturally relevant grocery items, which is huge for the area currently considered a food desert.
• The building's owners Jerreh Kujabi and Democratic Rep. Samba Baldeh are seeking up to $250,000 from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) to renovate the building.

✨ Unveiling the Divine Nine Garden Plaza.

• The University of Wisconsin Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life and the National Pan-Hellenic Council are set to hold a ceremony this weekend for the opening of the Divine Nine Garden Plaza on East Campus Mall, Madison365 reports.
• The plaza serves as a physical marker and permanent landmark to honor the "achievements, contributions, presence, and history" of the nation's nine historically Black fraternities and sororities.

🌸 It's happening: the corpse flower is blooming.

• It's the moment we've all been waiting for. Last night Olbrich Botanical Gardens announced its corpse flower has started its highly-anticipated bloom.
• Blooms typically last 24-36 hours. Olbrich is extending its operating hours today so everyone has a chance to see (and smell) the rare spectacle.
• The Bolz Conservatory will be open from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. today. Admission is $6 for the general public, $3 for children ages 6-12, free for children ages 5 and under, and free for Olbrich members.

🎨 Your lunchtime read: New ‘Collateral Damage’ art exhibit shines light on mental health.

• From Madison Magazine: "The exhibition evolved from Charleson’s observation that seemingly mentally 'healthy' people were suddenly exhibiting symptoms of poor mental health during the pandemic. This opened doors to discussions about mental health in general, along with its decline during the pandemic. Charleson approached Mur to join her in bringing the conversation to a public platform."
• “Collateral Damage” opened May 1 at the Pyle Center and runs through the month. On May 6, there will be an opening reception with a panel discussion at 7:00 p.m.

📅 Events

Thursday, May 5

• Mix & Mingle with the Out Professional Engagement Network at The Rigby. 5 p.m.
• Bake-Along with The Baked Lab. Virtual baking workshop. 6 p.m. Free.
• Geoff Brady & Friends at Gates of Heaven. 7 p.m. Free. 🟠
• Ben Rector at The Sylvee. Music at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $35.

Wondering what that 🟠 means? That symbol next to an event listing means the Tone Madison team recommends checking it out.

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