The Cook County News-Herald just finished putting together the special insert for the 87th Annual Fisherman’s Picnic. Although it is a lot of extra work, it is also a lot of fun. I enjoy seeing what’s in store for us during the last big celebration of summer.
One of the most enjoyable pieces to compile is the music page. I anxiously await the schedule of events from Lion Millie Spry and then skim through it to see who is going to provide the background music to all the fun.
It is always tough to come up with a title for the music page. I try not to be repetitive with content. Each year we highlight different aspects of the event. We’ve had features on Fisherman’s Picnic fireworks, a history of the American Legion Sons’ bingo tent; a recipe page sharing the fishcake recipe for the Lioness buffet; tips for parade watching; tales about the fish toss and minnow races; and much more.
But the music page is often the same, so a title is tough. We’ve used The sounds of Fisherman’s; Music in the Park; Music on the Harbor; The soundtrack of Fisherman’s Picnic and more. You get the idea. There are only so many ways to say there’s great music playing on Fisherman’s Picnic weekend.
This year we came up with a fairly catchy title—Catch a concert in the park.
After finding the title, I started seeking descriptive snippets for the musicians that perform at Fisherman’s. It is always a treat to see who is playing and in what configuration. There are many musicians in the community who meander from band to band, playing backup or lending harmonies. There is almost always a “new” band with familiar faces and voices.
And there are sometimes completely new bands that offer a challenge. When a brandnew to the North Shore band or musician name comes up, I have to do a little research. In recent years it’s been easier. Almost every performer now has a website or Facebook page. It’s just a matter of a proper internet search.
This year though I was striking out with one musician on the schedule, Chris Mammenga. I couldn’t find a website or a Facebook page for him, so I turned to my other online “source,” YouTube. I did find videos of a Chris Mammenga, playing some great guitar riffs. But there was no contact information.
However one of the YouTube links showed a Reverend Chris Mammenga of Virginia, Minnesota, playing guitar in church. I needed to somehow confirm that this was the musician who would be appearing on our Harbor Park stage. I clicked one more music video and the details said the song Do It Man was written by Chris Mammenga and Steve Borud.
Now, all of our readers may not know this, but there is a Steve Borud who works in the probation office here in Cook County. Could the serious and professional Steve Borud that I see at the courthouse be a rock ‘n roller?
I gave Steve a call and told him I had a weird question. I asked if he knew this Chris Mammenga who would be playing at Fisherman’s Picnic. And had he written a song with him?
Steve laughed and said yes indeed, he knows Chris Mammenga, who is now a pastor, and yes, they did write a song together. Steve added that when they wrote the song, it had more of a jazz sound. But he had seen the YouTube rock ‘n roll performance of the song and said with a laugh, “That’s Chris!”
So I found my biography information for the music page. I discovered a new artist to listen to. And I discovered that it’s a small—but musical— world. Enjoy it!
Music is the wine that
fills the cup of silence.
Robert Fripp
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