Concert series taking place on Prince Edward Island
Community Spotlight Series: Vickie
As we celebrate our 30th anniversary in 2025, we’re excited to reflect on the vibrant stories and community members who have helped shape Under the Spire’s story. Our Community Spotlight Series will feature a diverse group of supporters, sharing their personal connections, experiences, and favorite memories with us across 10 interviews. Through their testimonials, we’ll explore why Under the Spire holds a special place in their lives and in our community. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to this celebration by sharing their reflections with us!
Community Spotlight Series
Interview with Vickie Anderson
1. How did you come to know about UTS, and how did you begin volunteering with the organization?
I came to PEI for my first visit in 2002 and built my house here in 2010, so that’s when I started spending more time on the island. I wanted to find a community organization that I wanted to give back to both timewise and financially as well, and Under the Spire was one that I wanted to support. I feel like I got so much more back than I expected. It’s been kind of magical to experience UTS and the people I got to know through it all, not only just going to some of the board meetings, but also doing volunteer work. I believe I started becoming more involved in about 2014 when I started to volunteer. Even before that, I was attending some of the concerts. It’s such a beautiful venue with amazing acoustics – it’s just magical. When you go to a concert for someone that has not performed there before and they say the same thing, you know they’re so excited about having a concert there and performing. Logan Richard is a musician I’ve come to enjoy a lot by seeing him at Under the Spire. I saw him first at one of the Youth Legacy Concerts, so that was several years ago. (Every time I go to PEI, I try to figure out where he’s going to be to see if I can go and listen to him at a few concerts!) I love that the concert series at UTS is so diversified – you have classical music, soul music – being from the Midwest in Iowa, I didn’t know what a ceilidh was or what a kitchen party is, so that’s been very interesting.
2. Can you share some special memories that you have from your time at UTS?
One summer they had an event day that was all about lobsters. They brought in a chef from PEI, Ilona Daniels, and it was all about lobster – she gave all kinds of information about lobster, and then the second part of it was different dishes that she prepared made from lobster. I think that lobster day was just so unique. It was so different to what Under the Spire usually offers, except for the musician they hired, but PEI is all about lobsters, right? And a lot of people don’t know all about lobsters! They went into talking about the lobster traps, catching the lobsters, how long they can be in water and all that. It was very different, and there were a lot of people there. Everybody had such a great time! It was really cool to meet chef Ilona Daniels and talk to her, it was very personal. It was one of those two-day events where you didn’t have to be there the whole time – you could buy a ticket for one part, or for both parts. It also introduces people to like Under the Spire, right? Any way we can figure out how to branch out and do different things, like the annual Soupfest, are really cool things. It brings in people and the community. I think when you can bring communities together, it’s a big deal.
The other thing that came to mind is during volunteer hours working in the Pavilion – the introduction of different vendors from the community like, The Handpie Company and other companies. I really think that’s a great opportunity for people to meet and to get to know different small business owners.
Vickie shared a special memory about her hand in creating The Donor Wall
I met with a board member – I don’t know how many years ago now, and I was trying to find a way that I could donate or give back in a larger way. I asked her, “What are the needs in front of us to figure out?” and “What are the needs for the organization?” And I believe that at that time, that’s when The Donor Wall was just coming into an idea – a larger place where they could recognize the larger donors and stand out where it could be very present for people to see when they walked by. We’re the ones that kind of established The Donor Wall to see how we can get something going. There were some areas that were needing funding and that’s kind of like “This is the amount I’m wanting to donate”, and I thought it was a great idea and hopefully it could encourage other people to donate and give back to the organization. I think a lot of people don’t realize the cost involved to keep that building updated – you know, all the maintenance and the cost to run the festival, bring in such great talents and so forth.
3. Before volunteering with UTS, did you have any previous experience in the arts community?
I was involved a little bit in Nashville when I lived there, just with different organizations and helping with fundraising and so forth. I have no musical background myself, but I love music. When it came down to it, I always wanted to find an organization where I felt good about it and their mission. After a few concerts and figuring out what it was all about, I decided to become more involved. I’m not as involved as I would like to be, living away for half of the year. Whenever the season lineup came out, I would look at the concert schedule and look at my schedule and say “Okay I can volunteer these days, but not these days” People don’t realize that the volunteers make a huge difference in this organization – Under the Spire couldn’t run without them.
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4. Can you comment on how Under the Spire impacts the community?
It just opens your eyes to what a lovely island PEI is, and how kind and welcoming everybody is. It really helps that I grew up in a small town in Iowa, and it kind of reminds me of that town – everybody is very friendly and warm and welcoming, and that’s what you’re hoping for right? Those are the type of people you want to be around.
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5. What would you say to someone who has never been to a concert at UTS before, or who may feel nervous about exploring a new genre of music?
I just feel like they need to try it, and they won’t be disappointed. The price of a concert ticket is so reasonable, and you’re getting three hours worth of entertainment. One thing I noticed is that the people on the island – a lot of them don’t know – or if they do know about it, they don’t realize – how affordable it is to see a show at Under the Spire, and how much great entertainment you get for that price. I’ve brought several friends that have never been. They’ve lived on the island forever and have never been to a concert, and they were just so surprised and amazed at what a fun event you get. A three hour event with good music, people, and refreshments. I’ve seen Under the Spire just evolve over the last 10 years and it has really continued to become a big part of the community. I’m hoping that that will continue and even grow more.
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We hope you enjoyed reading Vickie’s interview! Be sure to read the other interviews in this series
