MAKING THE MUSICIANS MERRY. The writer (at center) holds aloft a red fundraising bucket at a Sounds Like Summer concert in Phoenix Park.

Over the past two years, I have been slinging buckets at nearly 20 different performances at Volume One’s Sounds Like Summer Concert Series in Phoenix Park. And while it’s not something I would describe as “hard” work, I did it well. In fact, I walked around to many people sitting and listening to the summer music – up and down those hills at the Phoenix Park labyrinth, I may add – collecting about $1,600 for the local performers.

I know this because we had a little inter-office competition to see who could raise the most money for bands via buckets, and I won in 2022 and 2023. Now, did I attend the most concerts? Yes. But that just shows my commitment to the cause.

So if you’re at the concert series this summer and see a red bucket coming around: Toss in a dollar or two – or five or 10.

Now entering into the 2024 concert series season (the first show is June 6), you may notice a distinct lack of this vibrant young woman walking around with a large red bucket, asking for donations. That is due to the fact that I am moving to Minneapolis at the end of May, ending both my time at Volume One and with my glorious bucket.

I’ve learned and accomplished so much over my tenure at Volume One – more than I have space to describe here – and I will forever be grateful for my time and experience not only within the magazine, but in the Chippewa Valley.

So if you’re at the concert series this summer and see a red bucket coming around: Toss in a dollar or two – or five or 10. Whoever is toting that bucket has big shoes to fill.