Old Time Entertainment in the Lakes Region
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.
Alton Bay Pavilion, once a popular dance hall
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 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 entertainment 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 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 Northfield town house. It is interesting to read in the “History of Northfield” that the most prosperous year for the club in the 1800s was when the only woman to hold office, Mrs. Maude W. Gilman, presided in 1899.
Over the years, the Friendship Grange enjoyed programs relating to home life, farm life, social and ethical society, dramas, and songs. On the Grange’s 10th anniversary - December 26, 1895 - a celebration took place although the weather was bad. Rain fell in torrents and the wind was fierce. However, two neighboring granges battled the elements to come to Northfield for the celebration.
In more seasonable weather, many successful fairs were held on the Franklin and Tilton Driving Park grounds, made possible by the interest and donations of Charles E. Tilton, the wealthy local man who gave much to the area. The park grounds were fitted with all the requirements to produce a great fair, and the first event was held by the grange in September of 1886. The grange fair was huge for its day, with the governor of New Hampshire, Hon. Moody Currier, presiding. Also present were the governor’s council and staff, Senators, and members of Congress. Politicians attended such events in the hopes of gathering votes, and many candidates for governor socialized at the fair.
It was surely a great event for the towns of Tilton and Northfield, and the festivities ended with a meal and reception given by Mr. and Mrs. Tilton at their mansion. After the noontime reception, the distinguished guests were escorted by Rublee’s Band, to the fairgrounds. At the site, political addresses and speeches were given. In the evening, the Tilton grounds and the charming village were brilliant with illumination; cannons boomed, lights burned and those who witnessed the event never forgot its splendor. The exhibits of cattle, horses, sheep, swine, poultry, and farm crops were many, while in the domestic department, the ladies offered many items for display.
The Grange continued the fairs for the next 13 years, with a reputation of being a showcase for farm displays and providing entertainment.
In the late 1800s, social events could be rare in such small rural towns as Northfield and Tilton. Yet, residents seem to have made their own fun by starting clubs devoted to music, charitable works, and farming. One such club was the Union Picnic Association, which started in the summer of 1875. Locals Mrs. W. C. French and Willie Keniston invited friends to a scenic, shaded grove on the bluff east of the railroad station at Northfield Depot. There the group had an entertaining social gathering, with literary exercises, music, and abundant food.
The event was a success, and another picnic/social was held later in that same season. Word spread about the event, and many people came from all parts of the towns to attend. A table of 130-feet in length held the weight of 90 loaves of frosted cake and other foods. A brass band entertained the group, and there was a squadron of horses.
The owner of the grove saw how successful and entertaining the outdoor event was, and generously granted use of the site. Seats and stands were erected, and meetings were held there for many years. During the warm weather months, ministers, doctors, lawyers, and Congressmen gave rousing speeches on a variety of subjects. Local talent was also given a chance to flourish, with Sunday schools giving musical concerts.
The third year of the picnic was notable, with 1,000 plates filled from the 100-foot table. The Laconia Band gave a concert, and it was hard to decide which was more impressive: the band’s music or the enormous cake served at the picnic.
While men were organizing fraternal clubs, women’s clubs came into their own in the late 1800s. The Tilton and Northfield Woman’s Club was organized on November 16, 1895, with 33 charter members. The object of the club was to establish a social center for united thought and action and at the same time, to investigate and discuss the many questions pertaining to the club, and to the community and the world at large; lofty material in an age when women were encouraged to be decorative and not much else.
In the first years of the club, local women gave presentations on a wide range of subject matter. The club meetings were a chance for women to meet socially on a year-round basis, and were popular for that reason, as well as the worldly topics covered. Soon, membership grew, and outside talent was made available.
Musical nights were a high point of social entertainment for the local Woman’s Club, and a “gentleman’s night” brought husbands into the meetings now and then. From the “History of Northfield”, it was written, The Club “was acknowledged to have broken down many of the old walls of church and class prejudice and been the occasion of pleasant and profitable friendships.”
From picnics to Grange fairs to Woman’s Club meetings and famous bands and dancing, old-time entertainment brought the larger world to the Lakes Region.