Ashley for the Arts Donates Over $750K in 15th Annual Event

August 22, 2024  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

The event donated over $750,000 which will benefit 70+ participating non-profit organizations.

"As we celebrate our 15th anniversary year, we are immensely grateful to our incredible fans, volunteers, sponsors and the supportive community for helping Ashley for the Arts grow into one of Wisconsin’s largest charity events,” said Cole Bawek, Event Director.

“The unwavering enthusiasm and participation have made this milestone event a truly remarkable celebration of art, music and community. We look forward to continuing to bring joy, inspiration, and cultural experiences for many years to come.

"The festival kicked off Thursday evening with performances by The Jimmys, Josieellen, The VanDwellers, and Them Coulee Boys, with fireworks to conclude the day. The annual Pursuit of a Cure Glow Run had 375 participants show up in head-to-toe neon, ready to illuminate the route to the finish line, where they were met with a neon-yellow colored foam party.

Proceeds raised from the Glow Run, luminaria sales, and the charity raffle support the advancement of medical research and help to offset medical-related costs that families incur during medical emergencies.

Sunshine illuminated the park grounds throughout the weekend and brought smiles to attendees as they explored the event. Memorial Park Drive was lined with over 75 art & craft fair vendors that displayed, sold, and demonstrated their skills and unique works of art.

The walkway also housed Ashley Furniture’s “Ashley Zone,” which highlighted a variety of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives: Heartworks, City of Hope, Wreaths Across America, and local middle and high school robotics teams, along with interactive activities in the “How It's Made” section for children to design their own Ashley products.

Weekend festivities continued with entertainment from street performers, fire dancers, an extreme pogo stunt show, line dancing lessons, Painting in the Park with The Paint Shack, 11 local school performances and three side stages full of music and family entertainment. Timberwork’s Lumberjack Show returned with a performance straight out of Wisconsin’s Northwoods’ logging history. Throughout the festival, families enjoyed family–friendly entertainment including an inflatable air park, interactive art, a petting zoo, STEM education activities, a youth outdoor challenge, BINGO, lawn games, and more, all of which was included in the low–cost admission.

The multi-genre Main Stage line up included Old Dominion, Journey, Bret Michaels, The Script, Vertical Horizon, LOCASH, Tigirlily Gold and Neal McCoy. Saturday fans were treated with a hot air balloon launch prior to Bret Michaels’ performance. The festival concluded with Old Dominion’s certified platinum record I Was On A Boat That Day under the star-filled sky. 

Ashley for the Arts would like to thank all the fans for joining in on festival fun and for supporting the cause, helping to raise funds for area organizations. Ashley Furniture Industries, LLC, Ashley for the Arts’ Host Sponsor, along with numerous community and corporate sponsors made this event possible, providing affordable access to music and arts for the entire weekend. With the help of volunteers who filled over 3,500 shifts, Ashley for the Arts was able to put on the one-of-a-kind, non-profit event. Thank you to all who dedicated their time to the event and to all emergency service and security personnel for their assistance.

Save the date for 2025, August 7-9 in Arcadia, Wisconsin. For more information on Ashley for the Arts, visit www.AshleyfortheArts.com. View the Ashley for the Arts recap video.