VOTE!, Parks Cleanup Events, and more updates

Hi Everyone, 

Lots of you have already voted in tomorrow’s election. We’ve had historically high numbers of absentee and early in-person voting. I can’t imagine it’s news to anyone reading this as to what’s at stake. The election has turned into a referendum on Elon Musk, who has revived the tactic he used in the presidential election of using his fortune to engage Wisconsin voters, arguably monetarily rewarding those who are voting for his preferred candidate.  

For those of you who haven’t voted yet, you may check your polling place here. Polling places will be open from 7am to 8pm. Resources are available for those who are hospitalized on election day or need assistance at the polls.  

Parks Spring Cleaning 

Every year, the Parks Department asks for help in getting ready for spring activities. Here are three ways in which you can help: 

Dog Park Cleanup Day – Saturday, April 5th 

Do you love your dog park? Help clean up your favorite Madison fenced, off-leash dog park area. 

Current Locations:  

• Demetral - 2297 Commercial Ave. 

• McCormick - 702 McCormick Ave . 

• North Star - 439 Milky Way 

• Odana School - 678 Segoe Rd. 

• Quann - 1802 Quann-Olin Parkway 

• Sycamore - 4517 Sycamore Ave. 

• Walnut Grove - 202 N. Westfield Rd. 

• Warner - 2301 Sheridan Ave.  

Volunteers are needed to assist with picking up trash and scooping up dog poop. Madison Parks will supply trash bags, gloves, scoopers, and buckets. You may bring your own gloves, scoopers, and additional bags.  

Advanced registration is requested or come out the morning of the event.  

Disc Golf Cleanup Day – Saturday, April 5th 

Help us get Elver Park ready for the season! We're partnering with the disc golf community to host a large-scale cleanup event. Volunteers will work together to clear debris, remove trash, and prepare the park for everyone to enjoy. Whether you're a disc golfer, a neighbor, or just someone who loves the outdoors, this is a great way to give back to your community. 

Event Activities: 

• Disc Golf Course Cleanup – Collect litter, remove fallen branches, and clear brush to improve playability. 

• Park Cleanup – Help refresh the area around the basketball courts, playground, and surrounding trails by picking up trash and removing debris. 

Who Can Participate? 

Everyone is welcome! No experience is needed—just bring a willingness to help. Whether you play disc golf, use the park, or simply want to support your neighborhood, we’d love to have you join us. 

What to Bring: 

• Work gloves (if available) 

• Sturdy shoes or boots 

• Water bottle 

• Long sleeves and pants (recommended for brush clearing) 

Kick off the season by making a difference! Sign up today and help us get Elver Park ready for spring! 

Madison Parks Earth Day Challenge 

Madison Parks’ largest volunteer cleanup project is seeking volunteers for Saturday, April 26. Residents and neighbors are invited to accept the Earth Day Challenge and register in advance on the all-new volunteer website. 

For nearly 30 years, Madison Parks has honored Earth Day by recruiting volunteers for the Earth Day Challenge to assist with trash pickup, light raking, weeding, and removing sticks. Madison Parks supplies gloves and trash bags in all designated parks. Trash-pickers, rakes or other small tools may be supplied in some locations based on the number of registered volunteers. 

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 
Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm 
Locations: 60+ parks throughout the city  

How to Participate: 

Pick a Park: Review the list of participating parks to determine which park needs volunteers. 

Register in Advance: All ages are welcome to participate. Advanced registration is required for anyone aged 14 years or older. REGISTRATION 

The Day of the Event: Head to your registered park between 10am and 12pm, on Saturday, April 26 and look for the Earth Day Challenge sign and supplies.  

See the Earth Day Challenge to learn more. 

Here are the rest of this week’s updates: 

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings 

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page. 

• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 2, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include setting the rates for Sewer Utility and Stormwater Utility. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• Register for Public Comment 

• Watch Online 

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here. 

Announcements and News Releases 

• Applications for next Madison Youth Poet Laureate open April 1: The Madison Arts Commission and Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson are pleased to announce the fourth annual call for a Madison Youth Poet Laureate. [posted March 28, 2025] 

• Styling it Wright: A Month of Fashion Programming: Join us for a month of engaging programs celebrating fashion, textile design and architecture. Explore how these creative disciplines connect through a textile lecture, hands-on upcycling projects, a high-energy design competition and a fashion show inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural legacy. [posted March 28, 2025] 

• Choose Green Transportation this April and Get Rewarded: RoundTrip, a free public program in Dane County, is encouraging residents to choose sustainable transportation options like riding the bus, biking, walking/rolling, and carpooling for chances to win prizes during its annual Spring Roll… [posted March 27, 2025] 

• Planning Division issues report on State Street Pedestrian Mall experiment: The first year of the State Street Pedestrian Mall experiment is leading City staff to evaluate a longer-term program while keeping or bringing back some of the elements of last year’s experiment. [posted March 26, 2025] 

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted. 

Events 

• Spring Election Day, Tuesday, April 1: Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling place and see your sample ballot at https://MyVote.wi.gov(link is external). 

• Wright Design Series - Dorothy Liebes: Modern Fashion’s Starchitect, Tuesday, April 1: Hailed as the “Mother of Modern Weaving,” Dorothy Liebes (1897–1972) collaborated with some of the most famous architects and designers of the twentieth century. Liebes’s innovative approach to fabrics used for interiors and soft furnishings came to be defined as the “Liebes Look.” From her career’s start to its finish, Liebes was creatively engaged with clothing designers and keen to work in the field for its exciting pace–fast enough to keep up with her ideas. 

• MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Wednesday, April 2: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, golf, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend the Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember!  

• Exploring a "Family Scholar House" Event, Thursday, April 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: The UW Odyssey Project and Madison Commons will host a networking, brainstorming event on April 3 to explore affordable housing for adults with limited financial resources who are looking to get their post-secondary degree later in life. The evening will include hearing from Odyssey students about their housing dilemmas, sharing details from a recent trip to visit the “Family Scholar House” model in Kentucky, and learning what it would take to build this kind of infrastructure locally. Dinner will be served. For more information, please contact Brian Benford at brian.benford@wisc.edu or Sue Robinson robinson4@wisc.edu 

• Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park, Saturday, April 5: Nature-expert guided walks in Tenney Park along Lake Mendota and the Yahara River Parkway bike path through the Madison Isthmus are free, family-friendly and held the first Saturday of each month, from 1:30-3pm. The walk begins at the Tenney Beach parking lot, 1330 Sherman Avenue. No registration is required. No pets are allowed. Co-sponsored by Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature, Madison Parks, Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association(link is external) and Friends of the Yahara River Parkway(link is external). 

• T-shirt Transformation, Sunday, April 6: Give an old tee new life with creative upcycling! This all-ages program offers fun, hands-on projects for everyone. Use our materials or bring your own tee to transform a shirt into a variety of wearable and functional items. 

• Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North, Sunday, April 6: Cherokee Marsh is Madison’s largest conservation park with three units - North, South, and Mendota. Each month, year-round we explore the north unit's beautiful trails through the woodlands, wetlands, and restored prairies along the Yahara ‘Catfish’ River. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Friends of Cherokee Marsh(link is external) , and Sierra Club.  Follow North Sherman Ave. to the parking lot at the end of the gravel entrance road. Free, family-friendly guided nature walks at Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park – North are held on the 1st Sunday of each month, year-round 1:30-3pm. No registration is required. No pets are allowed. 

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.  

Lastly...

It's impossible to sum up my thoughts from the last two plus months. We live in perilous times. Legal residents are being picked up off the streets without due process. Federal workers are being laid off under dubious circumstances. Economic uncertainty is impacting investment decisions and consumer confidence. 

Yet, it is springtime. Though not fully fledged, the annual rite of fragrant blooms and farmer's markets awaits. It's a time of awakening, a welcome reminder that life goes on amidst all that confounds. 

So, yes, vote...young and old, every eligible voter. And beyond election day, we are at our best when we are engaged with our communities, with each other, volunteering to replenish and staff food pantries, doing those good works that help revive us all. 

That's all for now.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag