The Milwaukee Post

April 20, 2018 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 ENTERTAINMENT By CATHERINE JOZWIK Special to Post WEST ALLIS — Collectors, geography buffs, and history and art aficiona- dos will have the opportuni- ty to view and purchase postcards from more than a dozen vendors Sunday at the Milwaukee Postcard Show. Held in different venues annually, including American Serb Hall, for over 30 years, the show will be at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Hall. It attracts vendors from across the Midwest. Formerly run by the Milwaukee Postcard Club, collector Joe Stransky, who is not affiliated with the group, took the reins last year. Stransky, a Stoughton res- ident who has been collect- ing postcards for half a cen- tury, said the hobby attracts people in a wide variety of professions, including architects, accountants, steamfitters and custodians. "It's really quite a wide swath," Stransky said. A collector from a very young age, his father got him inter- ested in the hobby. "It's a lot of fun. We devel- op friendships and get to know others involved in the postcard hobby," he said. "It's been a good part of my social life." Typically displayed in shoeboxes and protected by plastic sleeves, many post- cards can be purchased at the show for less than $5. However, some vendors will have collectible post- cards priced at several hun- dred dollars. Stransky said that the variety of vendors is beneficial for people look- ing to expand their postcard collections. Postcard supplies, such as archival-quality album pages, will be for sale. Customers will be able to bring their postcard collec- tions in to get opinions from dealers. Stransky noted that col- lectors tend to accumulate postcards according to sub- jects such as aviation, motels, World's Fairs, rail- roads and holidays, especial- ly Halloween. Art, particularly Art Nouveau, is popular, mainly among women who collect postcards. Geographical postcards seem to be of interest to many male col- lectors, including Stransky. "Social history has also gotten to be popular," he said. Stransky, along with many other collectors, purchases and sells postcards online, through sites such as eBay.com. Although Stransky feels that postcard collecting has declined within the last 10 years, he's hopeful that social media and a website, which he plans to create in the future, will help spread information about his hobby. "Hopefully, we can increase our customer base," he said. Jot it down: Postcard show Sunday Joe Stransky, who has been collecting postcards for 50 years, is the organizer of the Milwaukee Postcard Show. This postcard from his collection was published around 1910. Photo courtesy of Joe Stransky Milwaukee Postcard Show The show at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Hall, 1435 S. 92nd St., runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $3, or $2 if patrons mention they saw an ad. Visitors get the chance to win door prizes, including $10 of postcards from the vendor of their choice, books, and other collecting supplies. At a glance Collector says hobby collects all kinds of fans By CATHERINE JOZWIK Special to Post Bobby Bare and Bill Anderson, two renowned country music artists, will perform April 28 at the Gobbler Theater, 350 N. Watertown St., Johnson Creek. Now 83, Bare's career has spanned six decades; Anderson's nearly that. Both are prolific artists and Country Music Hall of Famers. Anderson, 80, known as "Whisperin Bill" for his soft- spoken performance style, has written and recorded a handful of No. 1 singles and has released more than three dozen albums. Many popular country artists, including Conway Twitty, Jim Reeves, Connie Smith and, more recently, Brad Paisley, have per- formed and recorded his songs. The music business now is considerably different than it was in the late 1950s and 1960s, but Bare accepts industry changes with ease and humor. "That's what keeps it alive. Record companies always go for the younger audience because music is such a big part of their lives," Bare said during a recent telephone interview. "I feel the indus- try's in good hands. Young people are very talented and innovative." From rockabilly to country Born in 1935 in Ironton, Ohio, Bare had a difficult childhood. After his moth- er's death, he and his sib- lings were split up and cared for by different relatives. To cope, the young Bare dreamed of being a country music superstar. Through relatives, he learned how to play guitar. In the 1950s, Bare traveled from Ohio to the West Coast, where he met record produc- er Ken Nelson. Eventually, he landed a deal with Capitol Records, recording several rockabilly songs, but he did not achieve much commer- cial success. Before leaving for a stint in the U.S. Army, Bare wrote and recorded a single, "All- American Boy," for Fraternity Records. Although the single charted No. 2 on the Billboard Top 100, the song was credited to his friend, Bill Parsons, due to contractual obligations. Bare achieved fame in the country music world in 1963 with "Detroit City," written by Mel Tillis and Danny Dill. The song charted in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot Country Music Singles. Ties to Shel Silverstein Since then, Bare has worked with talented song- writers, including Shel Silverstein. The pair were introduced by country music great Chet Atkins in Nashville, Tenn. Best known for his chil- dren's books, such as "The Giving Tree," Silverstein, who passed away in 1999, was also an esteemed song- writer. He penned humorous hits such as "A Boy Named Sue" for singer Johnny Cash, and songs for Bare, including "Diet Song." "Shel did a lot of things, and he did them brilliantly," Bare recalled. "He was my best friend. I miss him." Bare's son, Bobby Bare Jr., is also a country musician who has collaborated musi- cally with his father on dif- ferent occasions. The senior Bare's popular singles include 1976's "Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts of Life)" and his later single, "I Drink," writ- ten by Mary Gauthier. In over half a century, Bare has performed in countless cities, both in the U.S. and internationally. Bare lives in Nashville. In 2013, Bare was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. On his birthday, April 7, Garth Brooks invited him to rejoin the Grand Ole Opry, country music's best-known concert venue in Nashville as a member. Bare was a reg- ular Opry member in the 1960s but left over a decade ago. Although an octogenarian, Bare has no plans to retire, or even slow down, from touring and recording. "I'm just going to keep going until I can't stand up," he said. Prolific songwriter and singer Bobby Bare won't quit Country Music Hall of Famers Bobby Bare, right, and Bill Anderson will perform highlights from their illustrious careers April 28 at the Gobbler Theater in Johnson Creek. Submitted photo Country Music Hall of Famers to play Johnson Creek show on April 28

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