You’ve seen those diamond-shaped stickers around town with the outline of Wisconsin and a giant bold question mark in the middle. It was just the other day, I was in a bathroom at a local bar, and the “Why Not Wausau?” sticker was plastered to the top of the toilet.

Word has gotten around, but many are still unsure of what Gerald Mortensen, Director and Coordinator of Sneak Peak and Flapjack Enterprises, is really trying to accomplish in Wausau.

“I hope to bring a festival the size of Bonnaroo or Lollapolooza to Wausau. But that takes cooperation from Rib Mountain, sponsors and local support. It’s all baby steps,” he said.

Baby steps indeed. On August 21, 2009 roughly 250 people gathered at the foot of the Rib Mountain Ski Chalet to do nothing more but dance and get lost in music together. The four-hour show included such bands as Natty Nation, a reggae act from Madison, the Blueheels, a country-rock band out of Neenah and TSA, a local band out of Kronenwetter.

Concertgoers sprawled out on blankets and lawn chairs along the mountain, bundled up in blankets and fall attire, sitting back on the chilly Friday night to enjoy what most hoped to be the beginning of something great.

Jah Boogie, lead vocalist and bassist for Natty Nation, compared Sneak Peak to Harvestfest in Minnesota and Snake On The Lake in Madison, two other small town festivals that occur annually in late-August to mid-September. “I think Granite Peak would be ideal for a music venue because the view is great from every angle, and it’s basically a natural amphitheater. The location is perfect for a live music venue that can draw people from all over Wisconsin. We all need entertainment, and no matter how the rest of the economy is going, the live music venues and festivals always draw people,” said Boogie.

Mortensen is meeting with potential sponsors of Sneak Peak to determine the future of the festival. “We’ll need about sixty to one-hundred thousand dollars for the budget. Bringing in main acts from around the world isn’t cheap,” he said. “And I hope to bring at least three mainstream indie bands and eight local and upcoming bands. A sort of psychedelic rock scene.”

This is only the beginning of what Mortensen hopes to accomplish in Wausau. Ambitions are set on not only bringing a major music festival to Wausau, but also turning the recently shutdown Fillmore, near the downtown 400 Block, into the next Turner Hall or Rave, establishments in Milwaukee that attract not only new and upcoming bands, but national acts across the U.S. “It’s something for teens, young adults and families to enjoy,” Mortensen said.

Or, as Jah Boogie put it, “Music is our vehicle to express our views of the world and how to make the world a better place for our children, community and the world. There’s nothing more unifying than dancing and getting lost in the music together.”