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KIWANIS CLUB OF CLUB MEETINGSWednesday,
7:15am The
Kopper Kitchen Restaurant NW
corner of Highway 83 & St. Charles Road Villa Park Summer Concerts In the spring of 1979, Victor Bruchan, chair of
the Villa Park Kiwanis Citizenship Committee, had the idea for a summer music
festival that would bring Villa Park residents together to enjoy good music
and summer evenings under the stars with their neighbors. He brought the idea
to his committee, which included Carl Roth, John Craft, John Turner, and
Richard Srch. They liked the idea, and the club recommended the project be
pursued. The club took the concept to the Villa Park Recreation Department,
which embraced the idea of co-sponsorship of the concerts. The festival was
named Mid Summer Nite Concerts, and the grassy area in front of Willowbrook
High School (Ardmore and High Ridge) was chosen as the site for the concerts,
which were originally held on Thursday nights in July. The premier concert, held July 5, 1979, was a performance by the Villa Park Community Youth “Pops” Orchestra, made up of local young people of high school and college age and directed by Miss Karla Gustie, the orchestra conductor at Jackson Junior High School. It was an impressive mix of classical and neo-classical music. In later years, the concerts featured popular music, with country-western, bluegrass, Big Band Swing, Dixieland, and Rock music all represented. Though always in July, concert days varied year to year, including Thursdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. In 1986, the concerts were moved to the Prairie Path, at the Gazebo. This year, 2008, marks the 30th season for these popular concerts, still co-sponsored by Villa Park Kiwanis and Villa Park Recreation Department. |
