Event highlights ethnicity, history of city
By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
Heritage Days organizers say the event successfully brought cultures together Thursday through Sunday in Delavan – albeit in rain and October-like temperatures.
“The weather was our No. 1 problem,” said Dave Block, president of the Friends of the Phoenix Bandshell. “We were still successful in getting our message out.”
Block said the mission of the project was to bring a variety of cultures together in Delavan.
“Music brings us all together,” he said. “That is what we are all about at the bandshell.”
“We wanted to bring attention to what makes Delavan special,” said Roseanne Stillo, special events chairperson for the Friends of the Bandshell. “Our theme was ‘Heritage Fest – Rediscover Delavan.’”
Block said the crowd was much more integrated than the usual crowd for events in Phoenix Park and he hopes even more can be done to bring that culture out next year. Block said the goal was to get vendors to not only highlight the food of their culture but the culture itself. He said a booth and food truck presented by Saskia Lodder, Arlene Torrenga and Grace Hirte was the perfect example as the three put on a wonderful Dutch culture display. Mayor Mel Nieuwenhuis even participated wearing at least two authentic Dutch costumes.
“We were disappointed not everyone came out,” Block said. Several vendors who had committed to the event did not show up after rain made things difficult the first two days. Unseasonably cool weather continued to keep crowd counts down on Saturday.
Block said Friday should have been a complete disaster, but it wasn’t. He said many of the performances at the bandshell went on as planned and were very good. He said the performers did more than just perform – they shared their culture. For example, Jamie Brace, who is half Native American, talked between songs about what it is like not being accepted by white or Native Americans growing up.
Block said the Squeezettes polka group was a big hit on Saturday as was the Tierra Colombiana dance group. Some performers encouraged audience participation with several opportunities to learn to dance or play the drums.
Taste event expanded
Heritage Days was a reincarnation of the Taste of Delavan, which had been a one-day event over the past three years. It was sponsored by the Friends of the Bandshell, the Delavan Historical Society, Aram Public Library, the Downtown Business Association and La Rasa.
“We wanted to fulfill the theme of the Taste of Delavan by giving people a taste of what Delavan is all about,” Block said.
“We have a diverse population,” he said. “We wanted to bring people together and appreciate each others’ cultures.”
Stillo said the committee wanted to provide family entertainment at an affordable price or even free. For example, the library hosted lessons for children on how to walk a tight rope and juggle. Several clowns were also scheduled to demonstrate how to apply face paint at Tower Park.
“You would pay $75 to see the Ballet Folklorico Nacional in Chicago, and you could see them here for free,” Stillo said.
Block said Delavan has a lot of cultural history to be proud of and he hopes more focus on that history can be included in coming years. Block said the community has its circus history, its history as an arts colony, the School for the Deaf and many cultural groups.
Circus, Civil War history
A nod to that circus history was the Carson and Barnes Circus that performed at Lake Lawn Resort’s airstrip on Sunday and was sponsored by the Historical Society.
“A big part of Delavan’s history is the circus,” Stillo said.
Delavan’s Civil War history was highlighted with a cemetery walk at Spring Grove Cemetery on Saturday as a fundraiser for restoring the Civil War Monument. Restoration Committee Chairman Ken Wargo informed people about the monument and other history buffs dressed in period pieces and shared the stories of Civil War soldiers buried at Spring Grove.
Delavan’s history as the center of ballroom dancing was highlighted with a performance by the Jack Farina Big Band on Saturday night. Farina spent some time discussing Delavan’s history, and free ballroom dance lessons were provided before the show.
No ‘ugly stepsister’
Block said in addition to bringing people together and sharing cultures, the goal of the project was to increase tourism to Delavan and help downtown businesses.
“Many people don’t know what we have,” he said. “We want people to know Lake Geneva is not the only show in town.”
“We are always perceived to be the ugly stepsister to Lake Geneva,” Stillo said. “There are a lot of interesting things in Delavan.”
Block said some of the challenges included getting enough volunteers. He said people busy with their own things especially in the summer. He also said the group wishes it would have started planning and advertising sooner and put more focus on reaching the tourism industry.
Stillo agreed getting enough volunteers to help was a challenge as was getting people to come out to an event in the summer with so much competition from other events. She also said funding the event was a challenge.
“We wanted to try to work together for the good of the families of Delavan,” Stillo said.
Block thanked many people and organizations for their support. He said the library, the Historical Society, the Downtown Business Association and the Hispanic community were all great.
Block thanked Alderman Ryan Schroeder and Nieuwenhuis for their support. He said City Administrator Denise Pieroni served on the committee’s board and the city contributed room tax funds to the event. Block said no city taxpayer money was used.
Block also said the committee will receive a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, though the amount is not yet known.
Block commended the hard work of Luis and Berenice Solis.
“They are a great bridge between the Anglo and Hispanic communities,” Block said. “They are wonderful people and were very helpful.”
Block also commended James Biel for his work in setting up the sound system for the bandshell and paying for many of the performers who play there.
Stillo said the group of volunteers was large and its efforts this year were the tip of the iceberg. She said the committee has a lot of ideas for next year already.
