Stitch together a great time at the Great Wisconsin Quilt Show. Cheer on those mighty Ironman competitors. Eat a juicy gyros at Greek Fest. Or ... read on for many, many other options this beautiful September weekend.
Great Wisconsin Quilt Show: Quilt exhibits, workshops, guest speakers, vendors and more fill the Alliant Energy Center at this annual Wisconsin Public Television event, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Daily admission $15; two days $20. Schedule and class sign-up are at quiltshow.com.
Strollin’ Middleton Jazz Festival: Jazz fills downtown Middleton from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, then moves to Stone Horse Green from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday. Food and drink from local restaurants, shops and food trucks available. Performances are free. Full lineup is at artlitlab.org/events/strollin-middleton-jazz-festival-2024.
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Scottish Showcase Concert: Saint Andrews Society of Madison presents the Madison Pipes and Drums, Lochanside Ceilidh Band, Breckenridge Highland Dance School and Madison Scottish Country Dancers on Friday, with meet and greet at 6 p.m., concert at 7 p.m., Goodman Community Center, 214 Waubesa St., $15, $10 ages 12 and under, madisonscotsinc.org/events/scottish-showcase-concert.
Carriage Classic: The nation’s largest carriage-driving event takes place Friday through Sunday at the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien, a 19th-century mansion, with more than 100 carriage-driving teams from across the U.S. in elegant garb, plus dog class competition. Villa Louis, 521 N. Villa Louis Road, Prairie du Chien. One-day admission $18; $10 children; two-day $28, $15; under 5 free, villalouis.wisconsinhistory.org.
Midwest Gypsy Swing Festival: Art in the Barn hosts musical headliners Harmonious Wail plus Joscho Stephan and Sam Farthing Duo, Isaac Eicher Trio, Alfonso Ponticelli, Ryan Picone Quartet and Third Coast Swing performing the music of Django Reinhardt at 7 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, 5927 Adams Road, Fitchburg, $48-$58, midwestgypsyswingfest.com.
Wild West Days in Mazomanie: Put on your best Western duds for a costume competition, demolition derby, tractor pull, carnival and more at this festival Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Lions Park, 14 Walter Road, Mazomanie. Fireworks Friday, parade Sunday, Packers game shown Friday in the beer tent, www.mazowildwestdays.com.
Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival: Everything wool is celebrated in this annual festival in Jefferson with sheep shows, sheering, dog contests, fiber art demonstrations and much more, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jefferson County Fair Park, 503 N. Jackson Ave, Jefferson. Admission $10, weekend $20, 8 and under free, wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com.
Fall Migration Birding: Enjoy the early morning at this talk and walk led by local birding expert Mike McDowell, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Pope Farm Conservancy, 7440 W. Old Sauk Road. Meet in the lower parking lot. Free, www.popefarmconservancy.org.
Greek Fest: Get your fill of gyros and spanakopita at Assumption Greek Orthodox Church during this weekend festival, noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Greek music and dancing, bake sale, daily tours of the church’s iconography at 3 p.m. and more, 11 N. Seventh St., agocwi.org.
Hummingbird Day at Vilas Zoo: 400 free carousel rides are on tap in this four-hour celebration Saturday of new bird-proof glass aimed to reduce bird collisions at the carousel building at Henry Vilas Zoo, 702 S. Randall St. SOS Save Our Songbirds will conduct hands-on activities about Wisconsin’s smallest bird at the Flamingo Plaza on the south side of the zoo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free, www.sossaveoursongbirds.org.
Ironman Weekend: Those mighty Ironman contenders are back, with the half-Ironman on Saturday and the full triathlon starting at 7 a.m. Sunday from Law Park, 410 S. Blair St. The IronKids Fun Run (ironman.com/ironkids) is at 5 p.m. Saturday on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; $25. Athlete tracker available to follow your favorite competitor, www.ironman.com/im-wisconsin-supporters.
COPA Festival: Twelve hours of nonstop music and entertainment runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the community arts space COPA, 2825 Index Road, Fitchburg. Live performances in a huge range of genres, art activities, plus food and Badger game tailgate, copamadison.org.
Heritage Fest: Old-time farm life returns to Schumacher Farm Park, the 40-acre historic farmstead at 5682 Hwy 19, Waunakee, with activities to show what it was like to be a kid living on a farm a century ago. From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, pet goats and donkeys, play old-fashioned games, press apples into cider and more. Admission $10, $5 ages 5 to 15, under 5 free, schumacherfarmpark.org/heritage-fest.
Northside Festival: Join this community-organized event for all ages, cultures and interests from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mallards Stadium in Warner Park, 2920 N. Sherman Ave. Music, local food trucks from FEED Kitchens, DJ, bounce house, dunk tank, balloon twisting and more, northsideplanningcouncil.org.
Unveiling of Wildflowers of Wisconsin mural: Countless community members helped crochet the individual flowers that are part of this outdoor work commissioned from the artist Kiesten Darling by the Madison Public Art Project. Celebration from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in McKee Farms Park, 2930 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, includes a guided mural tour, artist’s talk, kids’ crafts, recycling tips, raffle and more. Free, madisonpublicartproject.org/wildflowersofwisconsin.
Mimmi Fulmer and Friends: Hear works written or inspired by Finnish women artists in this faculty concert performed by Mimmi Fulmer, Julia Rottmayer, Sarah Brailey, Matthew Treviño, Jessica Timman Schwefel, Dawn Wohn and Bruce Bengtson, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Collins Recital Hall, UW Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., $20; free for students but ticket required. Also streaming live, music.wisc.edu/concerts-events.
Madison Good Neighbor Gathering: Live music, dance, circus activities, bounce house, bubbles, arts and crafts and educational resources are part of this family-focused, alcohol-free festival from Neighborhood House Community Center and partners, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday in Brittingham Park, 829 W. Washington Ave., free, donations welcome, neighborhoodhousemadison.org/madison-good-neighbor-gathering.
Pro Arte Quartet: Free concert by the renowned Madison string quartet, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., no tickets required, music.wisc.edu/concerts-events.
Historic Dean House Tours: Take a tour of a restored 1856 Victorian farmhouse presented by Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dean House, 4718 Monona Drive. Admission $5. Information at 608-249-7920, historicbloominggrove.org/nathaniel-w-dean-farmhouse.
GLEAM: Art in a New Light: More than a dozen artists have molded light into art for an unforgettable nighttime stroll through Olbrich Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave., Wednesdays through Saturdays through Oct. 26. Timed tickets are by advance reservation only, $8 to $16, under 5 free, olbrichgleam.org.