Street Music Week Sets the Stage to Solve Hunger
On June 10 through June 14, Heid Music hosted its seventh annual Street Music Week in downtown Appleton. Street Music Week was the perfect week to bring together musicians and music-lovers for a good cause.
Local performers of all ages and talents came together with instruments, music, friends, and family in tow and set up camp on parts of downtown Appleton’s College Ave. The musicians during the lunch hour to raise money for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
While the event was free to the public, community members were encouraged to donate money in bright orange buckets in front of performers. There were also volunteers walking around with signs to raise awareness about summer hunger and collect donations to benefit Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.
In addition to filling College Ave with local music, on Thursday of that week there was also a small stage and food trucks set up in Houdini Plaza where people were able to sit and enjoy music in the park during their lunch hour. Even more donations were collected during Heid Music Summer Concert Series on Thursday night.
“I think the grass roots atmosphere really sets the tone of the event and the community coming together over a common issue like hunger is a great thing to see,” Dustin Herrmann, the volunteer engagement coordinator for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s food bank in Appleton said. “Music is the universal language and hunger is a universal problem so it’s natural to bring the two together.”
Performers of all varieties came out to participate in Street Music Week. College Ave saw young students playing trombones, trumpets, and saxophones, groups playing with string quartets, conga drums, and xylophones, and families playing Cajon drums, guitars, and singing.
Dustin commented on some specific acts that stood out in his mind throughout the week: “Some of my favorites were a break dancing crew of high school students, a mother daughter duo playing their ukuleles (the daughter was 7 years old), and a family of musicians all playing classical composures on string instruments.”
Due to the tremendous support from the community, a total of $5,180 was donated to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin at the end of the week. Thank you to Heid Music and all the musicians and community members of Appleton and surrounding towns that came together to make Street Music Week a resounding success!
