verb [trans.][often as adj.](localized):

make (something) local in character

How do we localize an event like the Twin Ports Bridge Festival? Well, we can start by lining up artists who have roots in the region. Then we can involve as many organizations as possible from our area, including everything from the production companies to the vendors and exhibitors at the event. See below for a list of performers, vendors and other local connections that make this event happen.

Why do we localize the Twin Ports Bridge Festival? To support each other and our community. So money spent stays close to home, and gets reinvested close to home. So we feel good about spending it. So we all have ownership in this celebration of each other. So everyone wins.

Consciousness is an important key here. It’s no different from buying a product at a department store or the grocery store. Have you thought about the effects of buying a product made in China over the same locally made product? Where do those dollars go and how many lives are affected by that purchase?

For events like the Twin Ports Bridge Festival, some of the largest expenses are the big acts you see on stage and the production costs (sound, lights, security, etc.). So where does your money go after the event? If a sound company was brought in from another state, a good chunk goes with them back to where they came from. If the headline act is from another part of the country, probably the biggest chunk leaves on a tour bus with them on the road to the next stop.

So one of our main goals for 2012 is to localize all aspects of the event as much as we can. This festival was intended to be an investment in our community right from the start, and now the roots grow deeper. Here’s a short list of some local connections:

From the Twin Ports: Charlie Parr, Sarah Krueger, Sara Thomsen, KUMD, Lake Superior Brewing, Yoga North, Deep Peace Wellness, Hartel’s DBJ Disposal, Visit Duluth, Perfect Duluth Day, Christie Printing, Paper Hog, Reader Weekly, APS Security, London Road Rental, Clyde Restaurant, Duluth News Tribune, Whole Foods Co-op, Duluth Stage Employees Union, City of Duluth, DECC, James Moors (& McCumber), Sound Central, Rosenbaum Business Consulting, Michael Laughing Fox Charette, Superior Event Construction and more.

From greater MN & WI: The Jayhawks, Honeydogs, Bunny Clogs, Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps, batteryboy, Amazing Jeffo, Magic Mama, City Pages and more.