Courier-Journal Article - December 13, 1965

Police Called In Teenager Crush
Toys-For-Tots Causes Stir

Police were called to Freedom Hall yesterday when a crush developed among thousands of teenagers attending the fourth annual Toys for Tots show.

Four squad cars responded to a report that six youngsters had been hurt in the scramble.

Marine Corps Reserves struggle to hold back a crowd of screaming youngsters at the Toys for Tots show and dance yesterday afternoon at Louisville's Freedom Hall. The show, attended by an estimated 40,000 persons, was stopped for 25 minutes before order was restored. One girl was taken to a hospital.

Five of these returned to show after short rests, while the other, Julie Wimberley, 15, of 1108 Garden Row, was admitted to St. Anthony Hospital. She suffered an abdominal muscle injury and was reported in satisfactory condition last night.

Sgt. Claude Reno of the Fire Prevention Bureau estimated that 30,000 to 32,000 persons were inside Freedom Hall at the time of the disturbance, and most seemed to want to get as close to the stage as possible.

The Indigos sing to a packed house of teenagers at Louisville's Freedom Hall. The crush in front of the stage yesterday became so bad at one point that the show was stopped for 25 minutes and police were called.One girl was hospitalized after being hurt in the pushing.

Trouble At Minimum

The show was stopped shortly after 3 p.m., about three hours after it started.

The 125 Marines on hand moved some of the crowd up into the stands. The curtains around the stage were taken down and the seats behind it were opened to the crowd.

Sgt. Reno said, "considering the size of the crowd and the activity, we had the minimum amount of trouble that could be expected."

Activity there was plenty of.

More than 20,000 toys were collected for Louisville-area underprivileged children as people dance, jumped and frugged to the music Billy Joe Royal, Ian Whitcomb and others.

When the music started the whole floor of Freedom Hall began to jump, and the young people in the highest levels resembled animated puppets jerked by a least three unseen hands.

This is the fourth year that Toys for Tots has been sponsored by radio station WKLO and the 47th Rifle Company of the Marine Corps Reserves.

Admission was a toy, and 16 truckloads of them were carried away by the Marines.

Teenaged girls were more impressed by the show than by men in uniform at the Toys for Tots show. The Marines were there to keep the crowd under control.

In addition, many toys were collected earlier as people exchanged toys for tickets. For those who had neither tickets nor toys, toys were on sale at the door.

The performers donated their time. They were not unrewarded, however, as the governor's wife, Mrs. Edward T. Breathitt, conferred on all of them the title of Kentucky colonel.

Among the performers were Dickie Lee, Tex Williams, Lonnie Mack and Little Joe Williams, Bill Carlisle, the Indigos, the Rugbys and the Mariners.

Courier-Journal Article - December 11, 1967

1967 Toys for Tots WKLO Promo Piece

Donate Toys for Needy
Teems Shriek and Bop, Play Santa for the Tots
By Paul M. Branzburg
Courier-Journal Staff Writer

An exhausted drummer wearing red pants, a blue jacket, an orange shirt and a Technicolor tie pounded his drums savagely as sweat dripped off the end of his nose.

Seconds later, a self-satisfied grin came to the face of a hoarsely screaming, wildly strumming rock 'n' roll singer as the teeny-boppers in the audience shrieked ecstatically.

And outside Freedom Hall, a lovely 14-year-old girl explained her reason for her presence: "I have a younger sister who is mentally retarded and so I want to help other little kids."

30,000 Jam Freedom Hall

The event, of course, was the annual Toys for Tots show yesterday afternoon at the Kentucky Fairgrounds in Louisville. The 42nd Rifle Company of the Marine Corps Reserve and Louisville radio station WKLO sponsored a six-hour show of popular music that packed an estimated 30,000 teenagers into Freedom Hall.

Admission price: One toy for needy children.

The toys will be distributed December 16, 18 and 19, when some 2,500 needy parents whose names are on file with the Community Christmas Committee go to the old drugstore area of the Heyburn Building, 332 West Broadway, to choose their children's presents.

'Baby, Baby, Baby' crooned the singers at the Toys for Tots show yesterday, drawing screams and sighs from the lips of thousands of Louisville girls. Here The American Breed, a group from Chicago, rocked Freedom Hall with four strong voices backed up by six enormous speakers.

A Wild and Gay Scene

The scene at Freedom Hall was wild and gay. Young girls almost swooned when they saw their idols from singing groups such as The Buckinghams (Chicago), We The People (Orlando, Fla.) and The American Breed (Chicago). And Marine guards were hard put trying to keep out the more than 2,000 who showed up after the hall was filled to capacity.

Everyone carried away his own impression.

Perhaps it was Santa Claus doing a spirited dance with two young girls behind the stage.

Or it may have been two pretty young things with adoration in their eyes talking to a jaded sideburned singer who was clearly bored with his little admirers.

A few may have noticed a shy girl of about 16 who ventured a timid wave at one of the Buckinghams. Miraculously, the singer noticed her gesture, and without missing a word or a stroke on his guitar, he smiled back at her. There was great pleasure in her eyes and she breathed a deep happy breath.

Dozens must have seen a young girl arise in the audience and practice her impressive repertoire of shrieks, screams and sighs.

A treasure trove of toys was loaded into trucks yesterday by Marines at Freedom Hall. Some 30 student nurses from six Louisville schools handed out admission tickets in return for the toys.

But while Freedom Hall rocked to words such as "Baby, baby, they're playing our song" or "There is no girl in the whole world who…", there were quiet moments of drama taking place among the 2,000 waiting out in the drizzle to get in.

Bill Blankenship and Cecil Bradshaw, both 17 and both of the Kentucky Children's Home, held their toy gifts and explained why they had come.

"Most of these kids have got a feeling for other kids," Bill said. "I think they understand how some kids feel. Kids need something for Christmas other than an old piece of candy."

Cecil put it this way: "I want to bring a toy to help other kids. I'm in a home myself. I like to help other people because other people help us."

And Carolyn Robards, 13, of 101 Woodmore Avenue, said: "I feel that I want to give things to people who can't afford them because I'm kind of well off."

The cynics may snicker, but amid the blaring of the bands, the gyrations of teenage go-go girls and the cool eyes of a trombone player, there was something called the spirit of Christmas.

The 1968 WKLO Toys for Tots Lineup

Post-1968 Toys for Tots Promo WKLO Piece

1970 Toys for Tots WKLO Promo Piece

1971 WKLO Toys for Tots Ticket

Double-exposure photos from a WKLO Toys for Tots show

1972 WKLO Toys for Tots Lineup

1973 Toys for Tots Act and DJ Lineup