Pavilion Memories

Archive

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Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Pavilion Memories

Entry/Object ID

2023.50.10

Scope and Content

"I remember many years of roller skating, watching movies and also attending teen club in the coffee house. In the mid 1950's there were teen ballroom dances." - Bonnie Sewers Kozanicki "I remember being charged an adult price (25 cents) to get into the movies -- and I was not the adult age. It was made up later because the ticket taker knew everyone in town." - Betty Sewers Rasmussen "My Uncle George Wieland was an electrician and helped build the dynamo that lighted the Big Pavilion. While he was here from Grand Rapids he roomed at Arends Gray Service." - Ken Wieland "The Pavilion, what a grand place. As a child I roller skated on the huge ballroom floor, attended many a movie and saw my first big star, Mary Hartline, as she performed during the show boat sponsored by the local Lions Club. Mach McDonald was manager of the movie theater at that time and I have some wonderful memories of this jovial man. In the late fifties for 25 cents you could go to the movies (10 cents) and still get a pop and popcorn and even some candy. Oh, those were the days! I'm so grateful that I was able to be a part of such a grand building." -Sally Wieland Naughtin "Before World War II I remember going to the Pavilion with my parents. I would dance with my father and my brother, Jack Bolhuis, would dance with my mother. We both learned to dance at the Pavilion when we were six to nine years old." - Barb Bolhuis Raabe Summer 1926. A group of Zeeland High School girls rented a cottage just south of the ferry. We would take the ferry across every evening and spend the evening in the Big Pavilion. - J. Bolhuis "My fondest memories are as a teenager dancing at the Pavilion with my then boyfriend, John East, who became a U. S. Senator. We felt like Prince Charming and Cinderella. It was indeed special. Thank you for this chance to relive those days." - Suzann Edwards "My first memory of the Big Pavilion was in 1925. My parents and I were vacationing at Tourists' Home (which is now Ship 'n Shore). We went to the Big Pavilion for the music and dancing. I remember the special parties they had like Farm & Barn or Balloon. When they started having movies in the south wing, it was used by my parents as a baby sitter while they enjoyed the dancing. " - Adele Cunningham "The Pavilion was the high point of my childhood. I went to the movie every night and the movie changed every night. In the mid 1950's my parents, George and JoAnn Gallas, held dances there every night. There were teen dances and adult dances and talent shows. The town still owes my parents $300 for that summer." - Nicki Gallas "After the fire part of the remains were buried on the House farm. Bob Allen, son of Father Allen of All Saints Episcopal Church, remembers that his family had a free pass." - Bob and Katherine Allen "My parents met at the Pavilion when my mother spent the summer working at the Tara when she was in college at Michigan State. When I went to college in Colorado, I was surprised to find that my roommate's parents had also met at the Pavilion. Must have been a romantic place." - Tina Hozick, Denver, CO "On May 6, 1960 I was in 4th grade at St. Peters School, Douglas. Shortly after noon the word of the Pavilion fire reached Douglas and the Dominican Sisters lined us up - two by two - and marched us out onto the bridge over the river. From there we watched as the Pavilion burned. After, the bus brought us to Saugatuck. All the kids tried to get as close to the still-smoldering site as possible. We watched from the Village Hall as firefighters hauled hose and poured water on the rubble until late in the afternoon. The next day we observed the blistered paint on Coral Gables and the Hollyhock House. Since no one said to stay out, we walked through the still warm rubble - as did many people - salvaging souvenirs. I saw the wheels of 500 pair of skates and film canisters from the theater and lots of restaurant and bar remains." - Vincent Mocini, Saugatuck "My uncle Hubert Engle was one of the businessmen who had the Pavilion here in Saugatuck and the one in South Haven." - Marian St. John "I too was one who danced away many wonderful hours there. At times with tired, but happy feet!" - Mrs. W. H. Archer, Albuquerque, NM "Enjoyed being around the Pavilion when I was a teenager, watching Jens Jenson playing in The Dock from the river side. I was in a small band that played in summer (1954?) in the Pavilion. I believe we were hired by Lynn McCray who owned the Maplewood. Our name was The Eighteens." - Ken Strabbing, Holland "I was most interested in seeing the model of the Pavilion after being treated to a viewing of the video by my sister and her husband who are residents of Saugatuck. I remember hearing broadcasts on the radio from the Pavilion. Thank you for the memories." - Lee Hawkins,Santa Monica, CA "I remember how special the Pavilion was to my family. Herb Shutter, Herb Byfield and John Constantine were close personal friends of our family. The Fireman's Ball was the highlight of the year -- everyone went!" - Carole Clemens Herweyer "My sister (above) has said a lot about our memories. We all spent most of the summer planning our costumes for the Fireman's Ball along with the Byfield children and grandchildren. I remember how truly magnificent the Pavilion ballroom looked and what a grand town party the Ball was. I have home movies of me learning to walk on the Pavilion dock and as young kids riding our bikes down the north walk and zooming off the dock and into the water as Mom and Dad watched from the Dock Bar." - Baletta Clemens VanHorn "Bobbie, my girl friend at the time, and I attended one of the grand openings. There was a raffle. She was asked to pick the winning ticket for a color TV. The winner was Mr. Peterson-later he gave her a $20 bill for picking his name. We skated in the spring and fall and danced to the music of Emil Flint in the summer. Our paces would quicken when we got within a couple of blocks of the Pavilion because we could hear the trumpets playing. As kids my brother and I used to dance free. All we needed to do was pick a couple of quarts of blackberries for Mrs. Breckenridge and they would pretend to take tickets as we entered. The girls thought we were rich local dudes." - Tony Thias "I spent my young years here and my Dad managed the Pavilion 1942-43. I have many fond memories of the area and the people." - Bill Story "Our best memory is meeting at the skating rink the first part of June, 1947. Thanks." - Mel and Cindy "The summers, about 1935-1942, when we were in elementary school my Grandmother would allow my cousins and I to walk up town all the way from Lucy Street to attend the early movie at the Pavilion theater. There was a different movie every night. After the movie, about 9 p.m., Grandma would meet us inside the dance area. She would visit with the ladies who sold the dance tickets and we would list to the music, watch the dancers and dream about when we would be old enough to come there to dance. As a teenager I remember going with friends to meet other friends. We went not so much to dance, but to gather at the tables at the north end and to drink syrupy Cokes, talk and giggle. We would also walk on the balcony with special friends; look at the yachts, and list to the music floating out of the open doors and across the water. One summer while I was in college several of us climbed Mount Baldhead at night. I can still see the Big Pavilion with the yachts crowding its docks, hear the music and laughter rising up to us on top of Mount Baldhead." - Betty Mulder "One evening at the Pavilion some handsome service men were perusing the girls. A sailor asked me to dance and an airman asked my sister. I married the airman." - Joyce Eddy Plummer "I remember going to dance at the Big Pavilion while in college. Xavier Cugat was my first big band experience and Abbe Lane sang while holding her little dog." - Marguerite Sisson "In the early 30's my Grandfather, Fred Job, used to take me fishing off the Pavilion dock. In those days you could eat what you caught! My wife, Doris, and I spent part of our 1947 honeymoon in Saugatuck and danced at the Pavilion." - Bob Mersbach "I remember the bands from Tara, Crow Bar and the Big Pavilion getting together at the Dock to improvise and jam." - Marian Van Ry

Context

First hand memories of Saugatuck's iconic dance hall, likely gathered at the SDHS's first exhibit at the newly-developed Saugatuck Pump House museum titled "The Big Pavilion: The Brightest Spot on the Great Lakes" in 1994.

Collection

SDHS NL Inserts, 1909 Big Pavilion -1960, Music: Jazz

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2023.50

Acquisition Method

Found in Collection

Notes

SDHS Newsletter insert pages 11-14, 20,

Location

* Untyped Location

Digital data in CatalogIt

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Big Pavilion 1909-1960, Kozanecki, Bonnie (Sewers) 1941-2023, Rasmussen, Betty (Sewers), Gallas, Nicki, Allen, Katharine "Kiff" (House) 1926-2012, Story, William, Mulder, Ann Elizabeth Betty (Watson) 1930-2011, Mersbach, Robert "Bob" Herman Jr. 1924-2008, Constantine, John, Shutter, Herb, Byfield, Herb A.

General Notes

Note

This information was OCR text scanned from SDHS newsletter supplements. A binder of original paper copies is catalog item 2023.50.01

Create Date

November 7, 2023

Update Date

April 21, 2024