Note: this is a repost from last year, with dates updated.
I love how much we pack into our summers here in Madison. In addition to events like the Dane County Farmers’ Market and Concerts on the Square, I always look forward to the community festivals in the area. I’ve rounded them up in a grid and included some notes for each. And yes, I will be watching Cherry Pie perform at least four times this summer, twice during these festivals.
| Events | Dates | Of note |
| Syttende Mai (Stoughton) | May 15-17 | 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 15-17 | On the same weekend we’re celebrating our Norwegian heritage in Stoughton, we can celebrate our Irish heritage in Fitchburg. That means annual performances by both Pat McCurdy and The Kissers. |
| Verona Hometown Days | June 4-7 | Hometown Days always books great bands, and this year in no exception with local favorites Charm School Rejects and Cherry Pie. The big parade takes place on Sunday. |
| Fireman’s Festival (Cottage Grove) | June 18-21 | This festival has a little bit of everything, from a rodeo to craft beer tasting to the Smokin’ Hot BBQ contest to a rugby tournament. Doesn’t have the music lineup of Hometown Days, though. |
| Oregon Summer Fest | June 25-28 | See cars from all decades in the annual car show, and enjoy ribs, ribs and more ribs at the Oregon-Brooklyn Lions Club “Thrilla on the Grilla.” |
| 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 | Only one parade this year (what happened to the Token Creek parade?). Lots of free events, including a Chameleon concert and pony rides. |
| Waunafest | July 23-26 | 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. 20-23 | 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. 28-30 | Here we are at the end of the summer festival schedule. Check out the huge craft fair and the kiddie parade. Hopefully event organizers add a lot more porta-potties by the beer tent. |
Note: I didn’t include the McFarland Family Festival, since it takes place in the fall.
The massive space in the shopping center on McKee Road that once housed a series of failed restaurants–most recently, Jimmy’s American Tavern–has been divided into smaller parcels. Taking over one of them is 
From the appetizers, I picked the meat platter ($7.95), which came with chicken pakora (fried chicken; too dry), fish pakora (I would eat this over cod for my Friday fish fry!) and a lamb samosa (absolutely the best samosa I’ve ever had; excellent fried flavor, though it seemed more of a empanada than a samosa).
The Atomic Sausage ($9) bothered me in a few ways. One, it’s too expensive. You’re basically paying $9 for a single brat. Second, I couldn’t detect any spice, a major letdown for a dish that uses “atomic” in its name. To make matters worse, I chose the side of red cabbage slaw, and it was supremely flavorless, even for cabbage.
