How Did K8 Event Team Form & Who's On The Team?

Kate Bowling (my niece) passed away in 2020 at the young age of 19 from a rare cancer that affected her liver and pancreas. She was a lover of music but specifically enjoyed singing and playing the guitar. K8 stands for Kate and the goal of our Organization is to support the Arts in Stark County by putting on high quality concerts that can be enjoyed by the local community. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that raises money to help children in financial need of instruments and/or music lessons. The primary focus of K8 Event Team is to be very competitive with other local venues and to offer a unique experience that brings music lovers coming back for more. We put on these events so that Kate can be remembered and that we may help others in sharing her passion.

K8 Event Team has a diverse team of members that have specific talents to achieve our goals. David Thomas (President) founded the organization and has an MBA in Marketing Management. Rick Thomas is skilled as a General Manager and has extensive knowledge in the food industry. He is our Treasurer and also helps us raise money through food and beverage sales. Laura Search (Kate's Mom) is Vice President and is a full-time online teacher. She is very busy raising her two children but also provides sound advice for fundraising and providing children's activities at our events. Shelly Luyster is a retired legal secretary and volunteers as K8 Event Team's Secretary & Fundraising Co-Captain. Shelly is also a former non-profit President for a local cancer charity. Brian Kelly is our Emcee and has experience being a DJ on the radio for many local stations and has great sound experience previously working for Bose, Harmon (JBL) and currently Mood Media. Dennis Downing is our Communications Director and has spent many years in the tourism industry as well as producing various publications. He owns and operates discovercanalfulton.com and is also invaluable in the planning, marketing and leadership of the Olde Canal Days Festival. Our Sound Specialist, Bob Myers, provides the equipment and the knowledge needed to put on great concerts for a large audience. Bob's many years of experience and professional gear are crucial to making great bands look and sound even better. K8 Event Team also has additional volunteers that perform various tasks needed for raising money and to help ensure a great experience for our patrons.

In 2025, we added some new team members: Mike McEldowney, Brenda Wise, Carl Wise and Matt Miller. Mike is the founder of What's Up Ohio and has been involved in the music scene for most of his life. In his younger days, he worked for Fleetwood Mac and was a friend of the great Tom Petty among other legends in the music industry. Mike is a co-founder of the Alliance Summerfest and volunteers for the HOF Festival, Massillon Car Show and is also involved with the Duncan Plaza Concert Series in Massillon. Brenda Wise is a local realtor with a lot of connections and has experience in non-profit fundraising. She will be working closely with Shelly Luyster (Secretary) to plan fundraisers for K8 Event Team in 2026 and beyond. Brenda and her husband Carl were a tremendous help in 2025 checking tickets at the gate and selling tickets to those who still needed to buy them for the concerts. Matt Miller worked previously for Barnum & Bailey Circus helping with everything from setup and tear down to helping to prepare meals for employees. This year, Matt worked in the beer trailer helping Rick Thomas serve guests but also was a huge help with setting up for the event and tearing down when the concert ended. We are very grateful to have great team members who volunteer to do work to help others.

K8 Event Team relies predominantly on Sponsors and Grants to put on a competitive Summer Concert Schedule with high level Tribute Bands. Revenue is raised at the events through ticket sales, food/alcohol sales, vendor fees, raffles & 50/50 drawings, and Sponsorships/Grants/Donations.