jun 2, 1968 - Milwaukee's Summerfest begins

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Milwaukee held its inaugural Summerfest in 1968. The event bore almost no resemblance to its more recent incarnations. It consisted of literally dozens of smaller events: a folk festival at the Arena, clay court tennis playoffs at the Town Club, stock car races at State Fair Park, German band concerts in what is now Zeidler Union Square, a seminar on "Women's Progress" at Mount Mary College, a national polka festival, the Miss Milwaukee pageant, and a "Negro musical and cultural show." The festival faced more than its share of growing pains - fickle weather, fiscal shortfalls, tardy performers, and disruptive fans among them. Henry Maier remained the picture of confidence, even taking in hand to write the lyrics to the Summerfest Polka in 1969.

Go to Milwaukee!
How hmming a city you'll see
Sing in Milwaukee!
Trah, lah, lah, lah, lee.
Prosit Milwaukee!
Toast gaily and so free
Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Milwaukee
A happy place to be.

The mayor's sunny outlook was eventually justified. Summerfest's focus began to sharpen after 1970, when various events were consolidated at the abandoned Nike missile site on the lakefront. Popular music became the festival's theme, and the first stages - wooden platforms perched on concrete blocks - were gradually replaced with permanent facilities, each devoted to a particular type of music; jazz, rock, oldies, country, blues and a growing list of others. With completion of the Marcus Amphitheater in 1987, some fo the largest national acts began to make Summerfest a regular stop on their tours.

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