The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin has been a loyal partner of the world’s largest music festival – Milwaukee’s Summerfest – providing emergency services and safety support on the festival grounds for more than 40 years.

In recognition of that partnership and in these challenging economic times, Red Cross wants to help provide more than just safety, health and emergency services, and peace of mind to the people of southeastern Wisconsin – they want to brighten spirits and provide a little summer fun in the sun!

That’s why the Red Cross will be giving away 2,000 FREE admission tickets to Summerfest ’09 at Red Cross Summerfest Ticket Stops throughout their southeastern Wisconsin service area the week prior to the festival – June 19 through June 24. These tickets will provide entrance to the Summerfest grounds on weekdays between noon and 4 p.m.

“People don’t always realize how ingrained and vital Red Cross emergency support is at numerous events throughout the summer festival season,” said Tracey Sparrow, Red Cross Regional Chapter Executive.

“We’ve been at the Summerfest grounds for more than 40 years now – helping make it a safe, enjoyable experience for millions of music fans, young and old. We felt that in this tough economic environment, giving tickets away in conjunction with a number of our community partners – such as The Boys and Girls Clubs and Jewish Family Services – as well as at a number of high-traffic spots throughout our service area, would be a fun, relevant way to highlight our involvement with Summerfest.”

From Friday, June 19 through Tuesday, June 24 – the week leading up to “The Big Gig” – Red Cross volunteers and staff in the Red Cross Summerfest Ticket Van will be making stops at a number of local agencies as well as stops in high profile locations throughout the greater Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha areas.

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.