Fighting Bob Fest North

progressive fest stages trial run for northern counterpart

Matt Ledger |

 
A previous Fighting Bob Fest in Baraboo, Wis.

This year’s Fighting Bob Fest North is just a portent of things to come. While the event looks to be quite cool in its own right, boasting local bands the Jones Tones, Left Wing Bourbon, and Evergreen Grass Band, plus a slew of regionally-raised and deliciously cooked meats for your dining pleasure, the real promise of Fighting Bob Fest North lies in what it aims to achieve next year. Fighting Bob Fest North is an ancillary of the original Fighting Bob Fest, an annual gathering held in Baraboo that promotes citizen activism and education by providing “a forum for democratic participation where frustrations with current policies can be constructively molded into calls to action.” Inspired by “Wisconsin’s most famous hell raiser,” former governor and senator “Fighting” Bob LaFollete, the event has been running since 2002, attracting such notable speakers as Amy Goodman, Dave Obey, Ralph Nader, and Dennis Kucinich. Meanwhile, attendance for the event has skyrocketed from 1,000 attendees to over 10,000 in 2008, making Fighting Bob Fest “the largest annual political festival in the United States.” Fighting Bob Fest North hopes to duplicate this success and could turn Chippewa Falls into one of the biggest political forums in the country. This year’s event is a dry run, says committee member Richard Haughian, a chance not only for people to support next year’s gathering with their dollars, but with their ideas. “We’re asking for input for next year’s event,” he says, input which may even include who attendees would like to see speak at next year’s event, which will take place on May 21, 2011.

    Fighting Bob Fest North • May 22 • Northern WI State Fairgrounds, 331 Jefferson Ave., Chippewa Falls • 2-7pm • www.fightingbobfestnorth.org (for the normal Fighting Bob Fest: www.fightingbob.com)