"Orchestras are not funded by ticket sales," Beaudoin said. "I don’t think people understand what it costs."

"Given the months of preparation that have already gone into this concert, this was a very difficult decision," Behrens said. "It is part of a package of decisions relating to personnel, future programming, development, and marketing strategy designed to keep the orchestra solvent and set it on a firm foundation for the future."

Similar issues surround the cancellation of the summer holiday concerts.

In Beloit, the Stateline Community Foundation and businesses sponsored the holiday show. The Stateline Community Foundation was hard hit by the stock market plunge, as well.

The symphony is already preparing for the fall 2009-2010 season and is on "solid ground," Beaudoin said.

In previous years, the Shipshewana Retail Merchants Association asked merchants to donate door prizes. Everyone who attended the association's annual dinner had the chance to win one of these prizes.

This year, because of the economic situation in LaGrange and Elkhart counties, the group decided to help others in need by instead auctioning these donations and giving the proceeds to the LaGrange Food and Clothes Basket.

The auction raised $4,400, but, thanks to two pledges to match these funds, the LaGrange Food and Clothes Basket will receive $13,200.

The LaGrange Community Foundation board of directors pledged to give $1 for every dollar raised at the auction. The second matching donation will come from a 4Community grant funded by the Lilly Foundation.