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Today marks 10 months to the day since the howling waters of the Wolf River silenced 20-year-old Lina Vergara’s laughter forever. But on Saturday in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, the late Middleton woman’s family hopes the community will smile, laugh and honor Lina's life, even as they continue to mourn her death.

The first annual Glowing Smiles 5k Run/Walk and Kids Dash will raise funds for the Lina Vergara Memorial Scholarship at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the school where Lina was majoring in bilingual education and English as a Second Language at the time of her death. It will start at Orchid Heights Park in the City of Middleton, continuing through the Pheasant Branch Conservancy.

Vergara, who was swept under the rain-bloated Wolf River during what was intended to be an innocuous outdoor adventure in July, had a passion for two things, according to her mother, Margarita Vergara. “She loved kids and she loved nature,” she said.

Tickets are on sale now for REAP Food Group’s 6th Annual Burgers & Brew event, taking place Saturday, June 1 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at the Capital Brewery Bier Garten in Middleton.

Burgers & Brew is a celebration of three of Wisconsin’s favorite traditions: grilling out, enjoying craft beers, and supporting local farms.                         

Each $30 ticket entitles guests to three combos featuring a fabulous mini-burger paired with a five-ounce beer pour. Unique burgers, grilled onsite, will feature dynamite flavor combinations of locally raised meats, vegetables and cheese found only in Southern Wisconsin. Wash them down with local craft brews, served by brewery representatives and selected to complement each chef’s creation.

Growing since 2012, the burger/beer pairing will increase from 14 to 16 stations.

Thanks to area businesses and groups, Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) Food Pantry guests will find shelves full of food this summer.

MOM hosted the third annual Canstruction® Madison Thursday, which in conjunction with a community-wide food drive raised 27 tons of food. The event took place at Keva Sports Center.

Canstruction is a competition in which community members come together to build highly imaginative structures out of canned goods and packaged food.  After the structures are built and the winners are declared, all food used in the structures is donated to the MOM Food Pantry.  Teams plan their structures weeks in advance, and then come together on the day of the event to build their displays.  Prior to the evening event, the structures are judged by design professionals and community leaders.

THIS YEAR’S WINNERS ARE:

Don’t miss the opportunity for some real family entertainment as Middleton High School presents “The Music Man” scheduled for May 2, 3 and 4 at the Middleton Performing Arts Center, 2100 Bristol Street. All shows begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. 

Reserved seating can be purchased through www.brownpapertickets.com, for $10/Adults and $8/Seniors and Students.  Tickets will be sold at the door on performance nights beginning at 6:45 p.m. For more information, please feel free to contact the ticket information line at 829-9770.

Pictured above during a recent rehearsal: Mayor Shinn (Stephen Kolison) reprimands Tommy Djilas (Sam Ropa) for fancying his daughter (Megan VandeSande) as his wife Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (Chelsea Bergman) and younger daughter (Conor Mead) look on. 

A city employee is spearheading an ambitious plan to transform the pond at Lakeview Park from a morass of overgrown weeds into a sustainable fishery. And he wants to do it without using any tax dollars.

Kurt Breunig, a Middleton Public Lands Department worker, is focusing on making the three-acre fishing hole particularly accessible and welcoming for young anglers and disabled individuals.

In a sense, the project began several decades ago, when a young Breunig began experiencing the great outdoors with his father.

“I’ve been fishing with him since I was five years old, and not just once or twice a year but all the time,” he recalled. “We’d go to Governor Dodge [State Park], and I remember always stopping for ice cream on the way home.”

Years later, Breunig still enjoys fishing with his father, who now uses a wheelchair.

Looking for a feel-good story after the tragic events in Boston this week?

Middleton High School, 2100 Bristol St., will host Relay for Life Saturday and Sunday. MHS will be the first high school in Dane County to put on a Relay for Life event.

Relay for Life will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. and conclude Sunday at 6 a.m. Due to the predicted cold weather, all activities will take place in the MHS Field House, Concourse and Main Gym. Nearly 320 students have signed up to participate and as of Thursday $31,891 has been raised.

An Opening Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m., followed by Survivor and Caregivers laps. Among those participating will be the Lisa and Jeff Helmuth. Their youngest son, James, a fifth-grader at Elm Lawn Elementary School, died on March 23 after a 13-month battle with a rare and unusual form of cancer.

Middleton High School and the Alzheimer’s Association are teaming up next month.

A Blondes vs. Brunettes flag football game will be held on Sunday, May 5 at noon at  Breitenbach Stadium.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the stadium the day of the game. MHS DECA is helping promote the event and student volunteers will work the game along with members of the school’s Key Club.

The two teams are divided based on the age-old rivalry between blondes and brunettes, while increasing awareness of Alzheimer’s disease among a new generation. If you’re wondering, redheads are free agents and will be permitted to play for the team of their choice. Funds raised will benefit the care, support, advocacy and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. 

Falconer David Zilker, accompanied by a female red-tailed hawk named “Miss Genoa,” gave an educational presentation to the Friends of Pheasant Branch on Thursday, March 21.

Middletonians packed into Clark Street Community School, where Zilker spoke about the ancient art of hunting with birds of prey, as well as explaining the important environmental role these stunning predators play. Zilker is director of the Wisconsin Falconers Association-Southwest Region.

Citizens can join the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy for free Conservancy Day programs on the third Thursday of every month. RSVPs are appreciated by organizers, and should be sent to Colleen at 608-767-2394 or education@pheasantbranch.org.

All programs are family friendly, unless otherwise noted below:

One day, as Robert Love watched the opening sequence in a hit video game for which he’s written the script, he realized his aesthetic sensibilities would have prompted him to choreograph some of the action differently.

An enthusiastic adherent to the “learn by doing” philosophy, Love, a writer and voiceover director at Raven Software in Middleton, figured he’s try getting behind a camera, and he started making short films.

Fast-forward to March 24 of this year, when Love’s debut feature film, “Dead of the Night,” premiered before a sold out crowd at Sundance Cinemas in Madison.

“This was a three-year project. It’s probably good I didn’t know from the start how much work it would be, or I might not have done it,” he says, pausing to correct himself with a grin. “I definitely still would have done it.”

Current Mayor Kurt Sonnentag was joined by former mayors Doug Zwank, Judy Karofsky, and Dan Ramsey at Tuesday evening's kickoff of the City of Middleton's 50th Birthday. Special events surrounding Middleton's 50 years of city status (it was a village until 1963) will take place throughout the remainder of 2013.

Tuesday's kickoff at Fire Station No. 1 on University Avenue included free cake and live music provided by the Madison Brass Band. At the same time, 
a collection of local history, brought together by the Middleton Area Historical Society, was unveiled at the Museum at the Depot on Parmenter Street.