In May, 1943 Billboard magazine printed a guest column by Moore entitled “Indiana Considers Its 4-H’ers” in support of holding the club fair. The magazine also said the Coliseum “was considered the finest on any state fairgrounds in the country.” That year, the WLS Barn Dance and the Barnes-Carruthers revue would provide entertainment in the Coliseum on what was reported to be the world’s largest stage (64’ by 48’), complete with red, white and blue bunting and the second-largest U.S. flag in the state. Outside of the 4-H club fairs, the Coliseum also hosted a number of other war-time events. Among them, troops marched for public gatherings; the American Legion broadcast there; a huge Victory Garden Harvest Show for relief for servicemen’s families took place; and Rudy Vallee and his orchestra performed “This is the Infantry.” The war actually caused another big event to be moved into the Coliseum. The Indiana High School Athletic Association’s 33rd annual State Basketball Championship got moved here due to the Navy’s occupation of Butler Fieldhouse. The semi-finals and finals were played at the Coliseum and Ft. Wayne Central eventually captured the title by beating Lebanon 45-40.
1943 IHSAA State Semi-finals, Bedford vs. Lebanon.
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