Time again for my annual round-up of Madison-area community festivals, which begin next weekend. I can’t wait for the beer tents and live music!
| Events | Dates | Of note |
| Syttende Mai (Stoughton) | May 19-21 | (This event is a week later than normal.) Is a marathon just a bit too long for you? Try the annual 20-mile run from downtown Madison to Stoughton. Also check out the strongman competition called the “Viking Games.” |
| Fitchburg Days | May 19-21 | Fitchburg Days allows us to celebrate our Irish heritage in Fitchburg. That means annual performances by both Pat McCurdy and The Kissers. |
| Verona Hometown Days | June 1-4 | Hometown Days always books great bands, and this year is no exception with local favorites 5th Gear and Cherry Pie. The big parade takes place on Sunday. |
| Fireman’s Festival (Cottage Grove) | June 15-18 | This festival has a little bit of everything, from a craft fair to the Smokin’ Hot BBQ contest to a horse pull. Big coup to land Madison County as a headliner. |
| Oregon Summer Fest | June 22-25 | See cars from all decades in the annual car show, and enjoy ribs and BBQ chicken at the Oregon-Brooklyn Lions Club “Thrilla on the Grilla.” |
| Cross Plains Worlds Fair | TBD | 2016 was likely the last year of this two-day event. No announcements have been made yet about this year’s version. |
| Monona Community Festival | July 3-4 | I’ve always enjoyed the hole-in-one challenge, which seems to be won with some frequency. And believe it or not, the festival hosts the annual Wisconsin Wife Carry Championship. |
| DeForest Area 4th of July Celebration | July 3-4 | Definitely the worst website of all the communities. Features a well-attended parade. Lots of free events, including a Kings of Radio concert and pony rides. |
| Waunafest | July 27-30 | Waunakee has such strong community spirit, which is why this event has the largest attendance … and also the largest beer tent. Be warned that parking can be difficult. |
| Sweet Corn Festival (Sun Prairie) | Aug. 17-20 | As the name implies, you can’t attend this event without eating some of the 75 tons of sweet corn. Since the event is at Angell Park, there will be midget car racing and a tractor pull. |
| Middleton Good Neighbor Festival | Aug. 25-27 | Here we are at the end of the summer festival schedule. Check out the huge craft fair and the parade on University Avenue. Still WAY TOO FEW porta-potties by the beer tent. |
Note: I didn’t include the McFarland Family Festival since it takes place in the fall.
The Madison area has plenty of Chinese and Indian buffets, making 
The rest of the buffet includes variations of the aforementioned dishes plus desserts (cakes), fruit, soups and salad. You get your choice of corn or flour tortillas brought to your table.
Zoup!
I was impressed with the Pumpkin Pie Bisque ($5.25 for a cup) because it’s true to its name. It’s pureed pumpkin with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and tastes just like the pie. In other words, imagine putting a pumpkin pie in a blender until it liquefied–that’s this soup.
My No. 1 is French onion soup, and Zoup!’s version ($4.50 for 8 oz.) did not disappoint. It was very thick (instead of that watery crap other restaurants serve), had the right amount of salt and the onions were soft and tender, as they should be.
