Hosting Legends: Mower CEO program promising big night with Local Legends concert
Published 7:30 pm Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Mackenzie Brede and Michael Garry, this year’s co-leads for the Mower CEO project, work along side other students in the Mower CEO Program Monday morning on the upcoming Local Legends concert. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Students in the Mower CEO Program work Monday morning on the upcoming Local Legends concert, a fundraiser for grants for the student’s individual businesses. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
It’s a busy time for the Mower CEO program as students work on the upcoming Local Legends concert, a fundraiser for the student’s individual businesses. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Riley Olson. Photo provided
Mary Kate Kestner. Photo provided
Martin Zellar. Photo provided
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A trio of musicians who got their start in Austin will be taking the stage in Knowlton Auditorium as part of the Mower CEO program’s annual fundraiser.
Martin Zellar, Molly Kate Kestner and Riley Olson will be performing on Feb. 21, starting at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Local Legends concert.
The annual show raises money used for grants that go to the individual businesses created by the CEO students who are from Austin High School and Pacelli Catholic Schools.
This year’s class of 22 students started working on the concert in early January with the brainstorming of different ideas before settling on Zellar.
“We started with Martin Zellar and the others filled in,” said Michael Garry, who is co-lead of the project along with Mackenzie Brede. “We always knew we wanted Martin Zellar as he is one of the biggest Austin musicians to come out of here and we knew there were a significant number of people in Austin who wanted to see him play.”
Another idea the group came up with included a game night that centered on a casino or “Jeopardy!” but the idea of local musicians was roundly accepted by the group.
They also wasted no time getting things rolling, really ramping things up in mid January and early February to get the word out.
“As soon as we could,” said Alivia Hemry, who sits on the social media team tasked with promotion of the event. “We can’t just decide we were going to do it. We had to go through our board and make sure everything was ready and finalize things before we could get it out to the public.”
The project, along with the annual trade show the group hosts at the end of the school year, is among the biggest the CEO students work on and CEO Facilitator Emily Hovland said the students have taken the task and run with it.
Which has been especially important considering the scope of this year’s event, one of the biggest through the seven years of the program.
“They have been doing a really great job,” Hovland said. “They slid into committees quickly and this is the first class that has determined two leaders.”
With so many moving parts, it’s hard not to get excited by what is happening, which is exuded by the students taking part in this year’s CEO program.
“I think it’s a unique opportunity for people who have graduated from Austin to come and perform in Austin again and perform for the community,” said Sydney Mitchell, one of the students on the sponsorship committee.
At the same time, it hasn’t been easy and is just one of the many challenges students must face and overcome in order to get the project pulled off and successful.
Each student and the individual groups they are involved in have to work together to solve problems, many of which simply come down to getting the timing right for everything.
“It’s been difficult to match up everyone’s schedule because Martin (Zellar) is putting on shows in the Twin Cities before this and they all don’t live in Austin anymore,” said Joseph Schulte, who is working with the artists in making sure their needs are met. “It’s been difficult to be able to come on the same day, but we managed to do it.”
The entire process helps students to grow as individuals and better helps them prepare for what is to come down the future.
“It’s growing a lot through community connections and working with others,” said Allie Davidson, who is on the sponsorship team with Mitchell.
Since announcing the show, ticket sales have been slower than what students have expected, but Garry said things should pick up closer to the show and hoping to sell 500 to 1,000 tickets by curtain time.
But the group also understands that it’s just part of the process, especially given how big this show is. Knowlton Auditorium the biggest venue the CEO program has ever held its fundraiser in.
“They’ve gone above and beyond what we’ve seen in the past,” Hovland said. “They are trying to sell a lot of tickets for this. Usually we are trying to sell around 300 or so just based on venues. This being in Knowlton Auditorium, this is a much larger scale as well.”
For more information or to buy tickets visit: www.mowercountyceo.com as well as on Facebook. Mower CEO can also be found on Instagram.
