Brookfield Allows 10-Day Music Fest To Go Forward

BROOKFIELD, WI — The Brookfield Common Council voted 8-6 Tuesday night to grant a temporary use permit to Dave Dayler, owner of the Saloon on Calhoun with Bacon, to hold a 10-day music festival in the parking lot at 17000 W. Capitol Drive.

The so-called "Saloonfest 2" is still in the planning stages and is scheduled to take place from June 24 through July 3.

The vote comes after a contentious approval process. Neighbors of the bar expressed concerns about parking, noise and disruptions as a possible result of the festival. The first Saloonfest took place inside the bar and lasted 10 days without the approval of the Common Council. But eventually, aldermen decided that the concerns weren't enough to stop the next festival from happening.

The festival will feature a continuous rotation of different musical artists both indoors and outdoors, Dayler said. A license application said that between 200-800 people are expected to attend.

The bar's neighbors raised concerns to aldermen about the proposed festival's duration and scale.

Alderman Michael Hallquist, who voted against the permit, said he didn't want taxpayers burdened with issues that surround a large event, such as overtime pay for emergency services that respond to any incidents that could arise.

"Taxpayers shouldn't have to pay a hard burden so a private business can benefit," Hallquist told Patch. "While their festivals are great, they should be reasonably sized so they don't hurt taxpayers with extra costs and disruptions that a large festival could create."

Allowing a 10-day music festival could open the door for other organizations to apply to host large events, he said.

City Attorney Jenna Merten said at Tuesday's meeting that approval would set a precedent unless there was an ordinance change. If the city receives no complaints about the event, the renewal for next year's permit would not have to come before the Common Council again.

Alderman Michael Jurken voted to approve the festival. "I think people have been craving live music and to get out," he told Patch. "I heard it would be a wild success from others in the meeting."

Now that the permit has been approved, the event is being marketed and acts are being finalized, Dayler said. "This was too much of a battle for something fun," Dayler told Patch.

Some details of the event have changed since it was first brought before the city in February. For example, the festival will now wind up at 9 p.m. on weeknights, 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 p.m. on Sundays. According to the license application, event days were originally planned to end at 11 p.m. every night.