The 46th Orton Park Festival

Thursday, August 25 at 6:00pm - August 28 at 9:00pm

Orton Park
1200 Spaight St.
Madison, WI 53703

About our Festivals

Orton Park Schedule

Things are rounding into shape nicely for the Marquette Neighborhood Association's 46th Orton Park Festival. This year we will be in a celebratory mode from August 25thto the 28th under the stately oak and hickory trees in Madison's oldest park. A number of incredible acts including the Cycropia Aerial Dance Troupe have been confirmed to perform at this time-honored event. Each day will certainly have its own special charm.

To fully respect the Cycropia performance last year we added a Thursday Family Night show. On that night the Cycropians can have the audience's full attention. The performance will get an early 8pm start time and there will be plenty of parking in the neighborhood. Soft drinks and ice cream and pizza will be available to purchase from 6pm on. The Aerial show will be staged again in the mighty burr oak on Friday night.

Some of our most talented local performers will join with celebrated musicians from around the nation and the world to weave a fantastic musical tapestry. It is our great pleasure to be able to present this incredible event.

Ernan Lopez-Nussa

The popular International Dinner/Dance will once again be held on Friday night with dining choices from our fine local ethnic food vendors. We are very pleased to announce that there will be two sensational musical acts on the main stage this evening. Ernan Lopez-Nussa, arguably Cuba's finest Jazz pianist and two band mates will be our first performers on this night. Ernan will be a de facto artist-in-residence as he will play again on Sunday at the fest and then head over to the Cardinal Bar for an encore performance. Lopez-Nussa played at the Waterfront Festival about 10 years ago and was absolutely amazing. We are glad that Cuban performers can once again return to our stages.

Grupo Fantasma is a sensational Latin big band from Austin. They wowed everyone at the Waterfront last year, won a Grammy in the interim and we are thankful that they agreed to come back. They tour with Prince and back him on occasion. Can't wait to see them under the lights. It will be a thrill.

Lyrics Born

Saturday's lineup is complete and a number of formidable acts have been confirmed. We certainly promise a great dance band at the ultimate slot each day at Orton and Lyrics Born from San Francisco will fit the bill just fine. Lyrics Born is a prolific writer in the "conscious hip hop" school. He was just touring in Australia and in Perth doing a command performance for the Dalai Lama's foundation. His band is as hot as they get.

Great Lake Swimmers

Leading into the featured slot will be the Juno Award-winning band from Toronto, The Great Lake Swimmers. The Swimmers played a great but soggy set at the Waterfront last year so they were promised perfect weather for their Orton visit. Lead singer and writer Tony Dekker has created a superb repertoire of indy-pop classics that will be the ideal sound for an evening under the swaying Orton oaks.

Tim Eriksen

Saturday's truly Americana lineup features a nice variety of genres. Tim Eriksen came to our attention as the musical director for the "Cold Mountain" movie which introduced our ears to shape note singing. (Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools). Madison has a group of shape note singers led by Johanna Fabke. Eight years ago we brought Tim here and he did a Shape Note workshop with anyone who wanted to learn in the BINGO/Jazz Brunch tent. Then the new-formed choir joined Tim on stage. We're going to do that again. The workshop is 9:30-11am and the stage performance is at 1:30 pm. Tim is a talented multi-instrumentalist and an authority on traditional American music. It will be nice to have him back.

Kristy Larson Honky Tonk Trio

We couldn't have three finer groups to represent the locals and surround Tim Eriksen with great music than the Kristi Larson honky tonk Trio,

Joel Paterson

Joel Paterson (now a Chicagoan of great repute) and The Modern Sounds and the Josh Harty Band. It will be a very special day for sure.

Jazz Brunch featuring Sally DeBroux

We do also know that our signature Jazz Brunch will begin as always at 9:00am Sunday and will feature the stunning Jazz stylings of Sally DeBroux and friends. Neighbors provide the baked goods and our coffee shops will donate the caffeine for this intimate gathering under the 30 x 60 tent in the northeast corner of the park. Carol Hoyer, Maria Swift and Bruce and Ginnie Woods have devotedly put the Brunch together for the past several years and should be thanked for their community spirit and baking skills.

Christophe Godin

Sunday is shaping up to be an eclectic day of music with virtuosos at the top of the card. At the head of the class is Christophe Godin, France's premier rock guitarist. Godin will bring to town his Jazz/Metal band MÖRGLBL (It's an unpronounceable nonsense word). We had them at the Crystal a couple of years ago and they were dazzling and fun. Think Zappa-esque when describing this trio. Cuban pianist Ernan Lopez-Nussa will precede the Frenchmen in an encore performance.

Jimmy Voegeli

We've also got a great bunch of locals queuing up for you. Bobby Westfall will lead his Big Bang String Thing over after the brunch for a twangy set joined by Chris Wagner and Mary Gaines among others. Sims and Maggie have some new band members that they're raving about in a new Harmonious Wail configuration. Both bands should be fun. There is not a band in town that can get a crowd going like the Jimmys. It is a pleasure to watch the band's not-too-subtle approach to ramping up the dance floor intensity. They've got solid people at all the key positions and Jimmy Voegeli, dairy farmer by day and extraordinary keyboardist by night or in this case early evening, leading the musical charge.

Of course the Wil-Mar Center staff of dedicated volunteers will be grilling up a storm and serving sweet corn and slices of Glass Nickel Pizza. Lao Laan-Xang, Jamerica, Café Costa Rica, Plaka Taverna and Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream will be on hand to meet every culinary craving. On all three days we do some fundraising with the sometimes tedious, sometimes entertaining but always-lucrative MNA auction. Joanna Donovan and friends revived the Orton Park Cake Walk a few years ago and it has been a huge hit. So whip up your most decadent cake-like thing, bring it down to the park at 2pm on Sunday and see it consumed by an exuberant, youthful winner.

Wildwood is creating the Orton Park T-shirt to be on sale throughout the weekend. There will be lots of vendors with neighborhood ties on hand and kids games overseen by the East High Soccer Boosters and BINGO in the tent afternoons run by the neighborhood Boy Scout troop. The Crystal Corner staff whipped into shape by braumeister John Durand will keep the spigots set at maximum flow in the two beer and wine gardens. The second garden should keep the lines down at peak hours. We encourage festival-goers to leave their coolers at home and support the free festival by purchasing food and beverages benefiting the Wil-Mar Center and MNA. To become a sponsor, to contribute to the auction or to volunteer, call 241-7143.

Thanks to the generous sponsors who make this event possible: Willy St. Coop, Heartland Credit Union, Wisconsin Distributors, Capital Brewery. MG&E. TDS Custom Construction ,American Family Insurance, Ground Zero Coffee, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach LLP, The Harmony Bar, Madison Blues Society ,The Onion, Willy Tech Shop, Mark Saunders Financial Group ,Weary Traveler Free House ,Capital Water Softeners, Lazy Jane's/Mickey's ,RP's Pasta, Mother Nature's Diaper Service , The Bock Corporation, Research Products ,The Chocolate Shoppe, MadCat Pet Supplies , Absolutely Art , Herrick & Kasdorf Law Offices, Pepsi Cola, Heitke & Vu, DDS, Ltd., Bunky's ,Alvarado Real Estate Group, Tinnen Family Chiropractic, The Cardinal , and The Alchemy.