Submitted by Wayne Mc Grath,Retired elementary and secondary music teacher,2008 Saugeen Shores Hall of Fame Inductee
A giant flame chomped and Port Elgin’s “oldest and proudest recreational landmark” was mortally wounded. Hard to believe that such a famous building could be so devastatingly ripped from our lives. But on August 19th, 1970 the original Cedar Crescent Casino succumbed to a fiery blaze that showed no mercy. Within minutes it was a smouldering pile of ashes. For those who watched, tears freely flowed. The Cedar Crescent Casino was the centre universe of thousands of teenagers during the summer months.Their best friend had just perished by a blameless mistake. For me, it was my summer home that mom and dad owned from 1945 until they sold it in 1968.
The march of time pays no heed to any events along the way, but we do. “That’s Life” as Sinatra crooned in one of his many hits. For those of us lucky enough to have been there, it may come as a surprise to realize that the Cedar Crescent Casino has been gone 55 years today, August 19th 1970.
For the relatively short time of its 48 year existence, the Cedar Crescent Casino’s soul burned just as hot as any of those famous names like Hendrix in the Rock World or Beiderbecke in the Jazz World. Often dreamed about are names like Elvis or Parker and what additional influences their pop or jazz performances would have had on the world.
That memory of the Cedar Crescent Casino still remains.
The Roaring Twenties was a time of healing. Lost souls and broken hearts across the globe needed to mend because of the devastation of the war to end all wars. Canada’s economy was surging and societies need to socialize was part of the healing process. In 1924, William Brigden and O. E. Boehmer decided to take a chance on addressing the people’s wants and needs. They constructed what was initially called the Port Elgin Amusement Company soon to be known as the Cedar Crescent Casino on a large unobstructed Port Elgin beach. Reflections from mom tell the tale of a vocal community totally in favour of such a magnificent idea. Tourism took a firm hold in the ‘20s.
It is that time period from ‘45 to ‘68 that books have been written about. No doubt, it was dad’s experience as a professional musician that was his guiding light. For 15 years, playing six nights a week at the Embassy Club in Toronto with the Ferde Mowrey Orchestra, dad watched night life and learned how to handle the ‘happy’ public. For example, the word ‘bouncers’ was never used at the Cedar Crescent Casino. They were always referred to as ‘floormen’ or ‘doormen’. There were always enough men setting the standard. Every dance had an off duty police officer at the front gate either an OPP or local, often Chief Strauss. Mom and dad had no intention of applying for a liquor licence. Thus, the reputation of a safe and well-run operation spread far and wide.
From Peter Young’s ‘Lake Huron’s Summer Dance Pavilions’ book:
“Of all the dance pavilions along the Lake Huron shoreline, Port Elgin’s
Cedar Crescent Casino was one of the crown jewels. Falling under the
jurisdiction of the Stratford Musician’s Association local, owners Emmett
and his wife Pat McGrath consider one of the greatest honours bestowed
upon them was the recognition by the Union for operating a first class dance hall.”
It was a special time that an ever changing society can’t duplicate. There was only one Cedar Crescent Casino and that reputation and community legacy will outlive any and all impersonators.
August 19, 1970 was a dark day for thousands of people. A special place, the Cedar Crescent Casino, was gone but its reputation lives on and it is more important than ever to revive that award winning distinction.
Dad used to take my brother and I down to the original Cedar Crescent Casino in the dead of winter to shovel snow from the roof. Back when Port Elgin had 1,200 people, the town found it unnecessary to plow all the hills leading to the beach. We would head down Green Street and across Harbour Street and walk by Percy Jackman’s tennis courts and up onto the Casino roof. No ladder was necessary because we did accumulate that much snow. This was one off-season task that allowed the “magic” of the Cedar Crescent Casino to prevail for the upcoming summer at the beach.
I don’t suppose there are many people who can say that they were raised in a dance hall, but I can.They were halcyon years full of adventure, true summer fun, summer friends and sometimes some fast growing up at the best place to be. My many nostalgic reminisces have repeatedly associated Percy Faith’s 1959 instrumental hit ‘Theme From A Summer Place’ with the Cedar Crescent Casino world.
I remember being so impressed when I first watched the three large deck doors rise up to reveal the newly built open-air addition with its terrazzo floor and Her Majesty’s Flag in one corner and the American Flag flying in the other corner. Dancing under the stars was then a reality.
The Town Booth: I worked long hours over many summers along with many other local teenagers thankful to have a seasonal job. This place had the best french fries in the world and its reputation spread far and wide. My parents held the lease from 1950 to 1974.
And, yes, it was just a matter of time before Adan Cairn’s ‘Restless” was preparing to take guests on a lake cruise. He also rented row boats. Lifeguards and swimming lessons in the lake would commence in July. If you really want to be a strong swimmer, do it in the lake.
Every year, the huge beams were wiped down with coal-oil soaked rags and the entire building was swept using coal-oil soaked sawdust to pick up sand and dust. Then bright red paint was applied to the walk-around floor. The black steel railings were next. The corner settees were checked. Dad took great care in keeping the dance floor in the best condition. Keeping the Cedar Crescent Casino attractive and popular was always a priority because mom and dad had roughly ten weeks to make their annual living along with the Town Booth. Weather was everything. One summer, the worst, there were only 11 real summer days.
Our family had a priceless wealth of musical experiences because of the Cedar Crescent Casino. Imagine, as a kid, lying in bed listening to “Slim” Boucher and his country TV band ‘jamming’ down stairs after their Tuesday night Casino gig. Some of these musicians appeared regularly on CBC’s Country Hoedown and later the Tommy Hunter Show. This included Al Cherney, who was voted Canada’s best fiddle player in 1959,’60 and ’61.
Lloyd Kibbler’s Orchestra provided the dance music from 1947 to 1963, during which time Lloyd and many of the band members became our good friends. It was a sad day when dad had to tell Lloyd that Rock ’n Roll was here to stay. Dad was a big band lover and, as mentioned, spent his professional playing career in a big band.
My first experience playing in the ‘big time’ was with Kibbler. Harold “Frankie” Banks, a well known and respected musician, was responsible for his daughter Heather, his son Ray and myself taking over the trumpet section one night. It was quite a thrill to be on stage playing in a big band because all three of us were just kids. After 47 years, Heather, Ray and myself were reunited to play in a big band assembled to celebrate the life of their dad.
One of the most treasured experiences was playing with my dad. In 1964, Doug Matheson from Southampton was hired to bridge the gap between ‘big bang’ style and the runaway success of Rock ’n Roll. Dad’s pro chops were soon back on track. He was often coaxed by Lloyd to sit in. The Del-Rays were a great rock band from Goderich. They too would coax dad to play every so often and his ‘rock’ chops were on full display.
Around this time, my parents were trying to decide which band to hire as the Cedar Crescent Casino house band. I can still see them sitting in our living room agreeing to hire the COMETS: Gordon Rhodes, Larry Dudgeon, Terry Cottrill, Wayne Bell, Lindsay Gorrell, and my brother Paul. Howard Rhodes and Lloyd Mercy (Mercy Brothers fame) were earlier members of the band.
In 1965, Eddie Miller and I joined the band. Eddie replaced Lloyd who went on to “travel the world for 25 years” as a member of the famous Mercy Brothers from Hanover. Eddie was 14 when he joined the Comets. By 20, he was playing Vegas with Bobby Curtola. A 2025 June SDSS Reunion listened to a 10 piece funky rock band that I formed just for this celebration. As happenstance can occur, Eddie was a last minute fill-in bringing back a multitude of memories. Tijuana Brass and Motown horn lines were in, justifying the need for a trumpet player. What a dream! To be a teenager playing a rock band with my brother. To be able to play regularly in a summer dance hall that attracted thousands of people every summer, and it still remains a huge episode in my musical journey.
One of my jobs was to clean the Cedar Crescent Casino after dance nights and Sunday cleanups were sometimes a special occasion. Frank Bogart, Canada’s society piano player, owned a cottage in Southampton and he used to get chauffeured from Toronto after a gig on Saturday night. Dad played with Frank during his playing career and the friendship was lifelong. Frank would drop in on a Sunday afternoon while we were operating the food booth at the back of the dance hall. Frank was the house band at the Granite Club in Toronto for 40 years and patrons payed handsomely to hear him perform. Regardless, mom would bug Frank to play. So, here I am pushing a broom listening to one of Canada’s best pianists serenade us. Those were magic moments!
Dad was impressed with David Clayton Thomas because he and the Shays were a hard working act. As a hobby, I used to build model cars upstairs behind the stage. Thomas took an interest in what I was doing which was pretty cool. This was the other side of his reputation of being a hard-nosed guy you didn’t mess with. Rumours! Not long after his last gig at the Cedar Crescent Casino, he apparently jumped on a bus from Toronto to New York with some song ideas in his pocket. The ‘voice’ was discovered by Blood Sweat and Tears and Rock history was changed forever.
Rompin Ronnie Hawkins was such a good entertainer but he was also a very good partier which almost got him into serious trouble. Bands started at 9:00 P.M. and Hawkins was partying on a yacht in the harbour. That was a no no. Phone calls to the Stratford local musicians president urged him to be on stage quickly. Musicians unions were all powerful back then and a reminder that a blacklist could end a career solved his tardiness.
This version of the Hawks was very special. Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Robbie Robertson, and Garth Hudson soon after this gig became The Band opening for Bob Dylan in San Francisco. That famous picture of Rompin’ Ronnie Hawkins at the Cedar Crescent Casino has recently made its rounds again. Behind Garth Hudson is where I would have been standing fascinated by Levon Helm’s Arkansas drawl and simple but powerful drumming. Wow!
The Tuesday night guest bands were hired through Hamilton agent Harold Kudkits. Many of the bands following a club circuit would have Mondays and Tuesday off which is the reason so many great bands appeared at the Cedar Crescent Casino. The Paupers (Never Send Me Flowers) was a three-man band from the Hamilton area. They asked dad if they could stay and rehearse on Wednesday. They rehearsed ’Sunshine Superman’ by Donovan for hours. It was a real learning session to watch this kind of preparation. The drummer was Skip Prokop who went on to be the driving force behind one of Canada’s supergroups, Lighthouse (Sunny Days).
How do you pack in all the great bands and activities that performed at the Cedar Crescent Casino? Do you remember the “Twist Contests” M.C. by Hank smith? Do you remember Linda Lane? Do you remember the impact Major Hooples Boarding House had on the Thursday night crowds?
Life in the summer wound around the Cedar Crescent Casino. Bingos were Monday and dances were Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On every Holiday Weekend there was a Midnight Frolic from 12:05 to 3:00 A.M.
Twenty five years ago a very special “homage” to the Cedar Crescent Casino owners witnessed the new Beach Band Shell being dedicated to mom and dad. Under the guidance of then Mayor Mark Kraemer, speeches were made recognizing my parents and the influence the Cedar Crescent Casino had on the town’s growing tourist industry. Live music by Razz-Ma-Tazz filled the air as friends and family enjoyed the celebration. The next time you are at the beach read the plaque that sits beside the Band Shell. There will always only be one real Cedar Crescent and that was the Cedar Crescent Casino.
