As summer comes to an end, tourists begin to leave Wisconsin’s northwoods. Every year on Labor Day, people line Highway 51 and wave to the tourists as they head home. As WPR’s Bridgit Bowden tells us, these “wave parties” are a way of saying “thanks for coming,” but also, “thanks for leaving.”

Do you have a random toilet in your basement? Perhaps it’s at the foot of the stairs or you’ve zhuzhed it up. WPR recently received a question about these porcelain wonders from an audience member through our WHYsconsin project. She asked, “Why do so many older homes in Wisconsin have an exposed toilet sitting in the unfinished basement? What’s the story behind the ‘Midwestern toilet?'”

It has been more than two decades since Debra Gillispie of Milwaukee lost her son, Kirk Patrick Bickham, Jr. One night in 2003, a gunman killed him and two others outside a Milwaukee bar. Gillispie has since joined and started local advocacy efforts to change gun laws and share violence survivors’ stories. WPR’s Jonah Beleckis tells us how months ago, she traveled to the Fox Lake Correctional Institution to meet Jaki Marion, the man who killed her son.

Five years ago, a group of friends in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, saw potential in an old parking lot under a freeway. WPR’s Anya van Wagtendonk has the story of the National DIY skatepark – a do-it-yourself project that started out as a secret – and has become part of the fabric of the city.

Taking the kids camping usually sounds like a great idea, until it’s not. Author B.J. Hollars brings us a story about the trials and triumphs of the family camping trip. WPR’s Karl Christenson brings you the story.

Irish music sessions regularly pop up in pubs and restaurants across Wisconsin. These are generally informal gatherings, where tin whistlers, fiddlers and accordionists play traditional Irish tunes. Writer Nancy Jorgensen of Waukesha tells us more about her growing love of these sessions in this “Wisconsin Life” essay.

Meditation practices have been shown to reduce stress, relieve hypertension and even contribute to weight loss. Can the practice also help people in recovery bring more balance to their lives? Producer Morgan D. Stewart caught up with devoted meditators in Madison to find out more.

For more than 60 years, the Sheboygan Asylum housed hundreds of patients living with mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse disorders. The facility closed its doors in 2002. But for the past six years, the Fox Valley Ghost Hunters have been offering tours of its abandoned halls. WPR’s Danielle Kaeding tagged along.

When radio producer Alexandra Salmon first saw Sedella Yancey rap at a summer night concert in Madison, she was mesmerized by the musician’s  stage presence and her talent at such a young age. The 10-year-old was performing the classic Digable Planets’ song “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” with the group The Black Poet’s Society. Wanting to better understand her blossoming creative journey, Salmon met with Yancey to talk about what it’s like to be a young artist.

Sheboygan brands itself as Wisconsin’s “Malibu of the Midwest” for its popular freshwater surfing scene on Lake Michigan. Surfing is a year-round sport in the community. And WPR’s Joe Schulz decided to try it himself.

Not long ago, dating apps were heralded as a fresh and modern way to meet that special someone. But they come with unique challenges and are now pushing their users to seek alternatives. WPR’s Anna Marie Yanny recently attended an artsy singles mixer in Madison, and asked people why they were motivated to look for that special someone in person.

Frog Bay Tribal National Park has hiking trails, shoreline and wetlands. The nearly 200-acre park on Lake Superior is a great place to go for a run or to look out on the Apostle Islands. For members of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the land also holds a special meaning. WPR’s Trevor Hook brings us this story on the park’s history and its significance.

Have you ever picked up a hobby because a friend or relative was really into it? Did you try to see they’re truly onto something? Writer Yia Lor of Eau Claire did this with geocaching, an outdoor activity her late sister, Jer Lor, loved to do with her kids.

Orioles, pelicans and snowy owls are a few of the hundreds of species that birdwatchers are on the lookout for in Wisconsin this year. Many will travel the state and roam their neighborhoods crossing birds off their life lists — people like Dexter Patterson, co-founder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin. WPR’s Bridgit Bowden has more the group as part of our Wisconsin Road Trip series.

When’s the last time you stopped to look at your spare change? For writer Ron Weber, one ordinary find leads him on an unexpected American odyssey.