‘West Coast’ teams had three chances at gold, 39 years ago

At the WIAA boys state basketball tournament in March of 1979, there were three divisions.  And in each class, a La Crosse area team made it to championship games to be played on St. Patrick’s Day.  In Class A, La Crosse Central lost by 2 points to Milwaukee Tech.  Prairie du Chien was playing at state for the fourth time in five years, but lost the Class B title game by 13 points to Elkhorn.  Melrose-Mindoro played for the Class C championship, and had a 7-point defeat to Niagara.

Folks in Madison were chuckling at the antics of the “Pail and Shovel Party” that took over the UW Student Association.  The party became known for stunts such as planting pink flamingos on campus, and building the head and torch of a mock Statue of Liberty on frozen Lake Mendota.  Later that year, the Pail and Shovel gang claimed it had built a nuclear bomb that would be dropped on La Crosse, unless the city sent the Heileman brewery to Madison.  One party leader, Jim Mallon, went on to produce the TV show “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”

Leading up to the Oscars in 1979, moviegoers could see some of the nominated films on local screens…such as “Heaven Can Wait,” “California Suite,” and best picture winner “The Deer Hunter.”  Thirty-nine years ago, yesterday in La Crosse.