CEDARBURG — Andrea and Eli Acosta told no friends or family when they were on the verge of launching That Taco Guy food truck, lest they jinx a single step in the process.
It was the summer of 2017, and they were set to meet with a health inspector on a Monday and launch their venture four days later at a Summer Sounds concert. Still, they told no one.
In the coming months and years, however, That Taco Guy has become one of the most ubiquitous restaurants on wheels in Ozaukee County and beyond.
The Acostas say they owe it all to Summer Sounds.
“Summer Sounds changed our entire lives and that’s not an exaggerated statement,” Andrea Acosta said. It was just she, her husband and their two children, ages 8 and 12, who worked the truck that first night.
“We were just completely overwhelmed by the people who wanted to eat our food. We had to stop taking orders after an hour,” Acosta said. “There were well established trucks there. We made $800 that night, and we thought that it was the best thing in the world.”
Throughout the community, hotels, restaurants and other businesses say they too have reaped benefits from the free 10week concert series that runs June through August in Cedarbug’s Cedar Creek concert.
Within a week and a half of That Taco Guy’s Summer Sounds launch, Eli Acosta quit his job. Within three weeks, Acostas’ food truck was booked for the season, Andrea Acosta said.
According to a 2020 independent study commissioned by Summer Sounds, the annual economic impact of the concerts is $1.3 million, with an estimated $500,000 estimated food and beverage spent annually in the community by attendees. More than $75,000 is spent in the park on goods and services.
Bill Conley, who owns the Stagecoach Inn with his wife Anne, said that between the live music at their bed and breakfast hotel and at Summer Sounds, it keeps their rooms busy.
“I would say that Summer Sounds does account for a fair number of rooms during the season,” Conley said. “We are so close in proximity and between our music series on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and Summer Sounds’ concert, we are able to keep guests happy, entertained and nicely accommodated.”
Washington House Inn Manager Wendy Porterfield said she isn’t sure how many guests book a room solely for the purpose of seeing a Summer Sounds concert, but their interest is definitely piqued once they are here and become aware of it. Many want to know what the beehive of activity is at the park, she said.
“They come back, and they are so wowed. I think it’s a nice surprise for the first-time guests,” Porterfield said. “Then after that, they say, ‘let’s come back for Summer Sounds.’ Or they call and ask who’s playing Friday night.”
Summer Sounds started in 2003 as a four-week series. As it expanded, so too did the quality of the acts, the crowd size and its recognition beyond Cedarburg.
It benefits from the music industry experience of its co-director Sue Schrader. She has spent more than two decades in the music and entertainment industries and has participated in all aspects of music publicity and promotion, including creating and managing campaigns for various promoters, record labels, bands and venues.
She travels throughout the country to scout out the perfect bands for Cedarburg. “Music that makes people happy,” she likes to say.
The result is entertainment that is unlike most that music lovers can see for free in southeast Wisconsin. It’s not uncommon to see a band that is on a trajectory to widespread fame.
St. Paul-based Hippo Campus, for example, played Summer Sounds in 2015. They now have five albums and more than 3 million Spotify downloads a month. They played on the Generac Stage at Summerfest just three weeks ago.
“We try to bring in artists that you can’t see anywhere else, at least for free,” Schrader said.
Some bands come with their own crowds. Nashville-based Here Come The Mummies is a funk band comprised of anonymous members wrapped in linen and rumored to be well-known Grammy winners. They brought a national following with them when they performed here in 2022 and have since become too expensive for the budget of Summer Sounds, which depends on sponsors and donations.
“We’ve had other bands similar to them in that they’ve blown up a year or so after they performed at Summer Sounds — Old Dominion, Hippo Campus, Judah and the Lion, etc.,” Schrader said. “I believe our record attendance was when we had the BoDeans in 2016. They were celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams.” The police estimated that we had 8,000 to 10,000 people in attendance. It was also filmed for PBS.”
The 2020 study estimates that audiences are seeing about $600,000 worth of free music annually.
Summer Sounds also showcases local artists, who open for the main acts.
The concert series was the recipient of a Wisconsin Area Music Industry award for Best Outdoor Music Venue. And in a poll commissioned by the city asking respondents to name the three most “brag-worthy assets for visitors” to Cedarburg, Summer Sounds ranked six out of 22, ahead of Strawberry Festival, the Wine & Harvest Festival and the Fourth of July parade.
The all-volunteer-run event also gives back to the community through scholarships and grants to nonprofits.
And while they started 21 years ago with just two or three vendors, it’s now common to see 10 to 15, or sometimes 20.
“We only turn away vendors if we already have a similar one,” Schrader said.
The Acostas now have their own commercial kitchen to prepare food and rent out to others. They have clients from Veterans Park in Milwaukee north to Random Lake. But they will always be loyal first to Summer Sounds.
“Our schedule is around Summer Sounds,” Andrea Acosta said. “That is our heart and soul.”