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There's lots of things to do in Madison Labor Day weekend.  Check these out!

Thurs., Aug. 28
Live Reggae at the Edgewater Pier Bar and Café.  5-7pm. On the corner of Langdon St. and Wisconsin Ave.
Friday,  Aug. 29
Dane Dances! on the Monona Terrace Rooftop. Performers include: Nelly Tiger Travis Blues Band and MadiSalsa  FREE entertainment and dancing with ethnic food vendors and cocktails available for purchase.  5:30-9:30pm
Friday, Aug. ...

Madisonians love to read. And, they love their bookstores, if the number of cars parked out in front of Barnes & Noble or Borders is any indication. But those big chain stores are not the only show in town. Madison has a wonderful mix of large, intimate, specialty, rare, and used bookstores to choose from. 
Barnes and Noble West Towne  is my favorite. It's huge, ...

Friday night and fish fry go hand in hand in Wisconsin.  It's tradition. What can I say?  Might be cod, might be blue gill or walleye, might even be perch. But the best fish is beer battered with slaw and a cold brew on the side.

My guess is that just about any bar or pub you wander into in Madison on a Friday night will have it's version of The ...

Rocks, meteors, fossils, even dinosaur bones--you name it, the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum has it.  I go there at least once a year, with about 40 six and seven year-olds in tow. And we are never bored.

This is where you can check out Wisconsin's geologic history in all its glory. While some items are behind glass, there's still lots you can touch. How cool is ...

Looking for a place to have breakfast or brunch in Madison?  Here is listing by location.  Some restaurants aren't technically in Madison, but they are easy to get to.  All have great food!

On the East Side:

Monty's Blue Plate Diner - 2089 Atwood Ave., Madison  608-244-8505  Breakfast served all day, everyday. Vegetarians welcome. Tex-Mex breakfast recommended.
Lazy Jane's Café & Bakery - 1358 Williamson St., Madison  ...

There are lots of fun things to do with kids in Madison.  Here are 15 ideas to get you started and keep the little ones busy:

Explore the Capitol Building and go up onto the outdoor observation deck to get an awesome view of the city.
Ride the Carousel at Ella's Deli and have an ice cream delight while you're at it. 
Learn something new at the ...

It's a hot, muggy Madison day and nothing would feel better than a cool dip in the lake. Take your pick, we've got lots of Lakes: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra are all within the city's limits.  And Madison has plenty of beaches, too --- 13 in all, ten of them with lifeguards.

What Madison doesn't have, however, is consistently swimable water. The problem? Well, all those wonderful bodies of water are surrounded ...

Ella's Deli, on Madison's east side, not only temps the taste buds, it noggles all the senses.   How to describe it? 

Can you imagine Spiderman flying across the room while you dig into your banana split?  How about downing a corned beef reuben while circus performers dance about your head? Or slurping matso ball soup over a medieval landscape made out of Legos?

Ella's is a sensory experience you can't imagine until you, well...experience ...

I've been away from my post for awhile. Okay, for longer than a while...for most of a year.  So I just want to refresh some of the great --- FREE --- musical activities in and around Madison for the month of July.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES at Warner Park,  Mondays at 6pm

(Sponsored by North/Eastside Senior Coalition)

July 14 - Kydd and Byrd

July 21 - Que Flavor

July 28 - The Midwesterners

LUNCH TIME LIVE  on ...

What are the four major food groups in Wisconsin?

Cheese . . . brats . . . corn . . . and beer!

Cheese is so common you can pick it up anywhere, in any grocery store,  order it added on to any item in any restaurant anytime. Cheese to a native Wisconsinite is like the air you breathe.

And, for that matter. . . so is beer.

But brats and corn. . . well, ...