The Note – Ruggles Beach

Are you old enough to remember dancing at The Note at Ruggle's Beach, just west of Vermilion?

I'm not, but I remember seeing ads for it in the newspaper in the 1960s, and thinking it was the kind of place that the teenagers in those beach movies (like Beach Blanket Bingo) would go to.

Anyway, The Note opened in the summer of 1963. Here's an article that appeared in the Lorain Journal on July 10, 1963 that tells the whole story.

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Dance Hall Opens At Ruggles
By SARAH WELKER

VERMILION – There's a brand new "Note" in an old, old song... the dance hall at Ruggles Beach has been re-opened.

But the new cement and steel structure is as different from the old hardwood-floored dance hall as modern jive is from the jazz of the 20's and the swing of the 30's, albeit the short skirts, shifts, and teen-age hairdo's are reminiscent of the boy-bobs and cootie coops of the "dinosaur days."

Rising from the ashes (like the legendary Phoenix) of the old dance hall which burned completely July 3, 1960 is The Note, a recreation center designed especially for "young adults."

"We don't call them kids. We treat them as young adults and they have not disappointed us," said Kermit Price, president of the Hallmark Corporation, a group of Sanduskians who own and operate The Note.

Price is also the general manager and has memories of Ruggles as it was in the late 40's.

There is some 15,000 square feet of floor space in the dance hall, which includes an area under cover and a large patio for open air dancing.

There is a snack bar for soft drinks and sandwiches but The Note is"dry" alcoholically.

Music is provided by records. Speakers are installed throughout the building in the ceiling and also on the corners of the patio.

Disk jockeys handle the records and include Dave Parks of Sandusky's WLEC and George Mayer, who helps part time. He is manager of the South Shore Branch of the Erie County Bank.

The music is usually selected from the top 40 records of the week and several of these are given away as prizes during the evenings when the dance contests are held.

In addition, The Note features live "combos." Price said the aim of the management was to provide about half each of recorded and live music.

The picnic grove has been cleared of several years growth of brush and debris and a fence erected – this has a dual purpose  – to keep the young customers of The Note from straying to nearby private beaches, and as a control for would-bee intruders.

Auxiliaries from the Erie County Sheriff's Department are on hand to lend protection if needed.

While The Note is primarily a "young people's" center, Price said parents were welcome to stop in to see what sort of place it actually is.

An open house is planned for mid-July and at that time the public will have an opportunity to visit.

Future plans call for the development of the picnic area and beach – Ruggles was once the mecca for Sunday School picnics, family reunions and other types of group picnics.

The name "Ruggles" will always bring back many "Do you remember's?" and even as the older generations shed a nostalgic tear for their lost youth, they cannot help but rejoice that "Ruggles is open" once more.

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Advertisements for The Note appeared in all of the local papers. Some ads included the illustration of the unusual building or its sign; others were more generic.

July 2, 1963 ad from the Lorain Journal

July 17, 1963 ad from the Lorain Journal

July 31, 1963 ad from the Sandusky Register

October 3, 1963 ad from the Chronicle-Telegram

June 5, 1964 ad from the Sandusky Register

August 28, 1964 ad from the Sandusky Register

August 29, 1964 ad from the Sandusky Register

Nov. 20, 1964 ad from the Sandusky Register

January 29, 1965 ad from the Sandusky Register

April 2, 1965 ad from the Sandusky Register

January 19, 1968 ad from the Sandusky Register

Feb. 2, 1968 ad from the Sandusky Register

Sometime around 1969, management of The Note changed, and the ads seemed to reflect that a change had taken place, both at The Note and culturally as well.

June 19, 1969 ad from the Fremont News Messenger

July 3, 1969 ad from the Fremont News Messenger

Sept. 25, 1969 ad from the Sandusky Register

I’m not sure when The Note closed. The distinctive building is still there on U. S. Route 6 in Ruggles Beach, with no evidence of its former life as a popular teen hangout or its link to the earlier dance hall. Today the building is home to Sportside Storage.

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Judging from the ads, one of the regular local bands at The Note was Ronnie and the Rainbows. Click here to read about Ron Zehel and his bandmates on the buckeye beat.com website. On its “Venues” page here, the website also notes (no pun intended) that The Note apparently went through some name changes and lasted into the 1980s.