🎉 Celebrate 1,000 City Cast Madison Podcast Episodes
Friends, Neighbors, and all fans of City Cast Madison are invited to join us on Sunday, Nov. 22, for a thousandth-episode bash at Lola’s Hi/Lo Lounge. We will have a swag giveaway, awards, and a DJ spinning our favorite tunes.
- We’re also putting together a list of 1,000 Things We Love About Madison, and we need your help. Simply fill out this form to let us know something you love about Madison! We especially want niche, specific, and hyperlocal answers.
🛍️ Shop Till You Drop at Local Markets
November is a great time to start holiday gift shopping. Thankfully for us, Madison is full of pop-up markets boasting unique, locally made items. First up is The Black Art Expo & Holiday Market on Nov. 6-7, where you can check out the new main gallery exhibition at the Center for Black Excellence and Culture while getting some shopping in. That same weekend, the Textile Art Market will be featuring work from fiber artists at a gallery night that Friday, with full market hours on Saturday.
On Nov. 14, stop by the Native Art Market to see a wide range of traditional and contemporary art from more than 40 Native artists. The award for hippest market of the season goes to the Sauced Night Market, which will be taking place at Garver Feed Mill Nov. 20-21. And finally for your Black Friday shopping alternative, don't miss the Madison Makers Market Annual Black Friday Market and Pub Crawl at various locations on the near east side.
💬 Enjoy the Art of Storytelling
Looking for a space to tell your story, or learn more about others' lived experiences? Then you're in luck! The Moth StorySLAM is coming to the High Noon Saloon on Nov. 9. The theme for this open-mic storytelling competition is Home for the Holidays, so dust off those cozy or chaotic stories from festivities past.
UW-Madison is also hosting a storytelling event — Badger Stories for Civic Health — on Nov. 18, featuring former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly. Finally, tickets are still available for Voice & Dreams Live on Nov. 1, where Black women and Latinas from the Wisconsin area are gathering at the Goodman Community Center to talk about their dreams and challenges. You can learn more about Midwest Mujeres Collective, who's putting on this annual event, on a recent episode of City Cast Madison 🎧
🦃 Volunteer for Thanksgiving
The spirit of giving is strong in Madison, and there are plenty of opportunities to give back on and around Thanksgiving. On Nov. 26, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church needs servers for their Thanksgiving Day meals. If you're not available on the holiday itself but still want to help out, never fear — HyVee has some open shifts for their Thanksgiving Food Drives earlier in the month.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin also needs volunteers to package up food. Goodman Community Center also holds a Thanksgiving basket drive and is stilling looking for folks to help build and distribute the baskets. If you can’t donate your time, you can always donate food!
🏒 Cheer on Our Local Hockey Teams
Madison doesn’t have an NHL team (yet 🤞), but that doesn’t mean you can’t see great hockey! Madison is home to the Madison Capitols, which is in the United States Hockey League, the country's top junior hockey league. Watch them play against The Green Bay Gamblers at LEGACY20 Arena at Deforest Yards on Nov. 13.
If you're not looking to go to Deforest, you can cheer on the incredibly talented Badgers hockey teams. Personally, my top picks for the month are the women’s games against University of St. Thomas on Nov. 14 and 15, and the men’s face-offs against Penn State on Nov. 20 and 21.
