Group launches funding campaign

Sixty years of concerts, musicals, plays, art shows and cultural events happened thanks to the continued passion and financial support of thousands of Waupaca area residents.

The Waupaca Fine Arts Festival (WFAF) came into existence on a winter night in January 1964. Gerald Knoepfel, the recently hired Waupaca High School choir director, had a dream of bringing the arts to Waupaca.

Knoepfel envisioned a Fine Arts Festival that would sponsor a community choir, a drama group and an art show, and possibly host an orchestra.

“The number of lives that have been enriched throughout the Festival’s 60-year existence is immeasurable,” according to Dan Wolfgram, chair of the festival’s executive board. “While the arts landscape has certainly changed in Waupaca over this time span, the need for the WFAF and its community-based participatory programs continues to be as valuable as it was in 1964.”

WFAF’s mission statement is “to foster the arts through promotion and sponsorship of artistic programs, cultural activities and educational leadership to further promote artistic appreciation to the citizens of the Waupaca area.”

“It has been a challenging three years for everyone associated with the arts due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Wolfgram said. “We have emerged stronger and more resilient, with a deeper appreciation of the Arts than ever before. The WFAF is looking forward to celebrating its 60th anniversary. When you contribute to the WFAF, you are supporting the organization with the longest history of participation-based arts in this community.”

WFAF’s fundraising goal for the 2022-23 season is $25,000.

Upcoming 60th season

The Waupaca Art Show will again be presented at the historic Danes Hall in Waupaca for five days, from April 22-26.

The Waupaca Community Choir and Civic Orchestra will feature Gabriel Faure’s Requiem and Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. The concert will be performed Sunday, April 2, at the Waupaca High School’s Performing Arts Center.

The Waupaca Community Theatre’s events include a dinner theater production of “Vanities: The Musical” at Par 4 on the weekend of Feb. 10-12, accompanied by six musicians.

The Waupaca Community Children’s Theatre, in conjunction with the Waupaca School District, will stage a summer show yet to be announced at the Waupaca Middle School’s Knoepfel Auditorium July 24-27.

Yhe Waupaca Community Theatre will present six performances of the Tony Award-winning musical “The Drowsy Chaperone” on July 29-30 and Aug 3-6.

Contributions, which are welcomed throughout the year, are tax-deductible if they are itemized. The Waupaca Fine Arts Festival is a registered non-profit 501(c3) organization.

WFAF donors will be recognized in the following categories: Contributor – up to $99, Donor – $100-$249, Benefactor – $250-$499, Patron – $500-$999, Director’s Circle – $1,000-$2,499, Presidential Circle – $2,500+. If a contribution is at the Patron level or higher, individuals will be listed as an underwriter for all events for the Community Choir, the Art Show, and the Community Theatre. Donations must be received by March 23, 2023, to be included in the season’s printed brochure.

Checks can be mailed to Waupaca Fine Arts Festival, PO Box 55, Waupaca, WI 54981. Donations can also be made at any time throughout the year using a credit card at the Waupaca Fine Arts Festival webpage: www.fineartsfestval.org.

Those who want to foster the local arts through a legacy bequest, can provide a gift to the Waupaca Fine Arts Festival through a will or revocable trust. After the donor’s lifetime, proceeds are used to add to the WFAF’s charitable endowment fund. To learn more on how to leave a legacy with WFAF, visit www.fineartsfestival.org.