Posts Tagged ‘Sun Prairie’

The Weekend Ahead in Madison June 1-4, 2017

Thursday, June 1st, 2017

I’ve always mentioned to people from outside of the state how tired we are once summer is done because we’ve packed so much into a very short span. This weekend in the Madison area is another example, and here is how you can take it all in:

verona-hometown-daysThursday, June 1

Friday, June 2

  • 8 a.m. – Get to the annual Attic Angel sale early for the best goods. Runs through Saturday at Keva.
  • 5 p.m. – Have a pasta dinner at Festa Italia, running through Sunday at McKee Farms Park.
  • 8 p.m. – Enjoy a performance by Second City at the Overture Center.

Saturday, June 3

Sunday, June 4

  • 9 a.m. – Cosplay and gaming intertwine at Ohana-Con at the Monona Terrace (also held Friday and Saturday).
  • 12:30 p.m. – Wash down some burgers with some microbrews at Burgers & Brew at Capital Brewery (also held Saturday).

Madison-area community festivals 2017

Sunday, May 7th, 2017

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.

Pizza Ranch

Sunday, October 16th, 2016

20161007_175359Is good pizza worth an annoying restaurant setup? That’s your dilemma when you go to Pizza Ranch, which opened another location in the Madison area, this time in Verona.

The buffet ($11.37 for adults) includes fountain soda and dessert (soft-serve ice cream and dessert pizza).

Great variety of pizza. The lengthy list includes BBQ pork, the Trailblazer (pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, green peppers), BLT, the Bronco (meat lovers), buffalo chicken, taco and my particular favorite, the steak and onion.

  • The flavors for the pizzas were true to their names, and each had plenty of toppings. The crust had a nice chew.
  • You also can order a custom pizza while dining in, a seemingly odd choice at a buffet (though I saw plenty of tables do so).

20161007_180036Besides pizza, Pizza Ranch promotes its fried chicken as the Country’s Best Chicken. And actually, I thought it was the star of the buffet. The meat was very moist, and it was coated in a perfectly crispy, semi-salty skin.

Also worth noting: the fried fish was surprisingly acceptable, having a good fish-to-breading ratio. (If you need tartar sauce, you are out of luck.) Meanwhile, the clam chowder was mainly slices of potato, and the cheese stick was oddly flavorless (it’s basically cheese pizza, isn’t it?).

Lots of drawbacks. There’s always a line to get into Pizza Ranch, and it’s not because of its popularity.

  • Plates and tables are not cleared quickly. This is a double-negative, since the restaurant is seat-yourself, and it’s hard to discern if people have left a table since their plates aren’t removed in a timely manner. That’s why you see so many would-be diners hover near tables, which is quite annoying for everyone. A host would easily solve this issue.
  • No condiments at tables. For example, if you want ketchup, you need to grab individual packets in the buffet line.
  • Pizza could be brought out more quickly. I think diners could be in and out more quickly if they didn’t have to wait so long for food to be replenished.

Pizza Ranch is open every day for lunch and dinner.

Pizza Ranch Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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