Club Carousel Grand Opening – June 25, 1961

Private swim clubs used to be big in Lorain County back in the 1960s and 70s. If you were a Lorainite, you probably were a member of the Riviera Swim Club on Oberlin Avenue.

But there was another one out in Sheffield Village on Lake Breeze Road: Club Carousel, which apparently got its name from the colorful and distinctive design of its building.

The ad above appeared in the Lorain Journal on June 23, 1961 to announce the club's Grand Opening two days later.

It's interesting that the club referred to itself in the ad as a "family country club."

I noticed the name of fellow Black River Historical Society member Burton Nesbitt in with the contractor and supplier listings. You may recognize someone in there as well.

One of the guests at the Grand Opening was Dick Korman, who according to the ad "walked Lake Erie." What was that all about? According to a January 29, 1985 article in the Boca Raton News, Dick Korman performed his "walking on water" stunt while teaching in Cleveland in the 1960s. He donned long hollow shoes and "trotted from a boat to a Lake Erie pier among cheers and flashbulbs and a back somersault." Korman was also said to be a "phenomenal swimmer and performer."

I talked to the spouse about Club Carousel a bit. As a Sheffield Laker while growing up, she had a membership at the club during a summer or two, and also went there other years as a guest with a good friend who had a membership.

Sadly, the swim club closed a few years ago and is currently for sale (click here to visit its listing on the Howard Hanna website). The adjacent Breezewood Party Center is also available for purchase.

For many years the Club Carousel property had been the home of the very popular Haunted Forest of Carousel attraction, which celebrated its 31st anniversary in 2012.

The swim club property on Lake Breeze today