Given that it’s Burlington’s 150th birthday this year, what perfect timing to take part in An Evening at the Brant Inn on Saturday, June 3, and celebrate that storied part of Burlington’s history.
Joseph Brant Museum will host this evening of dancing, music, food, and drinks from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., renaming its Rooftop Terrace for the event as the Sky Club, in honour of the Brant Inn’s so-named outdoor space. The Smooth Blend Jazz Quartet will be on hand to play music from the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s and dance instructors from danceScape will teach some of the popular dances from those decades. Last year’s event included Latin-inspired dances and the era’s popular swing music, and danceScape has started releasing teasers of the fun that will happen this year.
Should guests expect Jell-o salads or hot dog fondue? Not to worry: Museums of Burlington’s Supervisor of Public Programs Kate Almeida says, “The food is more 2023, but the serving style will be more retro, with passed hors d’oeuvres for the welcome reception, food stations after the first dance number, and coffee, tea, and desserts a bit later in the evening.”
Though Brant Inn started its life back in 1917 after some renovations on the Brant Hotel’s Country Club, the original buildings were opened back in 1900, on the grounds of Joseph Brant Hospital and across to Spencer Smith Park. Owner A.B. Coleman rented the space out to a number of operators, as he didn’t want to manage the business himself, reported The Post (in an article by Stanton and Gibbons in 1983). But it was only in the 1940s and 1950s that the Brant Inn really came into its own: after Coleman died, renters John Murray Anderson and Cliff Kendall purchased the Inn and made it into a huge success. It was during that era that the Brant Inn became an icon: for a night of glitz and glamour and big-ticket performers, the Brant Inn was where people went.
Anderson is remembered for the Sky Club, and for being the first to bring big bands and floor shows into Canada, and the Brant Inn is remembered for attracting the stars to Burlington: Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Liberace, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra amongst them.
But proximity to the stars didn’t come cheap (for the time): during World War II, guests would pay as much as $20 for their entry tickets. People would arrive by train or boat from Toronto, Hamilton, the Guelph-Kitchener area, and even upstate New York.
During its heyday, the Brant Inn hosted dinner theatre performances, was the first place to see the dance crazes of the day, and had its own eponymous radio show, “Meet Me at the Brant,” featuring interviews with whichever band was playing that week. Margaret Bradford was crowned Miss Canada at the Inn in 1950. Locals could book space for weddings, private parties, and debutante dinners. The crowds kept coming back for more.
A number of factors, from Toronto becoming more of an entertainment destination, the wider availability of in-home fun by way of the television, the increasing prices of those big-ticket performers, and then health issues for Anderson meant that the Brant Inn was sold in 1964. After a few years of continued success with a switch from big bands to rock and roll, unpopular management decisions led to the thinning of the crowds, and the Brant Inn was closed in 1968.
But you can relive the atmosphere of the Brant Inn’s heyday on June 3; Almeida says, “The mood for the evening is really fun nostalgia, and recreating a similar experience to what guests at the Brant Inn would have enjoyed.” If you’d like to join in, tickets are $80 per person (or, if you are a museum member, tickets are $72 per person), though you must be aged 19 or over. Hors d’oeuvres, dessert, a drink ticket, dance instruction, and, of course, the all-important live musical entertainment are included with the price of the ticket, and a cash bar is available. For more information, go to the Museums of Burlington website, or book your tickets here.
