Do you ever feel like you missed all the fun? It was a
common feeling for those of us who grew up in the 80’s and felt we missed all
the fun in the 60’s, but it seems that the real fun was longer ago than that.
First there was the Great Saltair, which you can read about here, out in Salt
Lake City. In the 20’s it was a happening place with people going out every
weekend to swim, and live jazz bands playing in the evenings. Now it is still a
live music venue, but when Tiffy and I visited it last year, not much was going
on, and the current building is not nearly as elaborate as the original one.
Now I find out that back in the 90’s – that is, the 1890’s –
there was a pavilion and a fountain on Tivoli Island in Watertown, as well as a
bowling alley, and that all sorts of concerts happened there. Today the island
is a very pretty wilderness park with hiking trails, but I feel a little sad to
think I missed all the excitement on Tivoli Island. Here is a history of it,
and here is a photo:
It does make me wonder what we have now that people one
hundred years from now will look back and say, “If only I had seen that when it
was a happening place!” Let me know what you would nominate in the comments.
Famous Hat
1 comment:
I would just like to comment that Saltair is featured in the Very Best Cult Classic to Feature Organists Ever: "Carnival of Souls." The original is incredibly creepy and funny simultaneously (Dialogue example: Organist has just started work in a church in Salt Lake City (denomination unnamed but apparently Protestant). The minister is showing her around. "We're not the largest church in town," he says. In Salt Lake City. Get it? Laughing yet?)
Skip the Tobe Hooper remake, not worth it. But the original was filmed at Saltair (as well as the Reuters organ factory in Lawrence, KS) and must be seen often.
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