Posted by Steve Lettau on May 07, 2020

2020 Conley Publishing Group

CEDARBURG — Seven sponsors of the Rotary Music Festival have chosen to donate their sponsorship fees to the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club even though the July 3rd event has been canceled due to the Coronavirus.

Ansay & Associates, Bob Chmielewski, Cedarburg Overhead Door, Mel’s Charities, Newman Chevrolet, Sommer’s Subaru GMC Buick and Wealth Partners all decided to let the Rotary Club keep their sponsorship fees. The total amounts to $10,250.

The 21st annual Rotary Music Festival was canceled after Drum Corps International determined that the Coronavirus posed too big of a threat to the health and safety of drum corps members. Six drum and bugle corps were scheduled to perform at the event, which is the Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Since 1999, the festival has raised $840,000 to support student scholarships, community projects and international causes.

“We are very grateful for the generosity of these sponsors,” said Layton Olsen, chairman of the Rotary Music Festival. “With the cancellation of the Music Festival, our club’s ability to support our charitable giving initiatives has been substantially reduced. These donations are a huge boost to continuing the good work that we do.”

The club’s other major fundraiser, the Milwaukee Symphony holiday concert at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center, is scheduled to be held Dec. 10.