The Shack

(Hwy 32), open from September, 1972 until July 11, 1985. There were some holes and odd openings in the building in later years, and one recalls it was sometimes possible to see into the rest rooms from the outside. However the bar was very popular with residents of Racine, Kenosha and towns in north-eastern Illinois (such as Zion), largely because it was somewhat out of the way and therefore anonymous to go to and park at.

The first ad for The Shack (in the August 1972 issue of GPU News) says "formerly Liddia's", but unsure if that was a gay bar... But then, the first known advertisement for Lydia's Bar in Racine (in the same issue of the GPU News) says "formerly in Kenosha"- so it was presumably at least gay-friendly.