DECATUR – The new generation of volunteers for Decatur Celebration is not defined strictly by age.
With Decatur Celebration into its fourth generation, a number of its workers were infants or not yet born when the event launched in 1986.
But Jeff Ludwick is older than Celebration, and his first volunteer step was huge.
“I always enjoyed it,” the 51-year-old said. “I liked the event a lot. (Longtime Celebration volunteer) Wayne Allen is a friend of mine, and I always told him if they needed any help, I'd love to be a part of it.
“Fred (Puglia, Celebration founder and producer) was in his last year, and the two guys who'd done logistics with him for a long time (Don Pistorius and Steve Bowman) were retiring from their jobs and wanted to leave Celebration. Those guys did a lot of years. They stayed one more year to help me.”
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Ludwick is the head of stage logistics at Decatur Celebration. He makes sure all stored items needed make their way downtown and organizes setup the first weekend of August each year.
“He seemed unsure if he could handle it,” Decatur Celebration producer Lori Sturgill said. “He thought he might need more help. And if you've ever seen him down there, you could never believe he thought that.”
Ludwick shares the credit. For setup, he said, “I have the Mount Zion Swingsations and their parents out there helping set up, hauling things around and running forklifts.”
He's even found a way to get the treat many of the occupied volunteers are unable to do. He can sneak peeks at acts he wants to see.
“I've got to pick and choose,” he said. “But there's lots of help there during the event. The late Mike Queary, and now his son Spike and his crew, they're invaluable.
“And Country Financial (Ludwick's business) has a tent, so I need to be there when I can.”
Ludwick's decision to join Celebration's volunteers was a combination of service and finding something to do.
“It just seemed like somebody needed to do it,” he said. “I had a pretty successful DJ business, but I wanted to stay home more. I got tired of Saturday wedding receptions.
“With all that time as a DJ, I know what people like. My ultimate goal was to try to help decide what acts come in, and I wanted to see the other side, see how the event was created.”
Ludwick is proud to have joined an organization with history and stability.
“It's amazing that this thing gets pulled off year after year,” he said. “No town I've heard of has been able to carry something like that on.”
Ludwick also holds a piece of the event's history.
“I was the first king of Celebration,” he said, “so I always have that. Lori asked if I'd run, and I told her the only way I'd do it was if she brought in Joan Jett, and she did.”
Sturgill sees Ludwick as a key player in Celebration's new generation.
“It's a whole new lifeblood,” she said. “They're all people I can see being the next generation.”
