TWO RIVERS, Wis. (WFRV) – Former Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt has pledged $100,000 for the naming rights of a new stage in Central Park on Monday at the Two Rivers City Council meeting.

According to a release, the proposed Schmitt Brothers Stage will honor the famous champion quartet that won the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) title in 1951.

The Schmitt Brothers quartet.
The Schmitt Brothers quartet posed with the SPEBSQSA trophy following their victory in 1951. (Back: Fran and Joe. Front: Jim and Paul.)

This multi-million dollar project is set to upgrade the city’s most significant public space in order to create a year-round focal point in the heart of downtown Two Rivers.

“Our father and his brothers sang thousands of shows on many, many stages throughout the United States, traveling over 2 million miles. Everywhere they went, they would talk about their hometown of Two Rivers,” said the former Mayor.

The Schmitt Brothers — Jim, Joe, Paul, and Fran — grew up in a family of 17 just down the street from the park. The former Mayor says they won their first contest on WOMT radio in Manitowoc when the youngest was just 4-years-old and even won first place in a field of 40 quartets.

Located on the north end of the park, the new stage will be across the street from where the quartet’s father grew up. It will include a paved area in front of the stage that can be used for seating or as a dance floor. The lawn area for audiences is 50% larger than the current lawn area.

The Schmitt family says new amenities will include a pavilion, splash pad, seating walls, and an ice rink ribbon.

For more information on the Central Park West 365 Project, click here.