Scott Williams swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Jerry Olsen spent much of his life showing people in Shawano a good time.
As owner of the Bamboo Bar overlooking Shawano Lake from the 1970s through the ’90s, Olsen built his waterfront establishment into a popular community attraction with parties, contests and other special events.
In partnership with his wife, Marty, Olsen was founder of the Shawano Ski Sharks water-skiing group and also had a hand in starting a fireworks show that continues every Fourth of July.
“He was such a community-minded person,” former Mayor Lorna Marquardt said. “He will be missed in our community.”
Olsen, who had been battling health problems for many years, died at home Monday at age 73.
At his request, family and friends will host a celebration of his life from 1-4 p.m. July 8 at the Bamboo Bar, W5884 Cedar Court in the town of Wescott.
Although he sold the business many years ago because of his failing health, Olsen asked that his passing not be mourned, but rather that his life be remembered at the bar and grill that meant so much to him.
“That was just my dad’s heart,” his daughter, Melissa Olsen, said of the Bamboo Bar. “He loved every second of it.”
Born in Seymour, Olsen was raised around the restaurant and tavern business. His parents, LaVern and Elaine Olsen, owned a diner in Seymour, and after moving to Shawano, the family owned Club Continental, a supper club that became Anello’s Torch Light.
Olsen and his wife married in 1966, and a few years later they acquired a lakeside business that they renamed the Bamboo Bar.
The couple moved into an adjacent home and spent years cultivating the waterfront property to include not only the bar and grill, but also a bait shop, arcade, boat launch and other crowd-pleasing amenities. The Bamboo Bar grew in popularity with the introduction of such unusual events as ice golfing and indoor beach parties.
“It was quite a place,” said John Rusch, a onetime employee who briefly ran a pool hall on the site.
Rusch, who now owns John’s One Stop convenience store north of Shawano, recalled traveling with Olsen to taverns as far away as Appleton to hang posters promoting events at the Bamboo Bar. Rusch said his mentor showed him the importance of taking chances and trying new things in a business.
“He was just a super guy,” Rusch said. “He knew how to draw people in and get people going.”
The Olsens raised three children on the shores of Shawano Lake and taught their children to enjoy fishing, water-skiing and more.
Melissa Olsen recalled that her father developed a deep affection for the lake, and he seemed to be constantly working on new ideas for showing people how to have fun on the water.
“The lake was always very important to him,” she said.
In 1976, Olsen had an idea for water-skiing exhibitions on the lake. So he bought a boat and introduced regular shows that drew big crowds to the Bamboo Bar. The water-skiing experiment evolved into the Shawano Ski Sharks, a group that continues performing throughout the summer on the Wolf River in Shawano.
The Ski Sharks presented a special tribute to their founder during the group’s regular weekly show a couple of days after he died.
Olsen was born with a condition known as spina bifida, and although experimental surgery helped somewhat, his health began to decline in the 1990s. He and Marty sold the Bamboo Bar and settled into retirement after nearly 30 years in business.
The bar and grill was renamed and changed ownership a couple of times, but then new owners in 2016 invested in a significant remodeling and upgrade. They brought back the Bamboo Bar name.
Friends and family say Olsen was thrilled to see the Bamboo Bar restored. He requested the special celebration of his life as a way of returning to the place he loved — and showing everyone one last good time.