Local pillar businesses eagerly await Crazy Days tradition
Last year's Crazy Days lived up to its name, bringing hundreds to the downtown area. (Courier Press file photo)
By Caitlin Bittner
It’s July and summer retail sales are almost at their peak, which means, Prairie du Chien’s annual Crazy Days event isn’t far away.
The sales, which are set to kick off on Wednesday, July 20, have been a staple of the downtown for many years. Lou Davis, owner of the Pickett Fence, reminisced about the scale of the event. “I vividly remember the barricades on Blackhawk Avenue,” said Davis.
“Crazy Days was a big thing. They even had food vendors. It was so festive,” added Davis. “It’s still all about going to hunt for the best bargain. It’s a great promotion. People can get high quality things for low prices.”
Peggy Gallagher, Couleecap’s Clothing Center and Food Programs Coordinator, noted how useful the event can be for moving inventory. “Crazy Days is a good time for everyone to go through the racks for bargains. It helps clean up the shelves.”
In fact, Gallagher even recalled a time before the famous Sports World tent was pitched. “There would be a line clear up to the four-way stop. And when you got inside, there wasn’t any room to move,” she said.
Co-Owner of Sports World, Todd Yeomans, knows all about the crowds of people in search of a good sale. “Crazy Days is the one major event downtown businesses have that draws a significant amount of people to the downtown. It’s a carnival-type atmosphere that I think the average person looks forward to each year to find great deals,” said Yeomans.
Yeomans also hinted at the types of shoppers area businesses are likely to interact with during the event. “I think Crazy Days has really become a tradition for families to get together. Even people who have moved out of the area come back to get together with their brothers and sisters, moms and dads, to spend a little quality time and find those great deals together,” he said.
But that isn’t all. Some customers have, over the years, stumbled upon the event while traveling, and now, they make a point to come back. “The point of Crazy Days is to bring shoppers to Prairie. I’ve had plenty of people asking about Crazy Days since April,” said Theresa Mezera, owner of Panka’s Shoe Store.
Mezera, who has been working the event since the summer of 1979, remembered staying at the store late on Tuesday nights to get ready for the kick-off sales on Wednesday. “It used to be bigger,” she said, noting that the loss of several key businesses like Hamann’s Variety Store was sad to see. “This will be the first year without Kozelka’s Men’s Wear, but the rest of us are still here. Crazy Days is still a good event for the community.”
While the amount of participating businesses is smaller, the business community hopes that maybe, one day, the Crazy Days event will return to its former glory.
One thing’s for sure—the businesses of Prairie du Chien would like to invite everyone out to be a part of the festivities, July 20-24.
For details on local businesses’ Crazy Days sales, check out next week’s Courier Press issues for their advertisements.
