Growing up: From tapping of the Golden Keg to the Golden Can

It started as a radio station promotion in the late ’80s — a tongue-in-cheek nod to the region’s largest festival as it entered its fourth decade. The Tapping of the Golden Can — a takeoff on the Tapping of the Golden Keg — helped propel Oktoberfest’s opening day festivities to the festground’s busiest day decades later.

The Tapping of the Golden Can started in 1987 at the WKTY Radio substation south of the city of La Crosse on State Hwy. 35, near the Goose Island exit. The can — a 12-ounce, aluminum Old Style can painted gold with the year scripted in black — was the brainchild of radio show “Lead Balloon” hosts Mike Kearns and Roscoe Short. They invited local personalities and friends to witness the revelry, a staple of the show started by Kearns’ father, Charlie.

In the mid-90s Sue Drake, a sales associate for Midwest Radio, saw an opportunity to step-up the rising, in-studio popular tapping. She persuaded American Legion Post 52 Manager Dan Evenson to host the event for $580. Following two successful years, Evenson decided the event had run its course at the 6^th Street location.

Drake then approached Dave Berger, owner of Sloopy’s Alma Mater. Berger agreed to host the event across town with the same terms of $580. The Tapping of the Golden Can had found a new home at 163 Copeland Ave. Since then, the revelry has continued to grow.

Berger believes the event called Sloopy’s its home because of the bar’s location between the northside and southside festgrounds in its early days. Sloopy’s also sponsored many sports teams and other activities which made it popular among diverse crowds. And Berger was also involved in many civic and public organizations, bringing the business attention.

The early morning Tapping of the Golden Can was not only appealing because of its uniqueness but also became a way for festgoers to experience and share Gemütlichkeit — and make new friends.

 

Making friends and the ‘The Button Lady’

Many who’ve gone to the early-morning fun have become long-time attendees, along with friends of Sloopy’s early tappers. One of those is Julie Geiger-Schutz, who in the past decade has become affectionately known as “The Button Lady.”

Geiger-Schutz, who lives upriver in Fountain City, attended the Maple Leaf Parade for years, handing out homemade buttons to friends. The longtime graphic artist recalls hearing about the tapping on the radio for years. Finally in 2011 she, along with friends Matt and Jackie Jurvelin, decided to head to Sloppy’s to see it in person. She brought along 100 buttons that said, “I TAPPED THE GOLDEN CAN 2011.”

The next year along with “I tapped” buttons, she started bringing ones with funny, creative sayings to choose from too — usually six different styles, 50 of each. Some include: “Shut up liver, you’re fine,” “These pretzels are making me thirsty” and a maple leaf in rainbow colors.

“I love making the fun buttons so people have a choice; something to say what Fest means to them,” she explains.

Geiger-Schutz and her friends originally walked around the bar handing out all the buttons. But in recent years, they walk around with the tapping buttons and people come to their table to choose a fun one.

“I have gained so many new Fest friends and have made a place to meet up with old friends who come from out of town,” she says. “I have people that come up to me every year with a hug wearing all the pins I have made.”

Geiger-Schutz doesn’t charge for any of the buttons, something that confuses some of first-time tappers. Rather, she says it’s the joy that is Oktoberfest that makes people happy —mainly her.

“I have given away thousands of buttons so that’s thousands of smiles in my heart,” she notes. “I’m pretty sure I’m ahead on the deal.”

That Gemütlichkeit and popularity caught attention. Oktoberfest officials floated the idea of making the can tapping an official event, but Berger decided to keep it separate. Instead, along with the new tradition laid out, Berger helped create a special tribute to Oktoberfest. He dedicated the back room of his bar, displaying official Oktoberfest plates and other memorabilia, along with photos and plaques recognizing the fest’s royal family members.

After Berger, who was named 1997 Torchlight Parade Marshal, sold Sloopy’s the plaques in the room remain. Every year, names of the newest Royal Family members are added, and photos are changed out to include the current Royal Family members. In summer 2024, Berger and others from the festival raised money to add a plaque recognizing the Special Festers from the festival.

 

‘On Tap’ back on the grounds

In the late ’90s Oktoberfest focused on an official tapping of the Golden Keg on the southside fest grounds. It has grown since and in 2024 an estimated 7,000 people walked through the festground’s gates for the official Tapping of the Golden Keg to experience Gemütlichkeit and a chance at free beer from the special keg. The numbers continue to grow.

But the fun has extended beyond the festgrounds and Sloopy’s. Many bars in the downtown area open by 6 a.m. for drink specials. Some sell Bloody Marys that include early-morning bratwurst. But since 2013, the biggest early morning bratwurst is served at the American Legion Post 52, a former home of the Tapping of the Golden Can.

The Legion’s “Slicing of the Golden Brat” features a large bratwurst nicknamed the B-52 that’s eight feet long and weighs approximately 80 pounds. Legionnaires cook the brat on a specially made grill throughout the night so it’s ready for the breakfast crowd.

In 2017, it was left unguarded in the early morning for a few minutes and was stolen. The brat was recovered a short distance away, but it wasn’t edible. It was only used for photos and regular brats were served instead. Since, the now closely guarded brat has become another opening day tradition.

So while the Golden Keg originally highlighted the special Gemütlichkeit Oktoberfest exudes, the Golden Can helped expand the festival’s Friday fun — and growing friendships and Gemütlichkeit cheer.

The sign outside Sloopy’s Alma Mater on Copeland Avenue announces the annual Tapping of the Golden Can in 2004. -photo by Dave Berger, 1997 Torchlight Parade and Owner of Sloopy’s, 1969-2009.

Sloopy’s Alma Mater on Copeland Avenue has been the home to the “Tapping of the Golden Can” for decades, where Gemütlichkeit and a little Old Style flow each Friday of Oktoberfest.  -photo by Dave Berger, 1997 Torchlight Parade and Owner of Sloopy’s, 1969-2009.

From left, Tim Larkin, 95.7 The Rock radio station, and Radio Station WKTY “Lead Balloon” hosts Roscoe Short and Mike Kearns gear up for Tapping of the Golden Can at Sloopy’s Alma Mater. The popular annual event was started by Short and Kearns in the late ’80s. -photo by Dave Berger, 1997 Torchlight Parade and Owner of Sloopy’s, 1969-2009.

 

The ‘Button Lady’

Buttons at Oktoberfest are a tradition as long as the fest itself. So the moniker “Button Lady” can’t be taken lightly.

Julie Geiger-Schutz, from Fountain City, Wis., has taken on that title in the past decade with her creative Oktoberfest Gemütlichkeit. The longtime graphic artist gave homemade buttons out to friends along the Maple Leaf Parade route on Copeland Avenue for years. But it was when she started attending the Tapping of the Golden Can up the street at Sloopy’s Alma Mater in 2011 when she became a renowned fester.

When she attended her first can tapping, she brought along 100 “I TAPPED THE GOLDEN CAN 2011” buttons. In subsequent years, she brought six different styles — 50 of each — to share with festgoers.

“I love making the fun buttons so people have a choice; something to say what Fest means to them,” she says. “I have gained so many new Fest friends and have made a place to meet up with old friends who come from out of town. I have people who come up to me every year with a hug wearing all the pins I have made for them.”

In Oktoberfest spirit, Geiger-Schutz doesn’t charge for the buttons. “I have given away thousands of buttons so that’s thousands of smiles in my heart,” she explains. “I’m pretty sure I’m ahead on the deal.”

A few years ago, Geiger-Schutz started making official Oktoberfest buttons too — the larger, three-inch buttons Royal Family members wear as part of their official Oktoberfest gear. She is paid for that as part of her professional job, which is making giftware for gift shops. Her business is saycheesedesigns.com.

Her Oktoberfest Gemütlichkeit doesn’t stop with creative buttons. It includes a special place to watch the Maple Leaf Parade. She remodeled an old horse trailer and converted it into a bar that she and friends park in the same spot on Copeland Avenue every year. They offer a large group of friends a featured cocktail, along with a standard beer or Bloody Mary.

“If you can’t tell, I love Fest,” Geiger-Schutz confesses. “I loving seeing old and new friends, retelling old stories and making new ones. Gemütlichkeit is real.”

Julie Geiger-Schutz, right, is known as “The Button Lady.” The Fountain City, Wis., longtime graphic artist gave homemade buttons out to friends along the Maple Leaf Parade route on Copeland Avenue for years. She moved the distribution up the street in 2011 after she began attending the Tapping of the Golden Keg at Sloopy’s Alma Mater. The renowned fester is pictured with 2016 Mrs. Oktoberfest Sue Wiedemann and Jackie Jurvelin, one of Geiger-Schutz’s friend who joined her when she attended her first Tapping of the Golden Can at Sloopy’s Alma Mater.