Memorial Day Float

Parade Recap – brought to you by Da Bears Den, Ebyte, Weber Grill, BK Boats & Sleds, SawStop, The Mega Event, ½ Times Pizza, Woodstock Infantry, Bundy Audio and hopefully many more  sponsors to come.

I really enjoyed typing that part of my blog this morning because it shows me that Walla-Pa-Looza 2010 is getting close. I can already taste the roasted corn that the Johnsburg Lions will be grilling and the Ice Cold Miller Lite provided by Charles Herdrich & Sons Inc.

But let’s move on to the Memorial Day parade.

Monday morning we met around 7:30 am to put together our float. Special thanks to Shawn Strach from Dream Real-Estate for pulling our parade float through town and making sure our purple balloons were full for the children attending the parade. Mike Betts our parade chairman purchased the necessary goods to put together our standard float. Once we arrived in our designated parade spot we gathered together to listen to some local politicians remind us of those who fought for our country. Afterward, the Johnsburg Marching band played the Star Spangled Banner and we headed back to our spot in line.

Our spot in the parade was supposed to be next to the Johnsburg Lions so Doug Carlile from CLM Insurance and I could walk with both groups. As you know Doug is our new food and beverage stool. Anyway, we were lined up next to them for awhile and that allowed us to deploy our newly purchased water guns and squirt pretty much everyone around us. Remember, I said we wanted to make raising money for cancer fun so of course we had purple water pistols. I got soaked, Carlile got soaked and so did everyone else in the Walla path of squirt gun destruction.

So off we went, The Johnsburg Lions headed out first then they held us back so the local politicians could ride behind the veterans in the Lions float then finally the Walla-Pa-Looza gang. During the start of the parade the Johnsburg bridge was packed with people. I was extremely proud of the younger walla-teers as they made sure everyone received a flyer. While they were working the flyer angle the others threw candy, handed out balloons and shot water at the crowd. It was one big Walla-Pa-Looza barrage. As we made our way down Fairview you could see the storms coming in. Lighting and thunder were close but we kept on. Nothing was going to stop us, we were on a mission.

We finally got to our destination at the Johnsburg Community Club without a drop of rain. We then departed and said good bye. Some for afternoon cook outs, others to jobs, others to visit with family. The rest of us participated in the Memorial Service. My wife, Joanne and I worked the bar for the Johnsburg Lions the rest of the day. Afterwards, I went home, ordered a ½ Time’s pizza and rooted our Chicago Blackhawks onto victory.

Whew, what a weekend! Oh, and I only had one beer and it was BEFORE the parade. It was a Corona Light. Yeh, I know, 7:30 am? But, hey a man has his traditions.

Have a great week and listen to STAR 105.5 the next few months and let me know if you hear Walla-Pa-Looza mentioned.

Craig

Today is a vacation day. It’s a vacation day for us to remember those veterans that made it possible for my family, friends and co-workers to enjoy a beverage or two, barbecue and take it easy. I noticed a lot of chain e-mails being sent to my inbox reminding me that it was our armed services that made this day possible. I am grateful for those that fought to give me the liberties and freedoms I enjoy living here in the United States. I really didn’t need that email to remind me, but it was nice to see so many people dedicated to passing it along.

Today, the Johnsburg VFW along with help from the Johnsburg Lions and Woodstock Infantry Club put together the annual Memorial Day parade here in my home town Johnsburg, Illinois. I am very proud that Walla-Pa-Looza has decided to participate by having a float in this parade. I know this is short notice, but if you can stop and enjoy the parade today do so. The Memorial Day Parade starts at 9:30 from Fairview and Chapel Hill along Fairview crossing Johnsburg Road to Church St, then to the Johnsburg Community Center for the rest of the Memorial Day Program at the Armed Forces Flag Memorial. Antique and military vehicles will be on display during the picnic and baseball game that follows! Free hot dogs and pop will be provide by the Johnsburg Lions.

I hope to see some of you attend the parade and visit the memorial at the Johnsburg Community Club. It is a nice way to remember that today is more than a day off; its day that should remind us that sometimes we take for granted the opportunities given to us by the men and women who have given their lives for our country.

Have a wonderful holiday today and please stop and say hello if you see me in the parade or at the Community Club picnic.

Next week I promise to have some pictures and a recap of our adventures in the parade.

Craig

Craig Wallace, Chairman of Walla-Pa-Looza

Walla-Pa-Looza is one year old!

Yes, thats right – one year ago today, Craig Wallace sent a note out on Facebook talking about an event that he wanted to have “this summer”. He "guessed it would be a live music event" and was asking for help. Here’s his note:

I am trying to put together an event this summer that will raise money for the fight against cancer. I am guessing it will be a live music event. Depending on the location I would prefer it be outside but, I have not looked into the permits here in Johnsburg yet. I am thinking about 3-4 bands that would either play for a small fee or donate the time. The bands would be heavily promoted and each band would able to sell cd’s, shirts and promote future shows as well.

I would also have some type of 50/50 raffle, a silient auction and food as well.

I am looking for some people that are willing to give me a hand , suggestions or donations….For those of you with businesses this would be a good opportunity to promote your brand or service.

Please understand that this is a volunteer type of position but would look good on any resume’….. : )

You can e-mail me via Facebook or contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx

Craig

… and the rest is history. Happy Birthday Walla-Pa-Looza and thank you to Craig for giving birth to the idea – and to all of the volunteers for making it happen!

Check out our highlight video of Walla-Pa-Looza 2009. When you’re done watching it, plan to show up at Walla-Pa-Looza 2010. This one goes to eleven!

I know last week I promised to talk about one of the hardest working volunteers in Walla-Pa-Looza but I felt like I need to explain to you that sometimes “it” just happens.

A few weeks ago a few of us from Walla-Pa-Looza sat down with the folks from the Centegra Sage Cancer Center for lunch to see how we could figure out how to market the Walla-Pa-Looza product and become partners in our fund raising efforts. We ended up at Cathie’s Place here in Johnsburg to meet. I wanted to make sure to mention Cathie’s Place because not only did she open her restaurant to us on a day that they were closed but she also picked up the tab. We had prime rib, salad, soup and even desert. What a great lunch. If you get a chance, stop in and say hi to Cathie and her husband Steve. They are great people and I am very happy to have their restaurant across the street from my house. The restaurant is at 4000 North Johnsburg Road in Johnsburg, Illinois.

My story with Cathie begins like this. I was introduced by a friend of mine, Dick Doyle who stopped in during their first week of business. So, when I had a chance I introduced myself and told Cathie that yes, I was the guy that started Walla-Pa-Looza. She was very excited and told me she would do anything to help raise money for cancer. So, I told her I would keep that in mind. During our conversation she began telling me all the great things that the Sage Cancer Center does and had said she would introduce me to some people at the center. She went on to tell me she worked as an RN at Centegra for years. But, her knowledge of the Sage Cancer Center was not because she was an RN but because she has breast cancer. I left the restaurant that day thinking that maybe she was right. It was time for me to meet up with the people from Sage. I kept a mental note and went along my merry way.

As things in the world work in mysterious ways, I received an e-mail that same week from someone else here in Johnsburg that is dealing with breast cancer and had just attended a luncheon with the Sage Cancer Center and had said she gave them my name and phone number. A meeting was scheduled and I have to say, I was highly impressed with the professionalism and sincerity of both the women we met with. At that lunch I decided that this would be a perfect fit. What a better way to keep locally raised money local. So, this year’s 2010 Walla-Pa-Looza event will help people locally that are dealing with cancer and cancer related issues.

After lunch I pleaded with Cathie to allow me to pay for lunch but she wouldn’t let that happen. She just said “I am just happy that you were able to meet with Mia and Amy from Sage Center and that you are all working together.” Me too Cathie, Me too!

I am now in the process of scheduling a field trip to the Sage Cancer Center for the folks in Walla-Pa-Looza so we all get a true feeling of what the goal is.

I am guessing somebody upstairs is helping connect the dots!

Craig

The Wallace Family

In this week’s blog I wanted to talk about my family.

I know I use this blog to discuss the on-goings of Walla-Pa-Looza, but to understand me a little bit better I wanted to give you some details on the family that puts up with all my meetings, phone calls & emails. Sometimes I can just tell they think I do way too much.

My wife Joanne is the person that runs the household. She keeps us organized, clean and fed. She works seven days a week and yet finds time to give us all a hug, to volunteer at school, participate in Walla events and attend baseball games. She is the rock in this family and I am proud to be married to her. Joanne has plenty to do but she still misses her mother that she lost to cancer almost 10 years ago. She shared with us what she felt on the “Tell us Your Story” page but I can tell you that every Mothers Day, Christmas or birthday she hurts. Her sister Val, who has Downs Syndrome, toasts her mother at Christmas every year. It makes us all feel sad. Joanne’s mom was the one that brought us all together as a family.

Now the holidays are a bit different but her spirit is still with us.

Justin, who is nine, is our older son. He is almost a spitting image of me. He has a love for music and has already seen AC-DC, Kid Rock and Skynyrd. He also is a huge Kiss fan. This strikes me funny, because at his age so was I.

One day I broke out some record albums and he was in awe. The funny part was when he came to me and told me I made a mistake – one of the albums had two records in it. I told him it was not a mistake but that was called a double album. He thought that was very cool and I felt really old. But, Kiss is still rocking and so is dad.

Justin also loves Rocky. He might get mad at me but he has all the DVD’s and has a pair of Rocky boxing shorts he runs around in from time to time. I think it’s cool that he likes Rocky so I bought him a Rocky T-Shirt.

Justin plays baseball too! He is actually pretty good when he wants to be. He has grown to love the Chicago Cubs and hopes like the rest of us that they will one day win a world series. I almost feel bad for pushing my Cub love on him but I love seeing his passion for them already.

Justin loves playing football, basketball and much more. He is a good student and I am very proud to have him as my oldest son. He is caring and loving. He is also proud that his dad put together Walla-Pa-Looza because he understands that loved ones die from this disease. He gets it now.

Andrew, who is six, is my youngest child. He gets the hand me downs in the family. As with most children they have differences. Andrew likes playing Army. He loves to take time and quietly set up all his guys and build forts.

He is in his second year of T-Ball and because he has an older brother is bored with it and wants to play real games. He is very athletic so we let him practice with the older kids. Andrew also loves animals. He has a fish tank in his room and he loves sitting and watching them swim. This past year for his birthday we bought him a puppy. His name is Lewie. Lewie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Yet another task that Joanne has taken on. She is his master and of course has yet another mouth to feed! Anyway, Andrew just started Karate and cannot wait to play football. In the mean time, he too has become a Cubs fan as well. I don’t know why I turned them into Cubs fans but, what the hell. They have to win at one point. Andrew enjoys video games and is also a very good student as well.

He likes riding on the float during the parades we attend but I am not sure if he completely understands why his mom and dad volunteer.

My hope is that both boys decide in their adult lives to do something for others. I may not be perfect but if they learn one lesson from me its compassion.

This past week I was reminded that everyone has a story about some family member, some co-worker or friend that is dealing with cancer related issues and right now, it’s me. I have a friend here in Johnsburg that has cancer and is not doing so well. But, he keeps pushing on, keeps volunteering and keeps living. He is yet another reason I am reminded that every little bit helps.

Next Week I am going to talk about yet another volunteer in the Walla-Pa-Looza family.

Craig

I love to "poke the bear". The truth is I love bears – Chicago Bears, Baby Bears (Go Cubs!) and even koala bears, but when a friend decides to join Walla-Pa-Looza and starts rolling his or her sleeves up I love to tell them they have to earn their “Chair” and until they do they are called a “Stool”.

Yes, I know, I thought it was really funny too!

One of my closest friends Mike Betts was our first “stool”. Now, anyone who knows Mike would know he is just a “tad” bigger than me. So imagine me running meetings and telling Mike he does not have a say because he is just a stool. At one point, I thought he would just grab me and midget- toss me because I never let it go.

Anyway, Mike has enjoyed the joke as much as the rest of us and we actually laugh about it all the time. Fast forward to a year later and now Mike is our Parade Chairman and he organizes what parades we sign up for and puts them together. So, all I have to do is show up and drink beer.

This year, I found a new bear to poke! His name is Doug Carlile. For those of you that don’t know Doug, he is Walla-Pa-Looza’s insurance guy. Doug works for CLM Insurance Agency and has saved myself and many other volunteers tons of money on insurance. So, call Doug and get a quote from him.

Doug, besides working at CLM, is the treasurer for the Johnsburg Lions Club, bar manager at the Johnsburg Community Club and now a proud new volunteer for Walla-Pa-Looza. But Doug likes to jump in with both feet so Joanne and I had to set him straight. See, Doug loves to utilize his experience as a seasoned veteran of putting together charity events and loves to share. But, we had to tell him, whoa big guy, you have to earn a “Chair”. He looked at us like we were nuts. Then the poking began.

So I would like to introduce Doug as our new “Food & Beverage Stool” for Walla-Pa-Looza 2010. Doug, being the light hearted guy he is, has rolled with it. In fact, when he calls me he says in a very sarcastic voice “Hey Craig, it’s the Stool …” Man, I love it. I couldn’t wait until our next Johnsburg Lions meeting so I could announce that Doug was our new stool. He rolled his eyes and said "great, now everyone in Johnsburg knows". But, seriously, I am so happy to have Doug on our side. He is one of the hardest working guys in our community. If you get a chance, read why Doug joined the Lions on the Johnsburg Lions Club website. He cares about the community. He’s a big guy with a big heart.

But, wait, I have more! I was thinking since we added two more volunteers to our group I had to come up with something for them, and, of course I have. If you have ever met my friend Dina (the singer in Blush) you would know that she is a beautiful girl but is lacking in the height department so, I would like to introduce you to our new Battle of The Bands “Step Stool” Dina Demonte. She is putting together a great line up for our under 21 battle.

Now what do I call the tallest member of the group Mike Mazrin? The poking continues.

P.T. Barnum

By now, I am guessing most of you have told your friends who our bands are this year but to recap, we have Cover Blondz, High Life, Aeth3r and Infinity!

So, for those of you that would like a sneak peak into what goes on in the planning stages of Walla-Pa-Looza this is your chance.

You may or may not have seen some of our volunteers take time to write a little bit about what they do for the organization. Well, they were very kind in describing what they do. Besides the fact that they all work way too hard on making Walla-Pa-Looza THE summer festival of the year they also care about the true meaning of charity. To give you a couple of examples, there are five of us that maintain the Walla-Pa-Looza Facebook fan page alone. Not to mention the time put into gathering raffle items, finding bands, building websites, designing flyers, ordering the port o lets and much more.

We work as one big team. Our personalities and traits mix into one huge melting pot that works. Don’t ask me how but it does. I spend hours on the phone, sending e-mails, attending meetings. After I am done leading the three ring circus I start wondering if any of us would even hang out with each other if it wasn’t for Walla. Yeh, I think we would.

Anyway, as Nick had said I bounce almost everything off of my peers in Walla-pa-looza just to make sure I don’t do stupid things like purchasing a very expensive T-shirt launcher. Yes, I know, it sounds really cool huh? Not at two thousand dollars though. See, I run stuff by sensible, smart and calculating people. If it were all up to me, we would be so screwed. I think drinking beer in the parade and not at it is fun, others not so much. Don’t get me wrong, I make some major decisions because I am very concerned with our fit and finish but for the most part the people you see in the picture on our “Make a Donation” page are very capable of putting on a great benefit.

As my friend Sheryl said, I am always thinking about ways to make Walla-Pa-Looza better and sometimes it consumes me. The t-shirt launcher will happen but at a more reasonable price. The Battle of The Bands will be very cool this year and some of the other surprises I have will amaze you – but the only way you will find out is if you show up. So, spread the word, tell your friends.

Nick said it – “You can’t do it alone.” Trust me I’m not, because if I was, we would have a ton of beer and no one to drink it.

Well, except for me.

See you soon!

CW

We are very excited to announce the 2010 Walla-Pa-Looza main stage line-up today. On July 31, 2010 at the Johnsburg Community Club our Walla-Pa-Looza main stage will feature four great local bands:

Two Chicks that Rock!	2:30-4:00
Current and Classic Rock	4:30-6:00
90′s Rock and Originals	6:30-8:30

And finally, to close out the evening on the main stage:

Infinity – The Midwest’s Premier Journey Tribute Band

Please make sure to spread the word for us.

Take a minute to digest this … I know what you are thinking.   I can just hear the question as you say it in your head.  Here, let me prove it – you just said to yourself:

“Wait a minute … did he just say Main Stage??”

Yep! That’s right!

Our second stage is something new this year. We are putting together a High School Battle of the Bands. This competition is for high school bands to showcase their talent and have the opportunity to win cash prizes, recording time and play on the main stage at Walla-Pa-Looza 2011. We are hoping this will bring us some new attendees and allow us to attract the younger generations. As you have heard me say, we are hoping this event will become timeless and the only way that will happen is to include some younger folks.

Special thanks to Mike Mazrin (“choice” drummer in Always Frantic) for taking on the task as our new Music and Sound Chairman. He did a great job finding bands for us.

Please make sure to welcome the 2010 bands to our family by checking them out if they are playing locally and make sure to become a fan of their Facebook pages!

Now, grab your flip flops and your friends – because the Second Annual Walla-Pa-Looza is going to rock!

See you on July 31st!

CW