News

KCs turn to Web to sell statues

By Sam Lucero
Compass Staff

APPLETON -- The two knights in shining armor have stood guard in front of the Columbus Club for more than 20 years. For many residents of Appleton, the 10-foot statues, encased in Plexiglas, are landmarks.

Today, however, they are just another curiosity on the World Wide Web, as the gallant giants are now for sale at Craigslist, the online classified Web site.

With the December sale of the Columbus Club to a new owner, the twin towers were posted for sale at Craigslist under the heading, "Two armored Knight Statues - $2000."

The Columbus Club, a banquet and dining hall owned and operated by Knights of Columbus Council 607 since 1967, was forced to shut down due to a decline in business.

According to Chuck Schreiter, a past grand knight of Council 607, a plethora of new restaurants in the area contributed to the club's demise. "Within the last five years, there's been quite an explosion of restaurants," he said.

The club was popular for its Friday fish fries, said Schreiter, with up to 500 people feasting on fish each week. The KC council also rented its hall to other service groups such as the Serra Club and Lions Club, as well as for wedding receptions.

Another past grand knight, John Dietz, who spends his winters in Florida, said a city-wide smoking ban hurt the club. "That killed it," he said. When wedding parties learned that smoking was not allowed, they would lose interest in renting the hall for receptions.

"The last thing we wanted to do was sell it," said Dietz in a telephone interview from Florida. "We figured there were more things we could do with assets (from sale of the club) than losing money on it. It's a sad situation, but it's the way it had to go."

According to Dietz, the Columbus Club helped the KCs fund their benevolent activities. He said the Knights donated more than $125,000 to the Xavier High School athletic field, with most of that money coming from club revenues.

With the club's Dec. 11 sale to restaurateur Gerry Voigt Sr., who owns eateries in Neenah and New London, Schreiter took on the task of selling the armored knights. In addition to posting them for sale at Craigslist, he listed them on eBay, with a starting bid of $1,000. The auction ended Jan. 21 with no buyers.

Schreiter has had inquiries.

"There were a couple of people interested on eBay," he said. Two people - one from San Francisco and one from Des Moines - responded to his posting on Craigslist. An article in the Appleton Post-Crescent also generated a few phone calls, added Schreiter.

According to a Compass article appearing in 1986, Dietz and fellow Knight Lyle Reigel purchased the statues at a garage sale in Appleton. Originally from Mexico, they stand over 10 feet high and weigh 140 pounds each. After being restored by A and W Body Shop, the statues were dedicated on Oct. 11, 1986, as part of the council's 85th anniversary.

"We had one painted with the third degree emblem and one with the fourth degree emblem," said Dietz. The Plexiglas enclosures and outdoor lighting helped protect and spotlight the landmarks.

Both Dietz and Schreiter said they hoped another KC council would be interested in the statues. So far, no other council has stepped forward.

"I wish some Columbus council would take them, but that remains to be seen," said Dietz.

Larry Abler, who is treasurer of the Columbus Club Corporation (a separate entity formed when the club was established), said the statues would probably be offered to another council if they are not sold.

"I guess we'd be glad to give them away to a KC council that wants them," he said. "If we can't sell them, I guess that would be our second option."