We are about halfway through construction of the Tong Family Marina, a new pier system along Lake Mendota. Once finished, the marina will enhance safety, increase boat storage efficiency, allow for the creation of a new park, and provide more on-land space for programming.
Construction began in October 2018 and continues today, even as temperatures fall into the sometimes below freezing.
Each week, the lakefront continues to evolve into the modern, safe new space of which the Union team, including its incredible student leaders, have dreamt for years.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Society and Politics (SoPo) Committee will welcome writer and cohost of pop culture podcast “Keep It” Kara Brown for a discussion on pop culture and politics to kick off Women’s History Month on March 1 at 7 p.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South.
In a surprise addition to the annual Winter Carnival, the Wisconsin Union brought the Statue of Liberty tradition back to Lake Mendota Feb. 1 as a to-scale, inflatable replica of the Statue’s head, arm and torch.
This marks the return of a decades-old tradition of placing Styrofoam portions of Lady Liberty on frozen Lake Mendota.
[image class="right" title="" src="/assets/Uploads/a923884b11/Statue-Liberty-setup09-9225sm.jpg" alt="Statue Liberty setup09 9225sm" width="300" height="200" id="9578"]Photo by Bryce Richter. Photo provided by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin Union’s buildings, markets and cafes to close temporarily due to extreme cold temperatures
Due to the University of Wisconsin-Madison canceling classes and suspending non-essential operations, the Wisconsin Union’s Union South and Memorial Union, will be closed from Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. through Jan. 31 at noon.
All events previously scheduled to occur in Memorial Union and Union South during this period are cancelled.
All dining services including outlying markets and cafes are closed as of 3 p.m. Jan. 29 through Jan. 31 at noon.
The Wisconsin Union’s Winter Carnival will return Jan. 31-Feb. 3 with many new events and activities, such as yoga on Lake Mendota.
Additional new events this year include: hot chocolates from around the world, gingerbread house-making, virtual reality scuba diving, origami-making, live performances by electric bassist Josh Cohen and folk band The Tillers with fiddle champ Georgia Rae, custom trail mix-making, and more. Guests will also be able to enjoy classic Winter Carnival events.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Publications Committee (PubCom) will host a Fall 2018 Launch Party Dec. 12 from 7-9 p.m. in Great Hall at Memorial Union to celebrate the launch of the latest issues of its publications as well as the work of the students who make these possible.
This event is free and open to UW-Madison students, faculty and staff; as well as Wisconsin Union members and their guests.
In observance of Veterans Day, the Wisconsin Union team will hold an event on Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. in Memorial Union’s Main Lounge.
The Veterans Day event will include remarks at 9:30 a.m. by the Student Veterans of America UW-Madison Chapter President Sean Jackett, UW-Madison Veteran Services Coordinator Joe Rasmussen, and Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier. The event will also include free refreshments on a first come, first served basis and is open to the community.
On Nov. 6, at 8 p.m. in the Marquee Cinema at Union South, Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Society and Politics (SoPo) Committee will host live analysis of the midterm election results with experts that will put the outcomes into context and discuss their potential implications for Wisconsin and the country.
After being stored for six years during Memorial Union construction, the Wisconsin Union team will unveil reinstalled Paul Bunyan murals by artist James Watrous in Memorial Union’s Paul Bunyan Room Oct. 5 at 5:30 p.m. as a part of Gallery Night.
The event, which is open to the public, will begin with the debut of the returned murals followed immediately by remarks by Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier.
The Wisconsin Union team held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the future Tong Family Marina Sept. 15 along the Memorial Union lakefront, marking the beginning of the replacement of a 40-year-old pier system used by the Union’s Wisconsin Hoofers and Outdoor UW.
The donor-funded, new pier system will enhance safety, increase boat storage efficiency, allow for the creation of a new park, and provide more on-land space for programming. The new pier system is expected to debut in summer 2019.
