FUNDING SECURED for outdoor stage

Music lovers are one step closer to a new outdoor venue for a downtown Wausau concert series to start this summer.

Grant funding to buy an all-terrain, removable stage for the plaza behind the Marathon County Public Library has now been secured, says Elizabeth Brodek Field, director of the Wausau River District. Brodek Field on Monday told the Wausau Park & Recreation Committee that the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin will fund the 16- by 20-foot structure. The project is a partnership with the River Valley Jazz Society and the Central Wisconsin Musician’s Guild.

“Dr. Tim Buchholz and Denise Sauter of the River Valley Jazz Society really came through on getting this project moving,” Brodek Field told City Pages.

Concerts will feature jazz artists and bands ranging from smaller ensembles to larger groups for a Sunday evening series to run July and August.

“We are thrilled to offer this stage as a literal platform for local musicians,” Brodek Field says.

The temporary stage will belong to the city of Wausau. Parks officials will be responsible for setting up and storing the structure.