![]() |
The KEE to Bala, originally called "Dunn's Pavilion," is a concert venue and bar located on Lake Muskoka, in the town of Bala, Ontario, Canada. Dunn's Pavilion was originally purchased by owner Gerry Dunn in 1929, and built into a concert hall in 1930 with the aim of hosting big bands. Back in the 1930s the slogan for the concert hall was, "Where All of Muskoka Dances." The name was changed to The KEE to Bala in the late 1960s after changing ownership twice.
Gerry Patrick Dunn purchased the property in 1929 when there was only a small ice cream parlour and drugstore on the lot. Dunn started renovating the buildings in the second year of ownership in order to be able to host orchestras as an attraction in the small town. The first two bands to play in the renovated building were Jerry Richardson and the Varsity Collegians, and Carl Mueller's Varsity Entertainers.
At the end of the 1930s, Dunn decided to tear down the old building in order to be able to host the bigger bands he desired, and provide more room for people to dance. The expansion was built by Gerry Dunn himself, as well as 14 additional workers. It is said that while the construction was taking place you could often see him sitting on the roof, anchoring down the supports. "'I designed the pavilion myself – no architect was involved,' says Dunn, who at 97 years old was back at his Bala summer home in 1998." [1]
The new building was completed in the summer of 1942; built with the stage backdrop to be a façade of an actual small cottage. Dunn renovated the dance floor and was expanded from 35 feet to 100 feet. They hosted small house bands and dancing 6 nights a week, and big bands once a week throughout the summer months. People would dress up in their finest attire and make a night of dancing. Customers would have to bring their own alcohol after the prohibition and during the depression years because most venues didn't have the licenses to sell it because it was very expensive to obtain the license. [2] On the nights of the Big Bands, Dunn would try to attract people from the cities and towns surrounding Bala, as well as attracting people from Toronto who would enjoy a weekend away.
In 1963, at the age of 62, Gerry Dunn sold Dunn's Pavilion to Russell Hore. The manager was Mr. Louch (?) and so Ray Cockburn must have purchased it later. It was still Dunns Pavilion in 1964 and 1965. Ray had owned a similar venue in Orillia called 'The Pavalon' and wanted to expand his ownership in the bar business. In order to take advantage of the new rock and roll style of music, Ray renamed the venue and called it The KEE to Bala. "Says Ray, 'A short name, easily remembered, was what I wanted, and when someone suggested that the pavilion was the `key' to Bala and the surrounding Muskoka area, I jumped at the idea and changed the spelling to KEE.'" The KEE had wonderful years throughout the 1960s and 1970s under Ray's ownership. This was because Ray promised the bands that they could play in Orillia one night, and in Bala the next night making it worth the detour. Normally bands wouldn't travel two hours north of the major cities in order to perform, but after they played in Toronto they often liked visiting relaxing venues to play for smaller crowds.
In the 1970s the Parry family approached Ray Cockburn wanting to buy out The KEE; they owned it throughout the 1970s and 1980s. They updated the venue to make it more of a bar by obtaining a liquor license, building a new stage, and installing bars so that it was no longer BYOB.
After this it was sold to Joe Kondyjowski who had a lot of experience in the dance hall business. He took over in the 1980s and brought in large rock and roll crowds. Joe made enough money in order to cover the expenses to fix up the old wooden building, create a parking lot, install a new roof, build a new deck, and put in cement cribs to fix the fact that the building was starting to sink. He installed a new kitchen in order to serve food in addition to the alcohol at the bars, while updating the colour scheme to give the venue a "Cape Cod" feel.
Joe Kondyjowski sold The KEE in 1990 to Sanober Patel who was assisted by her son Jim. Sanober brought in a weekly comedy night in order to try to obtain more business from a larger variety of people as well as a big band event to attract the old clientele that used to attend.
In 1995, The KEE was sold to a partnership; Stephen Wylie was one of the partners and he took over the operations of the business. Stephen understood the importance that the venue had for many people and tried to hold onto the history in the building. He repainted it back to the original colours and even brought back Big Band dances where the band would use the original stage.
The building has now been called "The KEE to Bala" for over 30 years. The dress code has since changed from formal attire to casual clothing with the music changing to fit with the new generations.
The more notable musicians and bands who have played the KEE include the following:
Orillia is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a single-tier municipality. It is part of the Huronia region of Central Ontario. The population in 2021 was 33,411.
Oro-Medonte is a township in south-central Ontario, Canada, on the northwestern shores of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County.
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. The men's and women's volleyball and women's gymnastics teams also compete here.
The Montreal Casino, located in Montreal, Quebec, is the largest casino in Canada. Situated on Notre Dame Island, in Jean-Drapeau Park, it consists of two former Expo 67 pavilion buildings. The casino is open to the public seven days a week, operating morning until late night. It first opened on October 9, 1993.
Bala is a compact rural community in the township municipality of Muskoka Lakes, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. It is well-known for the Bala Falls, the source of the Moon River, which flows from Lake Muskoka to the Georgian Bay.
Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a 40-acre (160,000 m2) lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by Billboard magazine. The venue was also ranked as the fourth best amphitheater in the United States by Rolling Stone in 2013. It was again ranked by Consequence of Sound at number 29 of all music venues in the nation out of 100 in 2016.
Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion is an indoor arena in the northwest United States, on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. It serves as home to several of the university's sports teams, known as the Washington Huskies of the Pac-12 Conference.
The El Mocambo is a live music and entertainment venue in Toronto, Ontario. Located on Spadina Avenue, just south of College Street, the venue has played an important role in the development of popular music in Toronto since 1948. It is best known for the 1977 surprise show by The Rolling Stones, which became nationally notorious for the presence of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's wife, Margaret Trudeau, who was partying with the Stones.
Lake Muskoka is located between Port Carling and Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. The lake is surrounded by many cottages. The lake is primarily within the boundary of the Township of Muskoka Lakes, the southeast corner is within the boundary of the Town of Gravenhurst and another small portion around the mouth of the Muskoka River is within the boundary of the Town of Bracebridge. The town of Bala is located on the southwest shores of the lake, where the Moon River starts. Lake Muskoka is connected to Lake Rosseau through the Indian River and lock system at Port Carling. The lake is mainly fed by the Muskoka River, Lake Joseph and Lake Rosseau.
Mountain Park, located on Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts, was originally built as a trolley park by the Holyoke Street Railway Company. Trolley parks were built just outside populated areas to encourage trolley usage on weekends. The Holyoke Street Railway company created two attractions, Mountain Park toward the base of Mount Tom, and a large house on the summit of the mountain.
Metro is a concert hall in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that plays host to a variety of local, regional and national emerging bands and musicians. The Metro was first opened in 1982. The capacity is 1,100, divided between the main floor and the balcony. The building housing Metro also houses Smart Bar underneath the main venue.
The Winter Gardens is a large entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which includes a theatre, ballroom and conference facilities. Opened in 1878, it is a Grade II* listed building, operated by Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited on behalf of Blackpool Council, which purchased the property from Leisure Parcs Ltd as part of a £40 million deal in 2010.
The Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science opened in 1999 and houses an art gallery, concert hall, large-format theater, and science museum in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Its building, the former Washington High School, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
BankNH Pavilion is an outdoor amphitheatre located near Lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, New Hampshire, United States. Opening in 1996, the venue seats nearly 9,000 guests. It seats 5,997 under a covered pavilion, 540 reserved lawn seats and 2,850 general admission lawn seats.
The Variety Playhouse is a music venue in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is located on Euclid Avenue and features a variety of music acts including rock, indie, electronic, funk, country, folk, bluegrass, jazz, blues and world music as well as other live shows.
Bimbo's 365 Club, also known as Bimbo's 365, is an entertainment club located at 1025 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco. It specializes in live rock and jazz shows. The location is one of San Francisco's oldest nightclub sites, and has operated under two names with a series of owners. The building started as Bal Tabarin in 1931, the same year that the 365 Club started at 365 Market Street. The two locations under separate ownership consolidated in 1951 to one location owned by Agostino "Bimbo" Giuntoli.
The Col Ballroom is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties as the Saengerfest Halle.
The Roseland Theater, sometimes called the Roseland Theater and Grill, is a music venue located at 8 Northwest Sixth Avenue in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The building was originally a church, constructed by the Apostolic Faith Church in 1922. In 1982, Larry Hurwitz converted the building to a music venue called Starry Night. In 1990, the club's 21-year-old publicity agent was murdered in one of the theater's hallways; Hurwitz was convicted for this murder ten years later. Hurwitz sold the club in 1991, claiming he had lost support from the local music industry. The venue was given its current name during the 1991 ownership transfer. During the 1990s, Double Tee acquired control of the hall's operations, then purchased and renovated the building.
Burl's Creek Event Grounds is a large-scale outdoor music venue in Oro-Medonte township, north of Barrie, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the south side of Highway 11 on Oro-Medonte's 8th Line, between Barrie and Orillia. It most notably holds the Boots and Hearts Music Festival in August each summer, and the Barrie Automotive Flea Market each June and September.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help)