Rainbow Supper Club Tee

Dr. H.C. Schmallenberg opened the Rainbow in August 1960, on the Northeast corner of Hwy 45 (Shawano St) and Hwy 54. Half of the building housed the supper club, while the other half contained Rainbow Cheese, a cheese packaging and retail store. The cheese store closed in the mid-60s, but the supper club would continue to operate under various owners for the next forty years. It hosted numerous reunions, company parties, wedding receptions, holiday celebrations, birthday parties, civic club gatherings, and, due to its prime location at the intersection of two major highways, many statewide meetings were held at The Rainbow. With the retirement of owner Russ Gerhard in the spring of 2000, the supper club closed and was put up for auction. The building was torn down in 2001, and in 2004, Wolf River Bank was built on the site. (Credit: New London Public Museum)