|
A
night out at the local dance pavilion used to be as much a
rite of summer at the cottage as the annual water regatta or
Strawberry Social. And no one made it as much fun as Gerry
Dunn. In its heyday, Dunn's Bala, Muskoka-based venue played
host to all the Big Bands -- Glenn Miller, Tommy and Jimmy
Dorsey, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, even Louis Armstrong.
Little wonder Dunn's Pavilion -- now known as the Kee to
Bala -- was touted as the
place "where all Muskoka dances."
A
night at Dunn's was certainly a night to remember. People
travelled there by boat or car, the men dressed in sports
jackets and ties, the ladies in
mid-length party dresses. Gerry Dunn would often personally
greet his guests at the door, encouraging them to purchase
refreshments before hitting the
dance floor.
The
building was elaborately decorated, with a large balcony
jutting out over the waters of Bala Bay, palm trees at the
entrances, cedar boughs dangling from the ceiling and the
facade of a cottage as the backdrop for the stage. The large
expanse of dance floor was lined down each side with chairs
and tables, as well as private 'boxes' (booths) for parties
of up to 20. Later a fountain with coloured lights was added
as a centrepiece on the floor. Ice cream and sodas and other
refreshments were sold -- Dunn boasted the largest quantity
of Borden's ice cream sold north of Toronto -- but there was
no liquor license... it was always "bring your
own."
Popular
house bands such as Eddie Stroud, Howard Cable and Frank
Evans played most nights, with at least one Big Band slated
in each week. Dunn had connections with the big hotels in
Toronto and other cities, which helped him attract the likes
of Duke Ellington, Les Brown, Woody Herman and Guy
Lombardo with the offer of a midweek gig, even though his
dance pavilion was out of the way in cottage country.
When
Dunn first announced his plans for a dance hall, many
thought them too ambitious for such a small community -- and
one so far off the beaten track. But they didn't take into
account Dunn's entrepreneurial skills. He arrived in Bala in
1929 and bought Langdon's Ice Cream parlour for the then
exorbitant sum of $11,000. Newly graduated as a pharmacist
from the University of Toronto, where he had earned a
coveted bronze letter T for both academic achievement and
athletics as a star on the Varsity Blues, Dunn wanted a
summer business which would provide enough income to finance
his
hockey playing in the winter. Soon after opening the drug
store, a little open air dance floor was added.
By
1941 the business was a going concern. Dunn expanded the
dance floor to hold 600, with seating for 1,000, and had
orchestras such as the Varsity Collegians on a regular
basis. But Dunn wanted more -- to bring world class
musicians to Bala. Sketching out his plans on the brown
wrapping paper in his store, he envisioned a large dance
floor with a 75' span out over the water, unheard of at the
time, especially during the war when steel was in short
supply. Despite local pessimism, work began in the fall of
1941, with Dunn himself pitching in -- it was he who nailed
the rafters in place by riding up the tall gin pole used to
raise them.
The
new Dunn's was ready in time for the 1942 season, and the
first big band to play was the Frankie Masters Orchestra,
"direct from Hotel Edison in New York City" on
July 1, 1942. Canada's own Mart Kenney and His Western
Gentlemen were there that season, too, playing the first
midnight dance of
the season. Kenney often played at Dunn's, sometimes doing a
live remote broadcast on location. Considered the leader of
Canadian Big Band sound,
Kenney always started and ended his set with his own tune,
The West, A Nest, and You, Dear sung by his wife, Norma
Locke. There was almost always a line up, especially when a
big name was playing at
Dunn's. Admission was usually $2.50 - $3, though $5 per
person was charged when Louis Armstrong played there the
last time in 1962. Those unable to get tickets would drift
out on Bala Bay in their canoes and runabouts to hear the
music. It was all very romantic.
In
fact, Dunn's was a place where many
summer romances started, with some even leading to marriage.
And to capture the moment, souvenir picture of the evening
could be purchased from in-house photographers Don McIndoe
and his wife Winnifred. While Winnifred circulated the room
taking photos, Don would be busy developing the pics to be
ready by the end of the evening.
Alas,
Dunn's outstanding success was not to last. The lack of a
liquor license was causing increasing tension in the
village, and when things couldn't be worked out Dunn sold
the pavilion in 1963. It was taken over by the owner of
Pav's, another dance pavilion in nearby Orillia. Renamed The
Kee, it once again became an exciting music venue, though
with the radically different music of Rock and Roll. Author
Susan Pryke, a lifelong resident of Muskoka, vividly recalls
her one and only visit to The Kee. "I'd never seen such
a crush of humanity. I remember spending a lot of time out
on the big deck, where I could hear the music. Still, the
evening was exciting and I was there -- in the renowned Kee
-- sipping Coke and rubbing shoulders with the in-crowd of
people." The many phases of rock and roll have seen
numerous owners and subsequent changes to The Kee.
There's
a new stage, better suited to the technical demands of the
new bands, and different lighting and sound systems. And The
Kee has a liquor license. But present owner and operator
Steve Wylie hasn't forgotten The Kee's proud past. Even
though the drug store out front is long gone, as are the
cedar boughs, the cottage front bandstage is still there,
serving as a bar and, on occasion, a stage once again for
Big Band orchestras. Wylie plans to bring back the fountain,
too, a one-time focal point on the dance floor, and has
painted the outside the original white with green trim. And
The Kee's summer roster has still included Big Bands such as
Mart Kenney and the Canadian All Star Tribute to Glenn
Miller, alongside such rock acts as Kim Mitchell and Blue
Rodeo, allowing for a rekindling of summer memories -- as
well as the making of new ones.
|
