A 55 year old Milwaukee tradition could join a growing list of things that AREN'T happening around here any more, as the Milwaukee lakefront fireworks may go dark if a new sponsor isn't found by April Fool's Day.
This ain't no joke. And, it could be the latest development in what's become a mildly concerning municipal trend.
It was back in 1963 that Schlitz Brewing–they of the beer that made Milwaukee famous–decided the community needed a big-time 4th of July fireworks show. Amazingly, it never had one, the pyrotechnics and other Independence Day revelry to be had at neighborhood county parks. The Uihlein family wasn't done–it also thought it would be cool to make a Great Circus Parade part of the bash, using the artifacts, clowns and other period pieces housed iin Baraboo. Some grumbled about the fireworks, fearing they'd steal crowds from the parks, a problem solved by moving the lakefront extravaganza to July 3rd in 1966.
And so things would go until 1975 when Schlitz started hitting the skids–they'd been number one in the country in the 1940's before Bud claimed the spot. By 1975 Schlitz was crying uncle, saying it could no longer cut the fireworks check, a decision it backed away from amid public outcry. Cold hard numbers spoke louder than public sentiment and Schlitz pulled the plug five years later. First Wisconsin took over sponsorship duties from there, and U-S Bank signed on after it ate up FirstWis in 2001. The Circus Parade remained a summertime fixture but struggled to maintain financial backing before breathing its last in 2009.
Now, the fireworks may follow suit.
It was just last fall that the DeGrace family announced the end of the annual Holiday Parade, a 91 year old tradition that came to a quiet end because–you guessed it–no one wanted to sponsor it. The South Shore Frolics made Bay View cool even before the current renaissance yet it, too, went away when backers couldn't come up with needed cash. Same in West Allis where Western Days is something you tell you kids about. The Greater Milwaukee Open struggled for four-plus decades to find a decent spot in the PGA schedule, always battling the British Open for golf's big names and deep pockets before breathing its last in 2009. It took Jane Pettit's checkbook to keep the party going as long as it did, her benevolence knowing no bounds. It was she who stepped up when Mayor Henry Maier announced in the 80's that there was no pubic money around to be spent on a new home for the Milwaukee Bucks, insisting the outdated Arena was just fine, thank you. It was Mrs. Pettit who wrote the check that paid for the Bradley Center, a building that kept us in the NBA. The B-C will never be mentioned fondly in architectural journals, but in terms of local sports history it'll never be forgotten.
Mrs. Pettit is gone. So is Schlitz, found only on the odd local tap or liquor store shelf. Pabst, which used to underwrite all manner of parties around town, is history, too, and the city's sole surviving macro-maker, Miller, is taking its name off the home of the Brewers. Locals howled, assuming its Miller's corporate and civic obligation to spend kazillions to slather it's name all over the edifice but then, it's always easy to tell others how to spend their cash.
So who steps up at the lakefront? Does July 3 become just another warm summer day around here, or will hoards once again fill the shoreline for a day with 300,000 or so of their closest personal friends? American Family Insurance already has done more than its municipal part, having put it's moniker on the former Marcus Amphitheater, Miller Park and even the Brewers re-done spring training complex in Phoenix. Surely we can't impose on them again, can we?
What then of Foxconn? A company that got all manner of state help for its Racine County mega-plex is getting the stink-eye from some who don't like the fact the tech giant keeps changing it's regional designs. What will it make in Mount Pleasant, anyway, and and how many of us will they need to work there? What of the downtown Milwaukee HQ that pulled permits not for the promised tech center but instead for a tenant (RW Baird) that needs a few of its floors until its regular digs get redone? Foxconn could use a little warm and fuzzy right around now–having Terry Gou light the fuse on the fizzling fireworks may buy his company some fleeting goodwill.
In the meantime, those of us who care enough can walk right up and drop some cash at [email protected]. Or, you can call 414-257-8043 with your donation. Something tells me their web server isn't crashing from a massive influx of traffic and that there are plenty of operators standing by to handle your incoming call. Charity starts at home, but we tend to like it when someone else pays the freight, no matter from where they hail.Â
Recent history tells us those revenue streams aren't flowing as freely as they used to. We may need a new generation of generosity to make its presence felt, lest we lose a little bit more of the things we love, things we enjoy when its somebody else is saying, “Check, please.”
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