For many people the center of our community is the community center. It didn't always look like it does today. It started out many years ago as a simple wooden structure that was known as "The Casino". Like so much of Constance Bay there are a number of "stories" that float around regarding the center. Most of them are a mixture of the truth and fiction. This is our effort at presenting the truth about the Casino.

   The Old Casino circa 1989
     Most people in our community believe that in 1949, Fred Baldwin donated the land and built the first community center, known as the Casino (seen at left in this 1989 photo), where our existing facility sits today.

     They are wrong!

     Fred Baldwin and his wife Flossie were generous people. Baldwin sold land to St. Gabriel's church for $1. He set aside tracks of land all around the Bay that allowed for access to the water for people who weren't fortunate enough to own waterfront property. He believed that everyone should be able to access and enjoy the water. But make no mistake - he was, first and foremost, a businessman. And a pretty shrewd one at that!

      In fact, througout the 30's and 40's dance halls were a very successful enterprise. Baldwin recognized that and, in 1949, built the "Baldwin Casino Dance Hall". Or just the "Casino" as it eventually came to be known.

     The Casino featured some of the finest bands in the area. The Ralph Davis Band, seen at right were very popular throughout the valley in the 30's and 40's and were frequently hired by Fred to entertain the "cottagers" who spent the summer months in the Bay.

     The Casino was not a palace. It wasn't insulated and was intended for summer use only. It did have character! It featured open beam construction and was the host of many community events. For a short time, it even hosted Sunday Mass when, in 1960, St. Gabriel's church was consumed by fire.

     Beginning in the 1930's, a gentleman by the name of Alex Staye ran platform dances in Arnprior and at Lake Dore and then built and operated a dance hall in Arnprior called "The Mayfair Pavilion". This enterprise was so successful and well-attended that he subsequently built a huge dance hall on land he purchased west of Cobden which he called "The Bayview Pavilion" and, in the 1960's, he bought the Baldwin Casino Dance Hall in Constance Bay. These halls provided a popular place to go for people who loved to dance as well as a venue for groups like The Happy Wanderers, Al and Harry, "The Country Gentlemen", and Mac Beattie and his Ottawa Valley Melodiers to find employment.

     It wasn't until 1972 that the Casino actually became our community center. It was in that year that the Township of Torbolton purchased the land and building from Staye for the grand sum of $12,000.00 - as can be seen in the document at right.

      The Constance and Buckham's Bay Property Owners Association finally had a home! It became the home of some of the hardest working volunteers that you'll find anywhere in the valley!

     The photo at left was found in a 1972 edition of a local newspaper called the Cottager. It featured an article about the Beauty Pageant that was hosted at the Casino. The list of attendees was very impressive with General Grant of CFRA fame as master of ceremonies. The judging panel was made up Ottawa's most famous DJ's and TV celebrities.

     The Casino was packed to capacity with some of Ottawa's most prominent citizens. Eighty girls entered in three classes with the top honour going to Cathy Labelle who was crowned Regatta Queen.

     The girls weren't the only ones to participate in the pageants as can be seen in this photo at right. The men competed just as aggressively putting on stockings, bathing suits and topping it off with mops for wigs. These two contestants were George Barnes and Bill Manchester. We have no idea who won but we suspect this may be the real reason why the pageants were eventually stopped.

     This is a great photo because you can really see what the inside of the Casino looked like with the open beam construction and the full stage.

     In 1978 a permanent year round structure was built adjacent to the Casino. Finally the community had a facility that could be used year round. The logo at left was the one being used at this time.

     The 1989 photo of the Casino seen at the top of this page was included in an advertisement for public meetings the purpose of which was to determine the future of the building which had fallen into a state of disrepair. It was a heated debate which deeply divided the community. Should it be restored or torn down? The Casino was one of the last remaining links to our past and it's safe to say that many people would have liked to see the old building restored. Many of the people tasked with making the decision had no idea of the historical significance of the facility. In the end, the Casino was demolished and it heralded the end of an era.

     One of the many contributions the association made was to provide the community with several rafts that were put out into the water for everyone to enjoy. As can be seen in this picture, they were large rafts and we understand they were all heavily used.

     Seen enjoying one of the rafts in this photo included (from left) Lorraine Christy, Eddie Malone, Ethel Malone, Vera Barnes and George Barnes.

     This group photo is of the 1981 Executive.

     Front Row left to right: Shelley Groulx, Elaine Brazeau, Debbie Scharf, Bonnie Gaw, Francine Lroke, Dave Lauzon.

      Back row left to right: Gerry Groulx, Marlene Hodgins, Ron Dompierre, Nancy Mitchel and Marilyn Delroy.

     The 1980's were a busy time. The association was basically self sufficient with the Township contributing very little. There was a new building, but it had no bathrooms upstairs. It was poorly heated and had no air conditioning. At the same time, ball facilities were substandard and there was great demand for a soccer pitch. It was not an easy time to be sitting on the executive. A lot of tough decisions had to be made. Some of them were not well received.

     The CBBPOA - or the Constance and Buckham's Bay Property Owners Association adopted the logo at left in the early 80's. Some folks remain very much attached to this logo as it represented our relationship with the trees and the water.

     Youth Group was very popular during the 80's and early 90's. The building was open for the 12 and under from 6pm to 8pm when the 13 and up crowd showed up. There were lots of dances and the occasional field trip into the Wave Pool.

     This photo was taken after the Youth Group play, Romeo and Juliet - a modernized version of course.

     Youth Group was not only hard working, but they raised thousands of dollars towards the new building renovations as their contribution to the community.

     In 1991 the association was desperately looking for new ways to generate money. They had to raise nearly $100,000 for planned renovations and they weren't afraid to make an ass of themselves to do it.

     This photo was taken during the 1991 Donkey Baseball tournament which included a challenge that went out to all radio stations. The DJ's would spend the summer doing the community center circuit, but you can bet they never came across anything wilder than this.

     In this game, batters were forced to ride a donkey from the batters mound to first base. It was a bumpy ride but no one went away with saddle soars - most folks just straddled the saddle on their bellies and hoped to hang on.

     In the late 80's and early 90's the association faced it's biggest challenges. The decision had been made to tear down the Casino and instead put on an addition and renovate the existing facility. The association was faced with the task of raising nearly $100,000. It was a monster effort that showed that the spirit of volunteerism that was evident in the past was still very much alive.

     They followed that up in 1993 with renovations to the ball diamonds and the installation of lights. Then in 1995 a new rink was built.

   The Constance and Buckham's Bay Community Association
     In 1996, the CBBCA adopted this new logo. It was just one of many changes that the association had seen since it's inception in 1949.

     In 1999 a new site plan was adopted that included a new regulation sized soccer pitch and many more changes. In 2001, our community was amalgamated with the City of Ottawa. It was a time for yet more changes. In 2002, the association continued to work towards meeting the goals indentified in the site plan.