On the rainy Friday morning of June 21st, musicians came together at the LOLA arts center in Land o’ Lakes to celebrate national Make Music Day with a community event. Make Music Day is an annual day for celebrating music that originated in France 42 years ago. But, somehow the idea ended up in the small town of Land O’ Lakes Wisconsin where it has been celebrated for the past 6 years. Lynn Richie is a LOLA board member who says that Make Music Day began when the Paris government gave money to the arts such as the ballet and the opera.
“They did it for like three years where they paid to have the musicians come in and they had musicians. I luckily was there in the 90s and didn't know it was Make Music Day. And so every place you went, there was music,” said Richie.
When Richie returned home, she and LOLA’s program director researched the event and found that Make Music Day continued on after those three years because of the community and their love for music. The LOLA arts center adopted the idea and Make Music Day became an annual celebration. Richie tells us that LOLA brings in musicians from all over the local area who take part in Make Music Day purely for the love of music and sharing it with others.
“It's a matter of finding musicians because it's the love of music. They can put tip jars out, but they pretty much busk, they're not being paid to come. Because that's what this day is about is about the love of music and sharing it with everybody they can,” said Richie.
Make Music Day fits into LOLA’s mission of supporting and cultivating the arts that it has held true to since it was founded in 2008 by a small group of people who came together to celebrate the arts. Lynn Richie, was one of those first founding members. She says it has been wonderful to watch LOLA grow and expand in the years since it was established.
“I'm the last board member that started right at the very getgo. And it was just, again, a bunch of people. One man sent out a survey to 99 artists. 99 surveys came back and those people then came to a meeting. 40 of them came to a meeting. And that's what started Artistry Gallery, and LOLA, two separate things but all about the arts,” said Richie.
Richie got to watch as more people came together to celebrate the arts on Make Music Day once again in 2024.
For this year’s event, there were a number of different musicians and performers who came to take part in Make Music Day.
Jon Franke, A singer and guitarist, performed for a small local audience in the Sawbuck building next to the LOLA center.
The Northwoods Ukers, a ukulele group based in Eagle River, didn’t let the rain stop them from performing outside in Luoto’s Fitness Courtyard.
Later in the day performers Hilrose and Joey of the Late for Supper string band performed in Sawbuck as a duo.
Performer Hilrose of the Late for Supper string band talked about how her musical duo came to be involved with LOLA’s Make Music Day.
“So my mom has paintings in the LOLA building and we just went in there to help drop off some of her paintings. And then, they're all so friendly in there, all the artists, and they’re like, oh, you play music? You know, you should talk with Jennifer. And we did. And then she asked what we were doing on the 21st,” said Hilrose.
Hilrose also talked about how she thinks it is important for communities to support the arts and events such as Make Music Day, especially after the events of the pandemic.
“I think Covid was a big example of people realizing that these things that we think are just extras in our life are majorly important and that you can have a lot of emotional problems if you don't have things like music and the arts. And so I think things like today are super important and bring people together and are a reason for people to come out of their day to day routines and get together with their community,” said Hilrose.
Not only was Make Music Day a fulfilling event for those who performed, but there were also many attendees who showed up simply to listen and take in the love of music. One such attendee was Barb Benson who came from Conover to celebrate Make Music Day at the LOLA center. She says that music is very important when it comes to connecting people.
“There's so much that's being eliminated like in the schools, art and music is being eliminated. It just makes you feel wonderful. And they are good. I mean, it's amazing what people can do with music and communicate,” said Benson “I just think it's important to connect people.”
Not only has music been connecting people through Make Music Day in Land O’ Lakes, but in many larger communities throughout Wisconsin such as Milwaukee and Madison. However, Lynn Richie says it is her hope that Make Music Day should spread throughout our smaller communities here in the Northwoods.
“It'd be wonderful to see the tier all the way across of music in every place. There's enough musicians, you know, and when we should share those musicians, you know, and it would be wonderful to see that because, again, it brightens everybody's life,” said Richie.
LOLA’s Make Music Day was no doubt a positive experience for everyone who attended, whether they performed, helped to organize the event, or simply showed up to celebrate the love of music. To learn more about LOLA and future events they will be hosting, you can check out their website at lolaartswi.com.
