A walk around the mall became a healthy habit, 37 years ago

In 1982, Valley View Mall began hosting an indoor exercise program called ‘Walk for Life.’ Most of the stores in the mall didn’t open until 10 a.m., but people showed up to walk as early as 7:30. Four round trips inside the mall, from J.C. Penney to Sears and back, equaled about a mile of walking.

The mall was preparing to get its own movie theaters. The Plitt Theater chain announced plans to open La Crosse’s first 3-screen theater. The Cinema and King Theaters only had 2 screens apiece. The Valley Square Theaters opened in August of ’82, and remained in business for about 30 years.

‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ was the biggest hit movie of 1982, and was number #1 for a total of 16 weeks during the year. A couple of times, ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ beat E.T. for the weekly honors, and the first Rambo movie, ‘First Blood’ opened that fall, yesterday in La Crosse.