WATERFORD, Wis. — A candy apple red piano plays outside in a small Wisconsin downtown, and it has a big presence. You can hear this piano all the way down Main Street, and it always attracts a crowd.
"The red piano to me signifies Main Street USA," Alicia Human said.
“It’s totally a symbol of Waterford," Jacob Vyvyan said.
“It's become an iconic thing for our store," Eric Carlson said.
The Red Piano
Carlson is the owner and pianist of the "red piano: in Waterford, Wisconsin. He is affectionately known as the "Piano Man" or "Piano Guy." Just don't tell Billy Joel about the Piano Man title.
Carlson owns the store Artistic Piano Services and Sales with his wife. The two of them wheel the piano outside of their shop, and Carlson hits the keys.
"The goal, in the beginning, was just to make it something fun," Carlson said.
He brings out the piano whenever the weather is nice. The candy apple paint job shines bright when the sun hits it. You can't miss the piano. Even without the speaker system, the piano has a commanding tone.
"It's very peaceful. I can’t think about other things when I play," he said.
More Than Just a Piano
It's just about spreading joy and sharing music with the community. It has been effective in the few years that Carlson has been doing it. The community gathers around the piano when he plays.
When Carlson hits a chord, he is doing so much more than just playing part of a song. He's uniting the community through the power of the song. It's not just a piano.
"We’ve had a lot of people that want to purchase this piano, and we turn them down. We usually say sorry, you don’t have enough money to buy this piano," Carlson said.
You can't put a price on community building, bringing people together, and spreading joy.
"When I see the red piano on Main Street, I think of Eric. I think of the piano store. I also think of events happening downtown," Jordan Carweik said.
What's Next
So what's the future of this piano? Carlson and his wife still have three-quarters of a gallon of candy apple red paint. They plan on adding a new coat to in the next few years and repeating that step for the next 10 to 20 years.
