BROOKLYN, Wis. — About 20,000 people are expected to come to the small town of Brooklyn, Wis., Friday night for a Luke Bryan concert.
This was the second stop this week on the country singer’s Farm Tour. The tour also included other stops in Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. He has been playing shows at small town farms since 2009.
Throughout the morning and afternoon on Friday, Luke Bryan’s production crew set the stage at Klondike Farms in Brooklyn for his show.
Kevin and Erika Klahn are the owners of the farm.
Kevin Klahn said they competed with 20 other different small-town sites to convince Bryan’s team they should be a stop on his farm tour.
“These events happen usually in Madison or Chicago or big cities,” said Kevin Klahn. “I think it is just super special that a town of 1,500 people can have a big event like this. I mean, this is probably the most people that have ever come together near Brooklyn that I can remember, and I have lived here my whole life.”
Many vehicles waited for hours right outside the farm.
Erika Klahn believes the event has caused quite a buzz in their community.
“I’m pretty sure sales have increased, if not before today, then it should be today,” she said. “We have Dollar General and some other small businesses in the Brooklyn and Evansville area [that benefit]. There’s actually a store that has cowboy boots and hats and I had stopped there yesterday, and she said her sales had been phenomenal.”
Leif Spilde is the Deputy Fire Chief for the Brooklyn Fire Department. He said although they have never had a crowd this size in their community, they have the necessary resources to respond to any situation.
“We are fortunate that we are in a small community, but we are in a county, Dane County, which has tons of resources, so they have assisted in planning, helping us get this all set up,” Spilde said. “They have gone through multiple events bigger than this and they have also been involved in other Luke Bryan events.”
For Spilde, there is only one goal for this show.
“Our main concern is the people that are coming to the concert that bought tickets and the staff that works here, that they come, they are safe, and they leave safe,” he said. “That’s our main concern. Having fun that will work its way out.”
Kevin Klahn said he is thankful that Bryan was willing to come to his town to play a show.
“Something to be proud of, something to talk about and something to remember and pull each other together,” he said.
“We put Brooklyn on the map officially,” Erika Klahn said. “Instead of Brooklyn, New York, it’s Brooklyn, Wisconsin.”
The Klahns hope the community will make memories from this concert that will last for years to come.