PLATO upcoming events

Lecture – My Father’s World War II (November 19, 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Thursday, November 19 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

In-Person at Oakwood Village University Woods

Arts & Education Center

6205 Mineral Point Road

Registration is Not Required

FREE PARKING

About 16 million Americans served in the military in World War II; only 31,000 of them are still alive, so the voices that can tell us about their experiences are fast disappearing. Rebecca’s late father, David Warner, served in the Army in Europe during the war. He left photographs, letters, and memoirs along with his Eisenhower jacket and other possessions. During her lecture she will share brief selections from his writing and play a video recorded interview in which he describes the event that had the greatest impact on him in his own words. His stories describe unique situations with interesting details, and they have themes in common with letters and diaries published by many other veterans. Her lecture will remind many in the audience of parents and relatives who served our country in World War II.

Dr. Rebecca Warner earned her bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon in Social Relations and a PhD from Harvard in Social Psychology. She was a professor at the University of New Hampshire until she retired in 2017. She has published journal articles in statistics and psychology, statistics textbooks, an edited collection of her father’s writing, and two historical novels. After moving to Madison in 2025, she joined PLATO and Attic Angel. As a recent arrival in Madison, she is looking forward to learning more about Wisconsin!

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Transportation Options:

Bicycle: Bike racks are available

Bus: The BRT Route A bus runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.

Car:

Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
Turn right into driveway.
Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
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Questions? Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

3rd Friday Meet-Up on the East Side (November 20, 2026)

Fri, 20 Nov 2026 17:30:00 GMT

3rd Friday Meet-Up on the East Side at Great Dane East

Where? Great Dane East, 876 Juniper Drive, Madison

When? Meets on the third Friday of each month from 11:30-1:30

What? Meet-Up with friends, old and new. Non-members are welcome. We will no longer meet in the upstairs room but in the downstairs bar area. You are welcome to order from the menu or feel free to order just a beer or coffee.

Directions: Entrance is a few hundred feet from Cottage Grove Road and conveniently located on Madison Metro's Route C.

Parking: There is plenty of parking in the adjacent parking lot. No stairs!

Organizer: Sue Ellerhorst

RSVP is appreciated but not required. If you forget to RSVP come anyway. Email Sue at nana@orcagranny.com by the Wednesday before the lunch to let her know you are coming. Also email her if you have any questions.

Noon Zoom - The Data Center Debate in Wisconsin (December 01, 2026)

Tue, 01 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Tuesday, December 1, 2026

12pm - 1:00pm

Online via Zoom

Registration is required

Members can register a guest

The December Noon Zoom will focus in on the growing concerns over data center construction in Wisconsin. What are the pros and cons of data centers? Should we be concerned about their impacts when it comes to energy and water use? What about their implication on taxes?

Terry Shelton, former city editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, will discuss these issues with two guests from the Wisconsin Policy Forum. President Jason Stein and Senior Research Associate Tyler Byrnes will share information from their latest report: Grounding a Charged Debate: Data Centers in Wisconsin and a report released earlier this year - Data Centers May Change Wiscnsin's Utility Landscape

Noon Zooms are a new PLATO Madison offering available to members and their guests. These occasional virtual discussions will feature a host and guest expert discussing an issue in the news with the opportunity for attendees to join in the discussion. The offering is free, but you need to register to receive the Zoom link.

Jason Stein has worked with the Wisconsin Policy Forum since 2018, serving as President since July 2024 and prior to that as Vice President and Research Director. In his time with the Forum, his reports have received multiple awards from the Governmental Research Association.

Before joining the Forum, Jason worked as a Capitol reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and for the Wisconsin State Journal. He is the author with Patrick Marley of More than They Bargained For: Scott Walker, Unions and the Fight for Wisconsin. His reporting was recognized by journalism groups such as the American Society of News Editors, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors. Milwaukee Magazine also named him as one of the city’s most influential media figures in 2015.

He serves on the board of Neighborhood House in Madison and previously served on the board of the Government Research Association as well as the board president of both the Wisconsin Capitol Correspondents Association and of The Daily Cardinal, the University of Wisconsin-Madison student newspaper. He speaks English and Spanish and holds a master’s degree in journalism from UW-Madison and bachelor’s degree in classical languages from the University of Kansas.

Tyler Byrnes is a Senior Research Associate at the Forum. He was awarded his PhD at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Byrnes most recently worked at the conservation nonprofit Gathering Waters to identify the fiscal impact of conservation land purchases on local governments. From 2008 to 2016, he served as an Executive Budget and Policy Analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Administration, working directly with former Gov. Scott Walker and former Gov. Jim Doyle on their state budget proposals. Byrnes has a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Northern Iowa and a bachelor’s degree from Ripon College.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ZOOM LINK TO ATTEND. PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE THE EVENT STARTS. ORAL AND WRITTEN QUESTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED DURING THE EVENT.

As this event is online, you can use your computer or smartphone to listen to the conversation and then add your voice to the conversation during the "Question & Comment" time.

Questions? Contact lecture organizer, Joy Cardin at cardinjoy@gmail.com

1st Friday Breakfast on the West Side (December 04, 2026)

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Where? Panera Bread, 601 Junction Road, Madison, WI

When? Meets on the first Friday of each month from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

What? Breakfast with friends, old and new. To view the menu go to https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu.html.

Directions: Located 1.5 blocks south of Old Sauk Road on Junction Road.

Parking: There is plenty of parking in the adjacent parking lot. No stairs!

Organizer: Catherine Masi

RSVP or Questions? Email Catherine at catherine.masi@gmail.com by the Thursday before the breakfast to let her know you are coming. Also email her if you have any questions.

Lecture – Old Farm Country Christmas (December 10, 2026)

Thu, 10 Dec 2026 19:30:00 GMT

Thursday, December 10 from 1:30-3:00 p.m.

In-Person at Oakwood Village University Woods

Arts & Education Center

6205 Mineral Point Road

Registration is Not Required

FREE PARKING

Along with her late father, Jerry Apps, Susan Apps-Bodilly has written a new book entitled, Old Farm Country Christmas. In her lecture she will take the audience on a journey to Christmases past—when the first snowfall signaled the start of the holiday season and simple joys lit up the long, dark Wisconsin winter. In her lecture Susan will use vivid family memories, interviews, historical research and vintage photographs to take the audience inside farmhouse kitchens, one-room schoolhouses, rural churches, and through snow-packed fields to share Christmas stories from the mid-twentieth century. She will re-create a time when holiday traditions were handmade, inspire memories of personal holiday celebrations and invite the audience to rediscover the warmth and wonder that make this holiday so special!

Susan Apps-Bodilly is a retired educator and writer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction. When she is not reading or writing, Susan enjoys spending time with her family, hiking at the family cabin, kayaking, and trying new recipes with produce from her garden. She is the author of One Room Schools, Seeds in Soil, The ABCS of Wisconsin Cheese, and a coauthor with her father, Jerry Apps, of Timber! and Old Farm Country Cookbook, all published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband.

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Transportation Options:

Bicycle: Bike racks are available

Bus: The BRT Route A bus runs every 15 minutes and stops in front of Oakwood at the Island/Mineral Point station.

Car:

Use the Island Drive entrance at 6205 Mineral Point Road.
Veer left and follow the drive to the 2nd driveway with sign “Heritage Oaks Parking Garage.”
Turn right into driveway.
Press the buzzer and the Oakwood desk attendant will buzz you in. There are 70 parking stalls. Park in any visitor or non-reserved stall. Take the elevator up one floor to the main entrance, turn right and walk through the mail box area into the lobby. Ask at the desk for directions to the Performing Arts Center.
When you exit the underground parking, the garage door opens automatically.
_________________________

Questions? Contact lecture organizer Barbara Drake at barbaradrake21@gmail.com

Stuff the Stocking Holiday Tour (December 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Stuff the Stocking Holiday Tour

Friday, December 11, 2026

11/11 - We have filled one bus and need about 20 more registrations to fill a second bus. The holiday trips have always been very popular and we promise this one will be no different!

When you register, your name is added to the waitlist for the second bus. We've created this list to track registrations for that bus. You do not need to pay until your registration is confirmed and you receive an invoice.

We will let you know after the registration deadline of November 23 if we will be taking a second bus.

Registration Deadline is Monday, November 23

It’s time to celebrate the magic of the season! Leave the winter driving to the professionals and step into a cozy, stress-free holiday wonderland. Just sit back, relax and make wonderful holiday memories with old and new friends as we head to southeastern Wisconsin for a day of pastries, pines, poinsettias and more.

Our Holiday Itinerary

Lincoln-Tallman House - Janesville

Step into the elegance of 1857 at this Italianate-style landmark, built by the prominent Tallman family. During the holiday season, more than 100 beautifully decorated trees fill the historic rooms with light, color, and creativity. Explore at your own pace and enjoy one of Janesville’s favorite holiday traditions.

Rock County Historical Society Legacies Museum - Janesville

Discover Legacies Museum 2.0: The Heartbeat of Janesville’s GM. Memorabilia from General Motors, JATCO, Fisher Body, and the UAW brings the community’s industrial story to life—from the Janesville Machine Company’s beginnings in 1919 through the plant’s closing in 2008–2009.

Milaeger's Garden Center - Racine

Enjoy time to browse a family-owned destination that grew from a tiny backyard hobby greenhouse into a collection of more than 90 greenhouses. Take in colorful displays, seasonal décor, and inspiring collections for the home and garden.

O&H Danish Bakery - Racine

Now in their fourth generation of family and bakers - the Olesen Family believes sharing in the good life with a taste of happiness. Voted Racine's best Danish kringle!

Christmas Carnival of Lights - Caledonia

End the day surrounded by holiday sparkle at a festive drive-through light show billed as one of the Midwest’s biggest, brightest, and most dazzling seasonal displays.

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Accessibility & Comfort

The Lincoln–Tallman House ground floor is accessible by lift; the basement and second floor are not fully accessible. The Carriage House, Stonehouse, Frances Willard Schoolhouse, and RCHS Visitor Center are fully accessible. Please share mobility or assistance needs when registering.

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Lunch Choices (Indicate your choice when registering):

Burrata Berry Salad (Mixed greens, burrata cheese, balsamic glaze, strawberries, blueberries, red onions, fresh basil, raspberry vinaigrette) (V)
Margherita Pizza (II Famoso ground tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil) (V)
Supreme Pizza (II Famoso ground tomatoes pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, button mushrooms, whole milk mozzarella cheese)
Chicken Pesto Sandwich with roasted potatoes (Pretzel bun, grilled chicken breast, basil pesto sauce, mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomatoes)
Bourbon Burger with roasted potatoes (Brioche bun, cheddar cheese, crispy onion strings, applewood smoked bacon, bourbon BBQ sauce)
Wisconsin Fish Fry with roasted potatoes (Beer-battered cod, coleslaw, marble rye, tartar)

Dinner Choices (Indicate your choice when registering):

All wraps will come with chips.

Grilled Chicken Wrap (Grilled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar jack cheese, wrapped up with buttermilk ranch dressing)
Club wrap – (sliced turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar jack cheese with buttermilk ranch dressing)
Veggie Wrap (spinach tortilla with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, green peppers, mushrooms, feta cheese & Italian dressing
Steak Wrap (grilled steak with sauteed green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar jack cheese)

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PLATO is partnering with the Verona Senior Center and UW Retirement Association on this travel opportunity. You will be required to fill out the 2026 Verona Senior Center New Member and Trip Waiver Form (no charge). You can fill out these forms in advance or on the day of the trip.

Schedule: (Return times are approximate)

TRAVELERS ARE REQUESTED TO ARRIVE 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

7:30 a.m. Depart Verona Park & Ride

8:00 a.m. Depart (East Madison) Dutch Mill Park & Ride (East Lot)

7:00 p.m. Return (East Madison) Dutch Mill Park & Ride (East Lot)

7:30 p.m. Return Verona Park & Ride

Departure Locations:

Verona Park & Ride - 2585 Old PB, Verona, WI

East Side (Dutch Mill Park & Ride (East Lot))

Map below for those boarding the bus on east side Dutch Mill Park & Ride. Please park in the "east" lot as indicated by the arrow. (east of Arby's)

Cost: $125 per person and includes bus transportation, driver tip, admission fees, meal, taxes, and gratuities.

Seating is limited, so register today! Registrations must be received no later than noon on Monday, November 23, 2026.

Refund Policy: PLATO refunds an event fee if cancelled prior to the registration deadline. Refunds after the registration deadline are only processed if a wait-listed registrant can attend.

PLATO Membership: PLATO membership is $60.00/year and all memberships renew on July 1.

For further information, contact PLATO trip coordinator, Bob Shaw, robert.e.shaw@gmail.com , 608-255-3486.

2nd Friday Coffee at ZuZu Cafe (December 11, 2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 15:30:00 GMT

Where: ZuZu Cafe
When: Meets on the second Friday of each month
Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Place: ZuZu Cafe, 1336 Drake Street, Madison
Across the street from the Henry Vilas Zoo
Directions are pictured on the map below
Parking: Street Parking
Organizer: Sharon Scrattish
RSVP or Questions?: If you are new to the 2nd Friday gathering please RSVP Sharon by email or phone (sscratti@gmail.com or 608-280-8050)

3rd Friday Meet-Up on the East Side (December 18, 2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 17:30:00 GMT

3rd Friday Meet-Up on the East Side at Great Dane East

Where? Great Dane East, 876 Juniper Drive, Madison

When? Meets on the third Friday of each month from 11:30-1:30