Hoffman shares a passion for music as well as his work

Jeff Hoffman may have found his calling -- although not quite what he expected.

Hoffman, 40, is the executive director of John C. Fremont Days Inc., the organization that holds an annual festival in the city the second weekend of July each year.

A West Point native, Hoffman moved to Fremont in 1987 to attend Midland Lutheran College. Even though he only attended for two years, he remained in Fremont, working in various positions in town. Most of his career has involved music.

He started working as an organist at First Baptist Church in 1987 shortly after starting at Midland. He worked as director of music at Salem Lutheran Church from 1991 to 2002 before becoming director of music at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.

He also works as a staff organist at St. Cecilia’s Cathedral in Omaha and is on staff of the Archdiocese of Omaha as the administrator of the archdiocese children’s choir.

Hoffman said he left college because he realized that he didn’t want a career as a church musician.

His life started taking another twist that started in 1989 when he started a term as co-chairman of events to be held in the Chautauqua Tent for John C. Fremont Days. After co-chairing those events for three years, he took a break from organizing but remained involved helping where it was needed. He rejoined the John C. Fremont Days Board of Directors in 2006.

Shortly thereafter, he was named the organization’s interim executive director when the replacement for longtime executive director Linda Revis left.

Hoffman said he agreed to take the interim position just to get through the 2007 festival with as few bumps in the road as possible while working two other jobs.

“But then after I got into it, I loved working with the board. I loved to organize things. Dealing with such a wide variety of people was very enjoyable for me.”

Not long after that year’s festival, he accepted the position full time.

“I believe in doing positive things for the community and its people,” he said. “This is a great showcase for us.”

But the showcase isn’t the same as it was when he first started volunteering for it in 1989.

“It’s been changing every year,” he said. “It’s the largest gathering in the city. Everyone can find something to do. Almost everything is free. That makes it very affordable. It’s a great way for people outside the city to see the good things about our community.”

Taking over the festival and stepping out of his usual world of music, he said he has learned a lot in the past couple of years.

“I’ve always been someone who just did things myself. I’m really learning to delegate. The thing that I’ve found is that people really want to help and get involved. It’s just a matter of asking them.

“I’ve been a musician all of my life. The challenge with this was to step into a whole different environment,” he continued. “I had to develop a whole different set of skills: Updating the Web site, office technology, fundraising, working with budgets.”

Another challenge he has found a way to conquer is balancing his work with John C. Fremont Days, with the church and the archdiocese, but the calendar does help.

“At Christmas and Easter when it’s busy at church, there’s not so much going on with John C. Fremont Days,” he said. “When things are really busy with John C. Fremont Days, it’s slower at the church. I’ve grown to love my role at John C. Fremont Days as much as I have my music.”