TheLaker_May_02_22 by The Laker

May 2, 2022 | THE LAKER | Page 21

Yester year Old Time Entertainment in the Lakes Region By Kathi Hopper In the olden days, entertainment was a rare treat for those who lived in rural New Hampshire. Perhaps that is the reason area clubs were formed. The local musical concerts, dances and social gatherings sponsored by social clubs, granges and businessmen were eagerly anticipated in the 1800s and early 1900s. By Lake Winnipesaukee, in Alton Bay, entertainment was offered to those vacationed in the area. The movies – first silent and then talkies (talking movies) or roller skating, or the luxury of listening to a live band made summer seem magical. The original (Alton Bay) Pavilion was built in the 1920s and it was at this spot that vacationers could enjoy an evening of dancing or other entertainments. The original Pavilion burned in the late 1920s, and a new building was constructed, with dancing still very popular. Big bands, some well-known and others just starting out, played the Pavilion, such as Count Basie and Tommy Dorsey. By the 1940s, roller skating was added. Roller skating was extremely popular at the time, and you could skate morning, noon or in the evening at the Pavilion. Everyone – Bigs Band musicians to

Alton Bay Pavilion, once a popular dance hall. locals to tourists – enjoyed a meal or snack at the Victoria Pier, located not far from the Pavilion. The Pier had a little gift shop and coffee shop, with a marble counter where ice cream was served. At Weirs Beach, summers were relatively sedate, but that would soon change when James Irwin Sr. arrived. As a band musician from Boston, Irwin wanted to play in a New Hampshire band at Weirs Beach. As well as being a musician, Irwin could see the area had possibilities as an entertain-

ment center. By the 1920s, Irwin created a music hall where he played with a band. It was popular and brought entertainment to vacationers and local people. After a fire destroyed the building, a new dance hall was constructed and became very popular at Weirs Beach. The hall was named the Winnipesaukee Gardens. Big name bands – including the Glenn Miller Band, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and many others - played at the Gardens each summer. Visitors enjoyed dressing up for a night of music

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and dancing to Big Bands and later, rock’n roll music at the Gardens. Along with big names in entertainment, local musicians offered shows via social clubs. In the central New Hampshire towns of Northfield and Tilton, many groups were formed solely for the purpose of entertainment. As early as 1840, a band was organized in Northfield, to furnish music for old-time trainings and musters. The band also, according to the “History of Northfield”, “enlivened gatherings of its members and friends.” No matter what the season, the band also was committed to serenading newly married couples. The Tilton/Northfield Cornet Band began in 1850 at Sanbornton Bridge. The leader and founder of the band was Alonzo Bond of Boston, with musical aid from another local musician. In the Christmas season in 1885 another club was started. It was fitting the club began in the season of goodwill and peace, and the group was initially called “Friendship.” Friendship Grange, as the group came to be known, started out with 17 charter members who met in an old brick church commonly called the

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