📝 If Madison were a Halloween costume

🗳️ From Brewery to Elections Center?

• Dane County wants to purchase the former Ale Asylum building and turn it into a new elections center. The county announced its intent to purchase the facility at 2002 Pankratz St. near the Dane County Regional Airport for roughly $5 million. [Wisconsin State Journal]
• The warehouse portion of the building would be used to safely store election equipment and the remaining parts of the building would be converted into office space for election workers.
• If you’ll recall: Ale Asylum closed its doors in 2022 after failing to find a buyer to take over the brewery business. Karben4 Brewing purchased the Ale Asylum brands and their recipes earlier this year and continues to make the beloved Madison brews. [City Cast Madison]

🥃 The State Could Have an Official Cocktail

• State Rep. John Plumer, R-Lodi, and Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, have introduced legislation that would make the brandy old fashioned Wisconsin's official state cocktail.
• Why? “Wisconsin accounts for over half of Korbel's annual brandy sales in the United States, purchasing over 150,000 cases of Korbel brandy in 2019 alone,” the lawmakers said. "The old-fashioned has become an unmistakable symbol of Wisconsin, its residents, and its unique culture." [Wisconsin State Journal]
• Technically, Wisconsin has an official state beverage (it’s milk), but no official cocktail. [State of Wisconsin]

😎 The Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin

• Every year the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce group holds a contest to find the "Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin.” This year, the title was awarded to Bevi Bottleless Water Dispenser, made by Plexus Corp. in Appleton. The invention allows users to pour filtered, flavored, and sparkling water into reusable water bottles, saving millions of plastic bottles from going into landfills. [Channel 3000]
• Past years’ winners have included Pierce Manufacturing’s Electric Fire Truck from Appleton, a Mobile Autonomous Robotic Cart (aka MARC) from Mul Technologies in Mequon, and Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Kringle from Uncle Mike’s Bake Shoppe in De Pere. [WMC]

🎒 Your Lunchtime Read: Madison school absenteeism soared with COVID-19, little change since.

• “In total, nearly 9,000 children in Madison public schools missed more than 10% of the school year, a rate of absenteeism that can indicate broader problems facing children and puts them at risk of a serious, long-term disadvantage in learning. [...]
  
  While the reasons for absences vary — health, transportation issues, a loss of connection to the school or safety concerns, to name a few — the costs are usually high, even beyond the missed academic content.” [Cap Times]

We’ve made it to Friday, nice. Here’s a treat that’s out of this world! Meet Catzia Dax. This tuxedo-wearing girl was adopted in 2019 from the Dane County Humane Society. Her owner Lisa C. says she's named after Jadzia Dax from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and her favorite activities include receiving belly rubs and treats.

Do you have a floof to share with the Madison Minutes community? I want to meet them! Fill out the below form for an opportunity to be featured.

Friday, Oct. 20

• Borgore at Liquid Madison
• Gabriel Royal at Overture Center
• MOON OVER MONONA TERRACE at Monona Terrace
• Signing Slam Trivia Night (THE BUR OAK DOWNSTAIRS) at The Bur Oak
• Solar Soiree at Olbrich Botanical Gardens
• SoundWaves: Celebrations of Time, Part 1 at Discovery Building
• No Name String Band at State Line Distillery
• Witches Night Out at Starkweather Brewing Company
• Tim Berne / Aurora Nealand / Hank Roberts at Arts + Literature Laboratory
• Wisconsin Science Festival at multiple locations
• Wisconsin Book Festival at multiple locations

Saturday, Oct. 21

• Saving Coral Reefs from Climate Change Through Science and Art at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
• Adult Prom FUNdraiser at Keva Sports Center
• The Art of the Needle at Lutheran Church of the Living Christ
• Capitol Comedy Hour: A Late-Night Variety Show - Halloween Edition! at Madison's
• Cheyenne Giles at Liquid Madison
• Colter Wall at The Sylvee
• DeltaWeen at Delta Beer Lab
• Family Music and Stories with CASEY DAY at Java Cat Coffeehouse
• Freak Show Halloween Dance Fitness Party at High Noon Saloon
• Masquerade: Zombie Prom at Crucible
• Movie Night: “National Velvet” at Stone Horse Green
• Prairie Seed Harvest at Aldo Leopold Nature Center
• THE SH!TSHOW: A Chaotic Stand-Up Comedy Show at Forward Madison FC
• Wisconsin Science Festival at multiple locations
• Wisconsin Book Festival at multiple locations

Sunday, Oct. 22

• The Art of the Needle at Lutheran Church of the Living Christ
• At the Chazen: Cinema in the Shadow of the JFK Assassination at Chazen Museum of Art
• Crossroads of Ideas: Comparing the Creative Process in Science and Art at Madison Central Library
• Forrest Farms Plant & Sip at Capital Brewery
• MANIA: The ABBA Tribute at Orpheum Madison
• Sunday Scaries at Crucible
• Puzzle Exchange at Starkweather Brewing Company
• Wisconsin Book Festival at multiple locations
• Wisconsin Science Festival at multiple locations
• Word Power Open Mic Series at Arts + Literature Laboratory

Madison Public Market Lives, UW Raises Stalled, and Where to Cry in Public

The City Cast team is here to round up the news of the week. Dylan Brogan, Molly Stentz and Hayley Sperling recap how the Madison Public Market may get built after all. We also discuss how raises for thousands of university employees are the latest cudgel in the fight between the state legislature and UW. Plus, sometimes you just need to cry in public.

And if you’ve got a Madison-themed Halloween costume in the works, we need to hear about it!