Yesterday in La Crosse
Long live the King…and I, 45 years ago
In the summer of 1972, ‘The King and I’ was a summer theatre production in La Crosse, a joint project between the La Crosse Community Theatre and Viterbo College. The show at the Viterbo Fine Arts Center featured Lisa Brudahl, Jack Starr, Gary Wells, and Patricia Skemp. LCT did ‘King and I’ again 15 years later, as the first show directed by Morrie Enders during his 18-year run at the local theatre.
Entertainment in 1972 also included go-go girls. The Habit bar at 3rd and State Streets was having auditions for dancers. Also featuring the go-go dancers was the Twilight Zone bar on the pike between La Crosse and La Crescent.
Walter Schmeckpeper of La Crosse was a champion in a different form of entertainment…horse-shoe tossing. Walter had day jobs at the Peerless Beer factory in La Crosse, and with the city water department, and he was training for a national horse-shoe tournament. He quoted doctors as saying horse-shoe tossing was the healthiest of all participation sports…45 years ago, yesterday in La Crosse.