Some state institutions gone forever after 2020
A wild water show on the shore of Lake Delton, a tailgate at Miller Park, a guy named John McGivern showing us a place “around the corner” — these are now all things of the past thanks to 2020.
Every year things change and loved institutions are lost, but the COVID-19 pandemic took more from us than a normal year.
Here are eight Wisconsin things 2020 forever took from us.
Tommy Bartlett Show
Perhaps the most missed will be the iconic Tommy Bartlett Show that ran 69 years in the Wisconsin Dells.
In spring it announced it would not hold its water-ski, sky and stage show that brings in 90% of its revenue. Later the company announced it would forever be closed due to “catastrophic loss of business.”
“While we are grateful that we have had almost seven decades of entertaining visitors in Wisconsin Dells, we have no choice but to close the Show,” said Tom Diehl, president and coowner of the Tommy Bartlett Show.
Small music venues
The concert and live show industry was likely the industry hardest hit by the pandemic. Larger music venues still found ways to make small profits through things like weddings or tours.
But a handful of small venues didn’t have enough to make it through.
In 2020 Milwaukee has said goodbye to Fire on Water, the Underground Collaborative, Up and Under, Riverwest Public House Cooperative, Walker’s Point Music Hall and the Captain Pabst Pilot House.
One last tailgate at Miller Park
The stadium will still stand, but the name will not.
2020 was the last year Miller Park, the stadium perfectly named for the Milwaukee Brewers, would hold that name.
American Family Insurance bought the naming rights and the stadium will be known as American Family Field beginning in 2021.
Since no fans were allowed at Miller Park for the 2020 season, many lost the opportunity to get one last upclose photo in of the Miller Park sign.
That is, unless, they went to get a COVID test in the Miller Park parking lot.
The ‘purity’ of the State Fair Cream Puff
The State Fair Cream Puff has been an unchanged Wisconsin delicacy for nearly 100 years.
Then 2020 happened.
State Fair decided to switch things up and sell a pumpkin spice cream puff and cocoa cream puff for the first time.
Sure, the Original Cream Puff lost its purity, but not all loss is bad.
‘Around the Corner’ with John McGivern
The fate of the beloved PBS show
“Around the Corner with John McGivern” is in question after the station announced it would not continue production.
PBS said “economic realities” and filming at different locations became too difficult because of the pandemic.
John McGivern has expressed interest in independently producing the series, which PBS would air if he does.
Showing off Milwaukee to the nation
Between the Democratic National Convention, the Bucks playoff run, and the usual festivals that happen in Milwaukee in the summer, 2020 was supposed to be the year to show off Brew City to the nation.
Well, that didn’t happen.
The DNC set one small stage in Milwaukee, but more happened in Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware than in Milwaukee.
The Bucks took their playoff run to the NBA bubble in Orlando, which was a bust. The Bucks didn’t get their earned home court advantage and lost in the second round of the playoffs.
The 11-day Summerfest
Summerfest’s well-known run is 11 days from the last Wednesday of June through Sunday, off Monday, and then starts again Tuesday through Sunday into July.
Summerfest initially postponed the 2020 event for three weekends in September. That was canceled, but Summerfest announced it would again try the three-weekend format in 2021.
Summerfest has not said if the new format will be a permanent change.
Viewing the great Christmas Star
On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn aligned so closely that it looked like one giant star — maybe the star it’s said the wise men saw on Christmas.
The conjunction happens about once every 400 years.
Because it is 2020, it was too cloudy in Milwaukee to see.
Here’s to better luck next year.