Mt. Horeb
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JEFKO COMMUNITY STAGE
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7/20/2023
In 1998 through 2006, the stage, located in Grundahl Park, was not permanent and had to be rebuilt each summer season for the Wednesday Night Live (WNL) concert season. Ward Hammond, a local musician who played in bands performing there, not only built the stage each season but also booked artists for the concerts. At the end of season, the stage was removed and stored for the winter in a barn owned by Jack and Deb Markin. In 2006, Cynthia Jefko and Pam Schall wrote a grant to the Mt. Horeb Community Foundation requesting $8,000 for a permanent stage. The grant was approved, and in 2007 Dan Ganch built the current stage.
July 6, 2023, marked the 25th anniversary for WNL. The origination of the concert series was an inspiration of a Mount Horeb art teacher, Sage "Stacy" Lewis, who had visited Trinidad during Carnival and wanted to bring a Carnival festival to kids in Mt. Horeb. Her students studied Carnival and organized a Carnival show and concert, held at the high school which featured her, her husband Gerry Brillowski, and Ward Hammond known as Od Tapo Imi, a steel drum band. The show raised $3,000 and was used as the original source of funding for Wednesday Night Live in 1998. For many years Charlie Jefko helped to organize the funding for WNL He worked as a member of the Summer Frolic Committee which over the the first seven years provided $5,000 per season. Over the past 25 years, the Summer Frolic has contributed $75,000. Since 2006 many local businesses have also been sponsors; since 2011 the Mt. Horeb Community Foundation has donated $22,200 while the audience donations have contributed one-third of the annual budget.
The stage is named after Charlie and Cynthia Jefko, key supporters of the WNL concert series.
See Mt. Horeb Mail for a great article with many more details about the history of the Wednesday Night Live.
From Wednesday Night Live (WNL) FaceBook page: The very first concert in 1998 featured the steel drum band OD TAPO IMI. Since that first concert, audiences have been exposed to a wide variety of music: blues, jazz, folk, country, rock, as well as various ethnic performance groups. We have been fortunate to be entertained by nationally recognized musicians such as Clyde Stubblefield, Willy Porter, and Gabe Burdulis. WNL’s mission has always been to bring diverse, unique and colorful musical entertainment to our community.
July 6, 2023, marked the 25th anniversary for WNL. The origination of the concert series was an inspiration of a Mount Horeb art teacher, Sage "Stacy" Lewis, who had visited Trinidad during Carnival and wanted to bring a Carnival festival to kids in Mt. Horeb. Her students studied Carnival and organized a Carnival show and concert, held at the high school which featured her, her husband Gerry Brillowski, and Ward Hammond known as Od Tapo Imi, a steel drum band. The show raised $3,000 and was used as the original source of funding for Wednesday Night Live in 1998. For many years Charlie Jefko helped to organize the funding for WNL He worked as a member of the Summer Frolic Committee which over the the first seven years provided $5,000 per season. Over the past 25 years, the Summer Frolic has contributed $75,000. Since 2006 many local businesses have also been sponsors; since 2011 the Mt. Horeb Community Foundation has donated $22,200 while the audience donations have contributed one-third of the annual budget.
The stage is named after Charlie and Cynthia Jefko, key supporters of the WNL concert series.
See Mt. Horeb Mail for a great article with many more details about the history of the Wednesday Night Live.
From Wednesday Night Live (WNL) FaceBook page: The very first concert in 1998 featured the steel drum band OD TAPO IMI. Since that first concert, audiences have been exposed to a wide variety of music: blues, jazz, folk, country, rock, as well as various ethnic performance groups. We have been fortunate to be entertained by nationally recognized musicians such as Clyde Stubblefield, Willy Porter, and Gabe Burdulis. WNL’s mission has always been to bring diverse, unique and colorful musical entertainment to our community.
The Wednesday Night Live is held from early July to mid August.
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