Featured Member Artist — Savage Area Arts Community

Featured Member Artist
July 2025

Meet Member Artist Greg Van Gompel…

Did you know that the Savage Area Arts Community is committed to more than just visual art and visual artists? In fact, while visual art and artists are a core part of our constituency, we are here to support, nurture, connect, and celebrate performing artists and literary artists too. In that spirit, meet our July Featured Artist Member - Greg Van Gompel, an accomplished musician and published author. Greg has supported the Savage Area Arts Community in numerous ways over the years and currently serves on the organization’s Board of Directors. In Greg’s words…
My journey in music started with guitar lessons at age 8. By the 5th grade, I became a church song leader and then later sang in school choir and musicals. I worked as a music minister at the Church at St. Norbert for two years. I mainly perform with an acoustic guitar or bass guitar. Previous to being a musician at St. Michael's in Prior Lake, I sang and played with the adult choir at St. John's in Savage. I have been known to play and sing for weddings as well.
In addition to being an active musician, I authored a book on the Excelsior Amusement Park in 2018 through History Press. It tells the story of the amusement park and the Pearce family who owned it. I am currently writing another book for History Press on the Lost Amusement Parks of Minnesota which will include histories of Family Funway and Antlers Park, both of which have ties to the City of Savage. My expertise on amusement parks and the amusement industry has been requested for internationally distributed programs like "Top Ten Roller Coasters," local television programs such as "Our Region's Business" in Pittsburgh as well as local radio broadcast and podcasts. This coming November, I will be the featured speaker for the centennial celebration of the Excelsior Amusement Park with the Lake Minnetonka Historical Society.