LANSING, Ill. (December 19, 2023) – It may have been December 2023 in the Chicago suburbs, but inside Kasey’s Banquet Hall on Saturday it was a sunny, summer day in California in the 1960s. Four young men sang hits recorded long before they were born, about hot rods, surfing, dancing, high school, and girls at the annual Knights of Columbus of Lansing Council #3540 Christmas Show.
Christmas tradition
Each year in December the Knights of Columbus host a holiday show. Organizer Mike Kabala — Past Grand Knight, Trustee, and Church Director with the Knights of Columbus Council #3540 — has been arranging the entertainment every since 2015, except in 2020 when the show was skipped due to the pandemic. He focuses on booking popular artists who perform tribute shows to popular entertainers, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Elton John, Neil Diamond, and others.
“I do research on all the entertainment and try to appease the crowd,” said Kabala. “We usually have an older crowd so I find entertainment to appeal to that audience, but we have to keep up with the times, too. I also take suggestions.” This year’s crowd numbered about 225.
“We’ve gone to everyone, and it keeps getting better every year,” said Deputy Grand Knight Dominic Podsiadlik of Dyer. “It’s nice to have something like this to do right before Christmas each year. It really gets you in the mood.”
Sounds of Summer: A Beach Boys Tribute
This year the entertainment was the Sounds of Summer: A Beach Boys Tribute. Kabala said he’d booked them a year and a half in advance to secure the date.
Dressed in white pants and striped shirts with slicked-back hair, the clean-cut band hit the stage after introductions from Grand Knight William Benne, Kacey’s Banquet Hall Manager Mike Myers, and Kabala. They sailed right into hits that the Beach Boys were known for — “Don’t Worry Baby”, “Surfin’ Safari,” “Surfer Girl,” and others. They also included a number of Christmas songs in the show, such as the Beach Boys’ 1963 single “Little St. Nick.”
“I’m a big fan of older music and love the Beach Boys. They [Sounds of Summer] definitely have the vibe of them, and they really capture their sound,” said Jim Pratscher of Crown Point, who attended the show with wife Susan. “We come each year and really enjoy the shows.”
Linda Lagestee of Dyer is another regular to the Christmas show. She appreciated the opportunity to see some high-quality entertainment in Lansing. “They’re absolutely wonderful,” she said. “We come every year. They put on some really good shows here. Having a summer-y show around Christmas is so nice.”
The energetic show resulted in attendees dancing, while inflated beach balls were being bounced from table to table.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Eric Fiore. “They really engage the crowd.”
Quartet of cousins
Sounds of Summer is based in North Vernon, Indiana, and is made up of two sets of first cousins. The group has known each other since grade school, and they share a love of 1960s music and Beach Boys harmonies. The guys, who have been performing together as Sounds of Summer since 2015, represent an eclectic mix of day jobs — high school math teacher, truck driver, physical therapist, and nurse practitioner. Three of the four are Knights of Columbus members.
They’ve traveled around the country performing — as far as Texas, California, Florida, and New York, though the bulk of their gig is in the Midwest. In 2016, the group appeared in an hour-long special on AXS TV’s “World’s Greatest Tribute Bands.”
“There are very hospitable people here, and the crowd is fun and energetic,” said drummer Eric Wernke. Wernke is in his 13th year of teaching math, and he loves stepping out of the classroom and into this other life.
His band members include Connor Ertel and Matt Hurley on guitar and David Ertel on keyboard. Most of the Beach Boys hits were recorded decades before any of the cousins were born. In fact, when introducing their performance of “Kokomo,” Hurley announced that the song was released in 1988, the year he was born.
A good cause
The event, which included a catered meal by The Cookout, is a fun, festive holiday gathering, but it also serves as a fundraiser for the Knights of Columbus to carry out their mission of helping those in need. Proceeds fund community projects such as a recent Coats for Kids project. “We’re always giving back locally,” said Kabala.
Kabala said that donations from Knights of Columbus members, the Columbian Club, Munster Donuts, and other businesses were raffled off to raise funds for upcoming projects. Three 50/50 raffles held during the evening brought in even more money.
“We thank everyone who comes out and supports us,” he added. “If there was no crowd, there’d be no show.”
Looking Ahead
Kabala said the wheels are already turning on the show for next year, which he will start planning in January. Although he gets questions at each show asking who will be there next year, he plans to create a bit of suspense.
“Stay tuned,” he said. Entertainment for 2024 will be announced next summer.
More information about Lansing Knights of Columbus #3540 is available online:
- Website: www.lansingkofc.com/
- Facebook: facebook.com/LansingKofCNo3540/
More information about Sounds of Summer can be found on their website: soundsofsummertribute.com.
