2006-07-13 / Paxton News

The Musician

It was 1985, and musician and music teacher Doug Moore of Paxton saw something had changed in the town where he'd grown up, something troubling to a musician: opportunities for live music were declining.

In his memory of childhood in Paxton, he recalls, "It seemed like music was in the air everywhere." That included live music in churches to people just playing on their own.

In the mid-1980s, Moore and three friends thought it would be a good idea to get their resources together and do their part to give kids a chance to perform live.

They went to the town's recreation commission and got their blessing, and Summer Jam was born.

The first concert was held at the Paxton Center School parking lot. They took tables from the school kitchen to perch bands on; they made t-shirts (Moore still has one from that first Summer Jam); they borrowed sound equipment and they invited anyone who wanted to perform.

It wasn't about money, it was about the music.

Every year Moore pictures a perfect combination: a warm, clear summer night, a stage, a crowd, and some kids with a simple charge.

"There's the stage, do with it what you will, try to create some magic," he says.

Evidently they did, and they have, every year for 21 years.

Moore pays tribute to the many folks who have come together to support Summer Jam over the years, and thinks of them as doing their part to provide a valuable service to the town and the area's youth.

Moore is raising his own family in Paxton, and teaches music to students. And every year he still helps put together the Summer Jam.

"It's just our way of contributing to the quality of life in Paxton," he says.

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