Fox Cities Experience brings 25 local music artists to Menasha

MENASHA, WI – (WISS and WGBW) – The Fox Cities Experience brings carnival rides, food trucks, and about 25 local music acts to Jefferson Park in Menasha this weekend.

“This is a chance to shake off that cabin fever. Go out to see all those bands you’ve been waiting to see. In an outdoor environment with a cold drink in hand,” said Jim Collar, Fox Cities Experience Communications Director. “And heading over to the food truck to grab stuff your doctor doesn’t want you to eat.”

From Kaukauna to Menasha

The yearly event used to be known as the Electric City Experience. This year it moved from Kaukauna to Menasha. Collar said while it was a difficult decision to move the event, making the event open to more of the Fox Valley made sense financially.

“It’s a time where costs are up, and it’s more difficult to get sponsorships,” said Collar. “Ultimately, at the day end of the day, we saw this new option to have more regional branding – being the Fox Cities Experience rather than the Kaukauna-centric Electric City Experience –  would help us draw a broader base of sponsors.”

Collar said the event could not happen without volunteers. He added that the volunteer organizations benefit from the event as well. 

“We’re able to get the help because we have a pretty good arrangement,” said Collar. “A portion of the proceeds go back to the groups that help us in terms of our volunteers. We’ll bring in, for instance, hypothetically, a dance school, and they’ll work so many hours. They’ll get a rate per hour per volunteer. That will go back to help their organization.”

Collar said some of the best bands from the Fox Valley music scene will appear at the Fox Cities Experience.

“We work to have an incredibly diverse lineup. We have your rock. We’ve got your blues. But we also have some reggae. We have some jam bands. We have a Green Day tribute act!” said Collar. “If you don’t like what you’re hearing, move over to the next tent or wait a half an hour. You’re going to find something.”

There is no admission to the event, and parking is free. The event runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. For more information check out the event’s Facebook page or its website.