Good Morning, Fitchrona! This week is heating up, literally. We’ve got your guide to live music, festivals, markets—and even a way to refresh your summer wardrobe for free. Let’s make the most of the sunshine!

The Focus is the highlight of your Monday morning - something you can enjoy in under 5 minutes with your coffee!

Let’s fill our cups ☕!

-Liv - Fitchrona Focus Founder

LOCAL LOWDOWN

Art on Main '25 – Artist & Vendor Applications Open!

Cambridge’s Art on Main is back August 1–2 with two art-filled days of live music, family fun, and community spirit—and now’s the time to apply!

Plein Air Painters:
_{If “plein air painter” sounds like something you’d need to Google (like we did), this opportunity might not be the right fit for you—but maybe you know someone who’d be perfect for it!}
Apply for this non-juried event (first 30 accepted) featuring daytime painting, and cash prizes. $35 application fee. Includes artist reception and option to exhibit/sell through August. Deadline: June 1

Art Market Vendors:
Show and sell your work! Vendors are paired with downtown businesses and welcomed into a fun, high-traffic setting. Market runs 10 AM–3 PM both days. Limited outdoor spots available. Deadline: May 30

Plus: live music, face painting, Raku pottery firing & Rowe Pottery’s big sale!

All details & applications here.

No Wednesday Night Plans? We’ve Got You Covered

Kick off your Wednesday with the Verona Farmers Market—happening weekly on Wednesdays from 3–6:30pm at 101 W. Railroad Street. With over 20 vendors, it’s the perfect midweek pick-me-up for fresh produce, local goods, and community vibes.

Then keep the local love going by hopping across the street for the Spring Fling on Main Street from 6–9pm! Start your night with a drink at Hop Haus—we recommend the “Hammock Nap,” a bright and refreshing fruited sour bursting with juicy mango and ripe peach. This smooth, sweet, and tangy brew is summer in a glass.

After that, bop around to our favorites like The Purple Goose, Cosa Boutique, Roses & Hope, and more. Don’t miss Toot + Kate’s Winebar—2024’s Best of Madison Wine Bar—where you’ll find 24 rotating self-serve wines (including NA options), beer, bubbles, craft cocktails, and crave-worthy snacks like cheese boards and truffles. It’s a come-as-you-are kind of place, and we promise you’ll feel right at home.

Swap it Like It’s Hot

The Verona Public Library is hosting a Summer Clothing Swap, and it’s the perfect way to sustainably update your wardrobe without spending a dime.

Here’s how it works:

1. Register online or by calling the library.

2. Donate 4 gently used summer items (shorts, tees, accessories, etc.)—no stains or broken zippers, please—by May 20 (Attn: Maureen Hilquist).

3. Come to the swap and “shop” on Wednesday June 4th for 4 new-to-you pieces.

It’s fun, free, and eco-friendly. Leftover items will be donated to St. Vinny’s.
Registration required.

HAPPENINGS

🗓️ - Check out FitchronaFocus.com for full event details and to see all events!

• Monday, May 12th

  • 🚜 11:30 am - Farmer Peer Discussion Series (Free) @ FairShare CSA 

  • 🍺 4:00 - 8:00 pm – Industry Night @ Delta Beer Lab

  • 🍺 6:00 pm - Bingo Night @ Stone Porch Alehouse 

  • 🥖 7:00 pm - Start Your Cottage Food Business (Free) - Must Register @ WI Cottage Food Association

• Tuesday, May 13th

  • ☕ Community Breakfast - Clean Lakes Alliance @ Monona Terrace 

  • 🌱 5:00 pm - Herb & Veggie Planting @ Timber Hill Winery

  • 🍺 6:00 pm - Vinyl Night @ Delta Beer Lab

  • 🍺 7:00 pm - America’s Pub Quiz Trivia@ Hop Haus

• Wednesday, May 14th

  • 🎣 Learn To Fish @ Lussier Heritage Center 

  • 🥬 3:00 pm - Verona Downtown Farmers’ Market @ Hometown Junction Park

  • 🌹 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm – Spring Fling (Hop Haus Verona, Harmony Medical Aesthetics, The Purple Goose, Toot + Kates Wine Bar) @ Main Street Verona

  • 🍺 4:00 pm - Spring Fling on Main St @ Hop Haus Verona

  • 📖 5:30 pm - Silent Book Club Hosted By Ink Cap Books @ Dairyland Dessert Cafe

  • 🎵 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm – Live Music: Elizabeth Mary Music @ Hop Haus Verona 

  • 🌱 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm – Sip & Shop @ MSN Plant Collective 

  • 🎨 6:30 pm - Paint Your Tomato Plant (Go home with a painting & a plant) @ Bad Art Co

  • 🎵 7:00 pm - Live Music: Blue Spruce @ Paddy Mac’s

  • 🍺 7:00 pm - Premier Trivia @ Delta Beer Lab

• Thursday, May 15th

  • 🍷 Gift Wrapping Workshop with Opportune Treasures @ Tricky Foods with Wine & Charcuterie

  • 📖 2:00 pm - American Parkinson Disease Association - PD Wellness Session: Urban Polling Workshop @ Warner Park 

  • 🥬 3:00 pm - 6:30 pm – Mount Horeb Farmers Market @ Evangelical Lutheran Church

  • 🥬 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm - Fitchburg Farmer’s Market @ Agora Pavilion

  • 🧘‍♀️ 4:30pm - Gentle Yoga Flow - Yoga with Ellen ($12) @ Doundrins Distilling 

  • 🍻 5:00 pm - Chamber Mega Mixer @ Verona Chamber of Commerce

  • 🍺 6:00 pm - Pairs Jigsaw Puzzle Contest @ Delta Beer Lab

  • 🍷 6:00 pm - Ancien Wine Dinner @ Four Winds Farm

  • 📖 6:30 pm - The Sugar Troll Book Club (Free to Attend + Free @Telsaan Tea @ Sugar Troll 

• Friday, May 16th

  • 🚲 National Bike to Work Day (Machinery Row, Madison Bikes & the City of Madison - host coffee & doughnuts @ commuter station on Cap City Bike Path @ corner of John Nolen & Willy Street) 

  • 🎊 Norwegian Heritage Festival @ Stoughton Chamber of Commerce

  • 👟 8:00 am - Tri 4 Schools Waunakee Kids Triathalon @ Active Youth Wisconsin

  • 🎨 10:00 am - 5:00 pm – Spring Art Tour Hosted by Mount Horeb Area Arts Association

  • 🎨 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm — Artist Reception (Artists At Work) @ Hatch Art House

  • 🎨 5:00 pm - 10:15pm –  Barrio Dance opens a 2nd location @ Art House 360

  • 🍺 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm – Steve’s Tacos, Music Trivia @ Delta Beer Lab

  • 🎵 6:00 pm - Live Music: Richardson Acoustic @ Hop Haus Verona

  • 🎵 7:00 pm - Live Music: Wild Cardz @ Lake Louie Brewing

• Saturday, May 17th

  • 🎨 10:00 am - 5:00 pm – Spring Art Tour Hosted by Mount Horeb Area Arts Association

  • 🍷 Tarot Readings by Lynn (Must Sign Up) @ Grape Water Wine Bar 

  • 👟 Rumble on the Ridge @ Run Driftless

  • 👗 Clothing Exchange @ Kingfisher Yoga

  • ❤️ Volunteering @ Logans Heart and Smiles (Reach out to them on Instagram @logansheartsandsmiles)

  • 🔨 9:00 am - 3:00 pm – Kids Building Wisconsin @ McKee Farms Park

  • 🔨 9:00 am - Woodworking - Tablet/Cookbook Stand @ Capital Hardwood & Supply

  • 🎵 6:00 Live Music: Drew Halverson @ Hop Haus Verona

  • 🎵 7:00 pm - Live Music: Two CTY Lines @ Paddy Mac’s

  • 🎨 7:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Paint Your Tomato Plant (Go home with a painting & a plant) @ Bad Art Co

• Sunday, May 18th

  • 🧀 The Smokin Barrel Sauna Pop Up ($10 to sauna & plunge in the Sugar River) @ Seven Acres Dairy 

  • 🪨 Learn to Geocache @ Lussier Heritage Center 

  • 🎨 10:00 am - 5:00 pm – Spring Art Tour Hosted by Mount Horeb Area Arts Association

  • 🍺 10:00 am - Book & Brew Fair with @_Inkwell Books & @Mazebookstore and @mplwisconsin @ Goodworks Brewing

  • 👟 11:00 am - 1:00 pm – Move, Mingle & Shop (Free)  with MOKA, Miggy’s Bakes, Little Words Project & Girls Who Walk Madison @ 360 Wellness

  • 🎵 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm – Live Music: Elizabeth Mary Music @ KurNiki’s Bar (Cross Plains)

MAKER FEATURE

This week’s maker feature is Lexi Bonilla from Innerbloom Counseling!

My journey into therapy began with my passion for social justice and a desire to challenge oppressive systems. As I learned more about the harmful impact of diet culture and fatphobia, I felt called to help individuals reclaim a compassionate and respectful relationship with their bodies & food. This led me to focus on supporting folks in healing from the effects of disordered eating and body image struggles. That vision became Innerbloom Counseling.

I’m passionate about breaking the stigma surrounding eating disorders and encouraging self-compassion, which is why I’m excited to offer community events. Next up is "Strong Community, Strong Body, Strong Mind" a body image workshop at the Princeton Club - Madison West. The event features an interactive presentation on body image and body respect, followed by yoga and snacks. It’s a welcoming space to discuss body image while prioritizing both mental and physical wellness.

If you’d like to learn more about my work or upcoming events, visit Innerbloom Counseling on Instagram @innerbloomcounselingllc or my website: innerbloomcounseling.org

Know a local maker who should be featured - submit here!

CHECK IT OUT

This week’s business to check out is Hatch Art House!

Hatch Art House, located at 1248 Williamson Street in Madison, Wisconsin, is an art gallery and shop dedicated to showcasing and selling the work of local Wisconsin artists. Tammy Schreiter, the owner and curator, opened Hatch Art House in 2010 with a mission to support emerging and established artists within the state. The gallery emphasizes affordable and upcycled art, featuring various creations including jewelry, pottery, glass art, textiles, prints, paintings, and sculptures. Over the years, Hatch Art House expanded by incorporating its sister shop, Hazel General Store, which offers gifts and home goods from US-based makers. The combined space allows customers to browse a wide selection of locally made art and unique gifts. Currently, Hatch Art House is an active and vibrant business.

It regularly hosts art openings to highlight featured artists and organizes events. For example, the "Artists At Work" employee art show is running through the month of May with the artist reception being held during Gallery Night Friday, May 16th 5-9pm. And submissions are open for the "EcoSquared Art Show," which will take place in July and August, and feature small square works incorporating upcycled materials. The gallery is open 7 days a week and continues its commitment to promoting Wisconsin artists and fostering a connection between artists and the community.

NEIGHBORHOOD DEAL

Date Night at the Stone House

Tired of Thursday nights being as dull as a butter knife? Spice things up with a romantic evening at Quivey's Grove at The Stone House, (and ambiance that's cozier than your favorite sweatpants). All for just $50 plus tax - what's your excuse now? Reserve your table now! Call 608-273-4900 or go online.

THANK YOU!

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