Friends of Rapids Music Festival to Kickoff its Second Year
For the City Times
WISCONSIN RAPIDS – Central Wisconsin music lovers of all kinds of music will be able to enjoy a day of free music at the Friends of Rapids Music (FRM) Music Fest June 17 as part of the 2017 Cranberry Blossom Fest.
Now in its second year as part of the lineup of Blossom Fest events, the festival is set to run from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Robinson Park, 1150 17th St. N., Wisconsin Rapids.
Seven local bands are scheduled to perform: The Cowboy Union Jam Band (country), Brian Erickson Concertina Polka (polka), Rapids Chapter American Suzuki Violin group (classical), Diesel Jesus & Brethren (acoustic), Central Wisconsin Jazz All Stars (jazz), The Lizardz (classic rock variety), The Kommissioners (dance variety), and Hue (high energy dance variety). The headliner, set to begin at 8 p.m., is the Jimmys, a great blues variety band from Madison.
“Our first festival last year was attended by nearly 1,000 people and the comments were so overwhelmingly positive that we were invited by Blossom Fest to bring the music again this year,” said Event Coordinator and aTOMix band member Connie Tomski-Faville. “Wisconsin Rapids is a very talented and generous community so because of the abundance of local musical talent we have and the generous contributions by local businesses, individuals and organizations, we hope to have another great day celebrating music and community during Blossom Fest here in Rapids.”
Festival admission is free; vendors will be on site for beer, wine, soft drinks, food and event merchandise. The Friends of Rapids Music Board of Directors is seeking event sponsorships and also has a GoFundMe account at www.gofundme.com/frmgroup.
Donations of $25 or more get an official music fest T-shirt, designed by Mark Larson, keyboardist for the Lizardz, and retired Lincoln High School art teacher. Donations of more than $25 may also receive an FRM tote bag and an FRM can cooler.
The Friends of Rapids Music group started as a Facebook group in 2014 to share live music information and events with musicians, venues that support live music and music lovers. The group now has more than 2,700 members in Wisconsin Rapids, Central Wisconsin, the state of Wisconsin and beyond.
“We’ll have the event rain or shine like we did last year and we invite anyone who enjoys live music, food and drink, and the camaraderie of others to come and join us,” said Tomski-Faville. “In the months following our festival, a significant portion of the proceeds from our event last year and this year will be awarded as donations/scholarships to our local community’s musicians, music teachers, high school music students, and music venues.”
More information is available at the FRM Facebook page, and full details about the festival are at www.frmgroup.org. Contact Connie Tomski-Faville at (715) 570-1429 for more information about the event, to discuss a sponsorship, or to schedule an interview.
