Opening Night at The Blakeney Dance Hall 1954

May1954

Mr. Harry Nontell had the grand opening of his new dancing pavilion last Friday night and it drew a tremendous crowd. There were people there from all over the country and parking space had to be arranged for an adjoining field. ‘ The dance hall was converted from the former Blakeney cheese factory (read-Rosebank Cheese Factory) which stood on the shore of the Mississippi River near the north end of the bridge.

It was a substantial building and Mr. Nontell used the main part of it to put down a very fine hardwood floor for dancing. At the side is a refreshment booth and space for people waiting to dance. Pleasantly Located The location is a very pleasant one as the river is wide at this point said there are beautiful falls just below the bridge. Fishing is good in the vicinity and Mr. Nontell proposes to have boats for hire when he gets around to it.

Rosebank was the name before Blakeney- Blakeney cheese factory (read-Rosebank Cheese Factory)

Most of the work of turning the factory into a hall where entertainments can be held was done oy Mr. Nontell himself in the winter months, assisted by his son, Orville, who was home from the West. Harry is a handy man at work of that kind and the floor, fixtures and other alterations are certainly a credit to him. He has made arrangements with Charlie Finner and his popular Hayshakers orchestra to furnish the music. Not only is Charlie a wizard on the violin, but he has no peers when it comes to calling off for the squares.

The crowd on opening night was an orderly one and there was no rough staff in spite of its size. The only unusual incident we heard about concerned a well known young Almonte lady who stepped into a hollow where there was wet clay. She walked right out of her high heeled shoes arid had to wade to dry ground in her stocking feet. Being redheaded and possessed of a temper when riled, she is said to have used a naughty word as she waded back to fish out her pumps.

“Where are all the d—— Sir Walter Raleighs around here?” inquired the damsel plaintively. “The age of chivalry is dead.

In addition to a weekly dance, Mr. Nontell is prepared to rent the hall for private dances, entertainments and receptions. He already has it booked for a number of engagements. It is understood Mr. Nontell has rented the field next to his pavilion and will control the parking himself in future.

Pockets of Paradise: Blakeney — Marilyn Snedden

Dance Hall Fire Blakeney

The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner

The Dawn Patrol on Local Dance Halls

Chicks at the Cedar Inn?

Cruisin Through the Dance Halls- From Carleton Place and Beyond!! Larry Clark

Clippings of Hank Snow

Dance Hall Days with The Coachmen

Down At the Twist and Shout–Wave’s Inn

Straight Outta Carleton Place High School — Wava McDaniel Baker

Lanark County Dance Halls 1950s, 60s & 70s

by arlenestaffordwilson

Good Old Lanark County Music–From the 70s to now

Documenting Clippings of the Gatineau Clog

Clippings and Memories of Mac Beattie — The Buchanan Scrapbooks

Memories of Bob Whitney and his Wobbleboard Carleton Place

Memories About Bernie Costello

Remembering Etta Whitney Carleton Place

Reserve Me a Table –The Silver Fox –Ron McMunn

Good Old Lanark County Music–From the 70s to now

Fiddling in Lanark County by David Ennis

Looking for Info on The Happy Wanderers etc.

The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner

All About Lorraine Lemay –Mississippi Hotel

Looking for Info on The Happy Wanderers etc.

may 1958

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum photo– CFRA dance from the 70s..Thursday’s Blast from the Past photo

The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner

read–The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner click

In spite of rain, 600 persons attended the dance sponsored by the N.L.A.S. In their hall on the fair grounds On Saturday night. The music was supplied by the C.F.R.A. Happy Wanderers starring Bob King,! and Ward Allan. Dances will continue each Saturday night with Almonte Hayshakers supplying the music.

I was reminded of days like this when we would be listening to Rough Rider football on CFRA with Ernie Calcutt. Frank Ryan who owned CFRA was a son of Almonte. Given CFRA’s connection to the valley-remember the Happy Wanderers and Frank Ryan’s farm reports?- I thought Frank Ryan deserved a mention–Lou Chapman

I met Tom Gardiner, at a place outside of town He dropped by, to help me make some sounds Said; you’re the hotshot, who thinks he can play & sing I don’t have time for talking, just make those darn strings ring.–Lyle Dillabough

I was reminded of days like this when we would be listening to Rough Rider football on CFRA with Ernie Calcutt. Frank Ryan who owned CFRA was a son of Almonte. Given CFRA’s connection to the valley-remember the Happy Wanderers and Frank Ryan’s farm reports?-

Larry Delaney
February 18  · 

The Happy Wanderers were among the Ottawa Valley’s earliest country & western groups — popular on CFRA radio, and as a showband performing at various venues throughout the Ottawa and Western Quebec regions.
There were several different personnel changes during the group’s existence…this is believed to be the first lineup (check next post for a different configuration).
Pictured here (front L/R) Vince Lebeau, Bob King, Ken Davidson, (back L/R) Ward Allen, Joe Brown, Ken Reynolds).
(Photo Courtesy: Larry Delaney Photo Archives)

Victoria Edwards
November 4, 2014  · 

CFRA AM The Happy Wanderers mid 1950s Ottawa http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html

Bob Bethell
June 20, 2020  · 

Cfra…and the happy wanderers !!!!….

Hannah Brown Photography

Thanks to Lorraine Reynolds Patoine for sending..
Perth Remembered
February 1, 2016 ·
Dave White shared the photo on the top of his Uncle Les Nield’s band “The Stardusters”. This was a very popular horn band in the area through the 40’s and early 50’s. They played the swing tunes of the day, but would also play square dances. In the picture, in back, is drummer, Buck Emerson. In front, left to right, Jim White, (Dave’s Dad) guitar singer and caller, Les Nield, saxophone and violin, Ab Duncan, saxophone, and Les Bostian, piano. The Orchestra played at many venues all over the region and were a staple at the many events and dances held at the Perth Town Hall.
I found this ad from in the Perth Courier, November 1943. Also an article in 1945 that tells of the Firemen’s Assembly that was held at Perth Town Hall which was an annual event and greatly enjoyed by large numbers of town and district folks approximately 300 couples totaling 600 “tripped the light fantastic” to the always popular music of the Stardusters’ Orchestra with Mr. James White of Innisville, master of ceremonies and “caller-off”. DB

Don White
March 18  · 

Left to right: Don White, Ray Hynes, Ed White, Merle Smith, Scotty Ferguson

releated reading

June 1957 –Documenting the Happy Wanderers CFRA

read–The Hayshakers — Charlie Finner click

Reserve Me a Table –The Silver Fox –Ron McMunn

Memories with Thee Duces — David Lugsdin

Cruisin Through the Dance Halls- From Carleton Place and Beyond!! Larry Clark

The Dawn Patrol on Local Dance Halls

Dance Hall Fire Blakeney

Dance Hall Days with The Coachmen

Down At the Twist and Shout–Wave’s Inn

Straight Outta Carleton Place High School — Wava McDaniel Baker

Lanark County Dance Halls 1950s, 60s & 70s

The Coachmen Return!!! Born to be Wild Circa 1985

The Day I Tried to Long Tall Sally Paul McCartney

Back to The Future — Twisting Your Dignity Away

Saturday Date with “Thee Deuce” in Almonte

Dance Hall Fire Blakeney

The Canadian Beatles aka The Beavers- Mike Duffy was their Road Manager –Bands of the 60s

He Died Stepdancing in Franktown

Dueling Shoes and Fiddles and Step Dancing Contest July 15 1974

He was a Step Dancing Legend from Up da Line..

Gilles Roy-Step Dancer Extraordinare

Notes of Lanark County Dances and Fiddlers

The Fred Astaire of Carleton Place — John Stanzel

Christopher Gower — The Baryshnikov of Carleton Place

What Happened to John Liddle?

Dance Hall Fire Blakeney

1959

Marilyn Snedden historian.

The first cheese factory was opened in the former Snedden stone home on the hill but in 1932, a building was moved from Pakenham to the north end of the bridge where a farmer’s cooperative operated the  Rosebank Cheese & Butter Co. until 1954. Then the building was converted to Nontell’s Dance Hall.  This dance hall was an exciting addition to the community until it burned to the ground a few years later. — Marilyn Snedden

If you didn’t meet your dream boat tonight, there was always next week at the Dance Halls. These were wonderful places – full of hopes and dreams, full of music and song, full of youth and vitality, noise and energy.

Anticipation and hope lit up the dull days in between. Girls and boys, from all over the country, came to dance the night away. In the 1950s they waltzed and fox-trotted to the big bands and in the 60s they jived, huckle-bucked and twisted to the fabulous music.

We set off to the dance hall every weekend, hungry for excitement. When we arrived there it felt as if our world had gone from black and white to color.

In the cloakroom, we watched girls who had cycled in from the country remove their headscarves and raincoats. We watched as they backcombed their hair and applied their ‘battle red’ lipstick. Some men, in the 1950s, were known to rub goose grease onto their hair in order to style it. Later in the night, this melted under the bright lights of the dance hall. It ran down their faces and smelt terrible, I am told – for this was before my time.

Other friends remember the local carnivals, which took place in villages. Dances were held in a marquee erected in a newly mown hay field. The priest would come, armed with a blackthorn stick and hit the cocks of hay, behind which couples were engaged in ‘close kissing and embracing, repeated and prolonged.’

How can sitting on a sofa with a smartphone be compared with all the excitement of those dance hall days!

Carleton Place Canadian 1958

Classified Announcements for Dance Halls that issue 1958

Dancing Saturday Nights– Town Hall– Carleton Place–Music by CFRA ‘Happy Wanderers’ Admission-75 cents

Dance-Franktown-Friday-Thompson’s Orchestra- Refreshment Booth-Admission 75 cents

Dance every Friday Night-Appleton Community Centre Hall- Music by the Rhythm Rangers-Refreshment Booth- Admission 50 cents

Dance in Appleton Wednesday Night– Ontario Farmer’s Union-Ashton Local No. 257-Irvine’s Orchestra- Admission 50 cents

Dance – Perth Town Hall- Friday night- Rock N Roll, Modern, Round and Square Dancing  9-1:30 -Music by Jerry Badour and his Western Airs- Admission -75 cents

Ted Hurdis– I remember my dad telling me that Almonte was “dry” way back. You used to be able to get a special coke at the Superior restaurant. Also lots of spirit at Wava’s Inn dance hall back then.

Ross Munro I was only 6 but think it was at the corner of Hwy 29 and Old Perth Road

Rita Giles Ross Munro isn’t that where “The Cedar Inn” was?
10c for a round dance, 25c for a square.

Kim Davis My mom used to go to dances there. Said it was 10 cents for a cab to get there 😁

Sherry Blakeley Udall My Mom talked about the Cedar Inn and the dances there all the time. Yet, I have never seen a photo of it. Anyone out there have a photo of this place?

Susan Elliott Topping Sherry Blakeley Udall My mom always says what a great dancer your Dad was!

Sherry Blakeley Udall Susan Elliott Topping Yes, he was. He was so easy to follow. He taught me how to jive, waltz, jitterbug…all so much fun!

The Dawn Patrol on Local Dance Halls

Dance Hall Days with The Coachmen

Down At the Twist and Shout–Wave’s Inn

Straight Outta Carleton Place High School — Wava McDaniel Baker

Lanark County Dance Halls 1950s, 60s & 70s

by arlenestaffordwilson

Memories of The Old Church Halls

Back to The Future — Twisting Your Dignity Away

The Canadian Beatles aka The Beavers- Mike Duffy was their Road Manager –Bands of the 60s

Saturday Date with “Thee Deuce” in Almonte

The Coachmen Return!!! Born to be Wild Circa 1985

The Day I Tried to Long Tall Sally Paul McCartney

Kindle Fire Minutes of “Dancin the Feelin“ with James Brown