Friday, May 23, 2008

Gobbler Gala Set for June 6th, in Johnson Creek WI!

Gobbler Motel and Restaurant Fans have an exciting date to mark on the calendar - the Gobbler Gala is coming to the one-of-a-kind former restaurant on June 6th! Wisconsin State Journal's Doug Moe give us the details:
...On June 6, The Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Tourism Program will host "The Gobbler Gala," a dinner and discussion at the building in Johnson Creek, just off Interstate 94, that was once the Gobbler Supper Club.

There will be a catered gourmet turkey dinner and speakers will include Jefferson architect Helmut Ajango, who designed the Gobbler, and Wright historian Sidney Robinson, formerly of the University of Illinois-Chicago, now with the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. As one who rarely missed an opportunity during a Madison-to-Milwaukee run to duck off the highway and seek refreshment at the Gobbler, I am both amused and pleased by this development.

The idea came from Jack Holzhueter, retired after many years with the Wisconsin Historical Society, and a Wright Tourism board member. He enlisted another board member, Margo Melli, a Madison attorney and law professor, and together they persuaded the current owner of the Gobbler property, Jefferson attorney Raymond Krek, to go along. Though the restaurant has been closed for several years, much of the interior is still in place and Holzhueter said there's even a chance they'll get the revolving bar operating.

The only real problem is explaining the uniqueness of the Gobbler, which for most of its years had a motel adjacent to the restaurant, to those who never experienced it... [read the full article at the Wisconsin State Journal]
You can read more about the Gobbler's Motel's history and 2001 demise at our sister site, farkleberries.

4 comments:

ymibhdu said...

Went to the Gobbler Gala. I hadn't been in teh restaurant in over a decade of course, and it was cool to see it full of people. It was interesting to listen to Helmut Ajango talk about the process, and it was great to learn that the current owner wants to save it. Got to check out the basement as well. Took lots of pictures.

Really hoping it wasn't damaged with all of the flooding we have had in the area lately. It started raining the day after the Gala.....

David said...

I would love to have heard what Sidney had to say about the Gobbler... He can be a total riot.

Brenda said...

rode past the gobbler this past weekend. i spent many wonderful mini vacations there and made many trips around the bar. always a great time when we went there. i loved the pool.

Anonymous said...

Did you happen to save any of the pictures that were in the (now broken) web links at the bottom of the page? I'd love to see more pictures of the interior, or any more pictures of the motel.

-Johnny