Reprinted from: Green Bay Press-Gazette
http://www.pressgazettenews.com

June 8, 2000

Bayfest's 20th year brings back memories

By Kendra Meinert

The bands, weather forecasts, ostrich burgers and porta-potty lines have come and gone, but Tim Quigley has been the one constant in the 19 years of Bayfest.

As director of the annual fund-raiser for University of Wisconsin-Green Bay athletic scholarships, Quigley has been on the front lines to see the event blossum from what he calls "a church picnic" in its first year into the area's biggest summer festival.

Bayfest is his baby, and this weekend it turns 20.

"To me, it seems like 10. I've had a lot of fun with this," he said. "The sense of community has always personally make me very happy."

He credits its success with striking the right blend of music, food, family fun and atmosphere. "It's about as laid back as you can get," he said.

Laid back for visitors perhaps, but always a challenge for Quigley.

"The challenges seem greater," he said. "You have to come up every year with something new. You can't sit back and say, 'Oh, everything is marvelous.'"

But on Bayfest's 20th birthday, Quigley takes time to sit back and reflect on its history — the good, the bad and the odd:

1. In 19 years, an estimated 923,000 people have attended Bayfest. (Don't even try to figure out how many beverages that is.)

2. The first Bayfest was held in 1980 behind the Phoenix Sports Center and consisted of one food tent and one stage that featured folk music. Why folk? "Because it was free. Everyone fell asleep."

3. A whopping 3,000 people attended that first year. "I think I counted every squirrel and chipmunk I saw on the ground."

4. The all-time record for Bayfest attendance is 107,000 in 1997.

5. It rained for three days before the second Bayfest and flooded the field beind the Phoenix Sports Center. A farmer brought in 100 bales of straw to cover the grounds.

"That lasted about 10 minutes. I totally ruined the sports field. I had a couple of soccer coaches who really wanted to do me in."

6. Other than the second year, Bayfest once went 11 years without rain. "People used to plan their weddings for Bayfest weekend because they knew it wouldn't rain." (You'll notice no prospective brides and grooms have the same tradition for Celebrate De Pere weekend.)

7. The worst weather year for Bayfest was 1999 — major rain and tornado warnings.

8. The sand sculpture, now in its eighth year, started out with 50 tons, which sounded like a lot at the time but Quigley admits, "It wasn't that dramatic." This year's Egyptian-themed sculpture is the biggest yet — 200 tons.

9. Quigley estimates the average number of arrents at Bayfest each year is six, most for underage drinking.

10. Bayfest moved from behind the Phoenix Sports Center to its current location on campus during its third year.

11. The second year of Bayfest included, of all things, a horse pull. An intoxicated patron bought a used machete at a flea market on the grounds and started hootin', hollerin' and swingin' the machete around at what was otherwise a very quiet horse pull.

It was Quigley's job to get the machete back. "He handed it to me, but I was scared to death he was going to go after me."

12. There have been only two no-shows in Bayfest history: Jazz singer Janet Planet mistakenly wrote down the wrong date one year, and a country band's trailer broke down on its way over from Minneapolis.

13. No one has ever lost their life at Bayfest. "We haven't had a heart attack. We've been very fortunate."

14. Australian food vendor Outback Jack has been at Bayfest for 15 years. In the early years, when dogs were allowed on the grounds, the sassy Aussie was known to holler out, "Sir, may I borrow your dog. I'm running out of meat."

15. Quigley estimates 75 percent of people return to Bayfest year after year — "at least, at least."

16. Ideas from the Bayfest files that just didn't fly: a laser light show and flea market. "People were bringing in everything. They were bringing in bowling balls!"

17. During one of the first years, Quigley agreed to go up in one of 22 hot-air balloons. Oops, the wind shifted and the balloon — and Quigley — ended up in someone's back yard along the shore.

18. This is the 10th year a carnival has been part of Bayfest.

"The first one was an absolute disaster," Quigley said.

He booked a company that billed itself as the biggest in the country and heavily advertised gondola rides up and down the boulevard. Just one problem: The company brought in a bankrupt carnival it purchased the week before. There was no gondola.

"I'll never forget that," Quigley said. "Everyone was coming out to see the gondola, and it wasn't there." He has since switched to Tip Top Shows.

19. It's not uncommon for Bayfest to go through 26,000 pounds of ice, 6,500 ears of corn and 5,700 burgers during an average run.