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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Alton F Gritzner
Fats Gritzner
1904 - 1968
1931
05 21 MAPLE LEAF BAR-B-Q OPENS
The, which
Alton F. Gritzner has had erected on S. Third Street,
will open for business Saturday evening, 5/23/31.
For
the past 3 weeks men have been at work putting up the structure which is built
along the lines of an oriental tea garden.
Bar-B-Q
sandwiches will be served there. They
will be made in true western style, roasted before an open fire which gives
them a real and rare flavor.
There
will be tables on the lawn for those who wish to eat at the place. There will also be a curb service whereby
patrons who drive up in cars may be served in their automobiles.
In
addition to his own service, Mr. Gritzner will be in a position to roast meats for
parties, weddings and both large and small social affairs. He is planning to place a delivery service
for sandwiches for parties or other gatherings.
The
Maple Leaf Bar-B-Q will use all Watertown products.
This
is the first Bar-B-Q in Watertown and no doubt will be a successful venture, since
similar establishments are meeting with great favor in other communities.
1941
12 09 ALTON F. GRITZNER PLAYING
SANTA AT MILWAUKEE STORE
Fourth Year On Job In Same Place;
Tells Of His Experiences
Alton
F. Gritzner, who doubles as Nova the Mystic and as
Santa Claus, is once more playing the role of the jolly, red garbed man of
Christmas at a downtown store in Milwaukee [ the Boston Store]
.
It is
his fourth year as Santa Claus in that store and he is daily
meeting thousands of children and their parents who drop into the toy
department to meet Santa.
This particular Santa is the heftiest one in the business [as] a
Milwaukee news reporter discovered the other day when he interviewed Mr. Gritzner. Santa Gritzner stands 6'3" and weighs 313 lbs. He looks and talks like Edward Arnold of the movies. He
needs no padding, having a generous midriff.
Gritzner is
35, married and has 3 children. A
magician by profession, Gritzner has been a Santa for
the past 14 yuletides. Gritzner was interviewed in his tiny dressing room, which
almost fits him like a cloak. He pulled
off his warm cap. His broad friendly
face glistened with perspiration. He sat
down and stretched out and sighed a long grateful "Ahhhh."
"The
trouble with this business," said Santa Gritzner,
"is that the grownups look at me and say, 'Gosh there is a fellow who
earns his living easy.' But being Santa
is the toughest job in the world and I'm not kidding. Why I got to get up
at 6 every morning. The first thing I do
is shave. Then I go
over to a costume shop and they put on my beard. They use ether and mastic gum to fasten it.
Believe me, after a shave that burns like the devil. It takes about an hour and a half to get on my
make up and costume. By then it is time to report at the store. At night I have to
take off my make up with alcohol and cold cream. When I'm on the job. I've got to be on my toes
all the time. I must never promise
anything. When the kids ask for baby
brothers or sisters, I sidestep and say, 'Santa will try to give you your
wish.' The kids ask for anything from
goldfish to live bombs. Honestly, the other day a kid wanted a real
bomb. He insisted on it. What did I do? I just said, 'Santa will remember you' and
how!"
12 10 Found: A SANTA CLAUS HEAVIER THAN ALTON F. GRITZNER
It is Roy G. Sell who tips the scales at 330 lbs.
Mr. Sell is appearing here at the store of the D & F Kusel Company. He
will be there Saturday and every evening next week.
12 17 SANTA CLAUS HAILS FROM
WATERTOWN
Wisconsin's
best known, most popular and most photographed Santa
Claus hails from Watertown.
He is
Alton F. Gritzner, 900 South Third Street.
This
season, for the 15th year, Mr. Gritzner is portraying
Santa Claus in the toy department of the Boston Store in Milwaukee. In the
years that he has been there he has greeted more youngsters and their parents
than any other Santa Claus in the state or perhaps in the nation, for he has
been at it longer than most men who portray the jolly red-clad character at
Christmastime.
Mr. Gritzner this year has an assistant, so that the chair of
Santa Claus is occupied at all times during the store hours.
1968
GRITZNER, ALTON F., b. Jul 16, 1904, d. Sep 24, 1968 / East Gate Inn
Alton
F Gritzner, 64, East Gate Drive, route 3, Watertown,
passed away suddenly this morning at the Watertown Memorial Hospital although
he had been in ill health.
He was
born July 16, 1904 in Reeseville, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Gritzner. On Oct. 25, 1923 he married Irma
Erdmann.
Survivors
include his wife; two daughters, Mrs. Donald Hake, New Berlin; Mrs. Herbert Sterwald, Watertown; one son, Lynn Gritzner,
Watertown; 11 grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Angelo Torres, Watertown; one
brother, Harvey Gritzner, Watertown; nieces and
nephews.
Mr. Gritzner was owner and operator of the East Gate Inn and for many years had
operated Fat’s Barbeque on [900] South Third Street. He was active in the Watertown Musicians
Association Local 439, A.F.M. and at present was serving as sergeant at arms,
an honorary member of the Turners,
and a member of the Jefferson County Tavern League.
At one
time he was active in politics and served here as an alderman for the first
ward. He had also been a candidate for
mayor.
Mr. Gritzner had become widely known for his magic acts in
which he was billed as “Nova, the Mystic.”
He also portrayed Santa Claus on many occasions and year after year was
the official Santa Claus at the Boston Store in Milwaukee where he greeted
thousands upon thousands of children during the Christmas shopping season year
after year. Officials of the store said “He was one of the finest Santa Claus characters we had
ever engaged” and they sought his services year after year.
Mr. Gritzner was a showman and never lost his love for the
stage and entertainment.
He was
a man of many fine qualities and enjoyed being with people. He enjoyed his role
as Santa Claus almost more than anything.
Services
will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the Hafemeister Funeral Home, the Rev. H. C.
Milius officiating.
Interment will be in Oak
Hill Cemetery.
Friends
may pay their respects at the funeral home on Wednesday from 3 to 9 p.m. and
Thursday up to the time of services.
Members
of the Watertown Musicians Association Local 469, A.F.M. and of the Turners are
asked to meet at the funeral home at 7 p.m. Wednesday
evening to pay their respects.
The
East Gate Inn will be closed as of today and through Thursday.
1968
Children Lose a Friend
Abstracted from the Milwaukee
Journal, 09 25 1968
Santa
Claus died Tuesday, along with Nova the Magician and the southeastern Wisconsin
charleston champion of 1926. They were all wrapped up
in the ample frame of Alton Gritzner, who once ran for
alderman in Watertown on the platform; "If you want harmony in the city
council, you can get 365 pounds of it by electing me."
Until
he opened the East Gate Inn in Watertown in 1954, Mr. Gritzner
spent his Decembers playing Santa Claus at the Boston Store, where he become
known to a multitude of children and their parents. He once estimated that he lifted 10 tons of
children to his lap daily, at an average of 40 pounds a child.
He was
not the usual stand-in for Santa. For
one thing, he needed no padding or pillow to fill out his red suit. For another, he brought with him no air of
forced jollity — he considered the job mostly fun.
"I
get a big kick out of playing Santa Claus,°he
said. "It's not done for the pay
alone. Santa Claus wants all the kids to
get what they ask for because he didn’t always when he was a kid — my folks
were poor.”
While
he was still a boy, Mr. Gritzner organized a dance
band and continued it for some years as the “Casino Rhythm Kings.” The leader played a banjo.
In those
days he weighed only 280 and was an enthusiastic dancer. After winning the 1929
charleston contest in Oconomowoc, he competed in
others around the midwest.
Mr. Gritzner branched out into magic after watching an inept
practitioner of the art and deciding that he could do better. In recent years, he sometimes combined his
Nova the Magician act with a Santa Claus suit at company Christmas parties,
where those attending were too old to be satisfied with promises of Christmas
toys.
Mr. Gritzner served as alderman in Watertown for eight years
and ran unsuccessfully for mayor and sheriff.
He often wore a derby hat and smoked big cigars. A diamond stickpin flashed in his necktie.
Some
years ago, a reporter described his appearance as a cross between Hollywood’s
version of a hotel detective and President Howard A. Taft. In recent years, he joined the trend toward
facial adornment by adding a handsome goatee.
2002
12 27 Santa Claus is fading from memory for
another year following his annual visit, but one of his biggest helpers is
remembered by his daughters. The late
Alton “Fats” Gritzner was one of the best known Santas in the state, and didn’t need any padding to prove
it, according to Myrna Sterwald of Watertown, who
always remembers her dad in a special way at Christmas. Gritzner died Sept.
24, 1968, leaving behind many memories of his years of playing Santa and also accomplishing many other feats. He was a businessman, professional magician,
politician, musician and dancer. Weighing in at well over 300 pounds, Gritzner was asked more than once how he could navigate a chimney but he always managed to give children some sort of
plausible answer.
______________________________________
Cross
References:
WDTimes
article on “Fats”: http://www.wdtimes.com/features/in_times_square/article_ee713436-cc2c-11e5-8923-3f3ab22fa9d3.html
“Grew
up on Clyman St.
One block away on 3rd St. was a small restaurant owned by the Gritzner family. It
was called FATS. They had the best
barb-b-q recipe I have ever tasted. It
was a very popular place for many years.
Everyone loved the sandwiches they sold.
I have never tasted anything even close to their secret recipe. Is there anyway the Watertown Historical
Society could find out some information that might lead to getting that recipe
again. I just want it for my own satisfaction. I’m hungry to bring that flavor back to my
taste buds! Any info at all would be
greatly appreciated. Thanks.”
Ah,
Fats Gritzner's place, known as the Maple-Leaf
Barbeque. I remember it well. Their hot beef was sublime, but it was the
relish that truly made it a special dish.
The
only people privy to that recipe are his children and grandchildren and they
will not give up the recipe for love nor money.
Many have tried to get it, but no one has succeeded.
I wish
there was some way to help you out, but short of marrying into the family there
isn't a ghost of a chance.
Bill
Jannke
History of Watertown, Wisconsin