Kids From Wisconsin Have a Distinct Taste of Muskego

It was stifling in the "bunny barn" at Wisconsin State Fair Park, but the performers on stage adopted a "show must go on" mentality and put forth an impressive rehearsal.

The Kids from Wisconsin (KFW) were in the house, and while there weren't any rabbits under the roof of the display barn, the joint was jumpin' as they rehearsed for their summer season.

Of the 33 regular cast members who perform and play, three were from Muskego, which is impressive considering auditions draw students from Superior to Salem, and all points in between.

graduates Matt Weiss, Jacob McCoy and Laura Schachner were all chosen after auditioning in March in Eau Claire and Milwaukee. This is also the second year in a row three students from Muskego were a part of the acclaimed state performance troupe.

Weiss attends the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and plays several instruments, including saxophone and clarinet in the KFW band. McCoy joins Weiss on the trumpet in his third year in KFW and is a sophomore at Luther College. Recent winner Laura Schachner applies her vocal talents to the corps. She will join Weiss at UW-Eau Claire this fall to study vocal performance.

Crediting a strong music program at MHS, the teens were all thrilled to make the Kids, which was born in the unrest of the early 1970s to focus on the goodness of the kids in Wisconsin. However, it's no easy gig.

"It's been a lot of work, and very stressful," said Schachner, who added she's heard it's all worth it, and is excited to perform publicly.

A typical day starts at 7 a.m. with a bonding exercise for the members, who come from every corner of the state, and rehearsals start at 9 a.m. With time out for meals, practice often doesn't wrap until 9 p.m.

Home base is at the youth center dorms on the State Fair grounds, where the kids stay for most of the summer, with the exception of the run of fair, when they're moved to a nearby hotel to stay. It's a full-time summer job that pays a stipend of about $100 per week, but for kids in high school and college looking to perform for a living, it's the perfect job.

KFW will begin its tour on Sunday at Wisconsin Lutheran College and end appropriately enough on Aug. 26 at the Muskego Community Festival. The hometown wrap is also one of a handful of free performances by the Kids.