APPLETON (NBC 26) — The 12th annual Mile of Music is still on track to happen July 31 to August 3, but organizers say they are at risk of "significantly" scaling the festival back if they don't reach their funding goal.
"So our goal is $395,000. Right now, we're at about $200,000," said Nancy Kruger, president of non-profit Appleton Community Music.
Krueger said any and all contributions help pay artist performance fees, cover hospitality and production costs, and fund educational programming.
"It's free to attend, not free to produce," said Krueger.
Dave Willems, the festival's creator, said while they do push for donations every year, this year has been especially challenging in building the necessary support.
"I mean, every year is like this. The work to fund the next Mile starts right after the previous mile is completed. And funding for the Mile doesn't stop on the first day," said Willems.
The 12th annual Mile of Music is expected draw more than 100,000 fans to the heart of Appleton. Independent artists including Will Hoge, Kaki King, Nur-D, Moonglow, and Reyna, among dozens of others, are slated to perform.
The free festival will span more than 30 venues from the Lawrence Memorial Chapel on the east side to Spats and Emmett’s on the west, with more than 650 live music sets across the four-day celebration. This doesn't include any pop-up performances.
Willems says the 12th Mile will also continue to see education at the forefront, with more than 25 educators and guest artists offering hands-on music lessons for all ages.
