Around the bubbler: What's on tap this week
National acclaim
The National made one of the best records of 2007 with "The Boxer," and while the band was making it, filmmaker Vincent Moon had his camera turned on. The resulting documentary, "A Skin, A Night," isn't really a blow-by-blow account of the studio sessions, but more of an impressionist look at the art of making quietly powerful music.
"A Skin, A Night" is being released on DVD next Tuesday, but you can catch it on the big screen at a special one-time showing at the Majestic Theater, 114 King St. at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20. Admission is just $3.
Norway? Yes, way!
Stoughton gets even more Norwegian this weekend with the annual Syttende Mai festival taking over.
There are krumkake- and Norwegian waffle-making demonstrations, lots of people in costumes, rosemaling exhibits, a canoe race and plenty of dancing (both costumed and non-costumed varieties).
Opening ceremonies are tonight at the corner of North Division and Main streets, followed by a street dance. Saturday brings the Syttende Mai Run and the Norske Stomp. The parade is at 1:30 p.m. Sunday on Main Street.
For more information and a complete schedule, go to www.stoughtonwi.com/syttendemai.
The (not so) little Mermaid
The Mermaid Cafe has tripled the size of its Winnebago Street cafe and unveiling the result this Saturday. The former hole-in-the-wall shop knocked out an internal wall and expanded into the entire space at 1929 Winnebago St.
Now, 30 people can sit and sip Fair Trade coffee, slurp signature soups or nosh on baked goods and an expanded menu of sandwiches and salads. In addition, owners Lisa and Ben Jacobson have welcomed Jitzy Centano Ruiz behind the counter. She's a member of Las Diosas (translation: the goddesses), an 80-member women's coffee-growing cooperative in Esteli, Nicaragua, whose beans the cafe uses exclusively in its Goddess Blend coffee. Jitzy will learn the cafe business this month while interning at the Merm, with the aim of going back to Nicaragua and opening a cafe there.
Cyclical thinking
Watch the sleek cyclists go round and round and round Madison's east Isthmus neighborhoods Sunday during the 21st annual Dave Kagy Memorial Wheels on Willy Criterium. In its 21st year, WOW is the biggest one-day USA cycling event in the state, presented by Madison's Cronometro and the Brazen Dropouts cycling club.
Races begin at 9 a.m. and go throughout the day with a kids fun race at 12:30. The start and finish lines are on the 1400-1500 block of Williamson Street, within sniffing distance of the Ace Hardware Brat stand on the 1300 block to benefit Luke House. Go to www.brazendropouts.org/wow/ for more information.
Here comes the trolley
In case you were wondering, there is a historic Fitchburg. And, as part of this weekend's Fitchburg Days you can tour it on a trolley.
That's just part of the to-do list at the annual festival that's a little bit Irish and a little bit Latin. With fireworks on Friday, Irish music and workshops on Saturday and Latin music on Sunday, there's plenty for a variety of interests.
Trolley tours are at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday. The hour-long tours, which cost $5, include historic Fitchburg, Old Village, Oak Hall Cemetery, Swan Creek School and the farms of the early settlers.
For more information, go to www.fitchburgdays.com.
The conductor's apprentice
Call it a throwback to the time-tested success of the master-apprentice system for training professional artists.
This Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and members of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra will team up with Middleton violinist and high school junior Nathaniel Wolkstein, who won the WYSO Concerto Competition.
WCO music director and maestro Andrew Sewell (pictured with Wolkstein) will conduct as the veteran professionals and the most advanced students from WYSO -- an organization that each year educates more than 370 musicians from 35 communities in 16 counties -- share music stands and sit side-by-side.
Tickets are $25 general admission for adults, $22 for seniors over 62 and $8 for students or young people. For information, call 257-0638 or visit wcoconcerts.org.
Spring scents
There's nothing more lovely than the smell of lilacs in May. Now's the best time of year to head to the Arboretum to delight in these pretty spring flowers.
The Longenecker Horticultural Gardens in the Arb is home to about 275 varieties of lilacs in shades of purple, blue, pink and white. It's one of the best collections in North America.
Flowering crabapples also are in bloom. The garden features about 175 of the newest and best varieties of the trees -- the most up-to-date collection of ornamental crabapples in the world.
"Both collections should be at their peak this weekend," said Ed Hasselkus, curator of the gardens.
Pomp and Circumstance
Two high-powered University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnae will speak at the university's spring commencement ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday at the Kohl Center.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will deliver the charge to the graduates at the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies on Saturday.
Kay Koplovitz, founder of USA Network and the first woman to serve as president of a TV network, will speak at the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. ceremonies on Sunday. Koplovitz is the CEO of Koplovitz and Co., which provides advisory services to entertainment companies, sports organizations, advertisers and distributors, and advises companies on growth strategies.
There are five commencement ceremonies, each lasting approximately 90 minutes. They will be streamed live on the university's Web site www.wisc.edu. About 5,000 students are eligible to receive degrees from UW-Madison each spring. Congrats grads!
Henry A. Koshollek/The Capital Times
The Syttende Mai festival is this weekend in Stoughton.
