How did they ring in the new year, 51 years ago?

On New Year’s Eve of 1966, Bing Crosby hosted the “Hollywood Palace” variety show on ABC.  On that night’s show, Bing became the first person to perform the title song of the new Broadway musical “Cabaret” on network TV.  He had special lyrics for the occasion, singing “At 12 o’clock, start celebratin’, 1967’s waitin’.”

One of the big hit songs on the radio that December sounded like it was from 1926…”Winchester Cathedral,” by the New Vaudeville Band.  Popular hit movies of ’66 included “The Singing Nun,” with Debbie Reynolds…”The Ghost and Mr. Chicken,” with Don Knotts…and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sandy Dennis, and George Segal.  It was the first movie directed by Mike Nichols.

La Crosse set a record for new construction in 1966, for the second year in a row…$17 million.  The new projects included a headquarters building for the Trane Company, an addition to Gundersen Clinic, and a Country Kitchen. 

The Packers won the NFL championship on New Year’s Day, a 34-27 win over Dallas.  That put Vince Lombardi’s team in the first-ever Super Bowl, matching them with the AFL champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.  A good way to end the 1966 football season, yesterday in La Crosse.