Milwaukee Press Club

The Gems of Milwaukee shine brightly

MILWAUKEE, WI — January 25, 2006 — The top 10 Gems of Milwaukee, as voted upon by the public, were announced at the 160th Birthday Party for the City of Milwaukee tonight. Summerfest was named the No. 1 Gem of Milwaukee in a ceremony at the party, which took place at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

The top 10 Gems of Milwaukee are:

1. Summerfest
2. Milwaukee Art Museum
3. Ethnic Festivals
4. Milwaukee's Lakefront
5. Harley-Davidson
6. Milwaukee County Zoo
7. Frozen Custard
8. Allen-Bradley Clock Tower
9. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
10. Friday Night Fish Fries

More than 7,000 people voted in the Gems contest, and more than 500 people attended the party to unveil the top 10 vote-getters.
"The public had its say, and Summerfest was the clear winner. It's difficult to argue with the impact the World's Largest Music Festival has on this city. Summerfest is a true Gem of Milwaukee," said Steve Jagler, executive editor of Small Business Times and president of the Milwaukee Press Club. "When you look at the complete list of nominations and even the write-in votes, it makes you realize that Milwaukee really is cool."

"We were thrilled with how many people responded to our call to vote on the Gems of Milwaukee. The contest created a real buzz around town, and we're grateful to all who helped us celebrate this wonderful city," said Julie Pedretti, public relations director at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and the chairwoman of the committee that organized the City Birthday Party.

When informed about the Gems contest results, Don Smiley, president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee World Festival Inc., which operates Summerfest, said, "Summerfest is thrilled and honored to have been voted "the" Gem of Milwaukee. Our staff works diligently on making Summerfest the best it can possibly be, so that our patrons continue to enjoy the long standing summer tradition of music, food and drink on our beautiful lakefront. Summerfest has been good for Milwaukee, but far more important, Milwaukee and Wisconsin residents have been tremendous for Summerfest. As we enter our 39th year, Summerfest is the World's Largest Music Festival, and we enjoy that distinction because of the generous support of our sponsors, music fans, volunteers and vendors."

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who led the Common Council in cutting the city's birthday cake tonight, said, "Milwaukee is full of gems in every neighborhood in this city. I am heartened that so many citizens placed their votes for not only the top 10 listed here tonight, but for all the gems they recognized we have."