Irish Wake marks 25 years

WAUPACA – The Waupaca Community Arts Board (WCAB) 25th Annual Irish Wake will be on Saturday, March 15, at HH Hinder Brewery, their new venue, The Eight10 Building, and Doc Kelly’s Irish Pub. “It’s hard to believe that we have been doing this event for 25 years,” said WCAB President Marci Reynolds. “It’s an event that started with friends and grew to take on a life of its own, creating a Waupaca tradition.”

Schedule
• 2 to 4:30 p.m.: John Laedtek and friends will start the day with traditional Irish music. They will be in the front of the HH Hinder taproom. Any musicians who have played Irish music are welcome to join them. Bring your instrument and your voice. Barb Laedtke and WCAB volunteers will be passing the Honor Roll book around for people to enter names, and folks will be encouraged to toss a memory or forgiveness into the coffin.
• 4:30: Procession to the building next door, The Eight10. This procession will include the musicians, a bagpiper, and volunteers to carry the coffin.
• 5 to 6 p.m.: Upon arrival at The Eight10, there will be Irish food for purchase by KRB Klingers while the bagpiper will play some tunes.

• 6:30 p.m. John Laedtke’s group and some more of the Irish Wake musicians will commence with some of the Irish Wake songs. Everyone is invited to sing along. The honor roll will also be read at this time.
• 7 p.m.: Flip O the Coin will play, creating an Irish Ceili, whereby everyone will have a chance to learn some Irish dance steps. There will be a caller who will lead the dance. John Laedtke’s group will go over to Doc Kelly’s Public House to share more music.

History
The Irish Wake began when Marcel Van Camp and friends decided to create a fun, wake-like event in Waupaca after attending the New London St. Patrick Day parade. They showed up at Weasel’s with a faux coffin and sang songs around it, toasting Marci’s grandma, who had recently passed away. It became an annual tradition that grew each year, with people joining in, including families honoring loved ones. Over time, the event adopted a “family-friendly pub crawl” slogan and included stops at different pubs, singing, with a special focus on forgiving past slights, and memories of those passed on.
The event evolved as T-Dubs, Little Fat Gretchen, the Paca Pub and Simpson’s were added to the pub crawl. A key tradition was placing notes of remembrance or forgiveness into the coffin, making the event even more meaningful. An Honor Roll book listed names of those who passed, read out at each stop. The Wake continued to include music, poetry, and Gaelic songs, along with memorable moments unique to each year.

In 2020, Covid forced a cancellation, but a mini-version happened at 22 Lakes Brewery, and in 2021, the Wake was performed online with a bunch of the musicians who had been involved for many years. By 2022, the event returned with a live Irish session and Ceili dance at Danes Hall, marking a shift from the traditional pub crawl.
“It’s been an honor to see this event grow over the years,” said Reynolds. “We are proud that we have been able to retain the serious tone of love, forgiveness and remembrance amid the rowdy pub-crawl atmosphere that is just so much fun!” For more details go to www.waupacaarts.org.