Much of the entertainment in Montgomery involved spending time with neighbours and family. June Martin remembers that her neighbourhood had a weekly “sewing club” but it was really more of a “gossip club”.
Geoff Burtonshaw and family saved a years’ worth of birthday and Christmas presents to purchase a TV. It was the first TV on the block. Needless to say, it made them extremely popular with their neighbours! They had lots of company and went through plenty of coffee before things settled down.
Mrs. Lucy Walsh converted the old grocery store (on Bowness Road, just east of the river) into the Dine n’ Dance. Customers ate downstairs and danced upstairs to a live band. As liquor was taboo in restaurants at the time, Mrs. Walsh fitted shelves underneath the tables. These were hidden with long tablecloths and used by the patrons to hide their bottles of liquor.
Edith Frewin and Regina Skrypnek related that it was popular to go to the “Beer Parlours” in Symon’s Valley, Airdrie, Okotoks, and Cochrane. In these places, men and women were allowed to socialize together, while Calgary had separate entrances: one for men, and one for women with escorts.
The Montgomery Recreation Centre (renamed as Montgomery Community Centre in 1992) was host to many well-attended events, such as bingo, cards, and cribbage. Dances for youth were held there as well (and continue today as “Jellybean Dances”). Mary Eckersley enjoyed dancing at the Recreation Centre with the Square Dance Club (called by Dave Thompson). Nora and Gilbert Ruby fondly recollect gathering with their neighbours at the community dances in the 1960s, accompanied by an excellent four-piece band.
There were many opportunities for a day or evening out. Do you remember “Happy Valley”? Happy Valley was located west of Calgary just off of Highway #1 in what is now the community of Valley Ridge. It contained a huge swimming pool, an amusement park, a picnic area and a ski hill! Many families enjoyed the recreation facilities from around 1960 to 1975.
The Cinema Park Drive-In opened in 1953 in the area that is now called Point McKay. It was the largest drive-in theatre in North America and very popular with Montgomery residents. A night at the drive-in provided a fun and inexpensive night out for the whole family. Muriel Vaile, who worked at the drive-in, explained that employees and their families had free admission. Needless to say, she and her family enjoyed a lot of movies in those years. Prior to watching the movie, children could play in the amusement park while adults played bingo. A miniature train offered rides for both young and old. Kids were allowed to stand at the front of the park and watch movies for free if they behaved themselves! The drive-in was also fondly known as the “Park n’ Spark”. This was a popular place for teens, and provided an alternative to “Lovers’ Lane”, located at the top of the hill in Montgomery. The Cinema Park Drive-In closed in about the mid-seventies to make way for development.
Another great destination was Bowness Park. The park became popular with Calgarians because it was easily accessed along the streetcar line and provided many entertainment opportunities. Montgomery residents visited Bowness Park in all seasons. In the summer there was a large swimming pool and a dance hall. People had picnics, went canoeing, rode on the paddleboats or on the rides, and played many games. In the winter the park provided sledding and skating on the lagoon. Anna de Klerk enjoyed building fires right on the ice to roast wieners with her family while they skated. The Vaile children used to attend the annual Safeway employee picnic at the park and thought they had “died and gone to heaven” because of the endless supply of hot dogs, pop, and ice cream. With its many recreation opportunities and the pathway network, Bowness Park continues to be a popular destination for the people of Montgomery!
Excerpt from the booklet – A Hunt for History, Montgomery Memories. Copies of the booklet are available in the lobby of the Montgomery Community Centre.
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