Larry Ubben of Mt. Morris received the 2025 Community Champion of Ogle County award on Dec. 11 at the Excalibur and Excelsior awards ceremony in Rockford.

He joins Community Champion recipients from Boone, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties in being recognized for outstanding service and dedication to their communities.

They were named alongside winners of the 2025 Excalibur and Excelsior awards, presented by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois in partnership with the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence and the Rockford Register Star.

Ubben is known for his role in founding the Mt. Morris Jamboree, a free summer concert series launched in 2011. Inspired by the historic Kable Concert Band’s 115-year tradition of weekly free performances, Ubben proposed the Jamboree idea to the Village of Mt. Morris 14 years ago. The village agreed to help fund the Friday night concerts, which are also supported by private donations and grants. As a result, the concerts have brought thousands of visitors to Mt. Morris every summer.

Each week over the summer, the Jamboree spotlights regional and national bands playing classic rock, blues, bluegrass, and eclectic jazz on the Warren G. Reckmeyer bandshell, located on the historic Mt. Morris campus square. The concerts, which are free to the public, have grown from a few hundred fans per week to a record-setting crowd of 2,500 – nearly matching the town’s population of 2,900.

Ubben’s acceptance speech thanked nominator Sarah Gray, and supporters such as the Village of Mt. Morris, Kable Concert Band, local businesses and nonprofits, and the Encore Mt. Morris arts committee. He closed by plugging “Friday Night Blues,” which he hosts on WNIJ radio, drawing laughter and applause.

In addition to managing the Jamboree bands, Ubben solicits financial support, coordinates a rotating schedule of area nonprofits that sell food to raise funds, organizes food trucks, and oversees a Farmer’s Market during the weekly performances. The concerts are further complemented by art shows in the Encore Art Gallery and exhibits at the Mt. Morris Historical Museum, all located on the campus square, with crowds spilling into the streets to create a festive, street party atmosphere.

Ubben’s contributions extend beyond the Jamboree. He performs in two bands and has been actively involved in community projects ranging from a historic fountain restoration to the annual Let Freedom Ring July 4th festival and the U.S. National Straw Sculpting Competition. His efforts have been praised for cultivating a sense of community, encouraging tourism, supporting local nonprofits and businesses, and helping to establish the town as a regional arts destination.