Yesterday in La Crosse
The King reigned for one night only in La Crosse, 61 years ago
We can still brag that Elvis Presley played at the Sawyer Auditorium on Monday, May 14th, 1956…between gigs in Minneapolis on Sunday and Memphis on Tuesday. Two shows at the Sawyer…which also featured the Jordanaires, Rick Flaim and his orchestra, and Irish tenor Frank Conners. The highest-priced ticket was $2.50. Elvis spent some time at the Hotel Stoddard while in town, and gave an interview to popular WKBH deejay Lindy Shannon.
The district attorney was asked to try to stop the second show, and one local citizen wrote to the FBI afterward, saying Presley was a security threat to the U-S. J. Edgar Hoover wrote back, saying the agency wasn’t going to investigate Elvis.
For folks who preferred to stay home and watch TV that night, they could see I Love Lucy, December Bride, The Millionaire, and Truth or Consequences. Sixty-one years ago, 1956, Yesterday in La Crosse.