Commission approves temporary alcohol license for downtown concerts and banner for Miracle Treat Day

The City of Madison commission on July 7 approved a temporary retail on-sale alcohol license for the Greater Madison Area Chamber of Commerce to support the Downtown MadTown summer concert series and approved a separate request from a local Dairy Queen franchise to install a temporary "Miracle City" banner over Egan Avenue around Miracle Treat Day.

Chamber event and alcohol license: Eric Ortness, executive director of the chamber, told the commission the Downtown MadTown concert series holds six events (dates spanning mid-July and August). The chamber will block streets and operate the event venues; the commission approved the requested temporary retail on-sale alcohol license by voice vote. Ortness said the chamber moved one event date to avoid conflict with a city Miracle Treat Day event and hopes to attract Dakota State University students to later events in August.

Miracle Treat Day banner and fundraising plans: Delon Mork, representing Dairy Queen, presented the Miracle Treat Day plans and requested permission to install a temporary banner over Egan Avenue reading a Miracle Treat Day message (the marketing firm proposed a "Miracle City" naming for a short time around the event). Mork said the local franchise intends to pay for the banner and installation, requested the banner be in place roughly three weeks (about three weeks before through one week after the event), and asked the commission to allow the sign for a short timeframe; the commission approved the request.

Mork provided event details: the local Dairy Queen operation is observing its twentieth Miracle Treat Day in-store and hopes local fundraising this year will reach a $100,000 goal to push the store's cumulative fundraising past $1,000,000 for Children’s Miracle Network charities. Fundraising activities include in-store sales, an online raffle (beef quarters, a sauna, a cold plunge tub, a furniture item), children's ceiling-tile art from hospital patients, and a concert featuring country artist Kafe Anderson. Mork said he hired a marketing firm to expand outreach and that Dairy Queen corporate agreed to support select social-media promotion.

City coordination: Jamieson (city staff) told the commission staff can coordinate social-media promotion and limited staff help with event logistics within reasonable staff capacity. The commission approved both the license and the temporary banner request by voice vote.