Wally and the Beavs to rock Foundation Park

FOSTORIA — Wally and the Beavs weren't yet Wally and the Beavs when they formed the band in 1992. But the members took on the name and the mission of playing "for fun and money." And, for 32 years, the group has played on and made a name for itself throughout northwest Ohio as a rock and roll and Motown cover band. Over time, the band has reduced its number of gigs, but it will experience something of a return to its roots when it plays at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Wainwright Amphitheatre in Fostoria's Foundation Park. Bill "Wally" Hesselschwardt, the band's frontman and one of the two remaining original members, recalled a vibrant music scene in Fostoria and Tiffin years ago. "I'm so happy whenever we get to come back to the Fostoria/Tiffin area, certainly because of my past – I almost feel like it's home; as far as musically, it is, for me," he said. "I lived further up, in Holgate and then Defiance. But that little area there, that was a valley of some great musical talent. And it still is, I'm sure." The band that Hesselschwardt and Joel Bokerman originated in 1992 has had more than 20 members spend varying amounts of time playing, but it has maintained staying power as an area staple. "Whenever we've needed someone, I guess it's our reputation that makes it easy for us to replace musicians with others with excellent musical ability," Hesselschwardt said. "Individual musicians like to play in a band that takes its music seriously. And that's something we've always done." Hesselschmidt and keyboard player Bokerman are joined in the band by Shannon Ford on saxophone and flute, Jeff Skaggs on trombone, AJ Tscherne on guitar, Glenn Roddy on drums, Ed Adams on trumpet and Nathan Santos on bass guitar. They range in age from being in their 40s to their 70s. All of the band members continue to live in northwest Ohio except for Hesselschwardt, who now resides in the Cincinnati area. Also, all but Hesselschwardt otherwise play professionally in other ways. Hence, the limited number of engagements Wally and the Beavs now accept. "I would say we play two or three times a month through the spring, summer and fall," Hesselschwardt said. "... We do a benefit or two in the winter. We're probably down to playing only 20 gigs a year now. "There were times, especially with The Other Half," Hesselschwardt, referring to the comedy/music group with which he previously played, "when, I think, we played 300 nights out of the 365 days of the year. I remember one time we played 27 straight days. ... That's a younger man's game. In some ways, we do purposely keep our bookings to a minimum. When we were playing regularly at Put-In-Bay, through the summer, we played a lot. In the mid-'90s through the early 2000s, I think we were sometimes playing four days in a row at Put-In-Bay. They would ask us to play more than we wanted to. Then we slowed that down and we, finally, now, we don't play there any longer. Now, we just play around the lake area because we have a good fan base there." When necessary, he said, the band will require substitutes; in fact, he said, Pete Ford, the husband of Shannon Ford, will sub in for Bokerman in Fostoria, and Hesselschwardt recently had to sit out a concert due to a bout with COVID-19. "I had an old friend who I knew could cover a good dozen songs for the concert," he said. "The band agreed and I asked him and he came and, without a practice or anything, he did very well." Hesselschwardt said each member has been substituted for at some point. "That speaks for the professionalism of the band," he said. Wally and the Beavs' performance will close out the Summer Concert Series hosted by the city of Fostoria and the Fostoria Community Arts Council. The concert series is provided through grants from the United Way of Fostoria and the Geary Family Foundation.