A Fair To Remember

HistoryOne dusky winter's eve in early 1998, a handful of West Bend Sunrise Rotarians, inspired by a fireside chat, began fanning the flames on a hot idea: stage an upscale, high quality, regional jazz festival with a national reputation within West Bend's premier park system. Bolstered by internationally recognized entertainers, they imagined the event would draw thousands of contemporary jazz lovers from all over the Midwest. The vision included people casually strolling the picturesque banks of the upper Milwaukee River, fine artists displaying their original works, and well-known area restaurateurs serving international fare -- all while the tunes of saxophones, trumpets, and guitars rolled from one end of the northern Kettle Moraine to the other. Their grandiose concept was realized on September 11 and 12, 1998, and it has been recreated annually on the Friday and Saturday after Labor Day ever since. In its history, the festival has contributed nearly $380,000 to charitable groups.SpecialtiesThe 15th annual Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival will be held Friday, September 7 and Saturday, September 8, 2012 at Riverside Park in West Bend, WI. Friday Lineup 5:15 Cindy Bradley 7:15 Marc Antoine 9:15 Norman Brown & Gerald Albright Saturday Lineup 1:30 Slim Man & Bonafide 3:30 Dotsero 5:45 Johannes Linstead 8:00 Mindi Abair, Jeff Golub, and David Pack The festival also offers wine, gourmet food, and an arts marketplace. Parking is free. The stage and seating is under a tent, with additional picnic tables and room for your own chairs outside the tent. General and reserved seating tickets are on sale now at www.kmjazz.com or by phone at 877-271-6903. We accept Mastercard, Visa, personal check and cash. The festival is produced by the West Bend Sunrise Rotary Foundation and proceeds benefit area charitable organizations and projects.