NEWS 2021

April 7, 2021

“I lived in a town that I loved and I played in popular places; it’s everything I dreamed of.” Kathy Wolf recalls her husband, Walt Edwards, telling her that before he passed away last September.  She says, “He loved performing and he loved singing and he had no idea how good he was.” That underscores the humility of a man who made a significant contribution to the community and to aspiring musicians. To honor his memory, Kathy established The Walt “Edwards” Ashenfelter Memorial Fund at Greater Pike Community Foundation. It will help support non-profit organizations hosting live music events in our region.

Walt Ashenfelter, who used Edwards as his stage name, performed folk, light rock, and Irish ballads at many local venues, including the Milford Music Festival, Music in the Park, Black Bear Film Festival, the Waterwheel Café, and The Lodge at Woodloch, among others. But Kathy says it wasn’t until the tributes came in that she realized how much people admired him for his humor, caring, and for the encouragement he gave to many young musicians in the area.

A Walt Edwards Memorial Concert will be held during the Milford Music Festival weekend, on Sunday, July 11^th, from 2PM to 4PM at the Ann Street Park Gazebo. Organizer Mike Zimmerman, who heads the Music in the Park concerts and worked closely with Walt, said he hopes the money from the concert will help grow the fund to allow an endowment in the years to come. To do that, the goal is to raise $10,000 dollars and keep it growing.

“The July concert will be a series of acoustic performances featuring Eric Langberger, John Curtain, Scott Palermo, Mark Ferguson, and David McBride,” Zimmerman said. “They played in the same venues and went to hear Walt perform. He was involved not just in performing but in supporting music events. If there’s a possibility his name could live on for years to come and help young, emerging, and established artists in this community, it would be an appropriate way to remember him.”

Pike County Board of Commissioners Chairman, Matt Osterberg, hopes the future will bring expanded public access to the arts. He said “A discussion has begun to develop the County-owned section of the Santos farm into a venue for music, dance, art and theatrical performances. That is a long-term project but one that will benefit all of Pike County.”  He added, “The Walt Edwards Fund is one way we as a community can begin to recognize and appreciate all of the talent that resides in our county. It also celebrates and remembers Walt and his love of music and our community.”

Walt wanted Kathy to sell his equipment and use the money to support live music, and that’s how the fund was seeded. “It all just evolved into something I know was special to his heart,” Kathy said.

Donations to the Walt Edwards Ashenfelter Fund for Performing Arts (previously Walt Edwards Ashenfelter Memorial Fund) at Greater Pike Community Foundation can be made here.

Greater Pike helps individuals, families, and local businesses to provide a permanent and personal way to give back to the community. For more information contact Jenni Hamill, Executive Director at (570) 832-4686, jennihamill@greaterpike.org, or visit www.greaterpike.org and Facebook.com/GreaterPike.