Just what is
a "Garlic Mustard Picker?"
The Garlic Mustard Pickers band got its start in 2003 when three
members began to discuss their love of music as they pulled the
invasive weed, garlic mustard, out of a Grant Park natural woodlands
area. Garlic Mustard was brought to this area as a culinary plant, but
with recent changes in the climate, it has moved into the category of
“invasive weed” as it voraciously takes over natural woodland areas,
crowding out native plant life and even threatening tree regeneration.
The three original band members were part of WeedOut!
(http://www.parkpeoplemke.org/weed-out.htm) a program of the Milwaukee
County Parks that brings people into the parks to help keep invasive
plants like garlic mustard from destroying the woodlands.
Talking about their love of music lead to the three weed-pickers
getting together to play, then pulling in spouses and friends who
played other instruments, and voila, by August of 2003 the band was
having regular rehearsals. “The Garlic Mustard Pickers” was an obvious
choice for the band name! Our first “paid” gig was in December of 2003.
By consensus, our earnings were turned over to a community project, and
that set the tone for our mission: using profits from performances, CD
sales, and tips, after band expenses, to support worthy public service
projects in our own community.
Each year we had more to contribute, and by 2006 realized that we
needed to incorporate as a non-profit; we were soon granted tax-exempt
status by the IRS. In 2007 the band made a total of $2400 in cash
donations:
Cudahy High School Music
Dept for an electric cello: $400
Racine Arts Council (sponsor repair of donated instruments for needy
students): $300
Childcare program for underserved children: $174
Mitchell Field Rotary Club Scholarship funds: $150
Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee: $90
South Milwaukee Middle School instrument repair: $500
South Mke Middle School Choral program: $500
Park People of Milwaukee County: $300
In addition, in 2007 the band contributed $5600 of in-kind donations
(free performance time) to fundraisers.
Please
note: the band does NOT solicit independent donations through its
website or by any other means. Rather, we solicit paying
performances and take additional donations and CD sales during those
performances to be donated to specific causes at various times
throughout the year.
Our Sponsors:
We would like to
acknowledge the local businesses and organizations that have hired us
to perform, and so have helped us to support our community’s service
projects.