Name/Title
Big Pavilion DancingEntry/Object ID
2019.46.02Description
18" w. x 27"h framed Big Pavilion Poster. "Featuring Freddie Daw and his band Big Pavilion Saugatuck, The brightest spot on the Great Lakes Dancing every night all summer beginning Fri. July 3. Free admittance (Except Sat. and Specials.)
July 4th Special Weekend celebration Fri. Sat. Sun.
Framed in a black wood frame with glass.Context
Based on date--Friday July 3rd-- 1931, 1936, 1942, 1953 are possible years for this poster. Advertisements in Commercial Record from 1940 place Freddie Daw at the Pavilion close to 1942. No advertisements for Pavilion appear in 1941 or 1942 newspaper. Ads in subsequent years identify other bands at the venue in the month of July.Collection
1909 Big Pavilion -1960Cataloged By
Voss, MaryAcquisition
Accession
2019.46Source or Donor
Lord, BobAcquisition Method
DonationLexicon
Search Terms
Big Pavilion PosterLocation
Shelf
AC bay 18Room
Art Conservation RoomInterpretative Labels
Label
From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery
Big Pavilion Poster
1942 | oil on panel
This colorful, screenprinted poster advertised the holiday weekend festivities at the Big Pavilion. It survived, slipped under the floor boards of a Saugatuck house at 748 Holland Street, and reappeared during a renovation in the 1990s. Its owner, Bob Lord, donated the poster to the SDHC in 2016.
The poster doesn’t mention a year, but the Friday July 3rd detail may solve the mystery. Only the years 1931, 1936, 1942 match up with that day/date combination on the calendar and the Commercial Record only mentions Freddie Daw and his Band at the Pavilion in the 1940s.
Gift of Bob Lord
Accession number 2019.46.02General Notes
Note
Status: OK
Status By: Mary Voss
Status Date: 2019-12-16Create Date
December 16, 2019Update Date
September 15, 2026
