Old Fashioned Fun

Mentor Township, Clark Co., Wisconsin

A time when everyone knew their neighbor

Ballroom Dancing

The Inwood Ball Room ad above, featuring Dale Simons and his Blue Denium Boys ran in the Humbird Enterprise 12 Feb. 1944.

Oct., 1944--Fred Maeder, Joe Dvorak and their band will play for the wedding dance of Margaret Gearing and Russell Schroeder on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Inwood Ballroom. Clark Co. Press.

Responses

As I recall, it was at the corner of County Trunk J and County Trunk K in Hatfield, to the east across J from the Thunderbird Roller Rink. To the south across K from the Inwood, was the Green Bay and Western R.R. I cannot tell you who the owners were way back when. Yes, it is still there but I do not know history of changes made over that many years. The present owners may still be Ron and Pat Kautz. Way back when, they may have had roller skating at the Inwood also, the Roller Rink and the Inwood are across the road from each other. My kids and I spent many nights and afternoons at the rink during 1970-1975. I think Joe and Violet Vieau were one of the first owners of the rink, later Violet had the Thunderbird Museum; when we skated there, the rink was run by Mickey and Gay Olson; and now is in renovation by new owners.  Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Seems I just saw something in news (2012) to the effect they are working at the roller rink at Lake Arbutus...presume it is the same place? When I was starting high School, I loved to go roller skating at on occasion did go to the one at Lake Arbutus...then I learned to dance (in the '40s) & forgot the roller skating!  Now - back to Dale Simons and his Blue Denim Boys!! I was so pleased to see this ad as my Uncle Harold Jackson who grew up in Longwood & Greenwood (Class of '41) played bass w/the band all those years after WWII while attending college in Winona. They would travel to all the many dance halls by bus & back to Winona late at nite. As a matter of fact, Ken Steiger recently sent me a postcard of the Blue Denim Boys that Harold gave him when he drove over to LeCrescent to see Harold & talk about those days. Said Harold had two cards so gave him one!  Ken's brother Ertz Steiger (many of you will remember) played trombone in Howie Sturtz's band always. Harold was in army engineers - first in N. Africa & then in Italy in WWII - thru some terrible times. We had legacy stones place at High Ground last fall in memory of Harold & his two brothers Lawrence (Ozzie) and Gordon Jackson.
He also played in a couple of other old time bands in those days, and finished his music career as a band director in Lewiston MN & vocal music director in LeCrescent MN. (One of his sons is now band director in Necedah WI schools.)
I got to know many of the fellows that played in those post WWII bands that welcomed many home from service in those days!  Norma Telford

The American Legion Auxiliary Ad above, featuring Music by Fred Maeder's 5-piece Orchestra appeared in the Humbird Enterprise, 12 Feb 1944

Movies & Theatre

Both the Adler Theatre of Neillsville, Wis. and the Fairchild Theatre advertised in the Humbird Enterprise.  The two ads featured here appeared, 15 Feb 1944.  There was never a Theatre in Mentor Township that we know of.

Roller Skating

The advertisement above appeared in the Humbird Enterprise, 15 Apr 1944.

Responses

My younger brother and sister and I spent many a July night at the roller rink at Hatfield while on vacation with my parents when we were kids. We would stay in these log cabins at Hatfield and go swimming at Lake Arbutus, and go in to Black River Falls where my paternal grandparents lived and visit with them and my Aunts and Uncles and cousins...fond memories!  Lani Bartelt

Yes, this is the old thunderbird roller rink. Vi and Joe View ran it in my day around 1950.  They also had Skating at the Inwood Ballroom and we would go back and forth.  Back 20-25 years ago we bought Joe View's cabin at Hatfield
it had a thunderbird totem pole on one end.  There were one foot tiles on the floor with a thunderbird design.  The good old days !!  Don Schutte

My family and I also would camp for a week at Hatfield and go roller skating. Lot of good memories of that area and time. Paula Fredrickson

Radio

Neil Hein, Humbird Resident, listening to his radio about 1925.

 

Mentor Township Home Page