A HUGE Midsommarfest Thank-you

Dear Andersonville community,
 
Thank you for supporting Midsommarfest 2012! After many consecutive years of partial rain, Midsommarfest enjoyed spectacular weather this year. Thanks to the bright sunshine, a first-time Friday night event, and the support of Andersonville businesses, residents, elected officials, and police, we had a nearly seamless festival. Midsommarfest 2012 had happy crowds, best-ever bands and vendors, and funds raised to support our beloved community.
 
Midsommarfest supports everything else that the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce and Andersonville Development Corporation do year 'round on behalf of the business community. It only happens once a year, but it is a huge part of what makes Andersonville Andersonville (see below for a list of programs supported by Midsommarfest).
 

One of the most exciting outcomes of this year's Midsommarfest is that it allowed us to give back to the community as never before. Our new partnership with Andersonville schools donated a portion of the Chamber beer booths profit for each beer booth volunteer the school groups provided. Thanks to the sunshine and the thousands of people who patronized the Chamber beer booths, we will be donating a total of $16,000 to Peirce, Trumbull and St. Gregory's schools!
 
 
Midsommarfest 2012 also helped promote sales at our local businesses. Midsommarfest weekend is typically slow for many Andersonville retail and service businesses. This year, we offered a free beer at Midsommarfest with proof of purchase over $30. We gave away nearly 600 beers, representing over $50,000 in sales at our local businesses that weekend!
 
Midsommarfest would not be possible without the people and organizations listed below. We give them a heartfelt "Tack sa mycket!":

• Local sponsors: Simon's Tavern, George's Ice Cream, Swedish Bakery, Hamburger Mary's, Alamo Shoes
• Swedish American Museum, for their scheduling and support of Midsommarfest's Swedish cultural events
• Elected officials: Alderman Harry Osterman, Alderman Patrick O'Connor, State Senator Heather Steans, State Representative Kelly Cassidy, State Representative Greg Harris
• 20th District Police
• Peirce School, Trumbull School and St. Gregory's High School, who together provided 444 volunteer hours at Midsommarfest!
• Others who go the extra mile to make Midsommarfest happen: Holmquist Northern Insurance, Bridgeview Bank, North Side Federal Savings

 
On behalf of the businesses of Andersonville, thank you again!
 
Ellen Shepard
Executive Director
 
 
Programs partially or fully funded by Midsommarfest include:
Andersonville Farmers Market
Andersonville Arts Weekend
Andersonville Sidewalk Sale
Taste of Andersonville Dinner Crawl
Late & Later Night Andersonville
St. Lucia Festival of Lights
Julmarknad
Andersonville Neighborhood Guide
Andersonville.org website
Andersonville Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, blog
Andersonville Monthly Email update
Business networking events
Business Over Breakfast workshops for business owners
Member to member discounts
One-on-one technical assistance to businesses
Advocacy for local business-friendly public policy
eco-Andersonville Sustainable Business Certification
eco-Andersonville Streetscape Recycling
eco-Andersonville bike corrals
Andersonville Green Week
Green Gift Wrapping Bash
Andersonville Honors
Market studies
Constituent surveys
Available property tracking & promotion
Business attraction and property owner engagement
Andersonville Historic District promotion
Andersonville Wine Walk
Andersonville Dessert Crawl