Evening of entertainment to help preserve Irish music
www.irishfest.com

Milwaukee Irish Fest presents its annual Green Tie Event, an evening of entertainment benefitting Milwaukee-based Ward Irish Music Archives – home to the largest public collection of Irish and Irish American music in America – on Saturday, March 3, 2012. Entering its 13th year, the annual event moves to a new location this year and will be held at the Wisconsin Country Club, located at 6200 West Good Hope Road in Milwaukee, Wis.

“All are invited to join us for an entertaining evening in support of Irish music and lore,” said Barry Stapleton, director of the Archives. “People may not realize we have this internationally-recognized treasure right here in Milwaukee. Through the preservation of these archives, we will help future generations worldwide to better understand Irish culture and the important impact of its musical tradition and spirit.”

Tickets to the dinner and charity auction will raise funds to help expand the collection of music. Through the generous support of past Green Tie attendees, the Ward Irish Music Archives has created educational and entertaining exhibits, produced historically valuable projects like the Dunn Family Collection microsite and produced CDs such as Francis O’Neill Cylinders and the Milwaukee Irish Fest Celtic Rock compilation.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., guests will be entertained throughout the evening with musical and dance performances by Ceol Cairde, Glencastle Irish Dancers and Tallymore. A keynote presentation on American dancer, actor, singer and choreographer, Gene Kelly, best known for the musical Singing in the Rain will be given by the director of the Archives. The life and work of Kelly, a descendent of Irish immigrants, will be commemorated in this presentation with films, stories and interesting facts.

A silent and an oral auction will round out the evening. Among the items available to bid on are round trip air fare for two to Ireland, that includes a car rental for a week, two nights in Galway and two nights in Connemara, a private whiskey-tasting event for 10 attendees, a Milwaukee harbor boat tour for eight guests and VIP seating for a group of 20 during the 2012 Milwaukee Irish Fest.

Individual tickets are $100 each ($30 of which is tax-deductible). Table sponsorships, also partially tax-deductible, start at $1,500 and include 10 Green Tie Event tickets, VIP seating, table recognition and program recognition. Early registration is encouraged as seating is limited. Reservations can be made by calling the Irish Fest Center at (414) 476-3378. For more information about the Green Tie Event, visit www.irishfest.com.

About Milwaukee Irish Fest
Milwaukee Irish Fest is North America’s largest celebration of Irish music and culture. The four-day festival showcases more than 100 entertainment acts on 16-stages at Henry W. Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront. The annual festival occurs every third weekend in August. The 2012 festival takes place August 16 to 19.

More than just a festival, the Milwaukee Irish Fest organization is passionately committed to igniting a love of Irish culture in all people. Milwaukee Irish Fest teaches Ireland’s music, dance, drama, sports, culture, children’s activities and genealogy through year-round programming. For more information, visit www.irishfest.com.