First Meeting

16 MAY 1921

The very first meeting of the West Side Business Men was held at the West Side Library on West Franklin Street. They would decide on the West Side Nut Club as their name.


Emblem Decision

19 MAY 1921

Meeting in which the acorn was decided on to be the official emblem to be used to the club itself, also suggested to incorporate the WSNC and become a national organization.


First Floats

6 OCTOBER 1937

This is the 16th annual fall festival, with paperwork showing a request for organizations to submit floats in to the parade for the first time.


First Queen

OCTOBER 1947

This is the 26th annual fall festival, with the first ever festival queen being crowned. Miss Doris Buckman was the first ever crown.


PAS @ Mesker

1949

WSNC purchased the public address system to place ontop of Mesker Park Zoo.


Shower Spray

13 MAY 1950

WSNC President Otto Schnakenburg and President of Park Board Jim Newcom observe the shower spray in the dedication of the Nut Club Park.


Star Projector

1952

West Side Nut Club purchases the Star Projector for $1340 for the Museum Planetarium in Evansville.


Expressway

1954

Delaware-Columbia Expressway was built in 1954 amid direct pressure of the West Side Nut Club.


Official Car

10 OCT 1954

A white ford Model T was purchased to be used as the nut clubs official car and lead parades on opening day of the West Side Fall Festival.


Main Attraction

1955

A mainstage event that took place at the Fall Festival featuring Homer and Jethro with Daryl Blackburn.


Hopalong and Queen

1956

Hopalong Casidy crowns the 1956 festival queen Doris Brown.


Crowds!

1956

West Side Nut Club Fall Festival 1956, shows the crowd after the Saturday Night Parade. The crowd was the largest Evansville had ever seen, and was estimated at approx. 100,000 people. Hopalong Cassidy was the main attractinon.


Expressway

1956

1956 West Side Expressway Dedication.


Columbia Delaware Overpass Dedication

1956

The columbia Delaware overpass celebrated its opening debute this year. Now known as the Lloyd Expressway, the crowd in front were the Mater Dei High School Band, followed by the first in line,the Nut Clubs Official car, the white Model T. Behind it carried officials and members of the Nut Club who took part in the ceremony and behind them came automobiles for the first trip across the Expressway.


Minnie Pearl

1957

Bud Bays and Minnie Pearl.


Reitz Scoreboard

6 MAY 1958

WSNC provided the Reitz school with a brand new scoreboard.


The Corvettes

1965

The Corvettes played at the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival, with crowds surrounding them their was no stage for them to play on and instead played underneath of a store canopy that night.


Landscaping Helfrich

DEC 1965

Landscaping the new Helfirch Park School. Bill Schoolfield, Bill Brune, Henry Deane, Bill Moutoux, Jim Bishop, and Bob Stamp (Left to Right).


Train Time!

1 APRIL 1967

Sprinklesburg, Goosetown and Independence Railroad Moving Day. Nut Member to the right is Frank Gates.


ISU Groundbreaking

1968

ISU Groundbreaking ceremony taking place with Club President Charlie Emge turning a spade of dirt.


Golfmoor Park Groundbreaking

1971

Bob Stamp, Charlie Emge, Bill Moutoux, Clarence Goebel, Bill Thurneck, President Gene Miller, Jim Helfrich, and Jim Emge attend the Golfmoor Park Ground Breaking Ceremony.


Howell Playground

1972

President Bob Stamp standing in front of the Howell Playground, another project by the West Side Nut Club!


Retiz High School Football

1972

Treasurer Ron Brand, President Bob Stamp, and Coach Padget with HS Students trying out newest donation from the West Side Nut Club.


Baseball Team

1974

The first ever nut club baseball team, formed in 1974. Front to back, left to right, starting off is George Helfrich, Don Vowells, Jack Wambach, Gene Mitchell, Bernie Head, second row, Curt Hirsch, Jack Mills, Chris Siemers, Bill Bland, Dick Barchet, Skip Jochim, third row, Emmit Clark, Don Savage, Ron Rhienlander, Steve Wolfe, Maury King, Jim Fleck, and Dave Baumgart.


Ribbon Cutting

16 DEC 1976

Ribbon cutting dedication at the Bill Moutoux Bridge @ Golfmoor Park


WSNC Spring Project

1987

The spring project that took place in 1987. The building of the WSNC Baseball Field.


Easter Egg Hunt

1988

The massive Easter Egg hunt that was hosted at Helfirch Park in 1988 with hundreds of kids ready to find all the eggs!


New Playground Equipment

1988

WSNC installing new playground equipment for Helfrich Park.


New Shelter

1988

A new shelter project taken on by the WSNC for their Spring Project in 1988. The shelterhouse was built at Fulton Park.


Marcia Yockey

1989

Marcia Yockey serves as parade grand marshall in this year of 1989.


Concessions

1992

A project undertaken by the WSNC in 1992 to build the Moutoux Park Concession Building.


Habitat Houset

1992

A project done by the WSNC to build a Habitat House in 1992.


Festival Parade

1992

Grand Marshall Mike Blake is pictured in the 1992 Festival Parade.


Mike Harvey

1993

At the fall festival on wed. night 1993. Mike Harvey entertaining the crowd with some sock hop.


Howell Park

1994

New Fence and Basketball Court area for the Howell Park area spring project that took place in 1994.


Spring Project

1995

Spring project that took place @ FOP featuring Ken Hart and Stan Elfriech.


Jr Football

1996

1996 Spring Project featuring Mike Lear, Joe Muensterman, Dan Fulton, Terry Fluty, Dick Barchet, Dave Jeffries, and many other nut clubbers.


First Kiddie Park

1997

First Kiddie Park was introduced in 1997 and was a huge hit and is now a staple part of every Fall Festival every single year!


Youth Baseball

1998

The Spring project of this year was to build the West Side Youth Baseball Fields.


All Sports Banquet

1998

USI Coach Bruce Pearl, Tom Antes, Joe Muensterman, and others pictured at the All Sports Banquet that was held in 1998.


Half Pot Debuts at Festival

2019

Half Pot Debuts Total Pot hits $1,228,285.00


More To Come

????

Follow Our Journey!


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