For Music, Lake, and Summer

The Evolution of the Terrace Stage

In 1987, two students huddled outside der Rathskeller with a staff advisor contemplating the low, wooden stage nestled under the bay windows. The group thought it was a shame that the platform, which served as a music stage for the Terrace, was placed in a corner, forcing the audience to turn its backs on the lake. A few days later, the stage moved to a new lakefront location, giving audience members full view of both the stage and the beautiful setting. 

For more than three decades, Terrace-goers have enjoyed free music and film showings set to the backdrop of summer sunsets over Lake Mendota. And we owe it all to a casual conversation and a mysterious move.