Tommy Bartlett Wisconsin Dells Show Canceled For Good

WISCONSIN DELLS, WI — The Tommy Bartlett Show, a popular water ski, sky and stage show that is an annual tradition in the resort town of Wisconsin Dells, is done for good.

According to an Associated Press report, Tom Diehl, president and co-owner of the show, said his show "can't recover from the loss of revenue from this summer."

In May, show organizers announced they were canceling its 2020 season — the first time in its 69-year history.

The show would have ordinarily began on Friday, May 22 of Memorial Day weekend. Most businesses were shut down statewide via the governor's Safer at Home order. With that, and the uncertainty of large gatherings being allowed, the decision was made to not open the show this summer, organizers said.

"This is a very difficult decision for us to make, but having a little more than a 100-day window in which to host our shows, leaves us with limited options to proceed," Diehl said in a May statement.

Diehl said that canceling the summer Tommy Bartlett Show is "catastrophic to a small, family-owned business where all of the yearly revenue is generated in a three-month period between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends."

The company said they notified its seasonal staff of 115 that they can no longer provide
jobs for them this summer. Organizers also said the residual effect of shuttering the show also means the cancellation of numerous vendor contracts for outside agencies and suppliers who support the show.

They hoped to be back in 2021, Diehl said.