Thriving concert series to celebrate 15 years

By KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM

Ozaukee Press staff

The Village of Saukville has been filled with the sounds of summertime music twice a month every summer for the last 15 years.

The Live at the Triangle free concert series is celebrating its 15th anniversary this summer with a full slate of concerts in an event that promises to fill the park with music and, more importantly, a community.

“Everybody comes out for the concerts,” event coordinator Bob Mittnacht said. “It really makes it fun to put it together.”

The free concerts are held from 7 to 9 p.m. on alternate Wednesday nights at Veterans Park, with this year’s series running from June 14 through Aug. 23.

Mittnacht, who has booked the bands for the series since its inception, said the concerts usually fill Veterans Park — formerly known as Triangle Park.

“We do have acts this summer that I think will fill it to overflowing,” he said.

Those include Johnny Wad, a Green Bay area band known for its pre and post-game shows at Green Bay Packers games, on July 12; Southbound a Milwaukee-area band that will perform the music of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Southern rock favorites on June 28; and Bad Habitz, a popular Fox Valley band known for its take on classic rock from the 1980s, playing on Aug. 23.

“We’ve got all the classics too,” Mittnacht said, referencing the local band Shad Lads.

Mittnacht said he tends to book classic rock bands for the Live at the Triangle series, but he’s open to other genres, especially country and blues.

“We mix it up, but we focus on the classics,” he said. “I basically look for bands that are going to draw a crowd.”

Live at the Triangle has its roots in another concert series Mittnacht created, the now-defunct Freeport series held in Port Washington. A local bank approached the Village of Saukville with funding and asked if the community was interested in starting something similar, and Live at the Triangle began.

After a few years, Phil Vincevineus of Pleasant Valley Auto started holding cruise nights at the concerts, where area residents park their classic cars on the street adjacent to the park for all to see.

“People like to do that,” Mittnacht said.

Mittnacht said he believes Live at the Triangle has survived while other series have not because of where it’s held.

“I think it’s the size of the community,” he said. “People still enjoy getting out and running into their friends and neighbors. There’s a lot of friendships and local camaraderie.

“You get into a larger community and you don’t have that.”

The concert series, which cost between  $7,000 and $10,000 annually, is funded through sponsorships and the village’s room tax, Village Administrator Dawn Wagner said.

“The mission of Live at the Triangle is to present a wide variety of area music acts in a free concert setting, adding to the quality of life in Saukville while at the same time promoting others to visit our fine community and support our local businesses,” Wagner said.

Kicking off the anniversary series on June 14 will be Tangle Foot, a well-known classic rock band.

Southbound will perform on June 28, and on July 12 Johnny Wad will play the best rock songs of the ’80s and ’90s.

That concert, Mittnacht said, will mark the formal anniversary celebration with some giveaways and other recognition events.

Shad Lads will perform music from the ’60s and ’70s on July 26, and on Aug. 9, Bootjack Road will perform modern and traditional country music.

Closing the series on Aug. 23 will be Bad Habitz, a band that has opened shows for national groups Jackyl, Blue Oyster Cult, Lita Ford, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Sebastian Bach, Bullet Boys, Hinder, Vince Neil, Firehouse and more.

In the event of inclement weather, every effort will be made to reschedule the concert for the following Wednesday.

There will be a “Cruise Night” with custom and stock autos and motorcycles on display at each concert.  Anyone interested in participating in these events is asked to contact Vincevineus at (262) 675-9098, for more information.

To accommodate the concerts and the car and bike displays, Green Bay Avenue south of the park will be closed on the concert nights.

Highway 33 and South Mill Street west of the park will both remain open for traffic unless the size of the audience dictates otherwise.

Those attending are asked to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Food and beverages will be sold at the park by local businesses and service clubs.

Live at the Triangle is presented by the Village of Saukville, Saukville Chamber of Commerce, Port Washington State Bank, Ozaukee Press, Ruan, Village Sno-Seekers, Ereztech, State Farm Norberto Matos Agency, American Orthodontics and MJ’s Bar and Grill.