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St. Thomas Local History - The Stork Club

7/12/2018

17 Comments

 
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In 1926, Port Stanley opened up what would become the largest and most famous dance hall in Ontario at the time, measuring 13,000-square-feet. The club was originally named the L&PS Pavillion, but renamed the Stork Club in the early 1950s. It was located at the other end of the boardwalk from Hopkin's Casino and built partially out over the water on pilings. The Stork Club opened its doors to the public on July 29th, 1926, with over 6,500 people in attendance to dance to The Vincent Lopez Band.

Being known as the “Coney Island of Canada,” Port Stanley’s beach offered several dance clubs, a Ferris Wheel, two carousels, a bowling alley, two theaters, restaurants, a swimming area with water slides, a penny arcade, miniature golf, and numerous games and refreshment stands along the stretch of boardwalk that led right to the Stork Club, where almost everyone would end up each night. The Stork Club was the place to be on hot summer evenings as the building’s large windows overlooking Lake Erie were usually open to let in the cool breeze. The focus in the creation of the Stork Club was to create exciting night life as a compliment to the sun, sand, and water activities that were popular at the time.
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The Stork Club was famous for swing dance and attracted some of the biggest bands in North America at the time including; Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Guy Lombardo, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and, the last group to ever play at the Stork Club, Day Break. The band most closely associated with the Stork Club, however, was the Johnny Downs Orchestra, the house band through most of the 1950s. In an interview in 2003, Downs said: “I had always wanted to play Port Stanley because it had been Guy Lombardo’s hopping-off stop. We never found a better place than the Stork Club.”
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The main swing and jazz bands of that era circled the great lakes in both the USA and Canada, particularly revolving around Lake Erie each summer attracting large crowds of people to their music.
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Along with the big bands, came the big crowds. Port Stanley drew thousands of tourists each year from 1926-1979 to hear these Big Band stars. The largest crowd ever was 7000-plus on September 6th, 1950 for Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians
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Admission in the Stork Club was 15 cents - except on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which were free for the ladies. The cover charge got them as far as the promenade around the hall, where they could lean on the rail and listen to the bands play, but couples had to pay an additional 5 cents per song to dance. However, signs were posted before each dance indicating what type of music it would be. Thus waltz fans, or those who preferred other types, could decide if they wanted to enter the floor or not.
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The dance hall was completely refurbished over the 1973-74 winter only to have the last event a few years later; a performance by Day Break on New Year’s Eve 1978/79. Twelve days later, the famous Stork Club was set ablaze from a dumpster fire, damaging the building too heavily to save it, and the dance hall was never reconstructed. Not long after the fire, Johnny Downs and some of his friends stood on the charred stage and played a few numbers as a symbolic farewell to the Stork Club.
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A group of Port Stanley residents who were regulars at the Stork Club wanted to help preserve the memory of the Stork Club. The group’s efforts resulted in the creation of a museum - the Stork Club Music and Memories Interpretive Centre was in downtown Port Stanley and housed a life size mural of the Johnny Downs Orchestra performing at the Stork Club, a white grand piano - believed to have once belonged to Guy Lombardo, and other big band memorabilia.
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The Stork Club was a space to dance like nobody's watching and find your first love, including Johnny Downs, who met his wife on the boardwalk of the Stork Club. Unfortunately now all we can do is reminisce on the pictures and memories made at the Stork Club, and enjoy the fun times that were spent there.
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17 Comments
Alethea
10/27/2018 12:03:39 pm

Beautifully written article.

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david edmondson edmondson
12/31/2018 03:54:31 pm

do you have the sigend book how sweet it was and if not would you like it free from the uk no less

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Alex Karavasilis link
7/25/2019 01:01:44 pm

I was honored to have been part of the Stork Club family from 1967 through 1972 having purchased it from the city of London which included 27 acres of beach, baseball park to the incline rail cars servicing Inverie Heights picnic & camp grounds overlooking Lake Erie.

It was the time of my life, running the bulldozer in beach cleaning operations every morning at 7am, flipping burgers to performing in the Len Langley Big Band and New Society Orchestra's.

The McManus family followed us in trying to make it go for 2 years.
The Achilles heel to its failure ultimately was as follows:
Despite its incredible successes in the past which were fueled by the L&PS Railroad with folks riding the train from London & St Thomas - IT was pretty much the only game in town within the region since very few had vehicles to go to the beach.

Once everyone had an automobile or two many other options were there to choose from Grand Bend, Sauble Beach etc etc then add the drive factor after partying late at night ....liquor laws and driving.

Nevertheless, my takeaway was the rich experience of it all.... the original ticket stubs and autographed photos from worlds famous greats that became a part of its heritage -Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman and many more to the more current (1969) Soul Brothers Six( Some kinda Wonderful) Bluesmen Review top London group ever so popular with Western U's Frosh Hops.

My relationship with big band leader Johnny Downs still continues today with his descendants.
As a matter of fact after we left the Stork Club, I continued performing at Johnny & Dorothys amazing Latin Quarter in London which unfortunately was since gobbled up by "progress" - a landmark never to be forgotten along with the Orchid in east London also a part of my genesis. BTW my website link includes many photos of The Stork Club's ticket stubs & photos and even some Latin Quarter yesteryear images.

I am very grateful for this article memorializing an ICON of a place at a simpler time of life in a wonderful area to live life and grow . Thank you so much Railway City & elgin County Archives
KUDOS !!

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Ken Wright
8/18/2020 09:57:58 am

Alex, it was a long time ago, running around the Stork Clubs as kids, trying to hide from "Dirty" John, until you first introduced me to him.
We cottaged in Port Stanley from 1958 and made it our home in 2017.
Still the same place on First Street right down from the ball park.
I have been lucky enough to meet your friend Bob Tribner. Prior to the pandemic, we played pool together every other Thursday.
If you ever get back this way (Bob tells me every now and then) it would be great to catch up. We were kids back then, but did we ever have a lot living in Port. Top off the end of the week with baseball on Sunday at 2:00 the old park. Cheers

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Perry Cadesky
8/7/2023 12:26:46 pm

Hello,

My grandfather, Dennis Stone, was a bandleader in Toronto in this era and I'm curious if he ever was a guest bandleader at the Stork Club.

Is there a website or archive I can search that indicates all of the bandleaders that played there?

Thank you.

Sarah Sclafani
11/6/2021 08:08:06 pm

Hi Alex. I stumbled on these posts while looking up some research about Port Stanley. We just purchased the house up on George Street in Mitchell Heights at the top of the hill with a Mitchell Heights sign on it. It is has 5 units and was run as a Mitel in the past. We have heard that the basement was a bar and there are even 2 small rooms that would have been his and hers bathrooms. Rumour has it that some of the bands that played at the Stork Club would stay at the Mitel and drink at the bar in the basement. Wondering if you know anything about that or about the history or the building?

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Deborah Wiegand
1/16/2022 10:42:01 pm

I purchased a large lighted marquee mirror in the early 1980's from a supper club in Chicago that may be from The Stork Club. From the photo in this website it looks like it may have been one of them from between the front doors of the building. It says "Now playing at the STORK CLUB Duke Ellington introducing his latest song "Take the "A" Train" That would date it from after 1941. It was painted and signed by someone named Andre'. I've been trying to track down if this could be authentic or just an attractive decorative piece. Any information you may have would be most appreciated - thumbs up or down. My thanks in advance.

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Alex Karavasilis link
7/25/2019 01:20:23 pm

Here's the link to the Stork Club photos of some of the past entertainers and ticket stubs ( for a major event a little over a buck WOW ) within my music history photo CV
https://goo.gl/photos/jM7J1JQDxxGWg5Ma8

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Jerry Battista link
8/2/2019 08:48:12 am

Thank you for documenting this important piece of music history of a great venue and past attraction of Port Stanley, Ontario. To imagine great Big Bands of Lombardo, Ellington, and Basie playing there with miniscule admission fees for dance enthusiasts is simply astonishing. If the Stork Club is ever rebuilt, I would love to perform there with the London (Ontario) Jazz Orchestra (LJO).
Jerry, member of the LJO

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Stewart Shouldice link
6/23/2020 04:07:57 pm

Does anyone know what band played New Years eve 1976?

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David regan
8/22/2021 03:17:26 pm

In the book how sweet it was it mentioned Louis Armstrong was at the stork club July 22 1961. I got his autograph from him. on the back of the paper he autographed it has that date. I can’t find any reference to that date other then that book. Anyone know ? Thanks

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ufabet link
12/25/2021 11:10:07 pm

thank for sharing.👍🏻

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Mary Anne Wright Vigars
2/21/2022 05:47:50 pm

Many wonderful memories of New Years Eve celebrated at the Stork Club. My husband and I saw Loius Armstrong there in 1961. What a wonderful spot that was.

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David Reid
4/1/2022 09:22:20 am

Used to play at the Stork Club with Gary Bailey and the Union Five.

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JoEllen Tunacik
8/8/2022 06:57:43 am

Thank you for the great article on the Stork Club. I vacationed with my family in Port Stanley every summer of my life, as my grandparents have a beautiful summer home on Lakeview Street in Orchard Beach. I have so many amazing memories of my days in Port Stanley. And while I was a kid in the 60s And only experienced dancing at the store club once in the 70s, what an amazing place for all those people and all the fun they had. It is an iconic piece of Ontario‘s history. I remember hearing my parents and grandparents talk about all the fun they had there.

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Rhona Stein Singer
9/18/2024 04:33:01 pm

Thank you the memories. We had a little cottage in Port Stanley before I was born in 1946 until I was eight in 1954 and we spent every summer there. I got caught in an undertow-someone stepped on me, saving me when I was little.
I remember awakening to the smell of dead fish, running barefoot across a stony and sandy beach, avoiding dead fish, building sand castles, playing tag, eating hot dogs, fries, popcorn and orangeade at Mackie's and being lulled to sleep by the sounds of the big bands.
On the 28th of September I'll be returning for a brief visit with my family including 3 young grandsons, planning to make more memories.

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Jo-Anne Lake
3/5/2025 07:20:21 pm

I shed a little tear after reading all of the wonderful memories you share. It reminded me of an excerpt I included in my new book I am hoping to have published. I met my love at age 16 at a high school dance in London Ontario. We frequently danced to the orchestra music at the Stork Club throughout our courtship. It was one of our favorite hang outs. Your memories helped me reflect on the number of times we walked on the boardwalk arm in arm, kissed in the moonlight and strolled barefooted along the shore the sand squeezing through our toes. I loved the dances, the music and the beautiful setting. I would give anything to bring it back.
Thanks for sharing. Jo-Anne Lake

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