APPLETON (NBC 26) — Mile of Music is back, and restaurant managers are just as excited as Appleton residents. The annual music festival draws in over 200 unknown singers and songwriters, and concert-goers from across the nation. This year, as it celebrates it's eighth birthday, COVID-19 forced organizers to make some changes.
“This is an event that’s really become part of the fabric of the community,” Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford said.
Dave Willems is one of the co-founders of Mile of Music and an executive producer. He was inspired by South x Southwest, and promoting the walk-ability of downtown Appleton. He also said, after talking to managers around town, many of them wanted to bring people into their shops, not just to downtown.
“It’s a battle every year to make sure we stay true to what we want to happen which is a free, accessible festival for people to come to," Willems said.
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But it's not headline, household name's you'll find here. Instead, Mile of Music is focused on bringing in unknown artists.
"We’ve not attempted to get big names to come here," Willems said. "We realize this is who we are, this is what we are, and they love that about Appleton. So we’ve really been able to forge a bond between singer songwriters and Appleton.”
It's a popular event, and canceling it for another year was not an option for organizers. But, for it to happen, organizers and venues had to adapt to the newest COVID-19 policies. Mayor Woodford follows CDC guidelines, recommending all people where masks indoors despite their vaccination status. To accommodate, most venues moved their concerts outside.
“They [organizers] have fought long and hard how to do this event, and they’ve actually shifted a lot of the event to outdoor spaces, and we appreciate that," Mayor Woodford said. "Turns out it aligns pretty well with the new guidance.”
Mayor Woodford said the event had to come back this year, not just for the financial boost for the city, but also for the culture.
“Mile of music is a huge boost to local businesses, our local economy, over $4-million dollars of economic impact a year," Mayor Woodford said. "And it was a huge loss from that perspective, but more important it was a huge loss of the quality of life in the community, the opportunity to connect with each other.”
Mile of Music Festival runs from August 5 - 8. Details can be found online at https://mileofmusic.com/. The event is free and open to the public.
