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had darkened the better part of northeastern North America, affecting 55 million people and cancelling what would have been the band’s third appearance at the storied Wasaga Beach beachfront bar.

“I sadly regret that the show didn’t happen,” Johnson told . “The Dard was always a great summer gig.

“We put on a rock show, but the reggae vibes were always forward. The crowd got sweaty and the whole place smelled like sunscreen.”

More than 20 years later, the Dardanella now faces a date with a wrecking crew.

But through the 1980s, ‘90s, and early 2000s, it was a hot spot for live music on a Friday night, where even the back of the audience was still only 60 feet away from the stage.

Between 1986 and 2003, the Dard hosted a who’s-who of Canadian — and American — rock and pop talent, some established, and some whose careers were just getting off the ground.

The list of names who graced the stage includes Kim Mitchell, Blue Rodeo, Amanda Marshall, The Tea Party, Barney Bentall, and George Thorogood.

“The legacy (of the Dardanella) is live entertainment,” said Rick Seip, who owned the bar and dance club with his wife, Michelle, from 1989 until 2003.

Seip arrived in Wasaga Beach in the early 1980s from the Kitchener-Waterloo area, hired to be the site superintendent of the Wasaga Beach water park that is now the site of the new Wasaga Stars Arena and Wasaga Beach Public Library.

He connected with Ted Rea, who at the time owned a number of properties around the main beach area, and enlisted Seip to manage his assets in Wasaga Beach.

In 1986, Rea bought the Dardanella, and Rick and Michelle — whom Rick met when he arrived in Wasaga — managed it.

“I was 35 years old, and didn’t know I couldn’t (manage it); I had no background in bars and restaurants,” he said with a laugh. “That first year was really a good first year, but it was a hell of a learning curve.”

The first band they brought it was .

The building also needed some work, Seip said.

The Dardanella was built in 1918 by Hugh and Alexander McLean as a dance hall to complement the family’s hotel, the Capstan Inn.

Over the next three decades under the McLeans’ ownership, it became a popular big band dance hall. During the Second World War, soldiers training at Base Borden would come up to Wasaga Beach and dance at the Dardanella while on weekend leave.

The McLeans sold the Dardanella in the mid-1950s, and over the years, a series of additions and alterations were made to the building to accommodate a variety of uses: a bowling alley, soda bar, lunch counter, tea room, and beauty parlour.

By the time the Seips took over the top floor was home to a flea market.

“We substantially redid the building, adding new washrooms, the new theme, the deck, the tables,” Rick Seip said, creating a venue that could hold about 1,300 people between the upstairs dance floor area, the downstairs bar, and the deck overlooking the beach.

In 1989, Rea was divesting himself of his Wasaga Beach properties, and the Seips decided to make a bid for the bar.

“It was an opportunity,” he said. “We were convinced it could be a good gig.”

While the Dardanella made a name for itself as a place for live music, the Seips also became heavily involved in the community; Rick is a past-president of the Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce.

The venue hosted chamber and Rotary Club occasions, trade shows, dinner theatre, and became a hub for community events such as Oktoberfest, Wakestock, and when former NHLer brought the Stanley Cup to Wasaga Beach, after winning it with the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

“Anything that happened like that, we were involved,” Seip said.

The Seips sold the Dardanella in late 2003. The town as part of its $13.5-million purchase of the commercial properties at Beach Area One.

The land is not part of either of the , and remains part of the estimated $7.8 million portfolio of property the municipality is retaining, according to the town’s director of strategic communications and intergovernmental affairs, Sandra Watts.

Watts said the town did explore keeping some part of the building, but it was determined to be full of mould and not structurally sound. The town is looking at salvaging some elements of the building, such as one of the roof trusses that was built by Base Borden soldiers.

“We know we are going to need large anchor attractions at the beachfront – fun things to do and different types of entertainment and experiences that will draw visitors to our community and support local businesses,” Watts said. “Live music is a priority for this council and so is keeping the spirit of the Dard at Beach Area 1 alive.”

made seven stops at the Dardanella between 1987 and 2002.

“I’m not a big nostalgia guy, and I’m usually more focused on what we’re playing than where we’re playing,” said the legendary Canadian guitarist and singer. “But I do have fond memories of the Dard.

“There was a time when it wouldn’t be summer without places like the Dard. Some great bands played there, and when I think about it I get a great feeling about Wasaga Beach and the Dard.”

While the money-making night was Saturdays as a dance club with a DJ, Seip said the live entertainment “was a good thing to do.

“Even today, we crave live entertainment,” he said. “People … love it. They remember it.”

“Places like the Dard were great fun,” Wilcox added. “The best thing about it was the audience. We had some wonderful times in those days.”