Information and photo from La Porte County Historical Society
(Click photo to enlarge)
It’s time credit was given to The Maple City Four – they’re the ones who really put LaPorte, Indiana, on the map. That’s what Leigh Morris thinks, anyway.
On Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. at the La Porte County Historical Society Museum, Morris will present a multimedia program on the famous quartet. He’ll explain their rise from auditioning in LaPorte to becoming famous nationwide on WLS Barn Dance, Vaudeville all over the country, and even in several movies starring Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.
Leigh, who is among the many who has the LaPorte County history bug, is impressed with the way the Maple City Four spread the word about LaPorte wherever they went. As they traveled across the country, they would talk about LaPorte in many fun presentations.
Leigh will be showing clips from their movies, as well as showing the memorabilia he has collected.
The historical society owns two of The Maple City Four’s movies on DVD and will be playing them Saturday in the Kesling Room on the museum’s lower level. And the museum’s spring display, “Presenting The Maple City Four,” features recordings of the group playing in the exhibit, which will stay up through May.
The museum, located at 2405 Indiana Ave., LaPorte, is handicapped accessible. For more information, call (219) 324-6767 and visit www.laportecountyhistory.org.