Tommy Bartlett's Water Ski & Jumping Boat Thrill Show, more commonly known as the Tommy Bartlett Show, is a popular tourist attraction in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Dells is a city in south-central Wisconsin, with a population of 2,418 as of the 2000 census. It straddles four counties: Adams, Columbia, Juneau, and Sauk. The city takes its name from the dells of the Wisconsin River, a scenic, glacially formed gorge that features striking sandstone...

. The show was created in 1952 by Wisconsin showman Tommy Bartlett

Tommy Bartlett

Thomson "Tommy" Bartlett was an American showman and entertainment mogul from Wisconsin. He is most often associated with the water skiing thrill show based in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, known as Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show. The success of this and other traveling water ski shows led to...

 as a traveling group of entertainers, based in Chicago, Illinois. After changing its base of operations to Wisconsin Dells, the performers continued to tour, performing at World's Fair

World's Fair

World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...

s and U.S.O. shows. According to the show's official website, over 20 million spectators have seen the show since its creation.

The Wisconsin Dells show is performed between late May and early September on Lake Delton

Lake Delton

Lake Delton is a man-made freshwater lake in Sauk County in central Wisconsin. For much of 2008, it was a mostly empty lake basin after a portion of a county highway that forms part of the dike wall eroded on June 9, 2008, under the pressure of floods in the area. The resulting washout caused the...

. In keeping with the tourist-centered economy of Wisconsin Dells, the show operates regardless of rain, and is generally canceled only when weather is dangerous, rather than simply inclement. Despite the fact that the show takes place entirely on the lake, Bartlett himself apparently only waterskiied once, on his 70th birthday, 32 years after the show's creation.

In 1978, Tommy Bartlett named Thomas Diehl president of Tommy Barlett, Inc. and sold him a 25% stake in the company. Diehl is now the president, general manager, and co-owner of Tommy Barlett, Inc. He had joined the Barlett organization in 1967, at the recommendation of NFL quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 Joe Namath

Joe Namath

Joseph William "Joe" Namath , nicknamed "Broadway Joe" or "Joe Willie", is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the University of Alabama under coach Paul "Bear" Bryant and his assistant, Howard Schnellenberger, from 1962–1964, and professional football in the...

.

2008: Suspension after Lake Delton draining

On June 7, 2008, the Bartlett show closed when Lake Delton, the body of water where the show takes place, flooded after torrential rains, and two days later, breached the embankment surrounding it, draining the lake almost completely, in particular the area of the show's grandstand.

The show reopened on Thursday, June 12, but without its famous water skiers. They, like Lake Delton, were gone for the rest of the 2008 season.

Even with the land show that was put in place, 2008 show numbers were down almost 90%. The show was improvised with a beached island and by pulling legends like "Sound Effects Guy" Wes Harrison

Wes Harrison

Wes Harrison, also known as "Mr. Sound Effects", is an American comedian and voice actor, notable for his ability to create realistic sound effects using only his voice and a microphone. Wes Harrison makes all his sound effects without the help of tape recorders or other electronic devices...

out of retirement.

Another setback occurred the first week of July, 2008. Many of Tommy Barlett's employees live in trailers on company premises, as most are college students there for summer employment. On Wednesday, July 8, a fire broke out in one of the trailers, damaging four mobile homes on the premises, and causing $100,000 worth of damage. Tom Diehl was quoted as saying, "another emotional setback for everyone".