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History, cheese, rock 'n' roll and the world's largest talking cow.
There's a lot going on near the Neillsville Country Club and across Highway 10 from the Clark County Fairgrounds. But it's the stewardship of the property and dedication to a business model that has allowed the Wisconsin Pavilion to remain relevant 50 years after its debut at the 1964-65 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Peggy and Kevin Grap, owners of the 12-sided, star-shaped building, admit it would be a lot easier and less expensive to operate their trio of radio stations and cheese shop in a more conventional space.
Heat and air conditioning gets lost in the upper reaches of the building's 60-foot peak. The metal roof needs painting every five years, and the rock garden, fountains and massive lawn need constant care. The light at the top of the building's "Wisconsin" spire burned out years ago. To replace the bulb would require a crane.
Besides, few properties could accommodate Chatty Belle, a 16-foot-tall, 20-foot-long, fiberglass talking Holstein cow. "You can operate a radio station a lot more efficiently," said Kevin Grap, 57, who bought the businesses from his father, Wayne Grap, in 1987 and has been mowing the lawn here since he was 10 years old. "It's a challenge but it makes you proud you kept it."
"Especially when people come in, they walk in the door and they look up and they're in awe of the build-ing," Peggy Grap, 55, added. "There's excitement."
The Graps have not only cared for the building but are almost an anomaly in the radio industry. They have three local radio stations and a roster of longtime employees, many with more than 20 years under their belt.
WCCN-AM went on the air in 1957 and plays big band music and, on weekends, polkas. WCCN-FM debuted in 1964 and is now a 100,000-watt regional hard-rock station, while WPKG-FM, launched in 1995, is adult contemporary and carries high school football, girls' and boys'...