Henry Maier Festival Park facts for kids
The Henry Maier Festival Park (also known as the Henry Maier Festival Grounds or the Summerfest Grounds) is a large park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's famous for hosting many fun events, especially the huge music festival called Summerfest. The park is named after Henry Maier, who was Milwaukee's mayor for a very long time.
Contents
Park History: Before Summerfest
Before it became a festival park, this land had a different history. In 1927, a place called Maitland Airport opened here. It was one of Milwaukee's first airports. Airplanes used this airport for over 20 years.
From Airport to Missile Site
After the airport closed, the land became a secret military site. This happened in the 1950s, during a time called the Cold War. The Cold War was a period when the United States and the Soviet Union (now Russia) were in a tense standoff. To protect the country, the military built special sites with Nike missiles.
This site was one of eight around Milwaukee. It held powerful missiles like the Nike Ajax and Nike Hercules. These missiles were meant to defend against a possible attack. The military used this site until 1969, when they closed it to save money.
Summerfest Finds a Home
After the military left, the city of Milwaukee bought the land. Leaders of the new Summerfest music festival were looking for a permanent home. Their first two festivals had problems with bad weather, which made them lose money. They realized they needed one central place for the festival to be successful. The lakefront site seemed perfect.
In 1970, the city's Harbor Commission, which now owned the land, made a deal. They leased the site to Summerfest for just one dollar a year! Summerfest quickly set up offices in the old military buildings that were still there.
The Start of Summerfest
The history of the Henry Maier Festival Park really began with Summerfest in 1968. The music festival started that year and was held in 35 different places around the city. The next year, however, the weather was terrible. The last day of the festival had to be canceled, and Summerfest lost money.
Building the Festival Grounds
Because of the weather problems, Summerfest organizers decided they needed one main location. In 1970, they chose the abandoned land along the lakefront. This was the old Maitland Airport and former missile site.
At first, the Summerfest Grounds were very simple. There were just concrete blocks with wooden boards on top for stages. The rest was a grassy, often muddy, field. But having a central location was very important for the festival's success. It helped Summerfest grow and expand the grounds over time.
Construction continued through the 1970s and 1980s. A big improvement came in 1987 with the building of the Marcus Amphitheater. This was a large outdoor concert venue with 23,000 seats, and part of it was covered.
Other Festivals at the Park
Starting in the 1980s, many other festivals began to use the Henry Maier Festival Park. These festivals celebrate different cultures and traditions. The park also hosts charity run/walk events.
Some of the popular festivals held here include:
- African World Festival
- Arab World Fest
- Asian Moon Festival
- Festa Italiana
- German Fest
- Indian Summer Festival
- Irish Fest
- Labor Fest
- Mexican Fiesta
- Polish Fest
- PrideFest
