Submitted
The Winnebago Big Band performed during the 1999 Harvest Moon Ball held at Waupun City Hall.
WAUPUN — Waupun Fine Arts, established in 1997 by Lori Page and Melody Curtis, has changed dramatically over the years to meet the public's art needs.
Starting as a Harvest Moon Ball, providing live music and dance lessons, the group of Waupun volunteers eventually added concerts in the spring, plays and art shows.
"We really wanted to highlight and spotlight local artists," Page said. "We also wanted to give something back to the schools and to provide scholarships."
Twelve years later, the small group organizes and facilitates Waupun's Concerts in the Park on Thursdays in July at Dodge Park with proceeds from a free-will offering donated to area school art departments, including drama, band and choir.
The organization did not solicit national talent because they wanted to focus on local people.
"There is a lot of local talent," Page said. "People need to have a venue to display their talents. People should be appreciative and proud of their talents."
At one point the organization handed out questionnaires to see what people wanted from the group and if anybody wanted to help. A few more joined and continue to support Waupun Fine Arts.
"Every little bit helps," Page said. "It makes the load a little lighter. Everybody has good ideas and can offer networking with different people."
The group is always open for new members. They have too much work for the few people involved. Currently there are five members who form the Waupun Fine Arts board and several more volunteer members. They each bring a background from a variety of arts.
Sandy Oestreich, president, is an avid theater attendee, has done some amateur acting in England and is the executive producer of an independent film. Dan Landbo, vice president, is involved with the Kilties, a drum corps group in the Racine area. Sue Haefemeyer, secretary, was a part of the Waupun Community Band and her church choir. Debbie Vande Zande, treasurer, is from the musical Recheck family and is also a part of her church worship team. Dena Harris is the communications director.
Volunteer members include Joyce Domisee, Derek Indermuehle, Mike Oksa and Dylan Weber.
"Culture in a city says a lot," Page said. "People look for that when they are looking to visit or become a resident. It's very important."
Page said the general idea was to use city hall for their functions as it is a beautiful building with good acoustics.
"It hasn't been used as it was initially intended," Page said. "We need to honor the people who had the foresight to spend money to build the structure."
Developing Waupun Fine Arts
"We had some real ups and downs over the years because of people not attending," Haefemeyer said. "There were a lot of lean years. But the concerts in the park kept chugging along. We have scaled down what we've done."
Currently the July concerts in the park is the only event the group holds. Until they have more community support in the form of volunteers and funding, the group will not be able to continue traditions like the St. Patrick's Day band.
"The best way to let us know what you want is to attend things," Haefemeyer said.
Several businesses have donated generously over the years to keep recognizing the arts in Waupun.
"It's great to see business support," Vande Zande said. "Without them we couldn't do anything. They're the backbone of our organization."
"There's a strong history of good music and good art," Page said. "People still remember. They need to keep giving. It's a good draw for the community."
The group meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in various locations. Contact Oestreich at s.oestreich@pobox.com for more information or visit waupunfinearts.org.