Madison will celebrate its 150th birthday this weekend in a series of events downtown commemorating the city's history.
Festivities will begin today at 12:00 noon at the Madison Municipal Building, 215 King St. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz will raise a ceremonial city flag after the Mt. Zion gospel choir performs on the building's front steps.
City officials are calling Saturday Get to Know Your City Day,\ as several historic Madison neighborhoods will be featured as tour destinations along with the Forest Hill Cemetery on the west side, which is the final resting place for many past Madison mayors.
Sunday will mark the culmination of the celebration when Cieslewicz and other city officials will hold a ceremonial birthday-cake cutting at 3 p.m. in Monona Terrace.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, who helped plan the ceremonies, said he was looking forward to the weekend.
""I'm psyched for it,"" Verveer said. ""This has probably been a year in the making, so I'll be happy to see it.""
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