Events

Parks and Libraries have a lot in common: they're both free, available to anyone, and encourage connection - to learning and exploring, to healthy recreation, and to engaging with others in your neighborhood or community.  Learn about this new connected service model on Madison's northeast side with CJ Ryan, Assistant Parks Superintendent, and Tana Elias, Madison Public Library Director.  After more than a decade of planning, the Imagination Center will open to the public on September 25 at 1818 Parkside Drive. Rotarian Joy Cardin will interview CJ and Tana on the Imagination Center.

Scheduled Entrée to be: Taco Bar

Rotarians attending will be hosted by Regina McConnell. 

Mercadito offers an open and healthy place where the community can share their cultural heritage and culinary traditions, breaking barriers and challenges community members face when accessing healthy foods in a place where smells are mixed with a sense of home and security.

GGF Tree Tour and Meeting at Leopolds Bar and Cafe, Tuesday October 6

The next GGF meeting will be Tuesday October 6 and will cover part of Larry Hands' tree tour of Madison followed by a sit down at Leopolds Bar and Cafe at 1301 Regent Street.

Anyone wanting to attend the sit down but not interested in the Tree Tour can meet the group at 5 pm at Leopolds where we have reserved the Book Nook from 5-6 pm.

Dave Edinger and John Braden will carpool for those interested in the tree tour, meeting at 3:30 pm on Orchard St next to Leopolds.  (Feel free to drive separately)

The Tree Tour will cover the first part of the Tour that you can see in the Attachment.

We will start by parking on Orchard Drive just east of the junction of Mineral Point Rd with Segoe Rd.  We will walk to the nearby grand Oak tree.  From there we will continue on the Tour to see the Sycamore Tree, Hackberry Trees, and Pin Oaks, finishing at Camp Randall.

Nearby is Leopolds at 1301 Regent Street where we have the Book Nook reserved from 5-6 pm.  

Our topic for the Tour is of course the individual trees that we will meet and, at Leopolds, we will discuss the value of Wildness/Wilderness.

Hosted by Kristie GoForth.

Join Charles Franklin as he discusses the November elections. How do voters see the candidates, parties and issues in the elections for governor and for the legislature this November? Fresh Marquette Law School Poll data will offer a look beyond the horse-race to the issues that are motivating voters, and their perceptions of the candidates and parties, with less than a month to go to Election Day.

Scheduled Entrée to be: Picnic Menu - BBQ Grilled Flank Steak, Fried Chicken

Hosted by Regina Millner

Hosted by Sedrick Page.

For the first time in its history, the Chazen Museum of Art has undertaken a complete overhaul of all 24 of its permanent collection galleries simultaneously. While projects of this scale are not uncommon for art museums, the Chazen's approach to reimagining the display and interpretation of its collection is distinctly innovative. Amy Gilman, Director, and Kate Wanberg, Exhibitions and Collections Project Manager, will discuss how the Chazen decided to move beyond traditional organizing frameworks such as chronology, geography, or theme and how the new design will encourage deeper engagement with the collection.

Scheduled Entrée to be: Lasagna

Hosted by Steve Mixtacki.

Hosted by Casey Oelkers.

Trust shapes whether people show up, speak up, and work together, and right now it’s under strain. The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer finds people pulling inward, trusting those who look, think, and live like them while growing wary of everyone else. Yet the same research points to an unexpected source of hope: employers remain the most trusted institution in public life, and people expect them to help bridge divides.

Angela Russell, Founder and Principal of The Undercurrent, will walk through what this year’s data reveals, how these patterns show up in employee engagement and workplace culture, and why the most promising responses are happening locally. Drawing on the work of WEAVERS, people who build connection across difference in their own neighborhoods, and the Social Trust Index, she will offer practical ways business and civic leaders can strengthen trust in Madison, starting within their own spheres of influence.

Scheduled Entrée to be: Asparagus Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Hosted by Dave Ewanowski.

Join Laura Hilty, Principal of HealthX Ventures, as she traces how Epic’s growth sparked a Madison healthcare technology ecosystem. This talk will explore how digital health has grown beyond the medical record, what AI may make possible next, and how HealthX uses its knowledge of healthcare to identify ideas that can work in practice.

Scheduled Entrée to be: Salmon

Hosted by Denise Hanson.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to University of Wisconsin–Madison Professor Francis Halzen for his contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery of high-energy cosmic neutrinos. How can a telescope buried in Antarctic ice help us understand the universe? Dr. Lu Lu, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will introduce these elusive particles, explain how researchers detect them at the South Pole, and explore what they reveal about some of the universe's most powerful cosmic accelerators. Dr. Lu will also highlight Wisconsin's role in this international effort and look ahead to what comes next, including how artificial intelligence can help us make more discoveries.

Lunch Service by Blue Plate Catering.

Hosted by Laura Gallagher.

In Beyond the Uniform: The Stories of Wisconsin Women Veterans, Amy Moore, U.S. Navy veteran and Women Veterans Coordinator with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, will explore the experiences and unique challenges of women who have served in the military. Drawing from her own military service and her work supporting veterans, Amy will highlight the importance of recognizing women veterans, encourage connections, and ensure their service does not go unnoticed. She will also share how Wisconsin is working to engage and support women veterans through outreach and meaningful events.

Hosted by Ranette Maurer.

Hosted by Eric Schwartz.

Hosted by Susan Schmitz and Gary Peterson

Hosted by Keisha Harrison.