Fireside’s Klopcics presented chamber’s ‘Tourism Counts’ award

By Chris Spangler

Ryan and Kristi Klopcic, who successfully guided The Fireside Dinner Theatre through a pandemic that devastated the dining and entertainment industries, were honored by the Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce Tuesday evening.

The chamber presented its 2021 “Tourism Counts” award to the Klopcics during the organization’s Fall Open House at The Bridge.

“The Fort Atkinson Area Chamber of Commerce ‘Tourism Counts’ Award is presented to an individual, business or organization who, by their leadership and efforts, have made a difference in the promotion and development of tourism in our area,” chamber tourism manager Katie Carey said in announcing the Klopcics its recipients.

“The name of the award reflects the tourism commission’s desire to impress upon the community that tourism does count in the bigger economic picture, and that it does impact the vitality of our city,” she added.

Carey noted that when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March of 2020, The Fireside Dinner Theatre was forced to close just three weeks into its seven-week run of “Guys and Dolls.” All The Fireside’s part-time staff and most of the full-time employees were laid off.

“Ryan and Kristi Klopcic chose to keep the management team intact and shifted everyone to working from home,” Carey said. “Immediate tasks included moving reservations for rescheduled shows and canceling all unnecessary expenses.

“As soon as staff were allowed back in the building, Ryan and Kristi empowered the team to tackle cleaning, maintenance and reorganization of projects by thinking outside the box on how The Fireside could generate revenue,” she continued.

The first new ventures came from a desire to make use of existing inventory, according to Carey. Kristi took the lead on building an online gift shop featuring the new spring and summer merchandise, while the restaurant managers figured out how to serve the award-winning Friday Night Fish Fry dinners “to go” while maintaining The Fireside’s high-quality standards. This led to Wednesday take-outs of its signature barbecued ribs and other entrees.

“Following Ryan and Kristi’s lead, each department head operated on their own or with a skeleton crew, with everyone all pitching in to help make these ideas happen,” Carey said. “The staff learned new things, worked harder than they ever had before, and celebrated successes together.”

The chamber tourism manager said that once the dining room was allowed to reopen, The Fireside’s operations manager underwent training to implement procedures required by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association to be certified in the “Ready to Serve Safely” program. In addition, the restaurant opened in-house Friday Night Fish Fry to limited capacity while continuing the carryout option for a limited time.

“When it became clear The Fireside wouldn’t be opening the next production scheduled for mid-April of 2020, Ryan moved it 2021,” Cary said. “Then, about a month later, the next one was also moved.

“Faced with moving a third show, staff started planning a ‘summer concert series’ in June featuring top Fireside performers and tribute artists in solo or duo performances for very small, socially distanced audiences,” she recalled. “This filled a void for guests ready to venture out safely and the theater staff geared up to present a new show every weekend. The concert series went on to fill the summer, fall, and winter, plus the spring of 2021.”

Carey noted that while the management team and small core staff worked together to get back to the business of entertaining, the Klopcics were right there with them — “leading the way, working side by side with staff, while also bearing the burden of the financial impact of COVID-19 and other planning decisions throughout the pandemic.”

She shared remarks by Julie Nordeen, marketing manager at The Fireside.

“Despite the stress that had to be weighing on them both, every day we received encouragement, smiles, thanks, their ever-present sense of humor and the overwhelming belief that we were going to be OK —we were going to make it through this and come out better and stronger than ever,” Nordeen recalled.

Carey reported that much of the core staff is back and The Fireside is welcoming new members to the team. 

“Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” one of the most popular musicals of the last 50 years, is now showing at The Fireside, and Irving Berlin’s “Holiday Inn” will start Oct. 28 to spread holiday cheer, Carey announced.

“Performance venues across the country were among the first to close and the last allowed to reopen,” she said of the pandemic. “With their vision, commitment, thoughtful decisionmaking and leadership, Ryan and Kristi Klopcic steered The Fireside through the worst of the COVID-19 devastation and set The Fireside Dinner Theatre on a path to continued success. 

“The ripple effect for the Fort Atkinson community in the way of employment, business with local vendors, hotel stays and community engagement cannot be adequately measured, but are just some of the reasons Ryan and Kristi Klopcic are awarded this year’s ‘Tourism Counts’ award,” Carey concluded.

Joining Carey in presenting the award to the Klopcics were 2020 honorees Jim and Christa Bowers, owners of The Bridge, Island Bar & Grill, Good 2 Go and North Shore Chophouse.

The Bowers were recognized last year “for their investment in three waterfront restaurants, all of which have become tourist destinations, as well as local favorites.”

On Tuesday prior to the Fall Open House, they cut the ribbon to formally open The Bridge.

Carey noted that due to the coronavirus pandemic, last year’s award presentation took place virtually.

“We did our best to recognize them through the local press and our member communications, but they didn’t get to hear your congratulations in person, so I’d like to invite them to the podium to help us present this year’s award,” she said.

Ryan Klopcic thanked the chamber for the award.

“It’s been an incredibly challenging time, 19 months, for The Fireside, being in the entertainment industry,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of long days, dark days, but we’re here, we survived. The lights are on. The doors are open. And we continue to bring the magic of live entertainment to The Fireside stage and we’re incredibly proud of that.”

He continued: “Thank you to the community for all your support throughout the various concerts we did, the magicians, the comedians, the tribute artists and now the Broadway musicals. Thank you for visiting us, supporting us, even with the curbside carryouts and The Fireside fish and the carryout gift shops. It was a big help to help … in finding our way through.”

Klopcic also thanked The Fireside’s management team.

“They worked incredibly hard and long hours and held their heads up high, have been positive and have been very gracious and hardworking and dedicated throughout this whole process,” he said. adding, “We appreciate all your support, and thank you very much for this award.”