In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 72: Wild Nights at Guido Murphy's of Hyannis, Giant Pizza Wars of 1993, Passing 90's Fads, Groton CT

 

In My Footsteps Podcast Episode 59: Cape Cod's Pufferbellies Nightclub; A Vampire in Rhode Island; U2's POP Album 25 Years Later; Top 5 Music Supergroups(3-3-2022)

 

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Christine's Restaurant & Showroom, West Dennis

 

    It was a can’t-miss spot, both literally and figuratively. Located on the big curve of Route 28 in West Dennis, Christine’s set the bar high when it came to entertainment. Some famous names graced the stage in the twenty-five years this landmark was in existence. The three-hundred-seat Christine’s packed people in on a nightly basis.

    It began in 1980, when Joe Jamiel, straight out of college, purchased the property and originally called it Celebrities. It was a young rock-and-roll bar back when the drinking age on Cape Cod was still eighteen. When the drinking age was raised, Jamiel decided to change with the times. The hopping nightclub atmosphere of Celebrities was replaced with a function room for private parties, banquets and family-style meals. The only thing left was choosing the new name. Jamiel named the venue Christine’s after his wife, and the new establishment opened in 1983.

    Despite the changes, this spot did not lose its appeal; in fact, it gained even more. The young rock-and-roll bar began incorporating all sorts of musical tastes to increase its audience. Monday was jazz night, and many legendary local musicians played there weekly. Tuesdays were reserved for standup comedy, including a young Jay Leno, who plied his trade on stage there before later becoming host of the Tonight Show for many years.

A 1987 Ad for Christine's(Yarmouth Register) 

    Shows started between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. and never ceased to amaze and enthrall customers. Jamiel credits having really good agents for helping him book many talented acts. Christine’s was seen as the little stepchild of the Melody Tent, a popular music venue that opened in Hyannis in 1950 and is still running strong as of 2016. This was due in part to the fact that several acts would play the Tent and then Christine’s, or vice-versa.

    It was a family-run restaurant, with Joe Jamiel booking the entertainment, his brother Geoffrey working as the chef and his wife, Christine, running the front of the house. His kids ran and played throughout the restaurant, adding to the true family atmosphere that they wanted to display.

    Though it was known for tremendous entertainment, Christine’s could hold its own with cuisine as well. It had the classic Cape Cod seafood meals and award-winning clam chowder. It was also known for its buffets on holidays such as Mother’s Day, Easter and Thanksgiving. The talented staff could change the function room from buffet setup to nightclub setup in thirty minutes, an impressive feat for a three-hundred-seat establishment.

    The entertainment is what made Christine’s a landmark. There are legendary stories to attest to that fact.

    There was the time that the rock band Steppenwolf came to Christine’s. The Canadian American band had some major hit songs, including “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” and sold more than twenty-five million albums worldwide. It also attracted a large biker following, and on the night that they played, some two-hundred-plus motorcycles packed the Christine’s parking lot to hear the band play.

    Sometimes Jamiel got lucky with the timing of the acts he booked, like the time he had R&B singer Chubby Checker come and play in 1988. Not too long after booking him, it was revealed that Checker was to play the halftime show of Super Bowl XXII between the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins. The publicity for his appearance was off the charts.

    Then there were times like when the Guess Who came and played. The Canadian rock band had a string of massive hits in the 1960s, including “No Time,” “American Woman” and “These Eyes.” After playing a large arena show, the next stop for the band was Christine’s. The band walked into the three-hundred-seat function room thinking it was just a place where they were going to eat and asked where the venue was, not knowing they were there already.

A 1990 Christine's Ad featuring some big name artists.(Yarmouth Register)

    Perhaps the most famous story is that of the time the band War played. The California-based funk rock band had some substantial hits, including “Low Rider” in 1975. However, when the band was nearing the end of its show at Christine’s, the musicians played another hit—“Why Can’t We Be Friends?.” It was during this song about peace, love and friendship that a massive brawl erupted between patrons right in front of the stage, completely contradicting the message of the song.

    There was also the time that Boston Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn came to help promote the Dream Day on Cape Cod charitable event. He had just been named American League Most Valuable Player in 1995. Again, the hype for this appearance was palpable, and it included legendary Boston sportscaster Bob Lobel coming down to interview Vaughn from Christine’s.

    Not to be forgotten in the world of Christine’s entertainment was the Italian wedding show dinner theater and music from the reggae, folk and even disco genres. It was true that this spot had something for everyone.

    As the twenty-first century dawned, it started becoming harder to book acts due to the rise of local casinos. Jamiel said that felt he was “starting to get a little old for the nightclub scene.” It was around this time that he opened the first Ardeo Mediterranean Grill on Station Avenue in South Yarmouth. At one point, there were five of these spots featuring Mediterranean cuisine. For a few years, the Jamiel family ran both Ardeo and Christine’s, but the rapid success of Ardeo—combined with the tragic loss of Joe’s brother Geoffrey in 2006—made it easier to sell the legendary establishment.

The former Christine's building in 2008.(Google Maps)

    It has been over a decade since Christine’s lights went out for the last time, and people still reminisce about it. After sitting dormant for many years, in 2015, a new complex opened on that famous curve in West Dennis, anchored by a barbecue restaurant called Billygoats BBQ.  The new restaurant did not last very long.  In a fitting twist of irony though Ardeo, which had been closed for a few years, opened a new location in that very complex in 2019.  This means that Joe Jamiel is operating his business on the grounds where Christine's once reigned supreme. 

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Previous Blog Posts:

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Edna Harris, Pioneer of Cape Cod Business

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Lincoln Lodge, Harwich

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

Zazzle Store: Cape Cod Living

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Lincoln Lodge, Harwich

 

    Cape Cod over the centuries has had a rich connection to the ocean. There are numerous beautiful sea captains’ homes which dot the peninsula from one end to the other. Many of these have been deemed of historic significance, such as those on the Captain’s Mile along Route 6A in Yarmouth Port. Some of these homes have enjoyed a second life though as a piece of Cape Cod’s historic nightlife including The Columns in West Dennis which began as the home of Obed Baker. Another such sea captains’ home which went on to live a second life resided a stone’s throw from Allen Harbor in Harwich. It was originally the home of Captain Leonard Robbins and would go on to become the popular Lincoln Lodge during the mid-20^th century.

    Around 1833 the home would be built for the aforementioned Captain Robbins. It would be christened the Massachusett Lodge for a planting field located in the area run by the Native American tribe of the same name. It would be owned by three different people throughout the 19^th century before being purchased around the turn of the 20^th century by a retired judge from Chicago named William Keough.

    Keough would make many changes to the home, mostly enlarging it into a stately summer manor. However after nearly thirty years as owner of the home Keough’s life would change drastically. He was called into court in Chicago in the late 1930’s in a dispute over properties he owned, battling against members of notorious Al Capone’s gang. When Keogh refused to sell his properties the rents were raised immensely. He went to court to appeal the rent increases. When his appeals were denied it did not sit well with him and Keogh in turn shot and killed the victorious party’s assessor in the courthouse. The retired judge would be declared legally insane and sent away to an institution. Subsequently Keough’s children would sell the property to the Borden Family whose dairy company still operates to this day.

The Lincoln Lodge c. Rebecca Lufkin-Catron

    It would be the Borden’s who took the stately manor and turned it into a rooming house. They would also be the ones to give it its ‘Lincoln Lodge’ name. The property would be named for Joseph Lincoln rather than former President Abraham Lincoln. Joseph Lincoln was an author born in Brewster who during his career, specifically the first few decades of the 20^th century, wrote about a fictionalized version of Cape Cod and had pieces published in such illustrious publications as the Saturday Evening Post. When the property was sold again in the 1940’s to William Jenks he kept the Lincoln Lodge name, assuming it was in honor of President Lincoln.

    Jenks would sell the Lodge to Else Lufkin in 1953 and the former sea captain’s home would embark on its most celebrated chapter. Lufkin and her son Robert Jr. would begin the process of turning the former rooming house into a popular eating and drinking establishment. The Lodge’s décor was cozy with half of the establishment having half circular couches with coffee tables facing a field stone fireplace and colonial wallpaper. The other half had the dining area and bar.  One popular change was the addition of the ‘Village Fare’ which was a changing buffet dinner Saturday nights. In the late 1960’s Lufkin would build a two-story motel on the property known as the Mary Todd Court. This meant that visitors could enjoy an evening at Lincoln Lodge, and if it was desired, stay the night close by.

Lincoln Lodge and Mary Todd Court

The Lincoln Lodge would promote its menu heavily including jumbo shrimp, clam pie, scallop stew, and Southern fried chicken. It would also become the Cape’s only Fondue restaurant adding to the popularity and uniqueness of the Lodge. Woe be to those who dropped food into the fondue. According to Bob Lufkin’s daughter Rebecca Lufkin-Catron there were specific instructions on how to rectify their mistake.

“A waitress would bring that customer a box with slips of paper with instructions for the customer,” she explains. “These would include instructing he or she to sing a song, tell a joke, recite a poem or kiss the host or hostess.”

Bob Lufkin would promote an air of fun and comradery at his spot. This included Hawaiian Luau’s on the outside lawn where a Hula dance instructor was on site to teach the dance to patrons. Rebecca Lufkin-Catron describes another way of bringing strangers together, Nut and Bolt Night which began after 9pm.

“A guy would be given a bolt and a gal a nut as they came in the lodge,” Lufkin-Catron says, “Which was a way to get people to mingle, by seeing whose nut matched whose bolt.”

However Robert Lufkin would shift the focus of his establishment in the late 1970’s when he created the hugely popular drink the Nantucket Sleigh Ride.

Postcard in front of Mary Todd Court

Lufkin created a monster with this famous drink. Although Lincoln Lodge was opened for cocktails nightly until 1am Sunday was set aside as Sleigh Ride Night. Rebecca Lufkin-Catron says it was so popular that on Sleigh Ride Night people would be lined up outside all the way to the end of the parking lot just to get a taste. Due to its potency though Lufkin set a limit of two drinks per customer. To this day Lufkin-Catron says that she is asked just what is needed to make a Nantucket Sleigh Ride. However that is rightfully a guarded family secret.

The Nantucket Sleigh Ride increased the establishment’s popularity, as did a new entertainment license in 1984. However both of these positives were double-edged swords. By 1985 there was an outcry by some neighbors about overcrowding and noise at Lincoln Lodge due to its increasing business. Though Lufkin went above and beyond to try to control noise and minimize intoxicated customers he continued to battle against neighbors and local police for several years. The constant battles with the town, coupled with increased police presence in the area and shortened operating hours on Sundays proved to be too much.

c. Rebecca Lufkin-Catron

Lufkin would sell his beloved Lincoln Lodge in May 1988 to Scott Sogard who would drastically change the business which had been there for more than thirty years. He would rename it Goucho’s Mexican Restaurant which it would remain for a decade before becoming Widow’s Walk Condos in 1999. As of 2021 the former Lincoln Lodge is still operating as the condos.

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Previous Blog Posts:

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Dome Restaurant, Woods Hole

In Their Footsteps: New England History - The Pink House of Plum Island

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

Zazzle Store: Cape Cod Living

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Hangar Tea Room

 

    A ‘tea room’ was a small restaurant or café serving tea, other light refreshments, and some food. They still exist today in far fewer numbers with their heyday being the pre-World War II era. They were quiet places, small and discrete, with refreshments and good company. That being said, one particular tea room used that image to create a double life as a nightclub and Prohibition speakeasy. This is the story of The Hangar Tea Room in Falmouth.

    The history of The Hangar began during the Roaring Twenties. It was a time of great prosperity, freedom and excess, though also a time during Prohibition when alcohol sales were illegal. This tea room was initially known as the Grey Gull and from the start it had a different flavor with the Falmouth Heights establishment offering music and dancing in addition to the normal fare of a tea room.

Falmouth Heights in the 1930's (Boston Public Library)

    At its opening in 1923, under the management of Walter Knox and Paul Lehmann, the Grey Gull was a viable nightlife option at a time when such options were few and far between. Still the allure of dancing, tango lessons, and a unique gift shop were not enough and the tea room was sold in 1924 to Mary Fellows. She kept supplying music and dancing as well as good food to try to build on the foundation of the previous ownership.

    Fellows ran the seasonal establishment on Grand Avenue from 1924-1928 before deciding to move on. She retained ownership of the property but decided to lease the building in May 1929 to Robert Butler who changed the Grey Gull to The Hangar. Butler went all-in even using a life-sized airplane fuselage as a sign in the front of the building. It was during this summer under Butler that The Hangar was subject of repeated complaints by neighbors due to late night rowdiness. Fellows sold The Hangar early in 1930 and the complaints under Butler were hoped to be over.

    In February 1930 William Wagner took over The Hangar along with his father Joseph. William had been a part of the tea room’s orchestra the previous year. The new owners did all they could to create an entirely new experience at the establishment. The building was repainted in an orange and black scheme, a 90-seat addition was built, and the kitchen was totally renovated. It remained a lunch and afternoon tea business.

    Soon after the Wagners took over there were hearings in the town about the questionable conduct that occurred at The Hangar under the reign of Robert Butler. People complained about late hours, congested traffic, lewd behavior, and possible intoxication during the Prohibition era. William Wagner insisted those questionable acts would not occur under his watch which satisfied skeptical residents. William insisted his Hangar would be strictly high class.

    The renovated and high class Hangar officially opened June 26, 1930 to polite fanfare in Falmouth Heights. The inaugural summer was seen as a success. When it ended the father and son left the Cape for Watertown. Joseph Wagner sold his stake in The Hangar to William who became sole owner from there on out. The 1931 season began to see changes at the high class tearoom.

    The building was again enlarged and renovated. Opening night consisted of music from Perley Breed and his orchestra formerly of the Megansett Tea Room. During the second season it should be noted that The Hangar was consistently referred to as a nightclub in newspapers rather than a tearoom as in its first season. Despite having regular nighttime parties, banquets, and a 'Miss Pajama' contest, there were no complaints locally about The Hangar.

    That changed the following year when Lloyd Conn, saxophonist for an orchestral group called the Pied Pipers, took William Wagner to civil court complaining of failing to be paid for their musical services. Wagner was ordered to pay $125($2,500 in 2021) in a settlement in January 1933. He also responded by replacing the Pied Pipers with the Terrace Gables orchestra. That was only the start of Wagner's troubles.

    During the first two seasons of ownership Wagner closed The Hangar after the summer. In 1933 he did not and it cost him dearly. Similar rowdiness that had plagued the business under Robert Butler returned prompting suspicion from locals and law enforcement. Wagner was warned but the warning was not heeded. It came to a head on November 3, 1933 when The Hangar was raided.

    Falmouth Police Chief Roy Conant was driving by the establishment and noticed more than a dozen cars parked outside. After obtaining a search warrant he and another officer knocked and were let in after a delay. They found close to twenty people in a back room fitted with a bar and an oil heater. Also found was a gallon of whiskey, a gallon of moonshine, and a quart of gin among other liquors. William Wagner was promptly arrested. Though he would only receive a $50 fine and six months probation The Hangar would never be the same.

    In 1934 William reopened the establishment as Wagner's at the Hangar with his wife Dorothy as co-owner. She even applied for, and received, a legal seasonal liquor license after the end of Prohibition. The couple said they would be specializing in sandwiches. That August their liquor license was temporarily suspended for serving after midnight. When it was up for renewal it was protested by the locals.

    William Wagner changed the property again in 1935. It was now the Harbor Lobster Pound, a late night restaurant. However the liquor license was refused after the bad reputation the business was incurred. Unable to change the minds of local selectmen with a bevy of signatures on a petition Wagner decided to try his hand at politics to get the change he desired.

    Before running for selectman Wagner tried a third time to get a liquor license for his property. Failing yet again the Bass River Savings Bank bought the former Hangar for $1,000 at auction in March 1936 thus ending Wagner's tenure as the establishment's owner. He entered the race for selectman in 1937 losing handily to Frederick Lawrence. Wagner's string of bad luck continued when his wife Dorothy divorced him in 1939. He ran for the office eleven times with the last being in 1953, coming as close as 23 votes, but ultimately falling short each time.

    By the time of Wagner's last run for office there was hardly even a mention of his time as a tearoom and nightclub owner. It seemed as though The Hangar's history had been reduced to a well-known secret much like its days as a Prohibition speakeasy in Falmouth Heights.

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Previous Blog Posts:

In My Footsteps: My 2020

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Storyville Jazz Club

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Zazzle Store: Cape Cod Living

Historic Nightlife of Cape Cod: Rainbow Ballroom and Rollerdome

Taken from my 5th book Cape Cod Nights

Address: 174 Rt. 28, West Yarmouth

Years Active: 1930 – mid 1960's

In present time when one thinks of nightlife it inevitably comes down to one of two things, a nightclub or a bar. However in years past many more events were considered part of the nightlife scene. This was most certainly the case with the Rainbow Ballroom. This unique hot spot was not big on alcohol however it routinely drew many hundreds of locals and visitors inside its walls to partake in good fun after dinner and after sunset.

The story of this legendary establishment goes back to the Roaring Twenties when Ernie Baker and his Novelty Orchestra was making a name for himself all across Southeastern Massachusetts. Baker, a well known local in Yarmouth, would often set up gigs for his orchestra at the Mill Hill Pavilion, a popular live entertainment spot located in West Yarmouth. As the 1920’s went on Baker had a plan to create a more permanent home for his musical group.

In June 1930 Baker purchased six lots of land located opposite the Mill Hill Tavern. It was upon this land that he planned to build his very own dance hall to house his Novelty Orchestra. The work on the building was swift and it was ready for its debut within weeks. The dance floor was remarked as the largest east of New Bedford. The interior was decked out in pastel colors with white being the main shade, including a white stage and a pristine and unique white piano adorned with painted flowers. A contest would be held, with more than a thousand entries, to name the new dance hall. The winning name was the Rainbow Ballroom, the winning entry received $20 and two season passes to the establishment.

Opening night for the Rainbow Ballroom was Wednesday August 13, 1930. The crowd was so large that the enormous dance floor was packed cheek to cheek all night. It was a state of the art hot spot with the newest in electric lighting allowing for the lights hitting the dance floor to be changed to a variety of colors. The womens’ dressing rooms even including electric curling irons. Two orchestras would keep the music playing all night, the debut of Ernie Baker’s Rainbow Room was a rousing success.

From the start Baker maintain a high profile for himself as well as his club. There would be themed dances such as a Thanksgiving Puritan Ball and a Miss Cape Cod contest held on New Year’s Eve 1930. Miss Gilbery Kelley of Hyannis Port would be crowned the winner out of 250 entrants, receiving a silver cup. Baker would also continue to play gigs across the Cape and Southeastern Massachusetts with his orchestra, undoubtedly enticing more to come and visit the Rainbow.

Baker would up his game in 1931 by adding amateur basketball in the form of the Hyannis Wanderers. Teams from all over the state would come to play them. Typically the games were held on Wednesdays during the season, with dancing happening both before and after. Ahead of his time in marketing Baker would also give away a Sport Model Chevy automobile which he had been using for advertising the Rainbow in January 1932. His nightspot was gaining and maintaining its popularity through many different avenues. The following year even more would be added.

The Rainbow Ballroom would begin throwing midnight dances, typically running from midnight to 3am, they would be occasional occurrences which kept them as must attend events. Later in 1933 Baker would experiment with a new activity, rollerskating. This would become such a hit that it would take place three times a week, drawing many new faces. Baker would even rent out use of his building to others for charitable events and the like.

Word of mouth and positive experiences began to spread. In 1936 Chick Webb and his NBC Orchestra would make an appearance at the Rainbow being fronted by the one and only Ella Fitzgerald. It was during this year that boxing would debut to add to the already popular Hyannis All-Stars wrestling bouts which took place there. In 1938 Baker and his Rainbow Ballroom would see their greatest exposure as they would routinely be promoted on the national Old-Fashioned Cafe radio program. Show host Ken Singer had been playing at the neighboring Old Mill Tavern and began to frequent Ernie Baker’s popular establishment.

Despite housing rollerskating, basketball, boxing, and wrestling, the Rainbow would remain true to what its first event was, dancing. Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s there would be themed dances, midnight dances, holiday party dances, charitable balls, and more. Ernie Baker knew what his customers wanted and gave it to them. Long after the Old Mill Tavern had gone out of business, replaced by the Mill Hill Club, Ernie Baker’s Rainbow Room was still going strong.

By the mid-1960’s, after around thirty-five years of ownership, Ernie Baker closed his Rainbow Room and took a well-deserved retirement. The building itself would remain dormant for several years before being sold in 1970. In the more than four decades since the familiar shell of the building has remained, housing such businesses as Quoddy Moccasins Shoe Factory Outlet, French Shriner Shoes, Clancy’s Restaurant, Reebok Outlet, and most recently a Salvation Army store.

However no matter what business resides on the property it will always be fondly remember by longtime Cape Codders as Ernie Baker’s Rainbow Room. It was a unique nightspot which relied on dancing, rollerskating, basketball, boxing, and wrestling everything but the alcohol to claim its spot as a forefather of the golden age of Cape Cod nightlife.

Despite not being known for cocktails, if one had frequented the Rainbow Ballroom during its heyday of the 1940’s for some dancing perhaps they would have made a drink afterwards at home such as the popular French 75.

French 75

- 3 oz Champagne

- 1 oz gin

- 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

- 1/2 oz simple syrup

Preparation: Add all of the ingredients except the Champagne into a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a Champagne flute. Top with the Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.

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My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing


View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Bartholomew Gosnold

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - SS James Longstreet Cape Cod's Target Ship

                              

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Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Panama Club, Hyannis

As nightspots on Cape Cod go there are few which can rival the history or the legendary status that The Panama Club earned it its time. In the days before the Melody Tent, or even before the West End Rotary existed, the Panama Club was drawing in the masses in huge numbers to an area which at the time was not yet an epicenter for after dark fun. It put Hyannis and jazz music on the map on Cape Cod and Southeastern New England.

The story of the Panama Club began shortly before World War II landed on America’s front step. It was a time shortly after the worst of the Great Depression had subsided. In those days there were very few places for young people to get together and have a good time. That would change with the arrival of Antonio Caggiano from Boston in 1937. In 1941 he, along with his son Reynold would open the Panama Club near the end of Main Street. Decorated in red and white velvet this would usher in a new era of nightlife on Cape Cod. It was the first swinging jazz club.

Postcard from the 1950's looking east down Main Street with Panama Club on the right.
Courtesy of Sturgis Library

Though the father and son owners would also operate other businesses, Rennie’s Lounge in Hyannis and Rico’s Restaurant in Centerville, the club on Main Street would forever etch their names in Cape history. Their Panama Club would be a hotbed for the youth of Cape Cod, guys and girls dressed to the nines looking to meet up. Couples and those who had never laid eyes on each other alike would pack together on the small dance floor and get their feet moving to lively swing music.

Not very long after bursting onto the scene the Panama Club became an escape for locals after news hit of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Those who were in the club learned of the news inside, some rushed home while others stayed. The establishment did not close though and it was packed again the next day with some even bringing their own beer with them. The events of Pearl Harbor and the Panama Club would become the subject of a popular fictionalized play written by Larry Marsland of Chatham in 2006.

Looking down Main Street from a similar vantage point as the above postcard.

The Panama Club would become the jumping off point for Cape Cod’s First Lady of Jazz Marie Marcus who first graced their stage in 1943 when she was still billed under her maiden name of Marie Doherty. She teamed up with Alma Gates White to form the ‘Piano Maniacs’ playing the Panama Club as well as the Coonamessett Club in Falmouth. While performing at the Panama Club Marie would meet her future husband, trumpeter Bill Marcus.

The bar at the club was always packed with beer being the drink of choice, selling for seventy-five cents, while shots of whiskey cost sixty cents. For those who did not wish to travel to the busy club there was another way to listen to the live music being performed there. This was thanks to the occasional live radio broadcasts being transmitted from the Panama Club. However so crowded did the club become that during one show in 1943 legendary WOCB DJ Vern Coleman, then only seventeen, had to set up his equipment and broadcast the night’s live music from underneath a table. The radio broadcasts would remain a fixture throughout the 1940’s.

As the decade passed the club became the place to be, World War II did not damped the business. Everyone from celebrities, to soldiers at Camp Edwards, to the average everyday worker made their way to the end of Main Street. Those who worked in the businesses nearby would get off of their shift and walk down to enjoy a drink and a chat. Many local would become well known due to their playing at the Panama Club including pianists Mike Markaverich and Marion Cahoon who would teach piano at the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music for three decades. The joint would be jumping until midnight after which people would pour out of the Panama Club’s several exits. Some would wander down The Byway alley winding behind the club, while others would simply congregate in the streets. The crowds were so large that during its heyday it was said to look like a mini Times Square outside after.

Where Panama Club once stood on Main Street.

The Panama Club would gain perhaps its most famous regular in the form of summer resident and future President of the United States John F. Kennedy. The course of history was changed inside the walls of the club in September of 1944. It was shortly after the Great Atlantic Hurricane had hit the Cape that Kennedy and two female friends paid a visit to the Panama Club as they enjoyed it and also it was one of the first places to reopen after the storm. It was during a break between dancing where Kennedy first mentioned his desire to become a politician, specifically a potential run for Governor despite only being twenty-seven years old at the time.

In the 1950’s the Panama Club would see some changes. In June 1953 the Caggianos would sell the establishment to former Uxbridge Inn owner John Cornelia. There would also be competition in the form of the Catalina Club which opened at 654 Main Street. The club would continue its run for a few more years before closing in the late 1950’s. The building would be torn down in 1972 and as of 2018 the site of the former Panama Club is occupied by a Dunkin’ Donuts. Only memories and scant images remain now of Cape Cod’s original swinging jazz club, luckily Larry Marsland’s play brought some light back to this lost icon.

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Bassett's Wild Animal Farm
                                                In My Footsteps: Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Cape Cod Sunsets 2020 Calendar available at Zazzle here: Cape Cod Sunsets 2020

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing