It's like punching along the row of pre-set buttons on a radio. As I take the Sky Glider, a horizontal chairlift that runs the length of 75-acre Henry W. Maier Festival Park, I hear a few bars from one band and then another and another. . . . Music is being made on no fewer than 12 stages below me, and when evening comes, yet another headliner will take to the stage at the Marcus Amphitheater.

This is Summerfest, heralded by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest music festival and attended by nearly 1 million people in 2003. It has been an annual highlight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 1968, when Mayor Maier, for whom the grounds are named, launched the festival in an effort to re-energize the city's downtown and engender a sense of civic pride. To say his scheme was successful is surely an understatement. Plans are to continue the festival for at least another 20 years.

The list of headliners at Summerfest 2004 reads like a "Who's Who" of the music industry: Prince, June 24; Christina Aguilera, June 29; Britney Spears, July 1; John Mayer, July 2; Crosby, Stills and Nash, July 3; Tim McGraw, July 4... Well, you get the picture. Comedy acts, children's performers and sports demonstrations help round out the program. The sheer variety almost guarantees something for everyone. Stages are strategically located so that no act, no matter how loud, drowns out another.

Between the stages are platforms featuring Caribbean steel bands, Peruvian pipe combos and other culturally oriented groups. Tents house veritable bazaars of international imports and locally crafted items, plus the inevitable band T-shirts and Summerfest merchandise. And then there's the food...

Music might be the main attraction at Summerfest, but the fabulous feast spread throughout the grounds has to run a close second. Again, variety is the watchword, from typical fair food (popcorn, corn on the cob, cotton candy, french fries, hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza) to not-so-usual treats (fried eggplant, frozen custard, gator on a stick, jalapeno poppers and pot stickers) to gourmet delights (assorted Thai entrees, chocolate dipped strawberries, sushi and even a chicken, pecan and wild rice salad). Plenty of thirst quenchers also are available, but the favorite seems to be that well-known Milwaukee specialty, beer.

The setting for Summerfest is Henry W. Maier Festival Park, which wraps along the shore of Lake Michigan on the eastern edge of downtown Milwaukee. The shoreline is secluded from the rest of the site, creating a sort of "decompression zone," where festival-goers can enjoy a quiet moment or a meal at one of the picnic tables provided. At the south end of the site is an amusement park, with exciting rides outlined by colorful neon lights at night.

Maier Festival Park is close to downtown attractions, including the Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association, the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. Major hotels in the area offer special Summerfest packages, with shuttle buses taking guests directly to the grounds.

The 11 days of Summerfest always begin on the last Thursday in June and end on the Sunday after the Fourth of July. Upcoming Summerfest dates include: June 24 - July 4, 2004; June 30 - July 10, 2005; and June 29 - July 9, 2006.