Waterloo is old, y'all!

Speaking of Waterloo's Sesquicentennial coming up (that's 150 years, by the way)...

The Waterloo-Area Historical Society is now selling an 18-month Sesquicentennial calendar, with lots of photos of historical interest. (As of this posting, they don't have any information about it on their website, but I'm sure they will eventually.)



The calendars currently cost $10, and proceeds go toward adding restrooms and making the museum handicap-accessible.

Below is my brief review the calendar:

Overall, the calendar is very nicely put together. There are a lot of interesting photos included, that are placed well, according to the month. (For instance, a Big Wiener & Kraut Sandwich* and other Wiener and Kraut day photos appear on the September page, which is fitting, because that's when W&K Day occurs.) And the calendars are priced reasonably.

However, only the front and back cover pages are in full color (or full black and white, depending on the photo). The rest of the pages are more of an ivory or sepia-toned linen textured paper, which gives it a nice old-timey appeal, but my personal preference would have been to have all of the pages done in the full color glossy paper. Sure, the price would have been higher, but I think it would have been worth it.

Here is a sample photo of the Big Wiener and Kraut Sandwich, as seen in the new calendar:


Here is the photo, as seen on the front page of the Waterloo Courier, Volume 109, No 44, September 20, 1979:


*Speaking of Dean's Big Wiener, there is a typographical error in the caption of that photo. The caption in the calendar reads:

Jerry VanHolten, Merle Virchow (Chair), and Dan Blau at the 1979 Wiener and Kraut Day

The caption *should* read:

Jerry VanHolten, Merle Virchow (Chair), and Dean Blau at the 1979 Wiener and Kraut Day

So if you happen to purchase the calendar (Which you should! That place needs a bathroom and a lift!), be sure to note the correction.

By the way, the Waterloo-Area Historical Society is also selling a new book about the Waterloo Homecomings from 1905-1935, so be sure to check that out, as well!

One more thought to ponder... didn't Waterloo call their 125th celebration a Sesquicentennial? Hmm... will have to research that. I know those doings started on July 20, 1984, but I don't find any newspaper articles about it on hand.

North Monroe Street

Below is a before/after photo of North Monroe Street, in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The photo on top was taken on April 21, 2006. The photo on the bottom was taken on July 4, 2008. Road construction on this southern portion of the road was completed in the early summer of 2008. (The road is still being worked on, further to the north.)


So what's new?

• Light fixtures!
• Crosswalk and parkway are pink!
• Fresh new sidewalk!
• New pavement!
• New bumpy "ramp" on sidewalk!
• In the Veteran's Park on the corner, the large evergreen has been removed, and the plantings have been prettied up!

What's old?

• The "Voelker Building" (built in 1908) at 120 North Monroe Street, which currently houses the Cut and Curl beauty salon, still has an outline of the old Courier building, which wasn torn down in early 2006!
• The disgusting phone booth is still there!
• The rest of the buildings still look run down!
  

One wonders if Waterloo will go on a beautification frenzy, to get the downtown area looking nice again, in time for the big Sesquicentennial celebration in April 2009.