And Others....

There were lots of other musical instrument groups in Lambton County.

They included the Pressey Boys Band in Sarnia, started by Mr. Pressey, the head of Pressey Transport Company. He provided uniforms, a bandmaster, a bus for travelling, and music lessons to young boys. Bob Nelson was one of those boys. He fell in love with music at a young age and asked his parents about joining. He started at age 10 with private lessons with Mr. F. B. Freele. The lessons room had a variety of musical instruments and Bob got to try them out. He settled on the cornet, and his parents purchased a new one for him at a cost of $60. At age 12, he joined the Pressey Boys Band and played in this band until he went to high school. There were about 35 boys in the band. This was a marching band, directed by whistle signals. Their uniforms consisted of a button-up yellow coat, black pants, and hats.

There was the Devine Street Methodist (now United) Church Sunday school band. Bob Nelson played cornet in that band, and he says that this band met just before Sunday school. Bob says that, as far as he knew, this was the only church with an "orchestra". This band included younger along with older people and even people from as far away as Petrolia. The February 27, 1951, Sarnia Observer, lists Walter Thompson, a musician in the Sarnia Citizens Band, as the band leader. Bob describes Walter Thompson as "a character". His day job was in sales, so he knew a lot of people and knew how to raise money. He got businesses to donate to the Sarnia tattoo for area bands, and he got Imperial Oil to pay for the tattoo fireworks.

The Sarnia sea cadets and air cadets also had bands. Bob Nelson played in those as well. He says that at one time he had five different band uniforms in his closet.

There was also the drum and bugle corps. The Legionettes, sponsored by the Royal Canadian legion, were an all girl drum and bugle corps. They started up in 1945 through the efforts of John Mann. The legion ended its sponsorship, and this group became the Sarnia Drum and Trumpet Band. Then the Lions Club took over the sponsorship, and the group was renamed the Lionettes. There was also the Marching Angels, the Marching Diplomats, the Bluewater Lionaires, and the Bluewater Buccaneers, (See the Sarnia Journal, November 19, 2016, and the Sarnia Observer, February 21, 1951.)

The Sarnia Sertoma Boys Band was a full marching band with brass, woodwinds, and percussion.

And the pipe bands. The Imperial Pipe Band is mentioned in the February 27, 1951, Sarnia Observer. It was founded in 1913.

Any history of musical organizations of Lambton County has to mention Jack and Genevieve Kennedy. They opened Kenwick Terrace (Ken for Kennedy and Wick for Warwick, Genevieve's last name) in January, 1943, with Louis Armstrong! Other dance bands came to perform there, including Jack Kennedy's own band. Kenwick Terrace was open until 1978. In 1946, Jack and Genevieve also opened Kenwick on the Lake as another dance hall in what is now Bright's Grove. It had two dance floors -- one outside, one inside. (See http://www.vintageinn.ca/tag/jack-kennedy/)

Canada's governor-general attended opening night in June, 1946. Big name bands came to play there, including Tommy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, Count Basie, Lawrence Welk, and Glen Miller. It was wall to wall people on weekends; as many as 3000 came to dance. Bob Hext recalls playing clarinet with the Forest Excelsior Band there. He said the stage was small, and Dan Dumais, the band director, was standing practically in the crowd. Bob was on edge the entire evening, worried that Dan would be shoved or trampled by the huge crowd of dancers. Joyce Purves/Williamson remembers many good times there . "We'd dance our faces off", she said (See the April 9, 2014, The Sarnia Journal). Tommy Dorsey said, "The boys and I don’t usually play in towns or cities the size of Sarnia, but this city has a reputation throughout the dance band and entertainment world and I just couldn’t pass up Sarnia when this Canadian tour was arranged" (See https://www.sarnia.ca/app/uploads/2020/01/E.-Franklin-Heritage-Walking-Tour-Working-Script-Edited-Jan-2020.pdf).

It became well known among Canadian and American big bands and rock bands in later years (including Alice Cooper, Don Messner and the Islanders, Bobbie Vinten, and Conway Twitty). With the waning popularity of big bands in the 1950's, a tornado strike in 1953, and a fire, Kenwick on the Lake closed in 1962.