Music equipment donated by family of slain bartender

By CHRIS BROWN / Journal Staff Writer

CHARLES TOWN — The family members of an area bartender who was slain in a December shooting are turning their tragedy into something positive for the community.

Glenn, Teri and Matt Mihalik dedicated the Mike Mihalik Legacy Studio on Tuesday night to the When Youth Create Program. The program is sponsored by the Focus Coalition.

The family donated nine guitars, a complete drum set, laptop computers and a full recording studio’s worth of equipment. All of the items were purchased by donations to Mike’s Legacy Fund, a charitable organization established by Mike Mihalik’s family and friends.

Glenn Mihalik said fundraising events, like a Hawaiian-themed dinner at Shepherd University and concerts at the 340 Roadhouse, helped raise money for the equipment.

“The fund is dedicated to creating a legacy of vibrant music in Mike’s memory,” states a plaque for the charity.

The Mihaliks said Mike was a fan of local music, and encouraged area bands to play at the Cliffside Inn’s Bar and Grill while he tended the bar there.

“Mike really loved local music and he liked to keep it in his bar,” Matt Mihalik said.

Matt Mihalik said his brother would have been pleased to see his legacy helping young people in the community discover music.

Keith Lyndaker Schlabach, coordinator for When Youth Create, said the idea for the studio came to him when he met Glenn Mihalik through the Ellsworth Music store in Charles Town.

Lyndaker Schlabach had been looking for funding for the musical component of the When Youth Create program, and Glenn Mihalik was searching for something meaningful to do with Mike’s Legacy Fund.

“Glenn walked in there looking for a way to honor his son, and Brian (Ellsworth) pointed him to me,” Lyndaker Schlabach said.

When Youth Create is a program that offers children artistic opportunities as a positive alternative to drug use. Students are able to engage in music through the program’s “Sound Lounge” and also take part in visual art programs like the Comic Book Project, a national program that encourages children to develop as both writers and artists of their own comic books.

“(The money) got donated to a good program,” Glenn Mihalik said.



— Staff writer Chris Brown can be reached at (304) 725-6581, or at cbrown@journal-news.net