Your Daily Guide

🎉 Streets Closing For Homecoming Parade: Multiple streets will be closed Friday for the UW-Madison Homecoming Parade. Langdon Street, where the parade starts at 6 p.m., will be closed from noon to 7:30 p.m., while sections of Wisconsin Avenue, West Gilman Street, and North Lake Street will be closed or limited for several hours. [City of Madison]

💻 Madison’s Data Center Pause is Almost Over: With three months to go until Madison’s one-year data center moratorium expires, city staff are beginning to consider where and how data centers might be allowed in the city. The proposed rules would limit data centers to the industrial areas in the city’s far east and southeast side, as well as limit noise. [🔒WSJ]

🐄 World Dairy Expo Moo-ves Into Alliant Energy Center: Farmers, dairy industry experts, and youth are at the Alliant Energy Center through Friday for the 2026 World Dairy Expo. Learn more about what some call “the Super Bowl for cows.” [World Dairy Expo, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🔥 Will the 2028 Olympic Torch Run Through Madison? Destination Madison is working with the organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics to potentially have the cross-country relay route carrying the torch to come through Madison. The torch route will start in Atlanta and be carried through all 50 states before arriving in Los Angeles. [News 3]

🖼️ Pick Your Favorite Art For the SkyLine Project: Organizers want public feedback for proposed artwork for the SkyLine, the first phase of the Lake Monona LakeWay development project. The four finalists have prepared online presentations of their proposals, and will present them at a meeting Oct. 1. [City of Madison]

⚽ Madison Eyes Northeast Park For Sports Complex: With athletic fields around the city straining to handle demand, city parks officials want to build a sports complex at Northeast Park on the far east side. The 230-acre park is mostly farmland, and the city is looking for a private partner to help develop the land. [🔒WSJ]

🥊 Boxer Enters the Ring in Mayoral Race: Marcus Robert Johnson, a champion boxer and bartender, has launched his campaign for mayor. Johnson, who won the Wisconsin Golden Gloves championship, says his campaign will focus on affordable housing and government transparency. [News 3]

🚗 Experience a ‘Week Without Driving’: Addicted to driving your car? Madison is taking part in a “Week Without Driving” Oct. 1-8, a series of events to help drivers understand what it’s like for non-drivers to get around town. Roughly 30-40% of Dane County residents don’t drive.

• 🎧 On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin talks to Zia Brucaya from Greater Madison MPO and AJ Liedl from Madison Metro about how “Week Without Driving” will help make Madison safe and accessible for all travelers. Bianca also talks to Bloom Bake Shop owner Annemarie Maitri about her much-anticipated new cafe and wine bar, Waltzing Matilda’s. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

It’s October! That means all us Mr. Autumn Men and Ms. Autumn Women are putting on those cardigans and enjoying the flavors of fall. (Notwithstanding you freaks who have been ordering pumpkin spice lattes since late August.)

Here are a few places around Madison who are serving up special fall beverages, from flavored lattes in the morning to autumnal alcoholic concoctions at night.

Barriques

The local coffee chain’s autumn drink menu includes the special PSL, but I tried the Maple Pumpkin Matcha Latte, which includes the two standard fall drink flavors, but is also green enough to still remind us of summer.

Good News Ice Cream

The ice cream shop on King Street recommends getting its pumpkin spice latte iced so the whipped cream and pumpkin spice cold foam on top lasts longer. And if that wasn’t sweet enough, they add a mini pumpkin spice donut as a garnish.

Ancora Coffee Roasters

Ancora has a full line-up of limited edition fall drinks, including a miso pumpkin spice cold brew and a caramel black sesame zombie. I went with the sweet/savory salted maple latte (at the Maple Bluff location, of course).

Madison Chocolate Company

The Alchemist is back! Madison Chocolate’s popular fall drink mixes together fall spices, brown sugar, single origin espresso, and black walnut bitters. It’s like a brisk walk in the woods in drink form.

Oasis Cafe

The Fitchburg cafe embraces the end of summer with its Back-2-School Spritz, a cold pick-me-up that combines seltzer water, pomegranate syrup, strawberry syrup, and Lotus Energy.