How did an old steel drawbridge in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, provide the impetus and center of gravity for such a large-scale musical event?
The steel-age technological marvel known originally as Memorial Bridge, built in 1930, has long suffered a questionable future. My sister Christie is a bridge lover from way back. We were talking one day about the bridge and hit upon the idea: That old bridge is a symbol of Door County. Its past, its present, and especially its future should be celebrated, not debated. We decided to throw a free concert to raise awareness and donations. So I asked a couple of good friends for favors. Jackson Browne, great humanitarian that he is, agreed to come play for free. Then Sheila Turner of Great Lakes Yacht Services generously donated the use of her boat yard, a dream-come-true outdoor venue. There’s even a roof in case of rain (you can just barely see the roof behind the bridge on the far left hand side of the photo above). Saturday, June 11th, 2005, The Steel Bridge SongFest was born. The free concert was a huge success. It drew 3,000 people and raised roughly $60,000 in voluntary donations,
