Nashville Comes to Wilmington
Wilmywood Country Classic uses music to give back to the community
BY Shea Huse
When a long-standing Wilmington event was canceled, friends who had attended for years decided to start their own nonprofit so they could continue to bring the community together and give back.
The Wilmywood Country Classic was born in 2016. It started with a group of friends and their mutual love of music and turned into an annual event to raise money for other community nonprofits. Run by a team of volunteers and supported by donations from businesses around town, the charity concert continues to draw talent, mainly from Nashville, to put on bigger shows each year.
Playing this year were The Woods, Danielle Johnson, Reckless Bound, Josh & Sam, Erik Hawks and Julianne Ankley.
The Woods, a trio, were the headliners. Their debut single reached the Top 50 on the Music Row Country Breakout chart.
“We wanted anything we did to be a community effort,” says Joe Bonczek, president and founding member. “We wanted people to come into our community, and for our community to understand that everything they put into this was going to stay right here in Wilmington.”
The 2023 concert was moved from April to March to secure a Saturday night at Thalian Hall. All profits went to the summer employment program through Voyage of Wilmington, an organization helping at-risk youth embark on a path to success. Concert tickets were given to 30 kids who are part of Voyage who would not normally have opportunities to attend such events.
“Voyage really fulfilled the mission of local,” says Mary Ellen Bonczek, a former Voyage board member who is involved with the Wilmywood Country Classic.
Other events for local youth over the years have included songwriting sessions, cooking classes, tennis lessons, and more. In the future, officials with the nonprofit hope to bring back a golf tournament as a fundraiser.