Entertainment

Mark Twain (alias Michael Scott) is back in downtown La Crosse this week

Published

1 year ago

August 22, 2023

Visitors to downtown La Crosse this weekend will have the chance to see a Mark Twain impersonator bring the famous author back to life, in a show called “Mark Twain in La Crosse TONIGHT!”

Actor Michael Scott will be at the Pump House three nights this week as Twain, who visited La Crosse during his career as a writer and lecturer. During a previous outdoor show as Twain, Scott performed at the southwest corner of 4th and Main, the site of Howes Jewellers. Scott tells WIZM’s La Crosse Talk that Twain appeared once in a building that used to stand on that lot.

“The first floor was the La Crosse Chronicle newspaper, and then on the second and third level the editor built an opera house,” says Scott. Twain gave a lecture in that building on January 23rd, 1884. Scott plans to tell a story that Twain reportedly told on that occasion.

Scott has impersonated Twain for past projects, including a walking tour along the Mississippi a few years ago. He will perform inside the Pump House on Thursday, because of the predicted heat for that day. Friday and Saturday’s shows are scheduled outside the Pump House. Show time is 7 p.m. each night.

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.