Then, there were 3 La Crosse TV stations, 32 years ago

La Crosse’s third commercial TV station, WLAX-TV, signed on the air in late 1986, on Channel 25.  It’s now better known as Fox-25, but the Fox network was just getting off the ground at the time, so WLAX had a lot of reruns, including “Star Trek” and “I Love Lucy.”  The station debuted 16 years after WXOW signed on, and XOW came along 16 years after La Crosse’s first TV station, WKBT.

Wisconsin elected a new governor in 1986, Tommy Thompson.  The Republican from Elroy defeated one-term Democrat Tony Earl.  Thompson became the state’s fifth governor in less than 10 years.  Eventually, he was elected to four terms.

And the Monkees performed in La Crosse on their 20th anniversary tour.  Michael Nesmith did not make that stop, but Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork headed the La Crosse Center show.  The made-for-TV band was joined on the tour by other 60’s acts, including Herman’s Hermits, and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap.  The La Crosse concert was sandwiched between tour stops in Cedar Rapids and Duluth…32 years ago, 1986, yesterday in La Crosse.