The Music Box
Lee and Shirley Kelly just knew they had to create a place for young people to listen to, dance to & enjoy music. Shirley grew up in Houghton Lake and knew there wasn’t much entertainment in town for young folks. After Lee saw teenagers playing records and dancing on the street corner they both agreed they had to create what they called, the Music Box.
Shirley and Lee opened the doors to their teen dance hall of July 6, 1946. That first summer, it was open every Saturday night. The venue had a small concrete floor, with a jukebox in the corner where the teens could play their favorite records. Admission was five cents. It was a small but important start for a fine establishment that would touch the lives of teens for three and a half decades.
Word spread all over the state and to neighboring states about the Music Box. Some teens drove up just to dance under the stars on Friday and Saturday nights, while others talked their parents into vacationing in Houghton Lake so they could go to the famous Music Box. The Music Box expanded over the years to accommodate all the teens who showed up each night. The room became equipped with its own sound system and the dance floor was expanded and the walls were raised to protect the dancers from sightseers. Lee would greet his patrons at the door and Shirley would spin the records and watch for misconduct. She became known as Queenie.
By the early 1950’s it was open every night during the summer. Besides the famous outside dance floor, there were two rooms patrons could dance if it rained. In addition, their was a winter room which was opened on major holidays to accommodate the large crowds.
It had a great Swiss Motiff and was also their home in a private section of this wonderful venue. It closed the first time in 1982 due to Shirley’s health. Lee had it repaired and reopened it from 1999-2002. This was the period of time where I could hear the music every Friday and Saturday night when my family sat outside with me on my own property off of Lake James around the bonfire. The Music Box holds lots of fond memories for many, many people.
info taken from the book, Images of America Houghton Lake by Deborah I. Gouin.
Enjoy finding this cache as much as I enjoyed placing it.
ABOUT THE CACHE:
It is placed just off of the music box property which is now a Pirate’s Cove Putt-Putt so as not to be on private property. Just imagine the grand building on that spot as it once was.