With 800 employees, Gibbs had Janesville's third largest payroll. But soon after, business slacked off, and parts of the operation were sold or moved. The factory continues operations in 1999. The Bicentennial Wagon Train, an across-country procession of covered wagons, experiences a minor mishap in Lake Geneva. A Walworth County deputy sounds his siren, and a team of horses owned by Ken Duttweiler of Bristol bolts.
All injuries are minor.
The Parker Pen strike has gotten edgy with large numbers of pickets attempting to stop cars from entering Arrow Park and supervisors being taunted. The company plans to ask for a court injunction against aspects of the strike, but outside the courtroom, the two sides agree to limit the number of pickets. Pickets will not impede people or vehicles entering or leaving the plant, and strikers will not be allowed to threaten people coming and going there. The rubber workers' strike ends against Parker Pen on May 19, but International Association of Machinists Local 1266 remains on strike. It doesn't happen.