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In order for music to be played, danced to and enjoyed, three things are necessary: a location, a building or facility, and a person to put the two aforementioned requirements together. Alex Staye was that person.
Beginning in the 1930’s, Alex ran platform dances in Arnprior and at Lake Dore and then built and operated a dancehall in Arnprior called "The Mayfair Pavilion". This enterprise was so successful and well-attended that he subsequently built a huge dancehall on land he purchased west of Cobden which he called "The Bayview Pavilion" and, in the 1960’s, he bought the Casino Dancehall in Constance Bay. These halls provided a popular place to go for people who loved to dance and venue for groups like The Happy Wanderers, Al and Harry, "The Country Gentlemen", and Mac Beattie and his Ottawa Valley Melodiers to find employment.
In his book, "This Ottawa Valley of Mine", Mac Beattie describes Alex as, "a very important man in the promotion of music in the Ottawa Valley".
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