Wisconsin Life

09/06/2026

When Elizabeth Renner first moved to Madison from Chicago, she was struck by the popularity of the tuba and Wisconsin’s love of polka music.

“It’s funny to me, everyone knows someone who plays tuba,” Renner said.

Her curiosity led her to WPR’s WHYsconsin with two questions: Why are tubas such a prominent part of the UW-Madison band? And why are they so popular in the state of Wisconsin?

Find the answers at the link below!

It feels like everyone’s dad in Wisconsin plays the tuba. That was Elizabeth Renner’s impression after she moved to Madison from Chicago a year ago.

09/05/2026

Many of us have that special spot in our homes where we feel at peace. Maybe it's when you park it on the couch, sit down at the sewing table or immerse yourself in the food pantry. For writer Ron Weber, it's when he's standing in front of a window in his cabin. Read more from Wisconsin Life at the link in our bio!

Many of us have that special spot in our homes where we feel at peace. Maybe it’s when you park it on the couch, sit down at the sewing table or immerse yourself in the food pantry. For writer Ron Weber, it’s when he’s standing in front of a window...

08/30/2026

Normally, the Shoreline is a tourist ship, offering scenic rides for small groups. But on a recent summer weekend, it was deputized for science.

The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association — a group of ordinary Wisconsinites from different walks of life — spent two days scoping the lakebed for the remains of a downed ship called the Plymouth.

Roughly a dozen members of the group, which calls itself WUAA, disembarked from Washington Island in Door County earlier this summer.

Read more at WPR.org from reporter Sarah Lehr, for Wisconsin Life. Photos by Angela Major.

08/29/2026

This summer, a group of ordinary Wisconsinites disembarked from Door County's Washington Island. Their mission: Search for a ship that wrecked more than a century ago.

Read more about the expeditions — past and present — from WPR's Sarah Lehr for Wisconsin Life (link in comments).

08/26/2026

This summer, a group of ordinary Wisconsinites disembarked from Door County's Washington Island. Their mission: Search for a ship that wrecked more than a century ago.

08/25/2026

For more than a decade, thousands of people have swarmed to Milwaukee County parks to get their hop on at public b**r gardens.

What began as an experiment in 2012 has turned into one of the biggest social draws of the summer for all occasions. Whether it be family reunions, after work gatherings or date nights, people can be found enjoying the atmosphere along with their favorite beverages.

08/22/2026

On a recent Thursday, the tables at the Estabrook Park B**r Garden started to fill up a little after noon.

While the b**r garden is decorated in a German theme, not all of the patrons were drinking the wide selection of Hofbrau brews.

Kim Grimes, of Wales in Waukesha County, doesn’t even like b**r. But she loves being outside, and said b**r gardens are a great way to spend time with friends.

“I feel like this is kind of an iconic one,” Grimes said.

She’s not wrong. When Estabrook opened in 2012, it was the first public b**r garden in the United States since Prohibition.

Reporting: Corrinne Hess for Wisconsin Life
Photos: Angela Major

08/22/2026

When famed Wisconsin conservationist Aldo Leopold wrote a “Marshland Elegy” in 1937, only two dozen pairs of sandhill cranes lived in Wisconsin.

Leopold’s essay grieved the loss of the ancient species and their wetland habitat. He predicted that one day “the last crane will trumpet his farewell and spiral skyward from the great marsh.”

Appleton artist and puppeteer Julia Blair read this essay and was inspired to tell a different environmental story, focusing on rejuvenation and the relationship between the trumpeting crane and its marshland community.

The next showing of “The Lonely Marsh” is at 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 23 at Greenbush Growing Cooperative in Plymouth.

08/19/2026

Written in 1937, Aldo Leopold’s “Marshland Elegy” mourned the loss of the sandhill crane and its wetland habitat. When Appleton artist and puppeteer Julia Blair read the essay, she was inspired to tell a different story, focusing instead on rejuvenation and the relationship between the trumpeting crane and its marshland community. So she rewrote it – as a play, with puppets.

Read and listen for more from WPR’s Mackenzie Krumme for Wisconsin Life: https://www.wpr.org/culture/wisconsin-play-the-lonely-marsh-aldo-leopold-marshland-elegy-julia-blair 𓅥

Photos: Angela Major

08/09/2026

Kevin Henkes, who lives in Madison, has written and illustrated nearly 50 picture books and more than a dozen children’s novels. His picture book “Kitten’s First Full Moon” won the Caldecott Medal in 2005, and has a rhythm that almost sings when you read it. That’s no accident, he told WPR's Wisconsin Life.

🖌️

Reporting: Jenny Peek (link in comments)
Photos: Angela Major