You might have noticed that we have a countdown clock on the home page. A lot like this one:

I know, its kind of over the top, but it is meant to remind all of us that at some point we need to get serious about raising money in our community for cancer and cancer research. You have all read my sappy blog’s about giving back, it being “our turn”, anything being possible or Nick Bionda saying “you can’t do this alone”.

Well folks, it’s true – without the help of volunteers, many of the medical opportunities for people diagnosed with cancer would not be possible.

I know what you are thinking, “Hey, Craig, I have insurance”. Yep, me too! But the reality is, insurance only covers so much. The million dollars your insurance company gives you will burn up in a New York minute. Just ask someone that has had to go through it. They will be the first to tell you.

The $80,000 that Relay For Life just raised in one weekend was amazing, but it’s only a drop in the bucket. It was nice to hear about the turn out they had, the money raised and the volunteers that showed up. It was also nice for Walla-Pa-Looza to be recognized.

So, this year at Walla-Pa-Looza, we are asking for more.

More attendees, more donations, and more awareness.

Those of you that know me know I am always looking for ways to promote our event so I am hoping you looked up and saw our air banner flying around promoting Walla-Pa-Looza at Fiesta Days in McHenry. Or maybe you have seen our group passing out flyers on the grounds there. What about having Cover Blondz play for us at the parade? Maybe Star 105.5? Maybe you saw our wacky commercial on Facebook or our web site? Anyway, look around the area. We will be displaying banners around town, yard signs and anything we can come up with. We are doing our part.

What about you? Can you invite the neighbor? Maybe the cousin that likes to listen to live music? Either way, your help would be appreciated.

To recap, here is the “Who and When” of our bands this year:

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

Our second stage is something new this year. We have put together a High School Battle of the Bands. This competition is for high school bands to showcase their talent and gives them 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.

Here are the bands that will be competing:

An event recap will be posted next Monday. In the meantime, get ready to rock McHenry County!

See you on Saturday.

Craig

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

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!

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

Today I am going to give you recap of the events from this past weekend and even some pictures too! What do I care? I have "people" that will put them in the blog so that they look just right and its no extra work for me …

Tom Sikorske, Taylor Radtke, and Craig Wallace

Saturday night a few of the volunteers from the Walla-Pa-Looza group and my new friends from the Johnsburg Lions Club showed up at the Johnsburg Community Club for a pizza party to celebrate our fundraising efforts and finally present the Radtke family with the results of our fundraising collaboration. We gathered around 6:30 pm and had some social time and around 7:00 pm Half Times Pizza brought some pizza’s for everyone to enjoy. We then presented the Radtke Family with a check for $6,000.00! They were very gracious and extremely humbled.

Taylor Radtke

I was happy, but of course, I wish we could have done more. I never feel like I do enough. I always think that I could have worked a little harder or done a few things differently that might have made just a little more of a difference. But as many of you that are reading this know, I’m a perfectionist and that’s something I struggle with.

Many of my friends crack jokes about how I always look so serious. I can’t help it. I worry a lot.

Anyway, I have sputtered off track here. Let’s get back to the task at hand. So Saturday night we took some pictures, shared some hugs and said goodbye. I drove away Saturday evening hoping and thinking I made some new friends. I have plenty of room for a few extra friends in my life. Let’s hope they do too!

Sunday morning I was ready to go. We were off to the McHenry Lions Pancake Breakfast at the McHenry Moose Lodge, then my family and I headed over to meet the rest of the Walla-Pa-Looza folks to walk in the 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day parade.

The Walla Crew at the St Paddy's Day Parade in McHenry

There’s nothing like seeing a bunch of middle aged people dressed in purple throwing candy at youngsters. Although I had plenty of beers, I enjoyed every minute of it because these are the people I consider my closest friends. They put in the hours, the effort and are extremely dedicated to our organization.

I laugh to myself because every time we get together it feels like one big sleep over. I sometimes wish it wouldn’t end. The inner child in me wishes we could all live right next door to each other. That way, when one of them gets mad at me they can just walk in and slap me around – or if I need some computer help, I could just drop in.

After the parade I ended up back at the Community Club for the JBBL Mustang draft for the 2010 season. I am starting to wonder if I should see if they could let me bring a cot to keep there so I can take naps in between meetings.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that helped with our event to raise money for the Radtke family and to all of my friends and comrades that marched with us in the parade this week. You guys all make these good things happen and I am very thankful to each and every one of you. As we all know, you can’t do it alone.

Next week I am going to talk about some friends of mine that have protected us all …

This week, you get an extra blog posting – kind of a two for the price of one!

The Walla-Pa-Looza folks and our friends from the Johnsburg Lions will be presenting a check to the Radtke family. I am so pleased with the effort that was put forth by all the folks involved. As I had said in last week’s post, it was so great to see the people come out to support a family that needs our help. I have a feeling of pride knowing that every little bit helps – and who better to help than someone that brings such happiness to others.

I enjoy seeing the results and the impact our efforts make.

I know that Monday’s posting had a hint of sadness in it but I started to think that maybe I needed to focus on the positive in my life and not the negative. So, with that said I wanted to promote an event put together by our parade chairman Mike Betts. Mike has signed up the Walla-Pa-Looza folks to walk in the Second Annual Shamrock Salute, Rotary St. Patrick’s Day Parade in McHenry on March 14th, 2010. The parade starts at 1:00 pm. We will be in our standard issue purple gear handing out candy and doing what we do best. Our volunteers will be out in full force promoting our next event, scheduled for July 31st. I hope you and your family will come out and say hello. Mike has put some work into this parade and I am very thankful to him and all the volunteers that work so hard promoting and working for Walla-Pa-Looza.

Also, my friend Donna Grabow has set up a team for the ABTA Path to Progress walk. Look for the Just Jackson team if you would like to donate.

Again, thank you for your efforts on the Radtke benefit and I hope to give you some updated information on how much was raised and how the check presentation went. I am sure we have some pictures to share as well.

Thanks again.
Craig

Taylor Radtke Autographs Craig's Shirt

This morning I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to write about. It wasn’t because I had a lack of topics. I mean we had an earthquake in Chile, the threat of a tsunami in Hawaii and the issues that Haiti is dealing with. But today, I am thinking about how a community rallied around a family and a little girl.

Her name is Taylor Radtke and she is one of the coolest little girls I know. She showed up at the benefit and even won the dart tournament! Her mother Laurie told me that she has had some serious setbacks but, you would have never known it. She was so polite, happy, and of course social. Meeting Taylor made my weekend. She is an incredible individual.

This past Saturday night I witnessed young and old come together to eat, drink, dance and donate for a wonderful cause. This event didn’t make CNN or even CLTV for that matter but for one cold February night in northern Illinois, a group people tried to make a difference. Four different groups – Walla-Pa-Looza, Peter & The Versatiles, The Johnsburg Lions and The Woodstock Infantry Club – organized a great benefit. I am not sure at this point how much money was raised but I can tell you I saw a ton of money being spent. I saw money being spent on meat raffles, 50/50 tickets, pizza, beer and much, much more. That just shows me that even in this lousy economy that people still want to help.

I am hoping that whatever we brought in helps take the load off of the family because they have gone through way too much. Nobody deserves the pain and anguish that Laurie and Jeff are going through. I told Laurie that I put this together because I was hoping if something ever happens to our family people would do the same, and you know what? I have a feeling that they would!

My only other hope is that I get to see Taylor show up at other Walla-Pa-Looza events because her smile and her courage are contagious and I would love to have her sign every benefit shirt I ever wear for the next 50 years.

Taylor, you’re the one that is "choice" not me……

This weekend, Saturday February 27, is the Radtke benefit in Johnsburg, Illinois at the Johnsburg Community Club. I am calling it the Radtke benefit as I have been told that the Kinney family is asking that any portion of the proceeds be donated to the Radtke family and after discussing it with the Lions, we will grant their wish. I think that is a very selfless act and my thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Saturday night will be the first time the members of Walla-Pa-Looza will volunteer along side the Johnsburg Lions. We will have live music from Peter & The Versatiles, 50/50 raffles, meat raffles and dart tournaments. A $5.00 donation is the entrance fee for an evening of fun.

Although we are serious about raising money for a family in need, during the event we will be celebrating two birthdays, one of my closest friends Sheryl Smith who has always busted her ass volunteering for Walla-Pa-Looza and a new friend Erin DeYoung. Please stop and wish them both a very Happy Birthday!

I am looking forwarding to seeing all of you this weekend.

Thanks,

Craig