APPLETON, WI -- The fourth year of the Mile of Music festival is wrapping up this Sunday with unprecedented crowds, and packed venues.
The event brings thousands of music lovers to Northeast Wisconsin for the 4-day festival.
With 75 live music performances in downtown Appleton Sunday alone, the final day of Mile of Music this year still feels like a festival in full swing.
But organizers are already looking to the future in growing, and shaping, this celebrated event.
In the Lawrence Memorial Chapel, where 1,100 people could sit comfortably, the connection between musicians and audience is still intimate.
It's the same feeling that brings fans, like Alex Jacklin, of Appleton, back every year with his daughter, Hailey.
"It's just something special being able to come back here, every year," says Jacklin. "The people are great, the music is fantastic, and I love everything about it."
"And that music bringing people together," explains festival Director Dave Willems, "that's really what mile of music is all about."
Willems says, now in its fourth year, Mile of Music is only growing--quadrupling the number of performances during its four days since 2013.
"Our hope is to have people be able to access original music," says Willems, "and really be able to have a chance to interact with it, as well."
Willems says that's meant more venues added to the list each year.
"When we did the first year, we were at 40," says Willems. "So, we've almost doubled that."
It's also meant creating a year-round planning process as the free festival's popularity grows.
"It's on people's calendars," explains Willems. "It's on their radar, certainly, for music fans."
And while venues this year are reporting maxed out capacities at times, Willems says the future isn't about growth as much as it is fine tuning.
"We're really going to be focusing on better, and more… music in those venues where people are coming to really enjoy, and listen to the music," says Willems. "That's going to be our real focus."
"Just keep up the good work, guys," adds Jacklin, before heading to the next venue, "we love it."
Nothing is set in stone for 2017.
But Willems says options, like adding another day, or even weekend to Mile of Music, are part of that ongoing discussion.
