The AmericaJR.com Web Team visited the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido, Calif. The resort community developed by Welk and promoted heavily by him on the show is named for him. In addition, he owned a restaurant and club in Escondido where he filmed lead-ins for reruns of The Lawrence Welk Show. Lawrence Welk Village was where Welk actually lived in a rather affluent “cottage.” The resort is open to the public and contains two golf courses, dozens of upscale timeshares, and a theater that contains a museum of Welk’s life. The Welk Resort Theatre performs live Broadway musicals year round. His organization, The Welk Group, consists of: Welk Resorts (run his grandson Jon Fredricks), with communities in Escondido, Palm Springs, Branson MO, Lake Tahoe and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Welk Resorts sign
AmericaJR.com’s Jason Rzucidlo
Salad bar at Canyon Grille
Soup station
Guests dining at the Canyon Grille
Water display
Golf course
The Lawrence Welk Theatre
10.3 billion people watched “The Lawrence Welk Show”
Mr. Welk taped selected intros from the theatre in Escondido
Overview of the Welk Museum
Visitors checking out the museum
Poster for Welk’s show in Omaha, Nebraska
AmericaJR.com’s Gloria Rzucidlo on the piano
AmericaJR.com’s Jason Rzucidlo standing next to Lawrence Welk
Welk died on May 17, 1992
Newspaper clipping from Welk’s death
KODAK Digital Still Camera
AmericaJR.com’s Jason Rzucidlo
There’s Jason behind the camera
Entrance to the Lawrence Welk Theatre
AmericaJR.com’s Jerome and Gloria Rzucidlo with a statue of Welk
