A male stripper, part of the Suncoast Calendar Men, performs his routine at County Line Rodeo on Oct. 1, 1996, in Greenwood.
Daily Journal Archives
News from around Johnson County as reported on Oct. 3 in the pages of the Daily Journal and the Franklin Evening Star from the last 112 years.
On this day in 1996, two of the main stories on the front page of the Daily Journal were about a risqué nightclub in Greenwood.
County Line Rodeo was “turning up the heat” in the city with its promotions, which included having contestants perform fake orgasms and being handcuffed to a bed.
“The more risqué we go, the more this crowd likes it,” said Steve Porter, promotions manager at County Line Rodeo. It was his job to create the promotions that pack the seats and sell the drinks each week.
The sexually themed promotions were started to boost business on a traditionally slow weeknight. But not all promotions were sexually oriented, as Porter was working on a DJ Piqata event, where a man covered in Velcro-covered balls would hang above the crowd for them to swing at him with a foam bat to win prizes.
The rowdy events drew roars of approval from the crowd, Porter said.
One event that week in 1996 led Porter to emphasize the club was abiding by Greenwood’s adult entertainment law.
While the city didn’t official have an “adult entertainment venue,” people who saw five nearly naked men perform at the venue might have had a different opinion. More than 500 patrons paid $6 each to see the Suncoast Calendar Men, dressed in only G-strings for most of the evening.
Such activity was not illegal in Greenwood, but city ordinance required a license for adult entertainment and placed limitations on the performances. County Line Rodeo didn’t have a license on file, and city officials had not asked the bar to do so.
Police Chief Robert Dine said the department had received no complaints about the bar’s content, something Porter confirmed as well.
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Other memorable Johnson County stories from this day
2014
A new tower was installed at Center Grove’s football field, improving views for coaches and team managers.
2002
An Edinburgh couple was formally charged with child neglect after leaving an 8-year-old in a room that reeked of cat feces.
1994
Authorities determined that arson was the cause of a fire at an Atterbury Job Corps Center dormitory.
