Tommy Bartlett Ski Stage Show Wisconsin Dells

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In 1952, a new traveling performance from Chicago called the "Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show" came to Lake Delton on its second stop. Following the show's huge success in the city, its owner, Tommy Bartlett, chose to keep the performance permanently in Wisconsin Dells. To promote the show, Bartlett gave away bumper stickers advertising his thrill show and the city, effectively spreading word about the area across the nation. Soon more attractions followed to serve the ever-increasing number of tourists, along with countless hotels, shops, and restaurants.

The show, today, has its first part as waterskiing and boat acts. These demonstrations for boating and skiing skills are tied together by a hokey "play" about two summer camps that are competing with each other. One camp has the good guys and the other has the bad guys. While the skiing and boating are enjoyable, the stupid "play" is pretty useless. You can endure it by thinking that it must be for the kids and hope that they are getting something out of it. Maybe this is why it has been twenty years since we last went to the Tommy Bartlett show. One thing that I am glad they are not doing these days is slapping a bumper sticker on your car. If you caught it right away, it was easy to take off. Leave it on for a day and you had a very difficult time removing it.

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Click Here to go back to the main page In 1952, a new traveling performance from Chicago called the "Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show" came to Lake Delton on its second stop. Following the show's huge success in the city, its owner, Tommy Bartlett, chose to keep the performance permanently in Wisconsin Dells. To promote the show, Bartlett gave away bumper stickers advertising his thrill show and the city, effectively spreading word about the area across the nation. Soon more attractions followed to serve the ever-increasing number of tourists, along with countless hotels, shops, and restaurants. The show, today, has its first part as waterskiing and boat acts. These demonstrations for boating and skiing skills are tied together by a hokey "play" about two summer camps that are competing with each other. One camp has the good guys and the other has the bad guys. While the skiing and boating are enjoyable, the stupid "play" is pretty useless. You can endure it by thinking that it must be for the kids and hope that they are getting something out of it. Maybe this is why it has been twenty years since we last went to the Tommy Bartlett show. One thing that I am glad they are not doing these days is slapping a bumper sticker on your car. If you caught it right away, it was easy to take off. Leave it on for a day and you had a very difficult time removing it.