The Sturgeon Bay Bridge was opened to traffic July 4th, 1931. In 2005-6, the State and Federal Hwy Dept's, with an agreement of other permitting authorities, approved the construction of a sister 2-lane bridge to the same corridor as the historic bridge to eliminate the safety and traffic incificiancies in the area, while also approving the rehab of the historic 2 lane bridge, which combined will remove costly downtime from this important historic downtown corridor forever. The sister second two lane bridge is due to open Sept of 2008. The State owned, historic Steel Bridge was placed onto the National Register of Historic Places in January 2008 thanks to your generous gifts made through Steel Bridge Songfest 1 and 2!
Together, we can protect this bridge long-term by keeping it in the minds of our leadership and by helping them establish a long-term plan of protection for this rare schwerzer-type overhead counter-weight bascule bridge.
Today, our historic bridge is in dire need of compounded simple maintainance and painting due to the lack of historic preservation funding given to the state for this type of structure. The rehabilitaion plan, first scheduled for October has just been postopned till spring, again. It is our goal to continue to help inspire and educate the State and Federal agencies to the major economic and environmental advantages of protecting thru RESTORATION, all our historic bridges with proper allocation of on-system maintanance funding and to promote the complete restoration of this bridge, which stands centrally located, as the single most unique and significant structure in all of Door County, one of the states most visited tourism areas.
It is worth all our investment in protecting this and other rare bridges for future generations to enjoy, learn and discover from and if everyone who reads this just gave ten dollars or bought a CD today, we could put an end to this very questionable future of the Historic Sturgeon Bay Bridge. Our goal is to help paint the structure and build a 3 million dollar endowment in 10 years or less, which combined with the states help could keep this structure in good repair, forever.
Projects we are currently working on are:
1. Phased painting of the upper half of the bridge, which is not financed in the WisDOT plan.
2. Plan for Solar and wind turbine lighting added to high-light the arches.
3. Calculating the Carbon Foot print and environmental savings from the restoration and added 2 lane vs. replacement 4 lane options.
4. A Long-term Endowment Fund.
Isn't the bridge already "saved"? Why do we need another Songfest?
The good bridge has money allocated for the most basic maintenance and repairs, but the current plan does not even include a complete paint job, and the money has never actually been released to do the repairs! Meanwhile the bridge deteriorates with each passing year...
We are working with the City and the State government toward helping supplement any shortfalls in funding, and making sure the allocated funds are used for their stated mission, rather than being re-allocated elsewhere.
Are the organizers of Steel Bridge SongFest making tons of money from this?
All the proceeds from the festival go directly into the Historic Trust Fund to help restore the bridge. To help in the outreach and create the songs for the endowment fund, There are expenses for sound, stagehands, promotion, porta-potties, food, lodging, travel, recording studios, and a myriad of other things. The organizers themselves are unpaid volunteers and have actually committed thousands of dollars of their own money and thousands of work hours to organize and plan the event.
How did an old steel drawbridge in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, provide the impetus and center of gravity for such a large-scale musical event?
The steel-age technological marvel known originally as Memorial Bridge, built in 1930, has long suffered a questionable future.
"My sister Christie is a bridge lover from way back. We were talking one day about the bridge and hit upon the idea: That old bridge is a symbol of Door County. Its past, its present, and especially its future should be celebrated, not debated. We decided to throw a free concert to raise awareness and donations.
So I asked a couple of good friends for favors. Jackson Browne, great humanitarian that he is, agreed to come play for free. Then Sheila Turner of Great Lakes Yacht Services generously donated the use of her boat yard, a dream-come-true outdoor venue. There's even a roof in case of rain (you can just barely see the roof behind the bridge on the far left hand side of the photo above).
So Saturday, June 11th, 2005, The Steel Bridge SongFest was born. The free concert was a huge success. It drew 3,000 people and raised roughly $60,000 in voluntary donations, which financed the event and started a special fund, held by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, earmarked for all expenses related to saving and preserving the bridge.
With the first Steel Bridge SongFest came a dramatic shift in awareness and sentiment. “Bridge lovers” are now out of the closet and the Steel Bridge SongFest is becoming an annual event."
-pat mAcdonald, Steel Bridge Songfest host and co-founder
Steel Bridge SongFest3 (SB3)
June 14-16, 2007, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Saving An Old Bridge, Creating New Ones
A campaign to save an old bridge becomes a large-scale musical event, inspiring artists and revitalizing a small community in the process.
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin's historic Michigan Street Bridge, the "Gateway to Northern Door County," has long endured a questionable future. A decade of debate preceded the state's decision in 2004 to maintain the unique drawbridge, yet still its needed restoration is not a done deal. Questions and controversy persist, and needed funds have yet to be appropriated.
Steel Bridge Songfest
In spring 2005, musician/songwriter Pat MacDonald and his sister, historic preservationist Christie Weber, decided to throw an outdoor concert for the bridge's 75th birthday. Local philanthropist Sheila Turner donated her venue: the historic shipyard at Great Lakes Yachts. MacDonald's friend, Jackson Browne, offered to play for free. Thirty other musical acts fell in line, and the first Steel Bridge Songfest was born.
It was a bold undertaking, like nothing before tried in Door County, but hundreds of community volunteers pitched in, the public showed up, the weather held out, and the June concert was a success.
The money raised (over $50,000) paid for the event and created a fund held by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, earmarked for "all expenses relating to preservation and enhancement of the Michigan Street Bridge."
SB2
Mr. Browne so enjoyed his first Door County experience, he signed on for a follow-up. Hundreds more from across the U.S took his lead. Early arrivals filled the Holiday Motel across from the concert grounds. Songs were written and recorded there, new bands formed, impromptu concerts happened all over town, and Sturgeon Bay bars and coffee shops reported record business.
Door county partied like never before. A beer-sponsored "Safe Rides" program and other temporary public transportation made sure people got home alright, and police reported an eighty-percent reduction in drunk driving arrests that weekend.
New Bridges
When the musicians disbursed, they left behind a fired-up local music scene and a wowed public. They also left over 60 songs immortalizing the bridge, the Holiday Motel, the beauty of Door County, and the kindness of the community that so lovingly received them.
Steel Bridge Songfest is now an annual event. Its influx of creative energy, merging forward thinking with historic preservation, brings young and old, tourists and locals, the struggling and the fortunate, the conservative and the not-so-conservative, together in a common cause. New bridges made of music and song are helping to save an old one made of steel.
Steel Bridge Songs Vol.1
The 15 selections on this disc bring the message, convey the fun, and immortalize the spirit of Steel Bridge Songfest. The writers and artists have all volunteered their time, energy and creativity to this project. Proceeds and royalties will be donated to the Steel Bridge Fund. Thanks for your support!