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Today

• Parks Alive: Owl Creek Park | Thurs., June 23 | 1-4 p.m. | Owl Creek Park, 23 Horned Owl Ct. | Free | Build community, strengthen relationships, and explore nature at Owl Creek Park. 
• Madison Mallards: Bark in the Park | Thurs., June 23 | The Duck Pond, 2920 N. Sherman Ave. | Gates open at 5:35 p.m., game starts at 6:35 p.m. | $13+ | Bring your furry friends for a pre-game pup parade around the park and stick around to cheer on the Mallards as they take on the Battle Creek Bombers. ⚾ *

Friday

• CapitalQ Theater Festival | Fri., June 24-Sun., June 26 | Times vary | Bartell Theater, 113 E. Mifflin St. | $15+ | Join CapitalQ for a weekend-long festival celebrating “Queer Shorts” submitted by local and national screenwriters. 
• Friday Evening Classical Guitarist | Fri., June 24 | 7-9 p.m. | Lisa Link Peace Park, 452 State St. | Free | Join Leonardo Quintero and Gabor Szarvas in the park for an evening of music and community building. 🎶

Saturday

• Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society | Sat., June 25 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Stoughton Opera House, 381 East Main St., Stoughton | $46.50 | Learn more about the origins of ragtime music and the Black composers that have influenced it. 
• New Glarus Blues, Brews & Food Truck Festival | Sat., June 25 | 12-9 p.m. | New Glarus Village Park, 4th Avenue + 1st Street | Free+ | Bring a big appetite and some dancing show for a day of beer, food, and blues. 🍺

Sunday

• Island Brunch Cooking Class | Sun., June 26 | 2-4:30 p.m. | DelecTable, 3248 University Ave. | $69 | Learn to cook a Caribbean-inspired brunch.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

REAL ESTATE

5 things to look for when choosing a local home builder 🏠

You’ve decided to build a home and have the details down pat (thanks to your nights scrolling Pinterest + Houzz), but now comes the hard part — choosing the right builder. As you begin the hunt, here’s five things to look for in a local home builder (and how Veridian Homes implements these in how they do business): 

A guaranteed closing date 

Many builders won’t commit to a closing date upfront and, as a result, dates often get pushed back further and further during the homebuilding process. 

Veridian Homes assigns homebuyers a guaranteed closing date at contract signing and, as a bonus, homes take approx. 146 days to complete. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Survey of Construction, the estimated average length of time from start to completion of new privately owned residential buildings is 6.8 months.

New homes need less maintenance  and come with a warranty — plus, major appliances, fixtures + components also have manufacturers' warranties. | Photo provided by Veridian Homes

Buy local 

Working with local trades + suppliers means money will stay within the local economy. Veridian has decades-long relationships with local trades.

If you’re looking to move-in yesterday, Veridian currently has 20+ move-in ready homes in neighborhoods around 608.*

NEWS NOTES

Weather

• 88º | Mostly sunny | 4% chance of rain

Development

• Madison City Council has approved two housing developments on the Isthmus. New streets and rezonings have been authorized for the $150 million, 550-unit low-cost housing project at the old Oscar Mayer plant. McGrath Property Group will preserve the Wonder Bar while building a 12-story housing development next to the site. 🏗️ (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Construction will start soon on UW Health’s newest clinic on University Row. Next to the Health Digestive Clinic, the project will be completed in 2024, replacing the UW Health West Towne Clinic.(IB Madison)

Civic

• The Madison Forward Fund — a new guaranteed income program — will offer 155 families $500 per month for a year. The funds, coming from private donors, have no strings attached + will be used to help families with a household income of less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Line. (Channel3000)
• The complete 2022 trash and recycling collection calendars are now available for the City of Madison. As 9,000 homes on the west side will have a changed schedule come Mon., Aug. 1, the calendar was broken into two pieces this year. ♻️

Community

• The wheels on the Dream Bus are going round and round the City of Madison this summer. The mobile library starts rolling out this week, stopping at events like Parks Alive!, a Forward Madison game + plenty of community festivals. Check out the full schedule here. 📚

Edu

• Four school districts in Dane County are looking into launching Spanish bilingual programs, starting as early as the 2023-24 school year. The county’s Hispanic population has grown by 45% in the past decade + the programs would focus on dual immersion and bicultural learning. (Wisconsin State Journal)
• MMSD’s Summer Food Program is offering two meals a day and a snack for children ages 18 and under. 15 school sites + 13 community sites are serving meals Monday through Friday until July 29. 🍽️ (Cap Times)

For Kids

• McKee Farms Park’s newest playground is now open in Fitchburg. The space is safe for those with physical or sight limitations to play with their peers + is the third all-inclusive playground in Dane County. (Channel3000)

Pets

• Planning to hit the road this summer? Don’t forget to find accommodations for your family pet. From cats and dogs to guinea pigs and geckos, Madison Magazine has 33 places to make sure the animals have as much fun as you do. (Madison Magazine)

Drink

• Dirty Shirley might be the drink of the summer but State Line’s Tomato Sangrita is a close second. Using State Line American Gin, tomatoes, and orange + lime juice, the batch cocktail is perfect for your next dinner party. 🍹 (edible Madison)

A pet message from our sponsor

• “Whiskey the Rottweiler was given less than 24 hours to live, and the referring veterinarian was sure he was going to die. But I made one simple change that saved Whiskey’s life, and kept him healthy for years and years.” *

POST OF THE DAY

Cotton candy skies

REWARDS

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THE WRAP

Editor's pick: Today's convo was written by our intern, Avery. She's been killing it this summer, helping with lots of things at 608today, including social media, our Plan Ahead, and writing stories (just like this one about ACG). Let's give her a round of applause + fill her inbox with words of praise. 

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