Kasschau Memorial Shell

Name: Kasschau Memorial Shell
Address: 125 N Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ, 07450, US
Telephone: +12016705560
Price range: Not Applicable
Rating: 5

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Kasschau Memorial Shell

Kasschau Memorial Shell Enjoy free musical performances under the stars!

04/12/2025

The 2025 Kasschau Shell Committee is thrilled to announce our TITLE SPONSOR Christian Health! Thank you! 👍

04/07/2025

Join in the FUN-raising! See you at Steel Wheel Tavern on May 1st! Be the first to see the 2025 Summer Concert Series Schedule! 🎶 Village of Ridgewood Ridgewood Parks & Recreation Ridgewood, NJ

04/05/2025

Getting excited for 2025!
Sponsor the Shell or make a donation today!
Head to kasschaumemorialshell.com for info!! 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶

04/01/2025

Green-ing up!! 💚 2025 schedule coming soon!
Thx Village of Ridgewood for the amazing beautification of Veterans Field! 👍

01/26/2025

Amazing music as always Ridgewood Unplugged! 🎶 The Hermitage Museum The Ridgewood Historical Society
Hoping to bring some of these talented musicians to the Kasschau Memorial Shell this summer! Stay tuned! 🎶

01/24/2025

🎉Big Thank You to all who have donated for 2025 Summer Concert Series!! 🎉
Click here to donate: https://kasschaumemorialshell.ludus.com/fundraiser.php?id=3426

ROCKSTAR Sheila Brogan
POPSTARS Becky Simpson
ROADIES Rupal+Mitch Ottinger
GROUPIE Rebecca Rubinstein
🎶💙🎶💙💙🎶💙🎶💙🎶

01/16/2025

Visit kasschaumemorialshell.com for information 🎶

01/16/2025

Kasschaumemorialshell.com for information and to join in the fun!

01/15/2025

The Kasschau Memorial Shell Committee is very excited about this! New lights at Veterans Field will make for safer Concerts Under the Stars! Thank you Village of Ridgewood! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

12/16/2024

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays and we can’t wait for 2025! 🎶🎶🎶
Donate today!
Kasschaumemorialshell.ludus.com/fundraiser.php?id=3426

11/13/2024

Gearing up for our 67th Summer Concert Series!
If you love attending the Kasschau Memorial Shell concerts, please consider making a donation to keep the tradition alive! Click link below!
If your business would like to become a Sponsor, let us know!
Email [email protected]

If you and your family and friends enjoy attending the Summer Concert Series at the Kasschau Memorial Shell, please consider making a donation! ALL monies collected go to support the Summer Concert Series!

09/08/2024

Thank you for an amazing concert season!! Help us keep the music playing, and make a donation today!
https://kasschaumemorialshell.ludus.com/donate.php

09/06/2024

📷 Photo cred to William Peay
The Nerds 9.5.24 The Nerds 🎶

09/06/2024

Kasschau Memorial Shell

09/05/2024

Be there or be square!! 🤓🎶🤓🎶
Bring your chairs, blankets and Mom says “bring a sweater!”! 🤓

Address

125 N Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ
07450

Telephone

+12016705560

Website

http://www.kasschaumemorialshell.com/, http://www.kasschaumemorialshell.com/

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HISTORY

Matthew Schneider, The Ridgewood News Published 12:00 a.m. ET Sept. 16, 2016

The Kasschau Memorial Shell is a well-known landmark in Ridgewood, playing host to a number of concerts and performances throughout the summer, many of which are free.

Constructed in 1958 at veteran’s field, the shell is a memorial to Frank and Howard Kasschau, two notable Ridgewood residents involved with music in the village.

According to "The History of a Village," Frank Kasschau was the leader of the Orpheus Club, a men’s chorus. He was eventually succeeded by his son, Howard, who took the reins in April of 1943.

"The Orpheus Club, the oldest of Ridgewood’s musical organizations still in existence, had been founded by half a dozen businessmen and former members of male choruses in 1909," the book said. "Under the leadership and training of Mr. (Frank) Kasschau, the club’s growth and progress were strikingly dramatic."

Frank Kasschau died in 1944, just a year after giving leadership of the Orpheus Club over to his son. The Frank Kasschau Memorial Committee of the Ridgewood Choral was formed in 1946, to suggest a suitable memorial to honor the director.

While a memorial auditorium was initially planned, the group decided instead to raise money for a memorial shell. The fundraising was accomplished through a series of concerts, with the proceeds put aside for use in the shell’s construction.

"In 1947, Helen Jepson, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Association, appeared, contributing her talent because of her friendship with Mr. Kasschau," the text said. "In succeeding years, many other well-known artists performed for the benefit of the memorial.

In 1949, the first Pop Concert was presented outdoors to 2,500 people and was received with such great enthusiasm (that) it has been repeated each June. Each year, a sizable sum of money was realized from the Pop Concerts and added to the fund. The shell was erected and turned over to the village as a gift from the Ridgewood Choral.

According to "The History of a Village," the concrete, steel and stucco structure was designed by Wallace Dunlop, a resident and architect.

With its proscenium arch 50 feet wide by 23 feet high and its deep, curved apron, it has one of the largest stages, and certainly is one of the finest facilities, in Northern New Jersey.

The shell was dedicated on June 17, 1958, with a concert by the Ridgewood Choral and Orpheus Club, according to the book.

While the shell was utilized for a number of concerts from the outset, the number and scope of the programs had steadily grown since then.

The text noted that there have been performances by a ballet company, Ridgewood’s Gilbert and Sullivan Company and bluegrass and banjo bands, as well as "a series of groups devoted to continuing the traditional music of various ethnic cultures," among others.

Programs and maintenance of the shell are administered by a committee appointed by the village’s mayor. Ridgewood’s Traffic & Signal Division, which are considered the village’s handymen, are responsible for much of the maintenance and repair work to village facilities. This crew readies the electrical and sound system at the Kasschau Shell.

Though Howard Kasschau has been dead since 1994 and Frank since 1944, the memory of their accomplishments lives on through each performance at the shell named in their honor.

Kasschau Memorial Shell

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