Good morning, Thursday, the fourth day of December of 2025.
It is the WXCO morning report on 98.9 WXCO.
I am Chad Holmes joined by Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning.
Good morning, John.
Cold enough for you.
Yes.
Who is it?
Who is it's helping your body to adjust the longer stays?
Cold the more your body adjusted to the sudden change in temperature.
It's a dry cold.
It's a dry cold, yeah.
One day at a time.
It's like late January or February instead of...
December.
But hey, to warm things up, we're going to talk about the holiday season at the Grand Theater, which is always a wonderful time of the year and always great to be able to talk to the executive director of the Grand Sean Wright.
Sean, good morning.
Good morning.
I know that you guys over at the Grand were getting the things all festive this week.
Absolutely.
Our fantastic volunteers were in to help us deck out the Grand and all its holiday splendor and
It's always an exciting time to see the theater during the holidays.
It's obviously a beautiful theater every day of the year, but especially magnified during the holiday
season.
there's a sense of ending in a way because it's not going to be the same ever again.
I mean, you're going to be wonderful in a year.
It's going to be incredible in a year.
But things,
you
know, I think, you know, you've been around here for quite a long time.
And I imagine that,
you
know, in a lot of ways, a lot of the cycle is similar.
But this is the end of a cycle.
Yeah, it is, you know, it kind of, I know it hit me over the last month as we were, you know, having a full schedule.
the shows and events like 11-11 and at each one I kept thinking wow you know this time next year we're going to be reopened with this this restoration renovation of the theater and the Great Hall and everything and it's been so many years of planning and fundraising and everything so to think that
I know.
Yes, this time next year when we're decorating the theater, it's going to look slightly different.
It's going to look a lot like the grand you know and love, but it's going to look better than it has in a number of years.
Absolutely.
And again, it's just exciting.
I saw a really interesting thing on your Facebook page I saw this week a few days I mean this last week I
can't
remember everything runs together
sure
and you were talking about the history of the grand and and Highlights some of the favorite moments and and I imagine that and you've put up a picture Time jumpers
back
and I can imagine and I thought when I saw that I can imagine that you must have an Incredible in the old days you'd have an album pictures nowadays.
You don't need an album of pictures, but I
I can imagine going through your phone or wherever you keep your pictures of the amount of really cool people that bring a smile to your
face.
Yeah, you know, it's funny.
I actually, through the years, it's, I probably can count the number of photos I've taken with artists on two hands.
It's just, you know, all these.
Why not only special?
Yeah.
Only the special ones.
Yeah, exactly.
It's gotta be artists who I really, you know, enjoy working with or that you think that, you know, they're, they're.
might be an opportunity down the road that you go, wow, I have a photo with them back in the day.
But it's funny, my good friend, Don Cronberg, who's run Nightlight Productions out of the Chicago land area for 40 plus years.
And he always gives those of us who don't do that grief because Don was that guy the year he started in the business.
Like I said, in the late 1880s as a college kid.
He always got photos with artists, and so he posts, you know, at least...
three times a week like, Oh, here's me with, you know, here, here's me with Willie Nelson.
Oh, here's me, you know, with Tim Allen.
Here's me with, uh, you know, all three of Larry the cable guy, you know, Joe Fox worth that.
Oh, here's me a buddy guy, you know, and he's become friends with Martin Schwert and Steve Martin because he's done enough shows for those over the years.
And so every, you know,
Every once in a while when something pops up or something, I'll text Don and be like, see, that's it.
I posted something about this show.
It was a great show that we had five years ago, six years ago with somebody.
I know I should have taken the photo like you did.
And he's like, yeah, what are you doing, man?
And it's like, we work hard for these things.
So, you know, but it is fun when you see things like that pop up, whether it's, you know, Vince Gill or Lewis Black or some of the others have had the opportunity to meet through the years.
Why did you decide that Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers was the one that you wanted to hide?
Yeah, well, you know, it was sort of a combination of reasons.
One, you know, it was in 2017.
So that was just about the time we were kind of hitting our stride and, and, you know, not every show was sold out.
So when you had a sold out show like that, it was, that was one that I know when we put on the schedule, you went, I hope people understand.
What this is, because you couldn't bill it as Vince Gill and the Time Jumpers.
You had to bill it as the Time Jumpers.
So we had to do a really good job of marketing, letting people know what this was, you know, as well as, you know, the fact that the show itself was just spectacular.
And it's just kind of a core memory that literally the Blues and the Predators were playing in the playoffs.
I'm a huge Blues fan.
Vince's obviously a huge Predators fan.
I mean, we were...
Well, I said, we were, you know, disagree.
It was a pretty, you know, we were having, we were having one of those fandom arguments.
The series was, was current, was tied one one.
I remember the show was on a Thursday night and so whatever the show finally ends, we do the VIP things and everything.
And I, you know, say goodbye.
And I said, you know, you know, one one, I said, we'll take it in six.
And he's like, no, we're all winning seven.
And I said, okay.
And he says, he goes, are you going back to St.
Louis for any of the games?
And I said, no, I said, oddly enough, I'm gonna be in Missouri this weekend.
you know, for some family things, but not for the game.
And he says, yeah, he goes, I'm definitely going to be at game three national.
So game three comes, I'm sitting back in St.
Louis family, I turn on the game, he's on NBC.
And they're like, and now to sing the national anthem, that he literally just said, yeah, I'm going to be at the game as if he just has a ticket, not.
Yeah, I'm gonna be saying the national anthem at the game.
So I just almost think about that as a fun, you know, a lot of things intersected and you don't have those moments all the time.
To be able
to talk to somebody, really sit down and have a, like, that's a couple of guys talking some
hockey.
Oh yeah, exactly.
We weren't talking about life on the road or, hey, do you think you're gonna join the Eagles someday or something?
What was it like playing the rhyme?
And no, we're literally talking about the blues and the predators and the playoffs.
But it's
passion, by the way.
I don't think the Blues and the Preds will be playing in the playoffs this coming spring, so.
No.
Even though the Blues won back to back games this weekend, finally got them
going.
Yes, they did.
When they turned around and lost on Monday night to the Ducks, and I think they had like four different players going on.
I know, I
saw that, but that's a whole different story.
Yes, it is.
And we will have more with Sean Wright, executive director of the Grand Theater of Wausau in about 22 minutes, so we'll be back at 7.22.
Coming up, top of the hour news update, and then more of Mornings with Pat Crite.
here on WXCO.
It is the
WX
I am Chad Holmes along with Ian Welsh.
Again, we're talking to Sean Wright, the executive director of the Grant Theatre here on 98.9 WXU.
I gotta ask a real quick question because you were going through a list of, you know,
Folks that these people are taking pictures of and he mentioned this guy was talking about Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Have you ever inquired about those two guys?
I'm just curious.
Yes, because they're really, I mean, impossible.
I mean, how you're hard to get.
But I'm just wondering if is that something that you actually said, I'm going to see what it what it would take to get them to come?
If we would love to cope with half a million dollars
because
that's what it takes
for the two of them for an evening
too hard.
What was how was what were the pricing on those tickets to be?
Yeah,
I
was starting at $500 just
to
cover that.
I think the the way it was told
to me was.
was
200 for Steve, 200 for Martin, and 100 for the band.
Unbelievable.
Yeah.
It's a little behind the curtain, because obviously there's somebody that's going out and just...
Yeah.
And you know, and so that's why, you know, they've, as I said...
Bigger houses, obviously.
Got them from Mount Light,
promotes them, and has brought them to Overture Center, over to the Fox Cities, and so those are 2,000 plus seat houses, even there, if you see when those artists are playing.
I mean...
The tickets are $150 to $400, and so now you can kind of do the math,
scale
that down by half, and that's where we are.
But
when you're Steve
Martin and Martin Short, you can demand that type of money.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, let's talk about, again, we're now into December, and we always say this is such a busy time of the year, and you got some great stuff starting up really
next to this weekend.
This weekend, yeah, of course, Central Wisconsin School Ballet with their annual holiday tradition, the nutcrack.
two shows Saturday, one show Sunday.
And so just, you know, obviously, you know, Patrick does an amazing job and has for decades with that production.
And it's not just the local dancers.
I obviously bring in principal dancers from ABT in New York.
And so just truly a great tradition for, you know.
families for people who, you know, talk about having seen that for 30 years at the Grand.
So it is truly a, you know, a great thing.
And, you know, the Nutcrackers, just one of those shows, whether you've, whether you're a fan of ballet, whether you've never seen ballet, like you just, it warms your heart
every year.
You, and you realize that, you know, all the music, you know, a lot of the scenes.
It's as comfortable as a warm fire.
Yeah, it is.
It is
truly just.
beautiful holiday, you know, comfort.
And so that really, you know, we kicked off the holiday season well before Thanksgiving with a
certain music holiday, the
way that everybody does, but this is kind of the true kickoff to the holiday season for
us.
And as you said, to kick off, what else is coming up that people need to be thinking
about?
Yeah, as we roll into next week, next Tuesday, it's Big Bad Voodoo Daddies, a wild and swinging holiday party.
It's such a fun, fun, fun show.
We had this back in 2018, and these guys just put on a fantastic holiday show because it's the songs you know, holiday songs you know and love, plus some of their interpretations of songs, and they're just such talented musicians.
And so that comes up on Tuesday a week from today.
It's the Oak Ridge Boys on their Farewell tour, and that show has long sold out.
Amazing that those guys are still out there 60 plus years on the road and doing really tremendous.
work.
You think about that.
And actually, you know, sometimes, you know, you travel, I do a little traveling sometimes for work.
Man, I can't imagine, you know.
Being, you know, in your 80s or whatever they are.
Who knows what they are.
And then to be able to perform.
Again, we talk about sports all the time.
I sometimes think about that.
People don't think about that.
They're flying across the country, playing back-to-backs, anything.
Oh, yeah, they're pros in doing it.
It's still not easy to deal with all that.
And these guys will come out and just give a fantastic show.
Fantastic show.
Yeah, it is.
They are, I mean, I've had the privilege of working with them, boy, now three or four times.
and they just, it's the most professional day that you have in terms of everybody associated with them, have been with them for years, and they know exactly, I mean, it is a well-oiled machine.
They know the drill.
They know the drill and what time of sound check, they know what that, you know, yes, and he was to sign something, happy to sign something, he used to do that, you know, yeah, it is.
in a world where, you know, you see artists who've been on the scene for five minutes who suddenly have a writer with eight million items.
And, you know, and I only do this and I don't come on until this time.
It's like the Oak Ridge Boys.
They're from the old school.
Tell us what time the show is.
We'll be there.
We'll perform.
We'll take our check, which is a nice one, and
head on down the road.
And I'm sure every year that goes by, and the number of folks that you deal with, you appreciate those types more and more.
More and more, absolutely.
By the way, big bad voodoo daddy, tickets available?
Yeah, we still have some tickets left for that.
And so come out and join us for that.
Yeah, the Oak Ridge Boys sold out.
And then a week from Friday, of course, it's a Wausau holiday tradition.
It's the Altenberg Christmas extravaganza.
John puts his name on it, but it's so much more than than John.
It's, you know, John at Mitch V. Goode and Brad Emanuel and Janet Planet and, you know, Jerry Schmidt and on
and on.
We can sit here for 20 minutes, Randy
Sabine and name all the people who are in that fantastic show.
And it is, I mean, been going now for.
30 plus years.
And so, uh, you know, still have some tickets left and take your opportunity.
A lot of years, the show sells out right away.
So if you, I think sometimes people don't buy tickets
because they think it, I first thought was when you started talking, Oh yeah, it must be sold out.
So
there's some tickets left this year.
Obviously the holiday season is really busy this year at the grand.
So,
so it's your opportunity.
I think that, you know, if you've heard all the years like, Oh, I missed out.
This is your chance to grab some tickets and come see John and his entire fantastic group.
And normally that would be it with Sean Wright, but I have so many questions for Sean this morning.
Some interesting questions that pop into my mind.
So we'll have a few more minutes with Sean coming up at 7.52 this morning.
So again, more with Sean Wright coming up and we'll continue with an information update, including the farm reports here in just a moment.
And then more of Mornings with Pat Crichtlow here on 98.9 WXCO.
It is the WXCO morning report part of mornings with Pat Crite low on 98.9 WXCO WXCO FM mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO And also you can get all of our interviews by going to youtube.com you can see them in their entirety unedited again WXCO's page channel on youtube.com We are continuing a few more minutes with Sean Wright executive director of Wasa's Grand Theater
Just going back, you were talking about again, 2017 and back at that point, you said it was starting to, you know, kind of click and build and that we weren't getting sold out shows all the time.
What's the difference?
What has, what has been, what has happened over these years that has allowed.
the success, as you said, the ticker percentage to rise to what it's been.
Is there anything in particular that jumps out to you that why this is?
You know,
I mean, the simple answer would be that the industry as a whole really kind of took off about that time.
And so we did ride a little bit on the coattails of the industry, of the live concert industry, where the transition really happened, where people started saying like, oh, you know, I won't miss live concerts when they're gone, whatever that was, you know, when people went away from, you know, streaming came on and things like that.
But I think looking at it at a local level, an organizational level, we've really tried hard on building our patron base and offering things, broadening our programming.
you know, bringing in shows is, once upon a time, it would have seemed absolutely silly for the grand theater to bring in the prices right live.
But that's a huge fan favorite.
And it brings in people who never set foot in our theaters.
And I think it was also around that time, we developed the 10 by 10 series.
We created our community engagement series, these free and low cost events that allowed people to get into the theater without price as a potential barrier.
And then they start getting in the habit of going and then you grow, you know, you grow subscriber base and we, you know, we grew the Broadway series.
We took a few risks in terms of the type of, uh, sort of headliner programming we brought in.
Obviously, the no-shows sell out, people start saying, well, I didn't get a chance to see Jersey Boys.
It sold out.
Well, the only way you can guarantee you get tickets to Jersey Boys has become a subscriber.
I missed out on Book of Mormon.
Well, the only way you can do that, and then one thing sort of leads to another, and it's helped us in years like this because obviously there is uncertainty in the economy and ticket sales for across the industry are a little soft compared to where they've been.
but it allows us to sort of have a little bit of balance and that we have a really strong subscriber base and you know we have such we've developed such a large overall patron base that even if a smaller percentage of our patrons are buying tickets that's still more than it was once upon a time and you know and we still
try to put things that are different.
I mean, if you had told me a month ago that we were going to do a show with Pat Murphy, and that not only would we put it on the calendar, but that it would be sold out.
I would have said the Brewer's manager does a show.
They are sold out.
How long did it take to sell that one?
About two weeks.
Wow.
Yeah.
And so
it was really funny.
Real real quick story.
Last.
Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.
I walked down the street, I went to the Mint to have lunch.
And I ordered and then I went down to use the restroom.
And there was a worker that was kind of, it was a dragon spitting bug because it was making sure everything was nice and dry.
I don't even remember.
Oh, I was wearing my Brewer hat that day.
And the person said, hey, did you hear Pat Murphy's coming to the Graham Theater?
I said, yeah, yeah, I heard about that.
Boy, I mean, and that's gonna be so fantastic.
And it's like, yeah.
I mean, that person was so excited.
And
that goes back to the thing of trying to truly make the...
the trap that a lot of performing arts centers fall into is that they have their core audience and they, you know, they always say they program to their audience.
And we've tried to say we program for our audience.
We want, we want, you know, yes, there are things we, we know the Oak Ridge boys have lots of fans and they're going to do well.
But, you know, there may not, there may be more crossover.
And we think between that and Pat Murphy or dueling pianos, but also it's okay if there's not.
You know, they're, it's okay in a couple of weeks and we have Mannheim steamroller for two shows on a Thursday and Steve are on Tuesday and Steve
on a
Thursday.
Audiences are probably pretty different.
That's a good thing.
That means there are more people kind of folded in under our tent and that's what is, uh, you know, helpful when you're, when you're trying to sell tickets in today's environment.
One final question is you bring that up and I know you have to get out of here pretty quick.
Do you see, I mean, has there been all.
The number of different people that buy tickets to shows have you seen that explode over the last decade?
Oh, yes, absolutely, you know when The number I always use is when when I started in 2015 we had about
5000 names in our database.
Uh, actually, I actually was probably closer to 3500 now to think about it.
And we just sent out our recent newsletter and that didn't go out to everybody in our system.
That went out to our quote unquote active patrons.
Those are people who have bought tickets within the last three, three to four years, depending on that, as well as donors and things.
And that went out to 35,000 households.
10 times I mean that that's so really that that just is I mean every year we've been averaging about 3,000 new patron accounts and and that's
Yeah,
that
is absolutely the thing that in good times, it lifts you even higher, and in times where a little bit tougher, it's what allows you to survive and thrive.
Raises the ceiling, and raises the floor.
Raises the floor.
Raises the ceiling, too.
Absolutely.
All right, Sean Wright, executive director of the Grand Theater.
Again, go to the website, grandtheater.org.
And of course, you saw that second century project website as well.
Absolutely, grand100.org.
Sadie Fisher just put together.
fantastic video celebrating our 98th birthday last week and really encapsulating the history of the grand and the future of the grand.
So check it out.
She put a lot of time and effort into going through the archives for that one.
Good stuff as always.
Sean, we'll catch you in a couple of weeks.
Sounds great.
Sean Wright again joining us here on the WXCO morning report.
Plenty of blue skies here on this Thursday morning.
Temperature of six degrees below zero.
Very cold.
Yes, it is very, very cold.
But coming up, we have an information update news, weather sports at eight oh six.
I will be joining pack right low.
So stick around for that.
And then even myself will be back at eight twenty two.
We'll have our number for the day quiz and a whole bunch more.
And welcome back, it is the WXCO morning report, part of mornings with Pat Kratlow on 98.9 WXCO, online at wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.
The time is 8.23 here on this Thursday morning, December the 4th of 2025.
chilly start here in the Wasa area.
Temperature currently stands at four degrees below zero.
It actually didn't get quite as cold as they were talking about last night, but still a very chilly start for below zero.
High temperatures expected not to get into the teens around 12 degrees expected before all is said and done today.
And it
was a beautiful moon last night.
That's true.
It was a full moon.
It
was a
clear.
Very, very cool indeed.
We're expecting a little bit of snow tomorrow, not a lot of snow, but a little bit of snow tomorrow.
But so be aware of that if you have any Friday travel plans.
Coming up, we will have our number for the day quiz.
It will involve.
Cold temperatures.
That's what you know about that.
So cold temperatures will be the topic as Ian is what two out of three so far this week.
So yeah, doing well.
He's got a passing grade already, but we'll try to get a winning week and then try to get an A grade as well.
Speaking of a. Doing well, the wonky bucks.
Over up said last night against a team that was.
Pretty good and they were
able to
pour the win against them Detroit
Yes, and plus the Badgers were able to win as well, by quite a few points actually.
Yeah, Badgers beat Northwestern, the Bucks beat Detroit, and it's funny because, you know, you talk about how things can change.
Earlier in the week, the Bucks lost to the worst team in the Eastern Conference, a team that only won two games all season long, the Washington Wizards, and then they play the team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference last night, the Detroit Pistons, lost Giannis in the first period with an injury.
He had hurt his calf very early, and yet, and they were down by five with a
about two minutes to go in the game, and I'm thinking, oh, this game is done.
And then they score the last 10 points of the game, and they win.
So it's like, you never know.
And that's why.
And that's why.
A little piece of advice.
It's never wise to bet on sports.
Exactly.
If you don't know what's going to happen, you'll lose your shirts on a cold morning like this.
You don't want to lose your shirts.
Hey, next week, we're excited because we are starting a terrific contest.
Again, people, to be aware, make sure you tune in every morning during our WXCO morning report segment set.
652 722 752 and 822 because starting on Monday the 8th of December and going right through Christmas Eve each weekday morning.
It's our WXCO holiday giveaway only here on the WXCO morning report only on WXCO just with us.
Yep, not a statewide contest.
We are teaming up with
like 17 local businesses.
Fantastic businesses.
Yep.
And every morning, we are going to give a prize from one of these businesses, a chance for you to be able to take advantage of these great businesses who are providing a prize for you each and every morning.
And some mornings we'll have more than one.
So there's so many.
So again, at some point each morning, I will open up the phone lines for you to call in to Ian and win if you are the designated caller.
That's right.
And
Again, there's so many terrific businesses, whimsy and wonder toys, the Millyard, Endgame, Inc., Return to Health, Mullins Cheese, Homestead on 52, Chocolate Shop, Forward Beverage Company, Naturally Up North, Wellness Way, Mulligal, Knowlton House, Lunar Light Awakening, ISO Games, Match 101 Pub, The Mint Cafe, I mean, really good stuff.
Absolutely.
And they're all providing a prize and you will have a chance real easy.
Just make sure you remember the phone number 715-814-9330.
at 715-814-9330 for your chance to win starting on Monday.
It's really, really good stuff.
I'll be standing by on the phone.
Ian will be our Santa Claus.
He'll be giving away the gifts.
Secret Santa.
There you go.
All these great businesses providing a prize part of our WXCO holiday giveaway starting on Monday, going right through Christmas Eve.
So you'll be able to even win on Christmas Eve.
And in fact, we'll be talking to folks from some of these businesses.
businesses over the next few weeks as well.
So we'll be able to learn more about these businesses as we get into the holiday season.
So
that's right.
Fantastic stuff.
All right, well, let's wrap it up with our
Number for the day quiz yeah every morning we give Ian a quiz based on some topic that has a number as the answer and Three choices so based on the math one is correct to our incorrect So based on the math you should get one out of three right 33% so anything about 33% is a passing grade for the week But that's not good enough.
We'd like him to have more right than wrong and that's a winning week
If he gets four out of five during a week, that is an A grade.
And then, of course, you get a gold star for a perfect week of five out of five.
But this week so far, two out of three.
So a very good start.
Oh, yes.
All right.
Today it is a chilly start here in north central Wisconsin.
It
certainly is.
But today our number for the day is a number that's even colder than today.
Much colder, in fact.
But
On this state December the 4th 1976 it was the record cold temperature for Wausau on this state
Okay,
so on December the 4th what the coldest temperature on December the 4th the lowest temperature What is that temperature?
All right your choices are okay?
26 below zero 31 below zero 36 below zero
So those are the choices the coldest low temperature on December the 4th in wasa history 1976 26 31 or
36 I'm below zero.
Yep
But any one of those would be like terrible, but okay, I'm gonna say Final guess I'm gonna go with 36 below
Zero final answer will win negative 36
on December the 4th of 1976 the low temperature in wasa hit 31 below zero the middle number you would know that if you were subscribing to the WXCO newsletter that I put out every Thursday morning at 7 o'clock
Shame
on me.
That's part of the newsletter if you're not subscribed Go to WXCO dot FM pop up will occur and you can sign up for the newsletter and get that information and a whole bunch more Ian have a good rest of your day.
You too Chad
