😋 Would you eat ‘brat rangoon’?

🏠 Theresa Terrace Celebrates Affordable New Townhomes

• Six new townhomes were opened in the Theresa Terrace neighborhood on the city’s west side this week. The affordable homes replace a pair of duplexes that had been vacant for several years due to maintenance issues.
• At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said that townhomes are evidence that the city can build higher-density housing that fits in with the character of existing neighborhoods.
• Some context: To help alleviate the city’s affordable housing crisis, the Madison City Council recently passed several zoning changes that would encourage the splitting of some lots and the building of second structures on properties. [City of Madison, 🎧 City Cast Madison]

🏊 All City Swim Meet Will Close Streets

• Madison’s annual All City Swim Meet starts today, and some streets near the host pool, Hill Farms Swim Club, will be closed to accommodate swimmers and families walking to and from the pool from the nearby “tent city” at Rennebohm Park.
• North Eau Claire Avenue between Regent Street and Buffalo Trail will be closed between 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Aug. 2. Buffalo Trail between North Eau Claire Avenue and Door Drive will be completely closed until Aug. 4. [City of Madison]

📱 Spanish-Language Version of 211 Wisconsin App Launched

• The United Way of Dane County has partnered with Centro Hispano to release a Spanish-language version of its community resource phone app, 211 Wisconsin.
• Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the app provides information and access to a variety of community resources, including bill assistance, housing, food, transportation, and more.
• The Spanish version was funded by a grant from Public Health of Madison & Dane County. For those Madison residents who don’t have phones, United Way has set up several kiosks around town for use. [Madison365, United Way of Dane County]

August is a weird month in Madison. It’s still obviously part of summer, but many people are already mentally looking forward to fall, and with the UW-Madison students coming back, the start of football season, and pumpkin spice lattes already in coffee shops, it’s hard not to understand why.

But there’s still plenty of outdoor summer fun to be ahead before we bust out the flannel shirts and corduroys. On the City Cast Madison podcast today, the gang talks about some of the things we’re looking forward to doing, seeing and eating in August.

A lot of them involve being outside, from the Magic Pride Festival at Warner Park to Rooftop Cinema at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art to Taste of Madison on the Capitol Square.

Here’s more fun stuff to look forward to in August.

🎉 A Festival Every Week

It just wouldn’t be summer without Madison’s festivals, and August has a bunch of them.

First up is the Sugar Maple Music Festival (Aug. 1-2), which brings bluegrass, folk, Americana, and other genres to Lake Farm County Park. This year’s headliners include Colorado bluegrass trio The Cody Sisters, folk singer-songwriter Lizzie No, and the world premiere of the Quebec-meets-Louisiana combo Cajun Snowshoes.

We love our pocket parks in Madison, and North Star Fest takes over the park at 701 Galileo Drive on Aug. 2. Eken Park Fest returns to the north side on Aug. 16, with food, beer, and some great local bands like Seasaw and The Flavor That Kills.

Head west on Aug. 22-24 for Middleton’s Good Neighbor Festival, which has a piratical theme this year to match the festival’s new home at South Beach. And head east Aug. 13-17 for Sun Prairie’s Sweet Corn Festival in Angell Park, which features music, kids’ activities, and of course ears and ears of that sweet, sweet corn.

Black on State Festival returns to the 400 block of State Street on Aug. 23, bringing Black joy and creativity to the heart of the city. In the age of “Cowboy Carter,” this year’s festival features a “Rodeo Remix” in Lisa Link Peace Park with art, vendors, DJs, and line dancing.

Each week, our City Cast Madison Neighbors get the chance to shout out a business, a nonprofit, or some other cool thing in Madison that helps connect them to the city and to their neighbors. Here’s what folks are spotlighting this week.

📣 Shauna K. wanted to shout out LGBT Books to Prisoners! “They send books and resources to queer, incarcerated folks across the country. Check out the Donate page on their website to see what types of books they're looking for.”

📣 Ross L. wants to share his love of Forward Madison FC! “Things are always fun in the Flock End, and the team has been performing better in the last few games.” They’ve got a match coming up this Saturday at Breese Stevens Field against AV Alva FC.

📣 Colleen M. is shouting out Sequoya Library, “for serving much of Madison's west side with many community activities for all ages as well as a constant flow of books in and out.”