FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2007
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Ben Dowland, Assistant Director, SBSF3
608-446-0778
http://www.steelbridgesongfest.org
http://www.johnsonville.com
(Eds.: The spelling of pat mAcdonald is correct.)
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Small towns can generate big ideas. That's the case with both Johnsonville and Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin. Johnsonville, population 64, is the home of Johnsonville Sausage, the number one national brand of sausage, which also sells in 39 countries. Sturgeon Bay is the home of the Steel Bridge Songfest (SBSF3), a three-year-old grassroots music festival that is already attracting national attention. This year, Johnsonville Sausage will be a major sponsor of the Songfest, just one small town company helping its neighboring city.
That help comes in the form of support for Door County's Sturgeon Bay Bridge, the beneficiary of the Songfest. The two-lane bridge spans the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal in the central business district of Sturgeon Bay. Built in 1930 and recently added to the Wisconsin Register of Historic Places, it is only one of two bridges of its type in the United States—an upper rolling lift bascule bridge. The 1,420-foot bridge is comprised of a counter-balanced, movable span and 12 concrete and steel truss approach spans. The bridge has become a familiar sight for Door County locals and vacationers.
The Songfest was founded in 2005 by historic preservationist Christie Weber and her brother, singer/songwriter pat mAcdonald, to raise money and awareness of the endangered steel bridge. The aging bridge had been targeted for demolition and replacement by a new structure. But, Weber and her colleagues in Citizens for Our Bridge took action to save the unique structure. mAcdonald recruited his friend Jackson Browne to perform at the first Songfest and a tradition was born.
This year's Songfest is scheduled for June 14 to 16 in several venues around Sturgeon Bay. The event includes live music at local bars, restaurants and taverns; a songwriter's workshop; and an all-day benefit concert on Saturday. Browne, mAcdonald, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, and some 100 other musicians and bands will perform. Much of the original and live music will be recorded for later issue on a Songfest CD. Steel Bridge Songs Vol.1 will celebrate its release party at this year's festival, featuring 15 original songs loosely based around the bridge theme from last year's festival. All proceeds from the CD benefit the bridge.
Shelly Stayer, owner/author of Johnsonville Sausage, will be on hand on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. signing The Johnsonville Big Taste of Sausage Cookbook (Random House). The cookbook features 125 recipes gathered by Stayer from treasured family collections, the Johnsonville Sausage corporate kitchens and famous celebrity chefs. It will be offered to festival fans for $10, discounted from the $15.95 retail price, with proceeds going to the bridge preservation fund being held by the National Trust.
"Our sponsorship of the Steel Bridge Songfest originated for a very personal reason," said Stayer. "My husband Ralph, whose parents founded our company in 1945 in their butcher shop, grew up in Johnsonville. He has such fond memories of a steel bridge near his hometown that was not saved. He always wished that bridge had been preserved. So, when we were approached by the Steel Bridge Songfest founders, we knew it was a fit for our company. With our corporate headquarters still in Johnsonville, we feel that small towns offer so much to the American landscape and we want to be a part of the preservation of this piece of architectural history."
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Information about the Steel Bridge Songfest is available at http://www.steelbridgesongfest.org or by calling 920-743-5605. All events are in downtown Sturgeon Bay. Passes for all events throughout the festival begin at $30 per person.