The old year of 1955 was making way for ’56, yesterday in La Crosse.

The holiday season of 1955 had featured a La Crosse presentation of “The Messiah,” directed by David Mewaldt from the music department at La Crosse State. 

Some of the gifts that holiday season were a Schwinn corvette bike for $74.95 at Smith’s bicycle shop…$5 leather gloves from Newburg’s men’s wear…a pressure cooker from Tausche’s hardware store for $29.95…and a $44.50 Sunbeam automatic mix-master from Western Supply on South 3rd Street. 

And there was a hassle between the La Crosse Park Board and the city council.  It was time to hire a new park director, and alderman Frank Kaufmann said the hiring process was a “mockery.”  Kaufmann said no tests were given the new director, and no other applicants were interviewed…and he knew, because he applied for the job himself to test the system.  At the end of 1955, yesterday in La Crosse.