This past Columbus Day weekend, the Dave Jodka Mad Love Music Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary at the South Shore Conservatory in Hingham, Massachusetts. The Jodka family—Kathleen and her four children—have been thanking the South Shore community by giving back for over 10 years, and their story is unlike any other.
After David Jodka’s passing a decade ago, his wife Kathleen was inspired by his love for music and their community. Jodka wanted to honor her husband, and she immediately knew that “music was a no-brainer.” Anyone who knew David Jodka would know his passion for music.
Amy O’Leary, who graduated from Skidmore College with David Jodka in 1992, is a member of the all-female volunteer planning committee. O’Leary said the “outpouring of love, compassion and community” after Jodka’s death was an “inspiration.”
Through the festival, Kathleen Jodka’s main goal is to thank her community and create a legacy program for teenagers seeking a music education. Planning to hold the event for only one year at first, she never imagined that “10 years later [she] would be here, with Mad Love stickers all over the world.”
According to Jodka, many layers of Mad Love have “evolved organically.” The first is “the undercurrent” of the festival: bringing the community together. For the entire South Shore, this day has become a “community connection and community celebration.” Another layer of the Mad Love world is the idea of inclusion. According to Jodka, inclusion was a large part of this year’s Mad Love mission.
As the years have gone by, the ever-growing Teen Committee has been a significant development. Jodka appreciates being able to “offer a ton of opportunities for other students in the community” along with those offered to select groups of student musicians. The committee is recruited, organized, and supported by O’Leary, who believes the teens “bring the Mad Love spirit.”
This year, the festival opened its doors to 70 teen volunteers who were tasked with helping to make the day run smoothly. These young volunteers organized and ran the Kid’s Zone area of the festival. Activities included decorating gratitude rocks, coloring vinyl records, and painting wooden guitars. Other teens welcomed guests as they entered the festival or sold merchandise to festivalgoers.
The Teen Committee was led by SHS seniors Kathleen Gill and Jake Linnell, who oversaw the entire committee. All teen volunteers are given community service hours for their time. Jodka commented, “We truly could not do Mad Love without the teen committee.”
SHS junior Andrew Jodka, the son of Kathleen and Dave Jodka, has experienced the effects of Mad Love head-on. The second oldest of the four Jodka children has been a key factor in the success—and good vibes—that define the festival. Andrew Jodka remarked, “Mad Love is a way for families to come together to experience good music, good food, and good people.”
Emphasizing his high hopes for the future of Mad Love, Andrew Jodka plans to keep spreading the message of Mad Love and encourages SHS students to get involved with next year’s festival.