"If you build it, they
will come." Long before the fictional movie Field of Dreams
- where a farmer upon hearing a voice speaking to him,
creates a baseball diamond in the middle of a field of corn
- Gerry Patrick Dunn felt the same real-life urge to push
ahead in 1941 with an idea so grandiose it left some people
scratching their heads in amazement. Gerry erected the most
ambitious summer dance pavilion ever built in Ontario
cottage country:
Dunn's Pavilion - "Where All Muskoka Dances"
When it was completed and the doors were opened for business
in the summer of 1942, Gerry's gift to Bala was a treasure
that attracted dancers from near and far, who dressed in
their finest attire to dance in an atmosphere that was
first-class all the way. The new pavilion was an immediate
success, featuring dancing six nights a week throughout the
summer to a house band, with at least one major
international Big Band attraction booked in every week for
an engagement.
It was unheard of in the 1940's for famous entertainers to
travel so far away from their traditional touring routes,
but Dunn's Pavilion quickly became known in the music
industry as one of the premier Canadian summer dance halls
in which to play.
Although the pavilion attracted huge crowds from opening
night, it wasn't just the music that gave thousands of
people an experience they'd never forget. Gerry
instinctively knew the secret to creating a good business,
long before he built his hall. The real estate industry's
cliché - location, location, location - certainly
contributed to the pavilion's prosperity, but it was Gerry's
personal charm and attentiveness to every detail that
ensured Dunn's Pavilion would enjoy a long run in Bala.
He was a gracious host, making every person feel special as
he greeted them personally at the door.
And once inside the pavilion - even before the band played
its first note - the unique decor of the hall convinced
patrons for that evening they were about as far away from
their day-to-day life as their minds would allow them to
travel. Palm trees, hanging baskets of plants, a fountain
with coloured lights in the centre of the sunken dance floor
and a ceiling decorated with silver cedar boughs all
combined to create a sophisticated yet comfortable ambience
for an exciting night of dancing. As a reminder of the
pavilion's Muskoka setting in the middle of Ontario cottage
country, Gerry designed the stage's backdrop to be the
facade of an actual small cottage, complete with window
awnings. On a warm summer evening couples would often wander
out on the large balcony for a romantic moment where the
twinkling lights of cottages and the boats in the harbour
reflected off the water of the bay.
Little did Gerry know at the time he built the pavilion on
Lake Muskoka, that for close to six decades the tradition he
started would continue every summer. A number of owners have
taken turns running the business since Gerry sold the hall
in the early 1960's; all of them have faced the challenges
of managing such a unique business, and many have enjoyed
significant rewards due to their efforts and hard work.
But Dunn's Pavilion - which for nearly 30 years has been
called The Kee To Bala - continues to draw thousands of
people who attend dances with one intention: to have a good
time, just like their parents and their grandparents did in
their own way in previous years. Tank tops and blue jeans
have long ago replaced long dresses and sports jackets as
acceptable dress wear; the Big Band music of yesterday has
changed to reflect the tastes of today's music fans; and
BYOB is no longer necessary with The Kee now being fully
licensed. However, the tradition Gerry Dunn started with his
pavilion in 1942 for his generation, repeats itself year
after year as new generations of young people discover the
musical shrine Gerry conceived.
Long before Gerry built his pavilion in
1942, he had been doing business on the same site in the
drug and department store he had purchased from the Langdon
family in 1929.
Few photos are available of the business during the 1920's,
but at this time a small open-air dance platform was located
at the rear of the store.
When Gerry bought this business in 1929, he was a recently
graduated pharmacist from the University of Toronto, and he
felt there was good potential in Bala for both a drug store
and service station, with the dance floor being an added
attraction. Gerry Dunn immediately saw the popularity of the
dancing area and changed the music format from a solo
pianist to orchestras, with Jerry Richardson and the Varsity
Collegians, and Carl Mueller's Varsity Entertainers being
the first two bands booked into the pavilion.
During the off-season Gerry lived in Detroit, working as a
pharmacist during the day and playing hockey in the
evenings, which enabled him to raise funds to pay off his
Bala investment.
In the second year of ownership, Gerry made the first of
three enlargements to the original pavilion's 35-foot dance
floor.
The structure was eventually covered in completely when the
floor had been lengthened to 100 feet.
One of the great Muskoka traditions began in the early
1930's, which was travelling to Dunn's Store and dance hall
by water - canoes, rowboats and motor boats were the primary
mode of transport. People would arrive for an ice cream
during the day and to dance in the evening, with many a
young man working up a righteous sweat pulling the oars of
his skiff while dressed in a shirt and tie. New friendships
developed between people and summer romances blossomed, some
of which developed into long-term relationships and
ultimately marriage. Many couples today still reminisce
about meeting one another at Dunn's.
As the 1930's drew to an end, the crowds
became so large at the old pavilion that Gerry decided to
tear down the hall and build what would become his famous
pavilion, where all Muskoka would come to dance. He had
visions of bringing the best bands in the business to
Muskoka, but knew that he'd need a hall that could hold
enough people to pay for the big acts.
"I designed the pavilion myself - no architect was
involved," says Gerry, who at 97 years old was back at his
Bala summer home in 1998. "It took some time on my part,
coming up with different designs that I'd draw on the brown
paper we used in the store to wrap things." Finally, he came
up with a unique design for a hall with a 75-foot span that
would be built out over the water. A structure that wide
normally would require steel beams, but since this type of
building material was in short supply due to the War, wood
was used instead.
With a crew of 14 men, the pavilion began to take shape in
late 1941. By utilising a gin pole (a high device for
raising heavy weights) fashioned from a tall white pine tree
cut along the Moon River, they raised the upper rafters into
place with Gerry at the top, nailing them down.
Next time you're in the pavilion, take a look up and try to
picture a younger Gerry Dunn anchoring down those roof
supports in 1941.
Gerry featured live music six nights per
week during the summer months, and often included a Sunday
evening concert (dancing on Sundays was illegal in staid old
Ontario at that time). House bands led by musicians such as
Howard Cable, Eddie Stroud and Frank Evans all enjoyed many
years of steady employment at Dunn's.
And one evening each week, usually on a Tuesday or
Wednesday, Gerry would bring in a famous Big Band which was
guaranteed to attract people from the nearby Muskoka lakes
as well as from towns and cities around the province.
Special mention should be made here regarding bandleader
Mart Kenney who performed at Dunn's for the first time on
August 2, 1942. Older Canadians will recall Mart Kenney and
His Western Gentlemen who criss-crossed Canada for decades,
and who particularly devoted so much time and energy to the
country during the World War II Coca Cola Victory Parades.
Mart established his own dance venue near Toronto in 1949,
calling it Mart Kenney's Ranch. Through his thousands of
remote radio and television broadcasts (many of his radio
remotes emanated from Dunn's), Mart became Canada's premier
musician, comparable to today's younger stars such as Burton
Cummings or Bryan Adams.
Incidentally, at 89 years old, Mart lives in British
Columbia and still tours extensively, maintaining a schedule
that would tire a person half his age. He returned to Bala
to perform on the original stage in 1998, and giving his
fans a memorable show.
As old Dunn's posters indicate, just about everybody in the
business appeared at least once at Dunn's Pavilion Ð The
Dorsey Brothers, Les Elgart, Duke Ellington, Count Basie,
Guy Lombardo, Les Brown, The Glenn Miller Orchestra with Ray
McKinley, Woody Herman and the great Louis Armstrong were
just a few of the headliners.
Pictures of these stars were taken by Dunn's resident
photographers, Don and Winnifred McIndoe. The couple would
also snap shots of dancers throughout the evening and insert
the picture in a souvenir folder. Don & Winnifred took many
group shots of the pavilion's staff and house bands.
Perhaps one of the most memorable Big Band nights at Dunn's
Pavilion took place near the end of Gerry's tenure in the
early 1960's when Louis Armstrong performed for hundreds of
fans inside with another 1,000 outside on the grounds and in
boats, listening to Satchmo's music float from the pavilion
into the warm moonlit Muskoka evening.
By 1963 Gerry was entertaining thoughts
of selling the pavilion. It came as a surprise to many
people who assumed that both Gerry and his dance hall would
endure indefinitely, but the time had come to move on.
The mid-60's witnessed one of the most significant
transitions in music since the Swing Era. Yes, rock 'n' roll
had been established for over 10 years as the music kids
were turning to, but with the advent of the Beatles, other
British bands and their American counterparts, rock music
became a tidal wave that could not be ignored or stopped.
Unfortunately, the new owner was slow to make the transition
from Big Band to rock, and failed to recognize new trends
and tastes in music. Crowds fell off, and the future of the
grand Muskoka pavilion was in real doubt as it fell into a
state of financial woes and disrepair. Ownership ultimately
fell into the hands of the bank.
Enter Ray Cockburn.
Ray had been successfully running his own pavilion in nearby
Orillia since the late 1950's. As well as being a savvy hall
operator, Ray was extremely respected and well-liked by
everyone in the music industry. He also listened to his
customers. When "The Pavalon" (known by most Orillians as
"The Pav") brought in rock music as part of its program, Ray
encouraged the kids to form a Teen Town. This organization
worked in co-operation with Ray, providing many suggestions
regarding music format and bands they would like to see.
Weekends at The Pav would usually feature a teen dance on
Friday with an orchestra for the adults on Saturday.
When Ray was asked if he would be interested in breathing
new life into Dunn's Pavilion he decided to take the plunge,
and even had the bank take care of tearing down the old
store out front, which was now in a condemned state. Ray
then built the extension you now see on the front of the
Bala pavilion.
Ray introduced a program of new music - rock 'n' roll - and
a new name: THE KEE TO BALA.
Says Ray, "A short name, easily remembered, was what I
wanted, and when someone suggested that the pavilion was the
`key' to Bala and the surrounding Muskoka area, I jumped at
the idea and changed the spelling to KEE."
His policy of booking two rock bands into The Kee for an
evening of continuous music also proved to be immensely
successful. At this time, Ontario boasted some of the best
bands in the country, with many of them hailing from the
Toronto area. Ray could promise the bands he booked a gig at
The Pav in Orillia one night, with a job in Bala the next.
The Kee quickly became THE place in Ontario for bands to
work, and just about every name group had an opportunity to
hit the stage over the years.
The late 1960's and into the 1970's were pure magic at The
Kee. As one person wrote to me: "I remember the music with
Major Hooples Boarding House, Mandala's rendition of `White
Rabbit', Motherlode, Coney Hatch and a summer romance with a
guy I met from Bracebridge. His name was Carl and boy, could
he dance. We were high on life and love that summer. I
remember the `heat' in The Kee around 11 p.m. when the
wooden dance floor literally shook and bounced. The place
would be filled to capacity and body to body - everyone
grooved to the tunes. I loved it all!"
In the early 1970's Ray was approached by the Parry family
who indicated they were interested in purchasing the
pavilion. Bev Parry and her family had many successful years
at the Kee, taking the pavilion through the 1970's and into
the next decade. With music being an art form that never
sits still, the Parrys had to move with the various phases
of rock 'n' roll, constantly aware of the fact that many of
Ontario's venerable dance pavilions were falling like
soldiers on the battlefield.
It became obvious that for the Kee to remain viable and
compete with bars and other forms of entertainment available
to people, a liquor license had to be obtained, so they set
the wheels in motion. The Kee has now had a license for
close to 25 years. During the late 1970's a new stage was
built, on the east side of the dance floor, at least twice
the size of the old platform, and much higher. The old
cottage facade was left standing, but instead of potted palm
trees and flower boxes underneath the windows, a bar was
installed.
When the Parrys decided to move out of the pavilion
business, the keys (no pun intended!) were handed over to
Joe Kondyjowski, a man who brought with him many years of
experience in the dance hall business. Joe is probably one
of the most knowledgable and experienced people in the
business today. He has owned Greenhurst Pavilion on Sturgeon
Lake, managed the Jubilee Pavilion in Oshawa, owned The Kee
to Bala, and today runs his Red Barn Auditorium in Oshawa.
Joe is a man of action, a man who, when he eyes a job that
should be done, simply takes charge and sees the project
through to the end. As a person who loves to preserve the
original integrity of older buildings, taking over the Kee
in the 1980's presented a number of challenges for Joe. The
pavilion Gerry Dunn had built extended 75% over the water,
and much of the structure sat on cribbing and pylons that
had been installed in 1942. As Joe says, "We had much work
to do!"
And work he did. Fortunately for Joe, with his experience
and sound management, the pavilion brought in great rock 'n'
roll acts and consequently large crowds, generating the
revenue to support the huge expense that Joe incurred in
bringing this marvellous old building up to standard.
Joe built a new Viceroy home on the property, poured asphalt
for a parking area, installed a new roof and built a new
deck. He installed new cement cribs, and very slowly and in
stages, jacked up the building because it had begun to sink.
The pilings underneath were all replaced. A new kitchen was
put into the building and the outside was completely painted
in a Cape Cod type of feel - a whitish blue/grey tone with
slate blue trim.
When his project of refurbishing The Kee was completed, Joe
invited Gerry Dunn into the pavilion. "Gerry said he was
very pleased, and commented `the place had not looked this
good since I sold it in 1963.' That was the ultimate
compliment for me," says Joe.
A subsequent operator took the reins for a year, and then in
1990 Sanober Patel acquired The Kee, assisted in the
business by her son, Jim. Bringing entertainment to a
sometimes fickle audience is a challenge for any
entrepreneur in this business, and Sanober worked hard to
bring in some of the top rock acts as they mounted their
summer tours across Canada. Kim Mitchell has always been a
perennial favourite at The Kee, as has Burton Cummings, Doug
and the Slugs, Colin James, Blue Rodeo, April Wine, Jeff
Healey......the list is long. Bands consider The Kee a very
special place to play, possibly because, in the words of Kim
Mitchell to a newspaper reporter, "It's the whole vacation
experience that makes the hall special; people are in a
cottage frame of mind!"
Sanober also brought in a weekly Yuk-Yuk's comedy night, and
one major Big Band evening for the people who fondly
remembered dancing at the hall when it was called Dunn's
Pavilion. The 50th Anniversary in 1992 was marked with a
performance by Mart Kenney.
In 1995 Sanober sold the Kee to a partnership. One of the
partners Stephen Wyllie, took charge of the operations.
Every new operator of The Kee to Bala has brought his or her
plans, hopes and dreams for the pavilion. They realize that
it is not simply another concert hall or dance hall; there
is so much history behind Dunn's Pavilion that ownership
also brings with it a responsibility to the residents,
cottagers and visitors to Muskoka who regard the pavilion as
one of the most familiar and significant landmarks in the
region.
Stephen has a deep awareness of the importance that The Kee
holds for so many people. "Practically every day someone
will stop by, knock at the pavilion door and talk about the
good times they had dancing here," he says.
And Stephen has already set the wheels in motion to honour
the rich past of his pavilion. Re-painting the pavilion to
its original Muskoka white with green trim was Stephen's
first job on his long list of "to-do's."
In 1996 and in 1998 Steve brought back memories for many
people by featuring a couple of Big Band dances, and even
re-built the old stage in front of the cottage for these
events - the first time in nearly 20 years that bands have
used the old stage. For the these nights Steve had a large
sign painted to hang behind the band: "Dunn's Pavilion,
established 1942."
For many years a small but interesting building has sat
beside The Kee. It was first used by Gerry Dunn as a gas and
service station, and has been used by subsequent owners as
accommodation for bands, storage and other purposes. It's
often been referred to simply as The Garage. Stephen
resurrected this structure in 1997 under the name "Dunn's
Station," a popular ice cream parlour and coffee bar.
Establishing The Kee as an historic site and having it
featured on Muskoka boat tours are more projects Stephen
would like to explore. Mid-week jazz concerts, a film
documentary, a CD and many other ideas are all part of this
owner's plans for The Kee in the coming years. Meanwhile,
Stephen is always planning the line-up of super talent he'll
continue bringing to The Kee.
They originally came to Dunn's Pavilion
to see the Big Bands, and today they're still coming to The
Kee To Bala. Sure, the music has changed, but so has
everything else in the world - it's called life. And life
continues. Just like the hall that Gerry built continues.
Maybe it's just a building. But oh, what a building it has
been. And every one of the hundreds of thousands of people
who have entered this building have their own special
thought or memory about their experience here. Because, it's
not just the building that makes the memories - it's the
people. Dunn's Pavilion/The Kee To Bala has been a conduit,
bringing people together for one purpose, and that has been
to meet, dance, enjoy music and have an evening of fun.
About the Writer of Dunn's Pavilion/The Kee To Bala
Author Peter Young has recently completed a major project,
researching every well known dance pavilion and dance hall
in the Province of Ontario. With the exception of some
notable venues such as The Kee, Wasaga Beach's Dardanella,
the Palais Royale in Toronto, Wonderland in London, and a
few others, most of these memorable pavilions have
disappeared due to fire, demolition or conversion to other
uses. Peter Young has delved into the rich past of each
pavilion, interviewing former owners or their descendants,
employees, the general public and also many of the musicians
who performed at the various locations. His first book was
released in 1997. Entitled The Kee to Bala is Dunn's
Pavilion, its detailed text enhanced with dozens of
photographs, portrays a human interest slice of Ontario's
best known summer dance hall from the 1920's right up to the
present, with emphasis on the Big Band period of the 1930's
to the '50's, as well as the rock 'n' roll years of the
1960's to the '90's.
Young's second book Lake Huron's Summer Dance Pavilions, is
now available. His third book on the subject is slated for
release in the next few months. To order these books, or for
more details on Dunn's Pavilion/The Kee to Bala or any other
pavilion you recall with fond memories, you can email Peter
at letsdancebook@yahoo.ca