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Created on: 04/20/09 10:32 PM Views: 6856 Replies: 39
Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Amaryllis
Posted Monday, April 20, 2009 05:32 PM

Does anyone remember the Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, or surfing at the  Amaryllis on Singer Island?

Class of 1968

 
Edited 05/07/09 05:08 PM
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 06:50 AM

Music Casters and "The Ship" were a big part of my life at that time. Don't remember the Lake Park dances. Where were they? Seems I may have been to one.

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 05:27 PM

Hey David, nice to see you again after all these years.  The Lake Park Dances were also called the ROTC dances and were held at the Lake Park City Hall.  They were alittle before Music Casters in the early 60's.  Kids would hang out on the steps and right inside the door and then go up the stairs to the dance floor.  It was always kinda dark and they had a disco ball long before disco ever was heard of.  It would turn slowly and reflect off the dancers in the twilight.  There was a stage in the front.  I saw the "Angels" there in the early 60's.  "My Boyfriends Back".  I always loved music.  Still do.  But now it's Everclear and the FooFighters.

Class of 1968

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, April 27, 2009 07:38 PM


Sarah Phillips wrote:

"I saw the "Angels" there in the early 60's. "

 

You must be alot older than me....

 

:)

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:03 AM

Oh yes..... The Lake park dances were the greatest for us at the time, along with the Music Casters.

ROTC is the abreviation For Royal Order OF Teenage Citizens. I think that Bob Root was the president and DJ. He was also responsible  for getting all the cool acts we enjoyed. I saw Paul and Paula there and got their autograph. The money that was taken in at the dances bought new records, sound equipment and performers. We were very fortunate to have a place to hang out. I remember as a member we always had special dances for some Holidays and decorated the ball room accordingly.Somtimes during the dances the fire dept. below would get a call and sound the sirens and freak us all out for a second.

Wendell

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, May 4, 2009 04:09 PM

Did anyone see the article in the PB Post in March about the Amaryllis? It's a great photo and there's lots of kids with surfboards, etc. Trying to recognize anyone is difficult, though.

Music Casters was great fun. I remember seeing Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and Neil Diamond.

Susan Price Duncan

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, May 4, 2009 08:52 PM

Wendell:

How are you? I was just going to add that the opening of the Music Casters spelled  the demise of the ROTC dances.  I went to one a month or two after Music Casters opened, and there were about six kids there.  They gave up the ghost shortly thereafter.  We may not have appreciated it then, but it was the end of an era.

The other dances I remember were the summer ones at the Collonades in Palm Beach Shores.  They could pack them in there too.

Hope to see you (all) at the Buzz.

Ray

 

 

Ray

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Tuesday, May 5, 2009 05:23 PM


Susan Price Duncan wrote:

Did anyone see the article in the PB Post in March about the Amaryllis? It's a great photo and there's lots of kids with surfboards, etc. Trying to recognize anyone is difficult, though.

Music Casters was great fun. I remember seeing Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and Neil Diamond.

 

 

 

 I saw Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels there (Devil With A Blue Dress).  I am sure I saw others, but you know how it is...or at least some of you do.

Class of 1968

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Sunday, May 10, 2009 12:44 PM

I spent a lot of time surfing at the ship and sleeping on the beach by the ship.Juno was the spot really till the ship ran aground.I also remember the dances at Lake Park,the Colonnades,and the backside of the International Bazaar.

I can remember playing music back then.Fortunately I still get to play.Great times back then.If we only knew that when it was happening.

Very nice site.Hope the people use this more than they have classmates.

 
RE: The Armarillis
Posted Friday, May 29, 2009 06:23 AM

 

Some info about the ship.

http://www.shipwreckexpo.com/fleastamaryllis.htm

Class of '70

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Friday, May 29, 2009 06:31 PM

In that article it reports that the Amaryllis ran aground in front of a hotel on Singer Island.  I don't remember a hotel being there.  Does anyone remember a hotel?

Class of 1968

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2009 03:11 PM

It was the Rutledge Inn. They also rented out small cabanas where some of the guys kept their surf boards.

Wendell

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Saturday, May 30, 2009 05:25 PM

When we first moved to Florida in June, 1959, we lived in a motel across the street from there until we could move into our home in NPB.  My first and I believe my last case of extreme sun poisoning. 

Class of 1968

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 01:14 PM

Hahahaha...

Yeah, I remember all of that.  I also moved to Florida in 1959, but in  August.  We lived in a motel in Pompano Beach until we moved into our home in NPB.  I remember seeing the first space launches going up from the Cape, surfing in Juno when there were only maybe 4 or 5 others surfing there in the early 60's. 

The Lake Park dances were amazing hanging out on the balconies and seeing Paul and Paula, and other great groups.  The last song of the night was always sad but wonderful when you had someone special to dance it with.  I'm not absolutely sure, but I think it was always "Good Night My Love".

Then came the Music Casters, which was a change and fun for a while, but looking back it just never had the same feeling of the Lake Park dance.  I always missed the Lake Park dance after it closed.  There was just something special about that dance.

As I recall the ship came ashore sorta between the Rutledge and the Holiday Inn.  It was right next to Niger-head Rock (probably not a politically correct name anymore) but it is what it is.  The shallow water and the lay of the ship made for the current and waves to usually always have some nice form.  I always thought it was a great landmark and was sorry to see it finally removed.  It even became a tourist attraction, and probably added to the cities revenues, but the city apparently didn't think of it that way.

The 1960's was a great time to be young.  Spring breaks were in Fort Lauderdale, partying at Omah's Tent and in the parking lot at the south end of the beach (Bahia Mar Parking Lot), or at the Jolly Roger.  The 60's was a time when pranks were small and innocent and the beach party movies were made with Connie Stevens and Troy Donahue.  The 1970's brought in lines of police with shields and nightsticks and began to trigger small riots which took all the fun out of spring break in Fort Lauderdale.

School in the 60's was probably the best times, I think shortly after my graduation in 1967 they began turning the school into more like a prison with more and more fences and restrictions.  The days of leaving school for lunches and coming and going came to an end.  I keep wondering how we keep losing our freedoms and even more so today?  Our freedom is precious and we must defend and protect our Constitution at all costs from BOTH outside and within our own government.  Too lose or worse give up any rights or freedoms defeats all the purpose of the blood that has been spilled to make this country what it is.  Don't let our supposed representatives sell out our freedoms from underneath us.  This is the United States of American and it is the Peoples government as in "We the People" not We the government.

Enough of my soap box, but people need to wake up and really see what is happening to our country, because it's not what the nightly news wants you to believe.

This is a wonderful web site like no other I've seen and it has a lot of possibilities.  I wish everyone would at least post their high school photo and say a little something about yourself.  More pictures would be even better, we have all aged and that is life, so don't let it keep you from posting pictures.  We are what we are!  So, get busy and post and make this the number one school site ever.  From the great turn out of the Hornet Buzz 2009, if everyone there would just add something to your page that would really get this site going.  Post something and give your friends hell to get them to post too.

Best Regards to all

David Amsden

Class of 1967

Euless (Dallas/Ft Worth) Texas

 

 

 

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 05:22 PM

David,

The last song at each Lake Park (ROTC) dance was "It's Almost Tomorrow" by tThe Dreamweavers.  Google the title and group to get a download.

Al Carnahan '62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Monday, June 8, 2009 11:26 PM

I don't recall ever hearing "It's Almost Tomorrow" by The Dreamweavers as the final song at the Lake Park Dances.  Now, I don't think it was Good night My love either.  I'm beginning to think it was "The End of the World" by Skeeter Davis.  That song rings a bell, but I'm still not 100% sure.  There is one other song on the tip of my tongue, but I just haven't been able to spit it out. LOL    If I remember it, I will post it.  Anyone else, please jump in if you know for sure.

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009 11:29 AM

I thought it was the End Of the World also.

Very nice site.Hope the people use this more than they have classmates.

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009 11:54 AM

"End of the World" by Skeeter Davis was released after the Lake Park dances had started.

I assure you that the last song was "It's Almost Tomorrow".

I helped organize and operate the dances from 1959 until 1965 and attended all but one of them during that time period.

Those who attended regularly may also have seen other live artists like Steve Alaimo and the Redcoats ("Where the Action Is" TV show), the R-Dells (a local group that included Bill Ande and Dave Hironymous), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise") and Conway Twitty (his rocker era), as well as The Angels and Paul and Paula mentioned by you and others.

Al Carnahan

 
Edited 06/09/09 12:01 PM
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009 12:20 PM

I don't doubt that "It's Almost Tomorrow" may not have been the last song at some time, but if it was it sure seems like some strange lyrics to end a dance, about broken hearts and breaking up.  A little sad I would think.  I don't think I would want to dance a last dance with a girlfriend to that song.  I only attended in the last couple of years, probably more like 1963 to the end.  But, at that time it definitely wasn't "It's Almost Tomorrow."

Let's see if anyone else has any thoughts on this subject that can remember.  I will concede to the majority.  It's not a question of who wins, just what the song was.

 
RE: Lake Park Dances, Music Casters, The Armarillis
Posted Tuesday, June 9, 2009 12:31 PM

Sad?  Yes, but not more so than "End of the World".  After 1965, the dances perhaps used a different last song.  During my time of involvement, it was "It's Almost Tomorrow". 

Al

 
 
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