Mile of Music Festival organizers expect this year to be one of the best yet. That includes the economic impact on the Appleton area. “In the last couple of years it’s moved past the $5 million mark,” said Festival Creator David Willems.
People attending say the event is well-organized, and a place they feel good about spending money. “This is such a great, clean, well-organized event,” said Cassidy Sepnieski.
Bars like the D2 Sports Pub say during Mile of Music, they can easily bring in double what they would on a normal night. “Thursday night, it was busier than it normally was especially out here on the patio,” said Heather Livingston of D2 Sports Pub. “This is one of the more popular places for people to come, we have a band out here.”
Willems said the secret to success is creating an event that everyone can benefit from. “The idea was created to have a lot of people chipping in to make something special happen,” said Willems.
He added: “The initial idea was something that could bring people into our businesses and also bring them outside on the streets and that’s worked out probably better than we ever imagined. About half of the festival is indoors and half is outdoors. On Friday or Saturday night in Appleton with all the venues we probably have the most amount of venue sets playing anywhere in the country. That’s a cool thing to lay claim to.”
