60 years ago on this night (1965) was the last show at Wichita's downtown entertainment venue, The Forum, located at 231 S. Water Street, between William & English.
The final show was on a Saturday night, the second night of a two-day booking for the Grand Ole Opry; the show was presented by promoter extraordinaire Hap Peebles, who'd brought big-name acts to The Forum for years. It was a sell-out concert with a larger-than-capacity 4,500+ fans in attendance.
The event was also billed as the 13th annual Sedgwick County Sheriff's Benefit.
Ticket prices were $1.50 for advance tickets, $2 for tickets at the door, and 50¢ for youngsters.
It was billed as the "Grand Ole' Opry, direct from Nashville, featuring 25 top-rated stars in the Opry Big Spring Special."
Acts on the bill included: Hank Snow, the "Singing Ranger"; Wanda Jackson; Roy Clark, from "The Jimmy Dean Show"; and The Plainsmen Quartet, billed as "America's No. 1 Vocal Group.
When it was newly built in 1911, The Forum was one of the largest auditoriums in the United States; it was constructed from a bond of $150,000, which was finally paid off in 1957.
For more than a half-century, The Forum served as Wichita's auditorium, convention center, sports venue, performance arena, and exposition hall.
By the time the mid-1960s arrived, The Forum was considered to have poor acoustics, inadequate parking, and was too small for modern needs.
During its 54 years in operation, The Forum entertained Wichitans with the likes of John Philip Sousa, Jack Benny, presidential candidate & orator William Jennings Bryan, world-renowned pianist/composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, Elvis Presley, and Ricky Nelson, as well as basketball games for the University of Wichita Shockers, vaudeville shows, opera performances, professional wrestling, and national touring Broadway shows.
The Forum was only used one more time after the Grand Ole Opry show, and that was the following week, only in the lobby, as a polling location for a local election. After that, it was closed forever.
Workers began to dismantle the venue and nearly 130 less-than-attractive industry and business structures filling the area south of Douglas between Main Street and the Arkansas River, making room for the soon-to-be-built Century II Convention Center.