Oh the wonderful days of childhood - the Ferris Wheel was located on the west side of the Firemen's hall for decades during Children's Day.
Again, you
have to be my age and older to remember this.
West side of the Firemens Hall
Back in the 1940s
Childrens Day - opera doors off the stage on the south side of the building next
to the highway.
June 1956 - southwest corner of the Firemens Hall
June 6, 1950 Childrens Day
I can ID some of the kids and adults...
If anyone wants to assist me with this picture please let me know and
I'll send you a higher resolution image to study.
May Day 1919 in front of the stage Queen Nettie Moore, attendants Louise Meyer, Elma Mayer
Note how the photographer took 3 different pictures and then spiced them into a more panoramic view
Firemen painting the hall April 1955
Labert "Bud" Stahl painting the ceiling
This is the famous crystal ball that hung in the
Firemens hall...but what most people won't know is that this is the 3rd ball...the previous 2 were smaller - the mirrors were from lady's compacts.
Crystal Ball in Merlyn Irlbeck's "Forgotten Corner" museum.
I know the history of how this came about...In 1975 the Firemens Hall was torn down and a lot of it was hauled to the "Dammann" dump 1 mile west of Manning and a half
north before you get to the current Burlington Northern RR tracks. The dump area was once the original pre-1915 Milwaukee railroad right of way cut in the hill.
The crystal ball was also hauled out to that dump and it so happens that my uncle Melvin Kusel
drove out there and saw it lying there. So Mel and I picked up the pieces and what was still intact and put it up in the loft of my grandmother Kusel's barn northeast of Manning
and covered it with an old heavy quilt blanket...
There it sat for years until one day Melvin asked Merlin if he would repair it and wanted it on display in the museum.
So the rest is history.
George Peters (front) painting the hall
More painting
George Peters & I believe Julius Hoffman (right)
Left to right: LaVerne Olsen, George Peters, Julius Hoffman?, ??, Bud Stahl, ?Hoffman?