La Crosse Tribune,
September 28, 2006 . . .
Mrs. Oktoberfest 2006
announced
By Jenny Dolan
Earlamae Dahlby
went back to her
office, shut the
door and cried
after finding
out she would be
the next Mrs.
Oktoberfest.
“It’s such a
privilege and an
honor. Out of
this whole city,
they selected
me,” said Dahlby,
who lives in
Stoddard, Wis.,
but owns
Feminine Fancies
in downtown La
Crosse. “I was
so surprised.”
But her family
and friends
weren’t. Many
guessed, Dahlby
said.
“It’s hard to
keep it a
secret,” she
said. “I’m not a
good liar.”
“I think she’s a
good community
volunteer, a
very friendly
person who is
always willing
to give some
time to anyone
asking for
help,” said
Sharon Imes of
La
Mrs. Oktoberfest
2006
Earlamae
Dahlby
and
husband
Jim
Crosse, Mrs.
Oktoberfest 2004
and a friend of
Dahlby’s. “She
has a very
positive outlook
on almost
everything.”
Dahlby is La
Crosse, through
and through.
She sipped Green
Rivers at the
Doerflinger, a
store she loved
as a kid. She
marched in the
very first Maple
Leaf Parade in
1961, playing
clarinet in the
Central High
School Band. She
raised her two
children here,
and in 1979
opened her
Feminine Fancies
clothing store,
now known for
its unique
mother-of-the-bride
style outfits.
Her store now is
in the old
Doerflinger
building on Main
Street. “I
sometimes can’t
fathom it,”
Dahlby said
about the
location.
When Dahlby
opened the store
27 years ago,
few women owned
businesses, she
said. Some men
in town resented
her, she said.
Today her
involvement with
the Downtown
Main Street,
Inc. business
association and
the City Vision
Foundation show
her commitment
to revitalizing
downtown La
Crosse. Dahlby
helped raise
money for the
new clock on
Main Street and
the new statue
on the
riverfront.
Dahlby, who
invited 350
people to the
Mrs. Oktoberfest
reception
Wednesday night,
had made many
friends in La
Crosse.
“I just love La
Crosse,” Dahlby
said. “It’s just
part of me. I’ve
been so
fortunate to be
raised in La
Crosse and raise
my family in La
Crosse.”
Her year-long
reign will
include
appearing in 23
parades,
visiting nursing
homes and
schools and
serving as an
ambassador for
the community.
As Mrs.
Oktoberfest,
Dahlby hopes to
dispel images of
Oktoberfest as a
“drunken brawl.”
The fest is a
family
celebration, she
said.
Jenny Dolan can
be reached at
(608) 791-8220
or jdolan@lacrossetribune.com.
