TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The community of Two Rivers came out to honor some local hometown heroes– the Schmitt Brothers barbershop quartet.
Jim, Joe, Paul and Fran Schmitt.
“If the quartet were alive today, they would be thrilled to hear the harmony of this wonderful celebration and see this city coming together to create and enjoy this beautiful park,” said Jim Schmitt, the son of the quartet’s lead singer, and the former longtime mayor of Green Bay.
The beautiful park is Two Rivers Central Park West, and the celebration is the official dedication of the Schmitt Brothers Stage in the park taking place at noon on July 15, 2023. The entire park underwent a $1.6 million project to upgrade the public space.
“It was in this very park that Two Rivers welcomed their hometown heroes after they won the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) title in 1951,” said Schmitt.
The extended Schmitt family raised more than $122,000 for the naming rights. The celebration included a barbershop show featuring more than a dozen quartets and choruses, including many district champions and groups that sang with the Schmitt Brothers.
“We are very pleased to work with the Schmitt family on this project and delighted to honor the quartet for supporting their hometown,” said Two Rivers City Manager Greg Buckley. “This is a celebration of hometown values and a demonstration of the great things our community can accomplish.”
The Schmitt Brothers—Jim, Joe, Paul and Fran—grew up in family of 17 just down the street from the park. The first contest they won was on WOMT radio in Manitowoc when the youngest was just four years old. They ended up singing together for 35 years.
“They always talked about Two Rivers. I mean you’re talking about a quartet that sang over 3,000 shows like…Ed Sullivan, Lawrence Welk, Arthur Godfrey,” said Schmitt. “They sang, travelled two million miles up in Alaska — and they always talked about Two Rivers Wisconsin as their home.”
Two of the surviving wives of the quartet were on hand for the celebration and official ribbon cutting, along with dozens of members of the extended Schmitt family.
