It’s hard not to notice the low-slung, circular black-and-white building with the unusual space-age design along Interstate 94 between Milwaukee and Madison. And if you look long enough at it, it does kind of look like a turkey. It’s The Gobbler, and it began beckoning travelers to Johnson Creek for a meal at its supper club in 1969.
“It’s more than just a building,” says Jim Weatherly, a former logistics executive who led the effort to revive it as the new Gobbler Theater. “There are a lot of people who have an emotional attachment to it and wanted to see it continue.”
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The Gobbler was designed by Fort Atkinson architect Helmut Ajango for local poultry mogul Clarence Hartwig, whose meat-processing plant was located nearby. The now retro-futuristic structure features oblong windows made to resemble the eyes of a turkey.
The paragon of poultry’s supper club era ended in 1992 when it closed due to lingering financial woes. In 2015, it found new life as The Gobbler Theater, functioning mainly as a music venue, but that came to a halt five years ago, after the death of its owner, Dan Manesis. Weatherly, concert promoter Jon Kaiser and a group of investors bought The Gobbler and have a broader vision for the music venue while still engaging fans of what Manesis created.
On June 6, the 420-seat venue hosted its first show, as Canadian country musician Terri Clark played to a capacity crowd. Clark got the opening night slot because she fit the genre near and dear to Manesis and a dedicated core of patrons, Weatherly says. “Dan opened the theater because he loved country music,” he adds.
But Weatherly – who owns a small, independent music label, Blue Bandit Records – says the plan is to host performers who offer a wide range of musical styles. Other musicians performing at the venue have included Drew Cagle and The Reputation, the Kentucky Headhunters and Confederate Railroad, with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra scheduled to play in September. The theater is also likely to host comedy shows, business meetings and possibly high school band performances. The theater’s lower level, which can seat about 100 people, is also being remodeled and could host community events.
Johnson Creek Village Administrator Kyle Ellefson sees the revived venue as more than a historical marker. “The Gobbler,” he says, “is as important to our future as it has been to our past.”
