TWIN CITIES DANCE PAVILION
Oak Park, later to be known as Central Park, was built by John
Prestin of Sterling during the summer of 1904 on a gravel pit spur
near Prairieville or what used to be known as Gap Grove. It was at
the time an ideal picnic ground being equipped with a bandstand,
dancing pavilion and a dining hall.
With the rapid success that the S.D. & E. Electric Railway
was having with shuttling passengers back and forth from Dixon and
Sterling, this area was frequented by many citizens of both
communities for relaxation and enjoyment.
In a relatively short time the management of the S.D. & E.
saw this as a means to increase passengers on their Interurban cars
between the two cities. With that, the electric railway company
purchased the property, promptly added a rail spur into the park area
and on June 8, 1906 the formal opening of the old park took place on
a Friday evening. The park would now be known as Interurban Central
Park and S.D. & E. manager, H.C. Higgins was in charge of its
operation.
Between seven and eight hundred citizens of Sterling, Rock Falls
and Dixon were in attendance. Many had rode on the early evening rail
cars in anticipation of the festivities, going out before having
supper and taking with them, their meal in baskets and enjoying a
picnic supper in the park.
The Banda Verde, Sterling's famous concert band at the time gave
an open air concert in the band stand for an hour which was then
followed by short talks, formally dedicating the new pavilion. After
that chairs were moved aside for dancing. The Academy Orchestra, also
of Sterling provided the dance music until one o'clock in the
morning. Special rail cars were waiting to take the happy and
entertained people back to their respective communities.
The park quickly gained a reputation as being the finest place in
the vicinity to spend a pleasant day or evening. And the S.D. &
E. used it fully in promoting its business. The fare was 15 cents
from Dixon and 10 cents from Sterling. In addition local newspapers
always gave good publicity to trolley parties and picnics along the
line. Vaudeville entertainment was provided each night and Sunday
afternoons during the summer. Ball games were played with such teams
as the Dixon Browns and Morrison Professionals participating.
By 1920 rider-ship on the rail cars had fallen with the coming
age of the automobile. People now had new ways to travel about and
travel they did. The park once so popular now became just a picnic
area.
A group of businessmen from Dixon and Sterling made an attempt to
keep an interest in the popular style of leisure time. In July of
1921 an announcement was made that a new amusement park and resort
would be opening midway between Sterling and Dixon. The location was
on the north side of the road about one mile west of what was then
the Detweiler farm. It would be a corporation of a half-dozen
business people, with four Dixon men, Herbert W. Harms, Lester
Campbell, Joe Vail and Clarence Resek leasing a two acre tract of
land and were in the process of developing the resort area. In
addition a building which was described as a "monster" dance
pavilion, with the size mentioned as 110 by 50 feet was being built.
The name chosen was the "Twin Cities Amusement Park."
Located in a pasture with a grove of trees around it just off the
old U.S. 30 route the pavilion was at the time the largest in this
part of the state. Described as simply a hardwood floor with a roof
over it, the wooden sides to the building were fashioned with hinges
that enabled them to be opened all the way around the enormous
building for dancing on warm or fair weather nights.
Public dances would be held two or three times each week. The
park was to be available for rent to private parties and no Sunday
dances were permitted. Some of the bands which played at the Twin
Cities Pavilion were Guy Lombardo during 1925-26-27, Coon-Sanders
Kansas City Nighthawks, Jimmy Garrigan, Charlie Agnew, Hal Kemp and
Frank Libuse.
Local bands such as Roy's form Rockford, Joe Ryan's Boys and the
Alaskans were also crowd favorites. The Alaskans were run by Clifford
Floto, a farmer that lived on Daysville Road. Other band members at
the time were tuba player, Harry Hintz; on trumpet, was Arthur
Teeter; drums, Bob Kenaga; sax and clarinet, Ken Ketchin; trombone,
Dean Hey; and Paul Brookner or Bob Hendrick on piano. They were
popularly known as, "The hot band with the cold name."
Operation of the dance pavilion was during the time of
prohibition (1920 -1933) and commonly called the bootleg days. Soft
drinks were served and it was common place that a near beer and
potato-alcohol could readily be purchased at tables set up under the
trees. It was said that this was Dixon-Sterling's version of the
"Great Gatsby." But it would only last for a short duration. The S.D.
& E. Electric Railway ceased operations in late 1925. And during
1927 the pavilion was gone . . . . when it burned down. And with that
came the end to an era of entertainment.
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