Each year, the Waukegan Band has a different theme, and for its 90th season, Music Director Mark Taylor chose tunes representing different holidays like New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Seasons Greetings, and more.
Cathy Jamrog, Lori Miushek, Raymond Martin, and a group of friends have brought picnic dinners to the concerts for years. Their dinners have a theme, and this year each dinner will be based on the specific holiday getting a musical salute.
Opening the season with a New Year’s Day theme, Jamrog said she baked a cake consumed on New Year’s Day by members of the Greek community. There was a spread of appetizers including cheese, vegetables and meats reminiscent of New Year’s Eve.
“Last year our theme was sauces,” Jamrog said. This year’s, we’re making it about each holiday.”
“This is what we have on New Year’s Eve,” added Martin. “Tonight we’re making it part of our picnic.”
The 70-member Waukegan Band opened its 90th season Tuesday at the Stiner Pavilion at the Waukegan Municipal Beach as part of a number of free entertainment venues offered by the City of Waukegan and the Waukegan Park District.
Playing against the backdrop of Lake Michigan as well as Waukegan Harbor & Yacht Club, the band played a variety of New Year’s holiday related songs while more than 300 people brought their chairs, tables and more.
At the north end of the grassy area — Stiner Pavilion is at the south end — hugging the beach was a table where two members of the park district staff supervised youngsters’ art projects as their elders listened to the music.
Anne Linn, who was sitting with a group of friends who came to the concerts together, including Steve Hill and Harry Came, likened the environment to another outdoor concert venue around 20 miles to the south.
“This is our own little Ravinia right here in Waukegan and it’s all free,” Linn said. “Lake Michigan is right over there,” she added, pointing east. “I love Ravinia, but this is very special.”
“This is a cool place to come in the evenings in the summer by the lake,” Came added. “It’s very special.”
Near the entrance to the Stiner Pavilion premises facing the beach is a trailer housing one of the newest additions to the area this year — Alchemy Beach. It sells a variety of alcoholic beverages, non alcoholic rum and martinis, snacks and soft drinks. Besides the concerts, it is open Thursdays through Sundays, weather permitting.
For Miushek, Alchemy Beach makes the evening a little easier. She said carrying chairs, food and cold drinks into the area for the concerts is a chore. Now she gets her libations from Alchemy Beach.
“I like it,” Miushek said. “I like the cans of wine and the glasses they give you. It means there’s less than I have to bring from home.”
Charlotte Callahan Wozniak sat at a table near the entrance to the pavilion area, giving people programs and free tickets for a drawing where the winners got local theater tickets, concert tickets, quilts, beach towels and more.
“Everything is free at the concerts,” Wozniak said. “We do everything we can to make the evening special. We give the prizes out at halftime.”
Wozniak said that for its first 73 years, the band was a city venture, but in 2009, the city had to stop operating it. A not-for-profit corporation was formed, raised the necessary money, and kept it going without missing a season.
Of the 70 people in the band, Taylor said 50 are veterans of multiple seasons and 20 are new. They assemble to rehearse before the first concert. He chose the holiday theme to make it special for the 90th season.
Playing music related to holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, Taylor said the musicians get to play something they do not have the opportunity to play together.
Dierdre Cook has played clarinet with the band for 14 years and Sara Eikenberry has done the same for nine years. Music teachers, they have had the opportunity to play with former students over the years. They like the environment as well as the gig
“This is a beautiful setting right here by Lake Michigan,” Eikenberry said.
“Summer here is amazing,” Cook said. “It makes it even more enjoyable.”
The remaining concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday through April 4. David Motley, the city’s public relations director, said there will be concerts with other bands at the same time on Aug. 11 and 18.
Kiley Dumas, a recreation aid for the park district, was one of two people overseeing the Arts Park activities. They were helping the youngsters with “model magic,” creating designs on clay giving them something to take home.
Ty Rohrer, the park district’s manager of cultural arts, said Arts Park is a program running through the summer. Besides helping people with projects at the band concerts, they will start the Movies in the Park nights giving youngsters and even parents something to do until it gets dark.
Rohrer said festivities start with Arts Park at 7 p.m. until it is dark enough for the movie between 8:30 and 9 p.m. They will show “Zootopia 2” July 11 at Country Lane Park and “The “SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” Aug. 8 at Victory Park.
“We have free popcorn and lots of candy,” Rohrer said. “The movies are family friendly to make them appropriate for everyone.”
Arts Park also takes place in neighborhood parks. They are scheduled at 6 p.m. each Thursday including June 25 at King Park, July 2 at Bowen Park, July 9 at Diversity Park, July 16 at Corrine J. Rose Park, July 23 at Bedrosian Park, July 30 at Dugdale Park and Aug. 6 at Bevier Parki.
