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Category: Ontario Dance Hall History

‘Lets Dance’-Port Dover Summer Garden Dance Hall

There is a little town 2 hours SW of Toronto called Port Dover, known for their famous ‘Friday the 13th’ Biker get together. However between 1921 and 1979 Port Dover had a Dance Hall that people made the trek to Dover every summer for….Summer Garden was its name.

Today’s post is for the Blog Series I started in 2013 from a book I read called “Let’s Dance: A Celebration of Ontario’s Dance Halls and Summer Dance Pavilions” by Peter Young.

Port Dover Summer Garden 1920s vintage photo

Summer Garden Dance Hall

The History & Vintage Photos

Summer Garden Dance Hall # 1

Summer Garden was actually 3 halls overs the years. The first one was built-in 1921 (June 18th) by Ben Ivey and named by his mother (the opening night band was a 12-piece singing syncopated group from Detroit-Charles Cody). Erected on series of wooden supports which had been sunk many feet into the sand below the water (as seen in above image), it was unfortunately demolished by a huge storm (the storm took out its legs) in the winter of 1929 (source).

Vintage Postcard for the Summner Garden Dance Hall in Port Dover Ontario

Source: delcampe.net

I wish the below image was able to be larger, as it shows a lovely couple Ellen and Fred on a beach in Port Dover 1923 with the first Summer Garden in the background.

1920s vintage photo of a man and woman in 1920s fashions, Ellen and Fred on beach, Port Dover August, 1923 with the Summer Garden Dance Hall in the background.
Source: Archives of Ontario

Summer Garden Dance Hall # 2

Summer Garden # 2 opened for business by Ben again in May 1929 (Featuring Emerson Gill on opening night) and was wisely located further up the beach. Built in 19 days by volunteers it lasted 3 years before it was burnt to the ground while the townspeople stood by and cried (source).

Vintage Photo of the Summer Gardens Dance Hall # 2 in Port Dover, Ontario Canada. Vintage Dance Hall.

Here is a song by Emerson Gill I imagine was played on opening night.

Summer Garden Dance Hall # 3

Not letting any of this get Ben down he stood tall and erected Summer Garden # 3, on May 24th 1932.

Summer Gardens 3 Port Dover

Don Ivey – “Pop”

In 1936 Ben passed the management torch to his son Don, who would go onto become somewhat of celebrity to those who visited the Garden. He was known for managing the ballroom with Ivey League class — wearing a white suit and ever-present red rose and everyone called him ‘Pop’ (source).

Vintage Photo of Don Ivey manager of the Summer Gardens dance hall in  Port Dover, Ontario Canada
Source: Lets Dance by Peter Young

With high energy and an octagonal dance floor, it was the place to go to get down. If you couldn’t afford the cover charge, the walls of the dance hall were so thin, you could stand on the beach and take in the concert (source).

A favorite of Servicemen during WW2 stationed at nearby flying schools, dancers travelled far and wide for a day at the beach and night of dancing. Bands in the 1940s included Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong and Gene Krupa.

Port Dover Summer Gardens Big Band Poster
Source: Lets Dance by Peter Young

There is a great quote in Peter Young’s book from Margo Kerber who went to Gardens during the 1940s.

“We’d take the trolley in Galt for a weekend in Port Dover and the Friday and Saturday night dances. You couldn’t wait to get back the next weekend. One of my friends is happily married to the boy she met then in Dover”.

Dance of the Roses

The Famous ‘Dance of the Roses’ was a dance that became Don’s baby and the highlight of the summer dance season. With the walls covered in roses and the best big bands playing the night, it was the “Biggest Dance Affair in Port Dover“.

1950s and on

1950s and on, saw bands like Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks, Guess Who and Lighthouse play the venue, all who speak with great fondness of the venue.

vintage photo of Don Ivey at the Summer Garden Dance Hall Port Dover, Ontario Canada
Note: Don Ivey is to the Left in this picture in the White. Source: oocities.org

1969-1972 Summer Gardens.

Summer Garden Guy Lombardo and Lighthouse - Port Dover ontario canada
Source: PBase

The End of the Summer Gardens

January 8th, 1979 the fun ended as the Summer Gardens was torched by an arsonist and once again burnt to the ground. It was sadly never rebuilt and now is a summer garden picnic area where families enjoy ice cream and picnics.

Summer Garden Farewell

The night is chill, the ballroom deserted
The sound of dancing feet is gone
The sound of music has faded away
There is no sound of voices, they have disappeared
There is no laughter
Farewell, dear old lady Summer Garden.
There are tears I cannot hide, so I smile and say as the flames die
Smoke gets in my eyes…

– Don Ivey, January 9, 1979. (Source)

I recently visited Port Dover for the first time and while I could not find this picnic area personally (I don’t think I looked hard enough), I did take the picture below and day dreamed that this was the view that many dancers saw while taking in summer air, after a night dancing to some of the biggest bands in the world.

Port Dover

Please share any memories, comments & thoughts about this Vintage Dance Hall in the comments section below.

February 2023 update: I recently stumbled upon this podcast on the Summer Garden by ‘Curated Past‘. It was well done (and goes much deeper into the history then I did)! Take a listen below.

Thank you for dropping by!

Other ‘Lets Dance’ Posts: Kenwick on the Lake, CNE Tent, Palace Pier

Liz 🙂

‘Lets Dance’: 1940’s “Kenwick on the Lake” Southern Ontario’s Dance Hall Gem

kenwick on the lake rock n roll dancing

Source: Sarnia Journal

A few weekends ago I was home visiting my family and while in town I headed out to visit the historic grounds of where the famous dance hall “Kenwick on the Lake” once stood in the picturistic town of Brights Grove. This is for the Blog Series I started a while back from a book I’m reading called “Let’s Dance: A Celebration of Ontario’s Dance Halls and Summer Dance Pavilions” by Peter Young.

1940’s Kenwick on the Lake

The History & Vintage Photos

Kenwick on the Lake-Bright’s Grove, Ontario.

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove

Kenwick on the lake is in a fantastic location, directly across from Lake Huron and its beautiful beaches. The venue was the brain child of talented musician, band leader and promoter from Sarnia, Ontario – Jack Kennedy and his wife/business partner Genevieve. BUT it was not the first popular dance hall that the Sarnia area had in the early 1940s from the very busy Jack and Gen; Kenwick Terrace was to come first (seen below).

Kenwick Terrace-Sarnia Ontario Vintage 1940s Photo.
Source: Flickr-John Rochon

The opening night at Kenwick Terrace in January 1943 featured Louis Armstrong. I will say it again…LOUIS ARMSTRONG!!! Gosh I would have done anything to have seen that show in my little home town.

Louis Armstrong  vintage photo
Source: Steve Anderson .digital

Kenwick Terrace went on to hold regular dancers with Jack Kennedy’s Orchestra and other Big Bands and singers. The wooden dance floor was known for being nice and flexible..perfect for dancers to never get tired feet. It stayed open till 1978.

After the success of Kenwick, Jack and Gen decided to open a dance hall on the shores of Lake Huron in 1946. They purchased the current pavilion that was standing there and extensively rebuilt it over the next few months. It opened as Kenwick on the Lake in June 1946 (source).

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove Vintage Dance Hall as seen in this vintage photo.
Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove Vintage Dance Hall as seen in this vintage photo.

The name Kenwick comes from the first part of Jack Kennedy’s last name and the last part of his wife Genevieve’s maiden name Warwick.

Here is a great post from Billboard magazine about the opening of the “New Spot”.

Jack Kennedy Billboard magazine

The new venue attracted really big name bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, and Glen Miller to play to crowds of up to 3,000 on weekends. Many of the shows were also broadcast by radio across Canada. The Governor-General of Canada visited Kenwick on the Lake on the opening night in June 1946 (Source).

Dancing at Kenwick would then become a summer tradition that lasted into the 1950s.

1950 Vintage Photo of lots of dancers jammed together on the dance floor at Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove
Kenwick on the Lake Dancing Brights Grove Vintage 1950s Photo of the Rock n Roll night.
Rock n Roll Night. Source: Sarnia Journal

One of the cool details about Kenwick on the lake was that made it popular with dancers was that it had an outdoor Terrazzo dance floor as well as an indoor hardwood floor. And if you have ever danced outside to the sounds of your favorite band, you know why this was a draw. There is nothing better than fresh air, good music and the stars over head…sigh….so romantic.

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove 1940s vintage photo of dancers dancing on the Outdoor dance floor - Vintage Dance Hall.

Due to its close proximity to the water, the venue became a “summer resort” with 2 dining halls, hairdressing salon, outdoor bowling alley (seen below), bathhouse and a stand to rent swimsuits and even small rides for the kids. The venue even served as a Saturday night destination for passengers of the SS Noronic that stopped at Sarnia on its trip around the Great Lakes (source).

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove - Vintage dance hall that also had outdoor bowling. 1940s Vintage Photo.

Kenwick was not just beloved by the attendees but also by the performers who played there. The famous American baritone and bandleader Vaughn Monroe said it “was one of the most beautiful places he had ever played” and band leader “Norm Harris” played for one summer with his band and loved it so much that he came back the next year by himself to sing with the band (source).

Vintage Photo of Baritone and bandleader vaughn monroe
Vaughn Monroe

Lastly, while doing my research on Kenwick on the Lake I stumbled upon this fantastic story about a particular night at the venue in July of 1946.

July 29, 1946 was a Monday. It was the height of the summer along the shores of Lake Huron. Kenwick-on-the-Lake had opened just one month earlier and was already popular with the dance crowds. This evening would feature music as always, but with a difference. Backed by the Jack Kennedy Orchestra, the show would celebrate the first radio broadcast by Sarnia’s own radio station with the call sign of CHOK.

Promptly at 7:00 P.M., a fanfare resounded throughout the county as the prelude to a program that lasted for 6 hours. Canada’s newest radio station was on the air.

“The show headliners that night were Dorothy Deane and Russ Titus, stars of the Cashmere Bouquet House Party of the 1940’s, who appeared in person during the inaugural show for CHOK. There were also special greetings for Canada’s newest radio station from entertainment greats Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Vaughan Monroe and Guy Lombardo.

“CHOK, then owned by H.M. Hueston, A.D. Mackenzie and Claude R. Irvine, was officially welcomed by W.C. Nelson, Mayor of the City of Sarnia and Bryan Cathcart, M.P.P.” (Source).

All good things must come to an end

When the popularity of the big bands declined in the late 1950’s, Jack and Gen of Kenwick on the Lake tried Sunday night concerts (such as Alice Cooper), wrestling, square dancing and summer theatre. But the combination of damage caused by the 1953 tornado, a later fire led to its closing in the 1970s.

All that remains today is the terrazzo pavilion floor which now serves as a basketball court in Kenwick Park in Bright’s Grove (Historical notes from the author Bob McCarthy).

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove
The husband and I getting a dance in

The Vintage Inn Note:

This post was a pleasure to write about AND do research on due to this venue being from my home town and from having so many memories of Jack Kennedy and his family as a child. He was truly a staple in the history of Sarnia, from his music store that his son ended up running (and we bought a piano from) to Jack himself playing his organ in the mall during Christmas time. The Kennedy name and the Kenwick name will never be forgotten.

Kenwick on the lake-Brights Grove
The Jack & Gen Kennedy Bench

Other ‘Lets Dance’ Posts: Palace Pier, CNE Tent, Port Dover Summer Garden

Have a wonderful day!

Liz 🙂