When was Bayview Hall constructed?
Why did it gain the reputation of having the best dance floor in Island County?
Did you know that community bonds were sold for $25 each to finance the building?
These are some of the questions that will be answered at the second of four programs in the series “Bayview Live: Stories — as told by our seniors,” to be held Friday, Oct. 19 at the Bayview Cash Store.
The event will take place in the evening, starting at 5 p.m., and include an old-fashioned potluck supper.
Honored guests will be Eva Mae and Ray Gabelein, two of South Whidbey’s favorite longtime residents and keepers of decades of local history.
They’ll be interviewed live in the Back Forty at the Bayview Cash Store by South Whidbey Record columnist Sue Frause, whose questions will elicit some little-known and intriguing information from the early days of Bayview.
The Gabeleins remember, for example, that:
- The land for the hall was donated by Herb Weedin.
- The nails were donated by Bill Burke, owner of the Bayview Store.
- A gas engine was used to produce electricity 16 years before Puget Power brought electricity to the area.
There will be more fascinating facts and stories during the Friday evening gathering. The first program in the series attracted a lively audience of interested Southenders, and was audiotaped for future broadcast over KSER 90.7 FM, as will all the “Bayview Live” events.
Several people also brought old photos of the Bayview Corner area for on-the-spot copying, and others are encouraged to do the same. The pictures are returned immediately. The scanned photos will become a part of the collection of the South Whidbey Historical Society.
