Feb. 8, 2024

Ferris State University Alumna Seeks Supporters for Summer Concert Package in Idlewild, Iconic Lake County Social Destination

A Ferris State University’s College of Arts, Sciences, and Education alumna hopes to build awareness and opportunity for her beloved Idlewild, a Lake County community with a rich past, by gaining sponsorship and support for a Summer 2024 concert at a lakeside venue.

Monet McClure Rabb, the founder and president of a nonprofit foundation, hopes “R&B in the Wild” is a catalyst for continued interest in a community that welcomed persons of color in the Jim Crow era and was a haven for top entertainment acts generations ago.

“Our family had a summer home in Idlewild for 60 years, and I would come up from Indianapolis and enjoy every visit,” McClure Rabb said. “When it came time to choose my college, I said, ‘What school is close by to here?’ I was pleased and proud that Ferris is where I began my studies.”

Monet earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 2011 and has had professional roles in human relations and corporate leadership recruitment while establishing the McClure Rabb Idlewild Foundation in 2021. She said Summer 2022 was when “R&B in the Wild” was conceived and began to take shape.

“Our plans are to bring top Billboard artists of the latest generation,” Monet said. “Those familiar with Idlewild’s history know of its big band visitors and radio stars, but I hope to bring a new era of performer to ‘the Wild,’ seeing that as a great way to interest people who are possibly new to the Idlewild experience.”

Idlewild’s beginnings are found before World War I, as a year-round resort community arose where visitors could enjoy the woods and waters without fear of segregation and social backlash.

“I do not expect to restore the seminal Idlewild, when it was one of the jewels of the ‘Green Book,’ though we are hoping to acknowledge and revitalize all that we have here,” McClure Rabb said. “Our locals are already in the field seeking support. The intention is to present an event that is regional, even national in scope.”

Monet said specifics on the date for “R&B in the Wild” will be announced once the artist lineup for the event is assured.

“Our website is secure and capable of explaining our mission and intentions for this event, so we welcome inquiries for sponsorship and other support,” McClure Rabb said. “We want to present an inclusive, entertaining opportunity to celebrate Idlewild and West Central Michigan.”

McClure Rabb said her foundation is not “one and done” after hosting “R&B in the Wild.”

“One of the most famous residents in the history of Idlewild was Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the first African American to perform open-heart surgery in the United States, in 1893,” McClure Rabb said. “His lakeside property is where we hope to welcome guests for ‘Beaching in the Wild,’ twice monthly in warmer weather. We hope that can be a way to welcome student groups and other organizations to embrace and enjoy the Idlewild experience.”