[img_assist|nid=170671|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=79][img_assist|nid=149956|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=200|height=16]I don't need to remind any of our readers that this has been a crazy year in Wisconsin. Even for someone like me who tries to pay attention, it's been really difficult to keep up with the twists and turns of life. Some days it's all you can do to keep from jumping for joy, and other days it's hard to keep it together as you watch how badly things have gone wrong.
But some days you just want to get together with folks who have a similar point of view to celebrate, learn a little, and work toward a common goal. Wisconsinites will have a rare opportunity to do just that at two events on the same weekend in May. May 19 and 20 will be the dates for two Wisconsin events that are taking place for the second time - but this time in the same city on the same weekend.
FightingBobFestNorth will take place on Saturday, May 19, in Chippewa Falls. This event is just like FightingBobFest in Madison, but with a little more of a northwoods flavor. It's a day of rousing progressive speakers, visiting booths from some of your favorite organizations (and some you probably don't know), eating great food, listening to great music, and this year, drinking great local craft beer. This will be a great day, with speeches, breakout sessions, and much more. We're still lining up speakers, and many of them may not be announced till the last minute. But trust me, you can't go wrong by coming up to the Northern Wisconsin State Fairground in Chippewa Falls for the day. This will be a big event, and you won't want to miss it. More details as they become available will be at the FightingBobFestNorth web site. Admission is free, but we ask for a $20 donation at the door or in advance to help pay for the event. But please, if you don't have the cash, come anyway.
The day after, Sunday, May 20 will be a little smaller, but important event. Netroots Wisconsin returns for the second time. Netroots Wisconsin is a gathering of people who use the Internet for progressive purposes. We'd like to see bloggers, web site owners, people who use social media for progressive purposes, and anyone else who wants to know more about politics, technology, and using social media effectively. Sessions at the conference are suggested by those who are attending. We're open now for session suggestions (and we really DO want to see your suggstions for sessions) at the Netroots Wisconsin web site. Registration is also now open at the site, and we are looking for a few sponsors to help defray the costs of the event. Netroots Wisconsin is the Wiscosnin regional conference of Netroots Nation.