Polar Bear plunge, Y2K fears, 20-cent parties: A look back at Sheboygan's New Year's celebrations

SHEBOYGAN — New Year's celebrations have always been a way of saying goodbye to the old year and ringing in the new year.

Years ago, the holiday was often referred to as Sylvester Eve. Pope Sylvester I was an eventual saint who served from 314 to 355 whose main claim to fame was the conversion of emperor Constantine. A feast day is held on the anniversary of his death, which happens to coincide with the Gregorian calendar's Dec. 31.

With the passage of time, New Year's Day has been celebrated in different ways.

In 1940, lots of fun was promised. At Turner Hall, an ad proclaimed "Biggest New Year's Eve Party in Town." The hall was featuring the Carlos Fuerst Orchestra. Admission was 20 and 40 cents.

Before television became mainstream, going to the movies seemed to be a thing to do around New Year's.

In the middle of World War II in 1943, a Sheboygan Press clipping featured several films at the local movie houses. The Rex said it was featuring Bob Hope and Betty Hutton in a comedy called "Let's Face it" with a secondary feature of "Tornado."

At the Wisconsin theater, Abbott and Costello were in "Hit the Ice" along with "Melody Parade."

The State featured "Hello Frisco, Hello," a Gene Autry film "Star Dust on the Sage," and "Once Upon a Honeymoon" with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers.

Back in the 1940s, it wasn't all just movies, either. As bars were back in full swing as a result of the repeal of Prohibition, dozens of ads in the Press from establishments promised lots of fun, including party hats and favors.

The Flamingo, a Sheboygan theater cafe, proclaimed: "Now you don't have to go out of town for your New Year's party! Sheboygan has the finest theatre cafe in Wisconsin." The firm was promising an orchestra and a floor show.

In 1946, according to a Press article, experts were saying that the celebrations would be quieter than they were for New Years' Eve 1945, the year in which World War II ended. That article also said that Chicago's new Cameo restaurant had a $100 per person admission, making it the most expensive in the nation. The deluxe celebration was far more than the average of $15 to $20 for food, entertainment and taxes in other large cities. Sheboygan prices were routinely far less, often with admission as little as 20 to 40 cents at New Year's events.

In the 1970s, the Polar Bear Club was formed to offer a refreshing dip into Lake Michigan as a way to start the new year. The event has had weather challenges. On brutal cold years, jumping into the lake results in experiencing warmer water than air conditions. One year there was so much snow and ice at the lakefront Polar Bear Club members had to utilize a chainsaw to cut a path at the lakefront to allow people to safely enter the New Year's waters.

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As the world inched toward the year 2000, even technology was starting to get in the way. According to Wiki, the year 2000 problem, also commonly known as the Y2K problem, Y2K scare, millennium bug, Y2K bug, Y2K glitch, Y2K error or simply Y2K, refers to potential computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates in and after the year 2000. Many programs represented four-digit years with only the final two digits, making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900.

Reporters across the county wrote stories about the problem and programmers, knowledgeable in code, reaped thousands of dollars in extra income as a result. According to a Press clipping, people were getting prepared in case of a disaster. A Hudson, Wisconsin, man named Dennis Olson, according the Associated Press post, spent $20,000 on food, drinking water, medical supplies and a power generator to survive his perception of a possible Y2K disaster.

Sheboygan entered in the year 2000 with celebrations ranging from Firstar Eve to dances at night clubs without fanfare, as the Y2K turned out to be a bust.

Today, Sheboygan still celebrates New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with party fun and other events. It will be very likely, however, that on New Year's Day the Polar Bears will proclaim, "It's Not Cold Enough."

Gary C. Klein can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @leicaman99.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan New Year's heritage includes Lake Michigan Polar Bear plunge