“ It takes an army of volunteers from the parking lot to the stage to ensure our guests enjoy the music they’ ve come to hear.”
— Martha Smith
Longtime volunteer Martha Smith scans tickets at the Celtic Thunder concert.
thrill in the concertgoers’ eyes when they walk through the door. Maybe they saw this band in their youth. Maybe the music was played at their wedding. Maybe they traveled to Nashville, Indiana, for the first time to see a band that they follow.
“ But for everyone, volunteers and concertgoers alike, we all come for the music,” Smith said.
Christian Webb, executive director of the music center, said volunteers are“ literally the key” to the nonprofit status of the center. The music center is unique when compared to music venues of similar size because of its use of volunteers instead of paid employees in many roles.
“ Volunteers mean everything to us,” said Webb.“ They are the backbone of the operations we do here. They handle all touchpoints in the venue— parking, greeting, bag checks, ticket checks, and escorting patrons to their seats.”
As established, the music center gives back to the community all“ excess revenue,” the money that remains after all bills and obligations are paid. That has meant thousands of dollars going back to the county government and the Brown County Community Foundation in the past two years. Volunteers, Webb said, are a big reason the center is able to do that.
Money sent back to the community totaled $ 74,780 last year, and $ 267,000 the year before. According to the terms of the center’ s management agreement, each was done with the foundation getting 75 percent of the total, and county government 25 percent. The community foundation redistributes the funding it receives to a variety of nonprofit organizations in
Brown County. Beyond the agreement, the center also gave county government $ 54,000 in 2022 and in 2023 and $ 55,000 in payments in lieu of taxes.
Local businessman Kevin Ault, who has been on the music center’ s board of directors since its inception and is currently co-president, said the board estimates that if volunteers were paid $ 15 an hour, their labor would cost $ 780,000 to $ 800,000 annually.
If the music center were to be sold to a private entity, instead of giving back up to $ 300,000 to the county and the foundation, it would be operating in the red after paying for the work that volunteers do.
Volunteers are important to the community as a whole, Ault said, citing the work also being done at other local nonprofit entities.
Dale Wedel, who heads the parking attendant crew, has been a volunteer at the music center for about six years, and estimates he has signed up for more than 500 shows. But he doesn’ t watch most shows, instead waits in the lobby before directing exiting traffic.
If he were getting paid the going wage for parkers, Wedel said he probably wouldn’ t be doing it. Instead, it’ s something he chooses to do for different kinds of rewards.
He said he enjoys the challenge of directing the parking, and the music center is close to his home. He enjoys getting out of the house, getting some exercise, and interacting with volunteers and patrons. Though he doesn’ t watch most shows, he said he has enjoyed the music from the lobby.
Continued on 24 Nov./ Dec. 2025 • Our Brown County 23