Things to do in Madison, WI: Feb. 7-13

Hi there!

Do you have a special someone(s) in your life? Well, I don’t, but it's like, totally fine! I’m happy for you. That’s why I took some time to find Valentine's-themed events for you. They're sprinkled throughout the post and marked with a heart emoji.

Have a good week,

- Sam

Multi-day

• Winter Carnival, Monday through Saturday. All sorts of events! There's a fishing derby, a free showing of Frozen, an ice climbing exhibition, and more. And of course, Lady Liberty will be there, too. More details on that below.
• PBS Wisconsin Garden and Landscape Expo, Friday through Sunday. Educational presentations, exhibitors, floral design competition, and more. Ticket prices vary.
• Roy Wood Jr at Comedy on State. Shows on Friday and Saturday. $25.

Monday, Feb. 7

• Open Mic Comedy Night at The Bur Oak. 7 p.m. Free.
• The Madison Moth StorySlam: Love Hurts at High Noon Saloon. Show at 7:30 p.m. $15. 💖

Tuesday, Feb. 8

• The Beautiful World of Butterflies with DreamBank. A virtual field trip to the Milwaukee Public Museum's Butterfly Vivarium. 4 p.m. Free.
• Plastics in the Great Lakes: What to Know & What to Do About It with Monona Public Library. 6:30 p.m. Virtual. Free.
• Stars That Go Bump in the Night by Bob Mathieu, a UW-Madison Astronomy professor. 7 p.m. Virtual option. Free.
• Crossroads of Ideas: What is Happiness? with the UW Institute for Research in the Humanities. An interdisciplinary with scientists and philosophers. Virtual option. Free. 7 p.m

Wednesday, Feb. 9

• Verona Area Chamber of Commerce networking lunch at Mr. Brew's Tap House. 11:30 a.m. $15.
• Madison Moves: The Process and History of Relocating Buildings in Madison with The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. 7 p.m. Virtual. $10.
• Common Butterflies of Wisconsin: Swallowtails with Olbrich Botanical Gardens. 6 p.m. Virtual. $14 for Olbrich members, $18 non-member.

Thursday, Feb. 10

• All the Little Things: Arboretum Winter Enrichment Lecture. 10 a.m. Virtual. $10.
• The Rider (2017) screening at MMoCA. From IMDb: "After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America." 7 p.m. $7 for nonmembers, free for kids and museum members.
• Peculiar People at Brinklounge. “Weird people spreading their weird for your entertainment pleasure.” Features Freya Dialogos, Esteban Touma, and Elizabeth Joy. Show at 7:30 p.m. $10.
• Tim Smith at Comedy on State. 7:30 p.m. $5 students, $15 general admission.
• Goose at the Sylvee. Show at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $32.50.
• Nicholas Rodriguez at the Overture Center. “Award-winning Broadway, TV, film actor and recording artist Nicholas Rodriguez explores life, love and longing through an intimate evening of love songs.” 8 p.m.
• Kat and the Hurricane Presents at FIVE Nightclub. "A recurring variety show... Join us for this special edition of KatH Presents at FIVE for an extra dose of drag and live entertainment." 10 p.m. No cover charge. 🟠

Friday, Feb. 11

• International Winter Bike To/From Work (or anywhere) Day celebration with Madison Bikes on Capital City Trail. "Join us on your way home from work or school and enjoy a warm beverage, a hot fire and some friendly winter biking conversations." 3-5 p.m. Free.
• Roberto Torres Mata Art Exhibition Opening Reception at Giant Jones. 5 to 9 p.m. Free. Read more about the artist in Tone Madison's profile. 🟠
• Groove & Glide at Elver Park. Ice skating at night! 6-8 p.m. Free.
• Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1967) screening at Union South Marquee. From IMDb: "A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision." 6:30 p.m. Free. 🟠
• Arrebato (1979) screening at UW Cinematheque. From IMDb: "A low budget horror filmmaker gets in touch with an eccentric who is trying to film his consciousness during drug abuse." 7 p.m. Free. 🟠
• Jake Blount and Laurel Premo at The North Street Cabaret. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $12.
• Lewis Black at the Orpheum. 8 p.m. Tickets start at $39.50.
• Kenny Reichert Quartet with Tony Barba, John Christensen and Devin Drobka at Audio for the Arts. Music at 8 p.m. 🟠
• 90’s Party featuring How Rude at Whiskey Jacks Saloon. 8 p.m.
• Young Man in a Hurry with Other Peace. 8 p.m. $8 advance, $12 at door.
• The Grasshoppers with Snafu at High Noon Saloon. Show at 9 p.m. $10.
• Snakehips at Liquid. Show at 10 p.m. $25 for 18+, $25 for 21+.

Saturday, Feb 12

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• Magic Morgan & Liliana magic show. Part of the Kids in the Rotunda series. Shows at 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Free.
• Ice Carving Demonstration at Madison Children’s Museum. 1 p.m. Free with admission.
• Virtual Makerspace Kids: Friendship Bracelets with Monona Public Library. Designed for ages 6-12. 1 p.m.
• Madison Makers Valentine’s Market and Pub Crawl. “Shop over 80 makers with a drink in hand, while exploring some of Madison's local breweries, distilleries and bars.” 12-5 p.m. No admission fee. 💖
• Skate Cinema: Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021). Screening at 5:30 p.m. From IMDb: “A rogue artificial intelligence kidnaps the son of famed basketball player LeBron James, who then has to work with Bugs Bunny to win a basketball game.” Free.
• Premiere of "Lift Every Voice" from Madison Ballet. "Contemporary works by choreographers of color in the form of 4 short films, exploring thought-provoking themes through progressive ballet movement." 6 p.m. Virtual. Free.
• Full Moon Night Walk at UW Arboretum. Guided nightime stroll, no pre-registration required. 6:30 p.m. Free.
• Cautious Clay at the Majestic. $20 advance, $22 at door. Doors at 7 p.m.
• Summer Camp Music Festival: On Tour at High Noon Saloon, featuring Ifdakar, Cosmic Railroad, Earth to Clark, Michael Darling, The Earthlings, and The Jake Deringer Project. $7. Show at 7 p.m.
• A Valentine’s Affair from Madison Shakespeare Company at Brinklounge. “Classic tales of love and passion from William Shakespeare and contemporaries.” More performances next week. 7 p.m. $20. 💖
• Erik Koskinen and River Valley Rangers at the Bur Oak. Show at 8 p.m. $12 advance, $15 at door.
• Combo Noir "To Hell With Love Valentine's Show at North Street Cabaret. "The band is a great accompaniment for everything from hootchie-cootchie dancing to staring pensively into your third martini." 8 p.m. $10. 💖
• Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) screening at Union South Marquee. From IMDb: "A young woman separated from her lover by war faces a life-altering decision." 9 p.m. Free. 🟠

Sunday, Feb. 13

• Puppy Bowl Watch Party Fundraiser at Bierock benefitting the Dane County Humane Society. 1 p.m.-11 p.m.
• “She Loves Me” preview event from Madison Opera. Admission is free for full-season subscribers; $10 for two-show subscribers; and $20 for non-subscribers. 1 p.m. 💖
• Week 3 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.
• Dragon Inn (1967) screening at UW Cinematheque. 2 p.m. Free. 🟠
• Beyond the Score: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring with Madison Symphony Orchestra. "A multimedia presentation starring American Players Theatre actors, visual projections and live musical examples with the entire work performed in the second half!" 2:30 p.m. Tickets start at $18.
• Daniel Donato at the Bur Oak. 7 p.m. $12 advance, $15 at door.
• Matt Blair at Audio for the Arts. Music at 8 p.m. 🟠

📡 On our radar...

• A Valentine’s Affair 2022 from Madison Shakespeare company on Feb.  14 and 15. 💖
• Valentine’s Day on Feb 14. This event is both everywhere and nowhere all at once, due to the fact that it is a holiday. 💖
• Margaritas & Cupcakes at Come Back In on Feb. 14. 💖
• Couple’s cocktail class at Garver Feed Mill on Feb. 14 💖
• A Feast for Love dinner theater on Feb. 14. 💖
• Miz Cracker at the Majestic on Feb. 14.
• A Conversation with Chelsea Manning on Feb. 17. 🟠
• Yams and Sweet Potatoes: Black Culinary Series on Feb. 17.
• “She Loves Me” from Madison Opera on Feb. 18 and 20. 💖
• Pour'n Yer Heart Out on Feb 19.

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. Tone knows Madison’s arts and music landscape better than anybody else.

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🗽 Lady Liberty will make a return to Lake Mendota this week as part of the Winter Carnival festivities.

• You'll be able to grab a photo with her on Friday or Saturday (weather permitting).
• The tradition started back in 1979, when UW-Madison alumni Leon Varjian and Jim Mallon built the first statue out of styrofoam. The version used for the past several years is an inflatable replica, but the tradition is still alive some forty years later.