Tommy Bartlett ski, sky & stage show shutting down

Yes, it's going to get worse before it gets better. I always assume that if there is still a demand for a given business (product, service, etc.) it will come back in some form. So in the long run, I don't worry so much about the loss of products and services. I do feel terrible for the folks who have put their lives and fortunes into their business, only to see them destroyed by something as capricious as Covid19.
 
DW and her sibs saw them as kids and it left quite an impression. She has mentioned to me several times.

Sad sign of times.
 
Here's what I remember from a Chicago perspective.

The bumper stickers
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If you went to the show in the 60s or 70s, you would automatically get a souvenir bumper sticker. The kids would put them on while you were enjoying the show. I think Bartlett finally got enough negative feedback that he stopped the practice sometime in the 80s.

Still made an impression on a Chicago kid. Those stickers were everywhere.

Somehow, I never saw the show. I saw similar in Florida. Although COVID is surely a factor, these kind of summer shows seem to be declining. Everything is ramped up to the max now in the big theme parks. A little water show or glass bottom boat doesn't have the attraction of before.

Call me nostalgic, but I think that's a shame.
 
I'm glad that my family got to see the show several years ago. It was good and perfect for a break away from the water park. I'm hoping some new version can be resurrected.
 
It's not just the show that's passing into history, but the name of Tommy Bartlett as well, although I guess a smaller Tommy Bartlett "museum" is still in business for now. The guy was larger than life, starting out as a successful radio host in Chicago before getting into the promotion of water-ski shows. He's been gone for more than 20 years, but he lived on in the Tommy Bartlett show.
 
Chicago kid here too who vacationed at Lake Geneva and the Dells all throughout childhood. This was a fixture in my youth, as was the Lady of the Lake at Lake Geneva, and yes we also had the bumper sticker!
 
the dells are just a 4 hour ride away from mpls. we would go every summer for a long weekend. tommy bartlett show was great family entertainment. sorry to see it go. maybe after the covid is over they can bring it back in some form.
 
Several years back, we did a loop through Wisconsin, UP and lower Mich. We stopped at the Dells and just took a boat ride. That was enough. The rest of the "vibe" was a bit of a turn off so we only spent the day. Most exciting part of the trip was the Mackinac bridge. I've flown airplanes and even done some aerobatics but I had to talk myself into traversing the bridge. There was even a service available to drive you across in your own car if you couldn't face the challenge. Who would have thought?
 
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