On “Mornings With Dave & Natalie,” we asked for your help compiling a bucket list for my first summer in Madison – and boy, did you deliver! I plan to check off many of your suggestions throughout the summer – and beyond – and write about my experiences. You can also follow along on Life 102.5’s Facebook and Instagram pages, where I’ll be posting as I go. Thanks for helping to make my first Madison-area summer a memorable one!
First up: Brat Fest!
Madison’s rainy weekend meant quite the shake up for the Madison summer staple this year, so I’m so glad my family and I made it out for a couple hours on Saturday before Sunday’s downpour moved everything indoors.
We went Saturday morning, which turned out to be a pretty popular time for families with kids. We beat the lunch rush though and got our brats/ hot dogs around 11:30. (I’m not sure what I was expecting of food produced en masse, but I was pleasantly surprised that everything was grilled, not boiled.)
It was only after we ordered and sat down and I realized I should’ve ordered a brat instead of a hot dog to get the full picture of the World’s Largest Brat Fest. (I blame mom brain.) However, I’m sure I’ll have many opportunities to try a brat now that I live in Wisconsin.
We then spent most of our time in the Kid Zone, which had an abundance of suitable activities for both of my kids, ages 5 and 1. My little one couldn’t get enough of the petting zoo, and I would’ve been happy to pay more than the $5 entry fee for the joy on her face. She didn’t quite get up the nerve to pet most animals, but she loved when they surrounded her looking for food. I personally appreciated the variety of animals – sheep, goats, llamas, pigs, ducks and surely more I can’t remember.
My oldest quite enjoyed himself in the inflatables area – setting himself up nicely for an afternoon car nap. 😊
I ended up getting sick and missed Sunday’s concert by Life 102.5 artist Sidewalk Prophets, which is a real bummer because they’re one of my favorite bands. I distinctly remember listening to their song, “You Love Me Anyway,” on repeat shortly after it came out and tearing up at those powerful lyrics.
I am the thorn in your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway
Thankfully, I have seen Sidewalk Prophets in concert before and can only imagine Sunday’s show was just as amazing!
I also missed seeing many of you who I had hoped/ planned to meet in person and look forward to another opportunity to do so soon.
Overall, it was a great introduction to Brat Fest. Kudos to the many hardworking organizers and volunteers for putting on a great event despite the weather forecast. I can’t wait to go back next year!
But in the meantime, where should I go next?