APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Music fills the air as the 14th annual Appleton Street Music Week is underway along College Avenue.
“A cause originally started in Spokane Washington and brought here to Appleton by one of our team members who really wanted to get the musicians feeling like they could help us to raise the funds for things in the community that matter to them,” said Dede Heid, President of Heid Music.
Each performer has a bucket with them to collect donations.
It’s all in the name of raising money for Neo Medina’s “Paint the City.” A mural project that gives students an opportunity to make their mark.
“Art saved my life, and I try to just dip back in to where I came from and reach my hand back to pull them up the ladder,” Medina said. “What better way than to paint something enormous, to create a project that involves different layers of the community.”
The group has already done multiple murals in the downtown area, including at the YMCA and behind Fox Commons.
Medina says it’s to give students the ability to look back on their time in school and leave their stamp on the downtown.
“It’s this thing that stands the test of time, it’s proof that we were here, we did something amazing, and we’re part of this community,” Medina told FOX 11.
As for what the performers bring to College Avenue during the week-long festivities…
“We need that vibrancy,” Heid said. “I personally think you want your downtown to be the heart of your community. A place where people can feel like they’re welcome, they can gather, they can experience.”
The goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of Friday. The event runs from noon to one Tuesday through Friday.
Donations can also be made directly to Heid Music on their website.
