You just had to be there…and over 300 people were. Last Thursday (July 14), it was an almost surreal scene. Washington Avenue was blocked off from Columbia to Mill. Standing in an imposing queue stretching from curb to curb, facing south, was the new Cedarburg High School Drumline in all their brass-buttoned glory. And about 500 feet away, facing north, was a most unlikely sight: approximately two dozen brightly-costumed Taiko drummers from the Chiba prefecture in Japan.

For the next two hours, the crowd was almost-literally blown away by the sheer power of first the Cedarburg drummers and then the Japanese group. It was a study in contrasts. From the costumes, to the instruments (ours very refined, theirs unchanged since 500 BC), to the playing style, the only similarity between the two was the emotion it evoked in the audience. The children literally danced in the street. I, like most of the adults I stood near, was exhilarated and thrilled.

This was the Cedarburg Cultural Center at its best. It was Art, Music, and History all rolled into one explosive evening. We would have been proud to be able to offer this program at any cost. But it was free of charge! This is the power of collaboration. Thanks to Concordia University (especially Christine Kao), Gathering on the Green, Cedarburg Festivals, the City of Cedarburg (Mikko Hilvo), Milwaukee Sake, Izumi Japanese Restaurant, Retailworks, Inc., and members of the fabulous CCC staff who stayed late to help.

If you haven’t had an opportunity to stop by recently, please don’t miss the colorful, fascinating, and beautiful collection of Japanese artifacts on loan from Cedarburg resident Takako Willden!

Thanks to Claudette Lee for the photographs.