Crystal Beach Ballroom [circa 1925]
UNVEILED July 23, 2020
SPONSORS David & Michaeline Hille
SITE 4700 Liberty Avenue, Key Bank on the east lawn
ARTIST Mike Sekletar
On May 30, 1907, Crystal Beach Park opened on 23-acres along the shore of Lake Erie in Vermilion.
As the new amusement park flourished, a merry-go-round, shooting gallery, ice cream parlor, boat rental, bowling alley, refreshment stand, water toboggan (from the cliff into the lake), and roller coaster (“The Thriller”) were added along with the Rocket Ship, Tumble Bug, and other classic rides.
In 1925 the beautiful Crystal Beach Ballroom opened on the current site of the KeyBank building. Crowds came from as far as Toledo, Columbus, and Erie, PA to dance to the music of Guy Lombardo, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Prima, Lawrence Welk, and other Big Bands of the era.
Summer memories and music continued to be made until the park closed at the end of the season in 1962. The rides, amusements, and most of the buildings were sold so the land could be redeveloped as the Crystal Shores apartment complex.
On September 22, 2018 an historic plaque honoring and celebrating the memory of Crystal Beach Park was unveiled. To view the plaque, mounted on one of the original ride pylons, take a short walk north
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Public Art Vermilion's Postcard Project
SOURCES: Memories of Crystal Beach Park, Vermilion, Ohio by Marlene Calvert Feldkamp, Sandra Calvert Mueller, and Tom Patrick Ryan, Copyright @ 2007
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UNVEILED July 23, 2020
SPONSORS David & Michaeline Hille
SITE 4700 Liberty Avenue, Key Bank Building, west lawn
ARTIST Mike Sekletar
On May 30, 1907, Crystal Beach Park opened on 23-acres along the shore of Lake Erie in Vermilion. From 1870 to 1907 the land was home to a popular picnic spot known as Shadduck’s Grove.
As the new amusement park flourished, a merry-go-round, shooting gallery, ice cream parlor, boat rental, bowling alley, refreshment stand, water toboggan (from the cliff into the lake), and roller coaster (“The Thriller”) were added, along with the Rocket Ship, Tumble Bug, and other classic rides.
In 1925 the beautiful Crystal Beach Ballroom opened (on the current site of the KeyBank building). Crowds came from as far as Toledo, Columbus, and Erie to dance to the music of Guy Lombardo, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Prima, Lawrence Welk, and many other Big Bands of the era. Marlene Feldkamp, whose grandparents were the proprietors of Crystal Beach Park, recalled, “I liked listening to the music and watching people dance from the side porch of our house, which was just a little ways from the dance hall.”
Summer memories and music continued to be made until the park closed at the end of the season in 1962. The rides, amusements, and most of the buildings were sold so the land could be redeveloped as the Crystal Shores apartment complex.
On September 22, 2018 an historic plaque honoring and celebrating the memory of Crystal Beach Park was unveiled. To view the plaque, mounted on one of the original ride pylons, take a short walk north toward the lake.
LEARN MORE
Public Art Vermilion's Postcard Project
Memories of Crystal Beach Park, Vermilion, Ohio by Marlene Calvert Feldkamp, Sandra Calvert Mueller, and Tom Patrick Ryan, Copyright @ 2007