About Us The Juicy History

…in the summer of 1896 with the opening of Springbrook Park, ‘the Coney Island of South Bend and Mishawaka.’ It began its existence as an outdoor setting for live entertainment featuring bands and a concert series. Crowds of people would come to enjoy picnics in the park and boat rides on a man-made lagoon. By 1916, Springbrook Park had become a full fledged amusement park with a roller coaster, a merry-go-round, airplane swings, a miniature railway and many other attractions (which cost 5¢ per ride). Springbrook was also the home of the South Bend professional baseball team from 1896 to the 1950′s, including the famous South Bend Blue Sox (the women’s team ala ‘A League of Their Own’).


1925 started the early history of dancing on the Club Landing site when a Dance Pavillion was opened at the newly renamed Playland Park. Verne Ricketts and his wonder orchestra played every night of opening week for the crowds that attended. It enjoyed huge popularity until it was destroyed by fire in 1930. Its replacement ballroom, Melody Garden, was opened at the start of the 1932 season and continued as a ‘favorite dancing spot for the yourger generation’ until the 1940′s, when it was converted to a roller rink. Some of the era’s most famous bands and orchestras have played on the site of Club Landing including: The Dorsey Brothers, Tommy and Jimmy, Cab Calloway, Johnny ‘Scat’ Davis and Duke Ellington. Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians drew a crowd of over 4,000 for an evening’s dance. Club Landing has the area’s longest and richest history of providing premier musical entertainment for dancing. In 1954, a new, 15,000 square foot ballroom was constructed which could accommodate 1,500 seated at tables. Many historical clippings from the time emphasize the youth oriented dances that were held, and the strict dress code requirements which prohibited T-shirts, coveralls, shorts and jeans…the first Club Landing dress code.

 

 

Playland Park was an amusement center that attracted thousands from as far away as Chicago and Toledo in the 1920′s and 1930′s. In 1927, an enormous swimming pool was added to the park. This mammoth pool, 100 by 165 feet, could accommodate 1,100 people and cost $100,000 to build. Over the years, Playland Park continuously entertained the community with various attractions which included:

 

In 1962, Pete Redden, Jr., the owner and long time manager of Playland Park decided to sell a large parcel of the property along Lincolnway for the development of a shopping area. The remaining land was converted into a lighted 18-hole par-3 golf course which was very popular until it was sold to IUSB in 1996.
Holly’s Landing, an enormously popular fine dining restaurant, was opened in 1971 on the site of the original Playland Park Dance Pavillion/roller rink. It was built on the bank of the river and designed to capture the wonderful views of the Twykenham Street bridge at sunset. In March of 1990, a former executive of Holly’s, Dale Hamel, bought and operated the restaurant as ‘The Landing.’ Many remember the famous ‘Landing Salad.’ Soon after, the much loved ‘Deck’ was added, and Sunday brunches on the river became the rage. Catering was added as customers demanded the high quality menu items and services of The Landing for their private parties.
With the onslaught of new chain restaurants (the Grape Road explosion), owner and operator, Dale Hamel, took a bold step. In March 1997, he closed The Landing as a restaurant and re-opened it as it is today: Club Landing. It has thrived ever since as a regional nightclub featuring musical and dancing enter

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