Due to the decline of business in the greater Broadway area starting in the late 1960s, the Broadway Theatre turned into a predominately adult movie theatre. This lasted until mid-1984 when the Theatre changed its image to align with the new, cleaned up, gentrified Broadway Avenue. Above are some of the advertisements from the Saskatoon Star Phoenix for the adult films that the theatre screened.
MARR RESIDENCE
Paranormal Activity
The Marr Residence is one of the most influential buildings through the history of Saskatoon. This building not only has an interesting history but also has a paranormal aspect that is part of the present day attraction of the site. Paranormal activity has been linked to the Marr Residence in different contexts. There have been several reported cases of visitors to the Marr Residence having heard disembodied voices as they toured through the home. Visitors reported hearing words like “get out” and accusatory comments. Along with the mysterious voices, there have also been stories of people seeing a child in the window of the house, though the home has been vacant for years. Many stories of an angry man in the household, said to torment women who would go into the basement, have also been reported. There is also said to be a spirit of a man on the second floor by the name of Charles Gathercole, who was a clerk in a Saskatoon General Store. Charles is said to be seen wearing gloves and was reported to have lived in the house in 1908. This paranormal activity has become a very enticing attraction for ghost hunters and enthusiasts alike. Creepy Canada has even done a short clip on the Marr Residence in an episode in season two of the show. Also, author Robert C. Belyk has a book titled Spirits of the West: Eerie Encounters from the Praires to the Pacific, and the Marr Residence makes an appearance in it.
Bibliography
McAdam, Bre. (Oct 31, 2011). 'Saskatoon's Marr Residence said to be haunted', from http://ckom.com/node/29751.
Creepy Canada. (May 4, 2004). 'Season 2 Episode 10', aired on OLN by Terry Boyle and Brian O'Dea.
Belyk C. Robert. (2014). ' Spirits of the West: Eerie Encounters from the Prairies to the Pacific' Touchwood Editions.
MUSIC
One of Saskatoon's most underrated attractions is its large and diverse music scene. From the stadium level events at Credit Union Centre, to the intimate jazz events at the Bassment, the music scene in Saskatoon contains music for all tastes. For the past few decades, one of the major hubs for music in Saskatoon has been Broadway Avenue. Broadway is home to several of Saskatoon's major music venues. It is characterized by a wide variety of genres and large number of music venues in such a tight-knit area.
Opened 1988 - Amigo's is easily one of the most well-known music venues in the Broadway area. Technically, Amigo's is on Dufferin Ave and 10th St, just off of Broadway, but it still is one of the major bars in the Broadway area. A family restaurant during the day and a swinging nightclub by night, Amigo's has hosted several before-they-were-famous bands and acts as a venue for the Saskatoon Jazz Festival and MoSo Fest. Such bands as Electric Six, The Sheepdogs, and Mother Mother have graced the stage at Amigo's.
Lydia's Pub was another major music venue on Broadway. Located in the historic Farnam block, Lydia's was started around 1985. The building had three levels, where it could host potentially three concerts at once. Unfortunately, Lydia's tragically closed in 2013, with the owners citing structural problems with the building which eventually caused it to be torn down two years later. Some well known bands have played at Lydia's, including Saskatoon's own 'The Sheepdogs' who played their first show there. It was also acted as a venue for MoSo Fest, Tonight It's Poetry, and the Ness Creek Music Festival Auditions.
The Broadway Theatre is not only a movie theatre, but also a venue for music and theatre productions. The theatre has been around since 1943, although it did not start acting as a venue for music until 1993, when it was closed down and re-opened under new management. For more information on the Broadway Theatre, visit our Broadway Theatre page on the day version of the site.
The basement of 834 Broadway Avenue has been home to multiple music venues over the years. The basement is best known for the narrow and steep staircase that leads down to actual bar. Initially the venue was home to the Wash N' Slosh: a metal bar and Laundromat. The venue was characterized as being a place where one could drink, listen to heavy metal music, and do laundry. All at the same time. The Wash N' Slosh changed into The Roxy on Broadway in 2004, which was a general rock bar. The Roxy changed again to the Fez in 2009, which was also a bar that specialized in rock music. Unfortunately on July 26, 2012, a 27-year-old man was tragically killed when he fell down the steep stairs to the bar. Because of the bad press due to the death, the Fez changed its name to The Rock Bottom. The Rock Bottom was initially a general rock bar, but now also incorporates hip-hop, reggae, and metal shows.
Bud's was started in the mid-1980's. It is known as Saskatoon's local blues bar. On any given night Bud's will be filled with beefy men wearing leather jackets and will have a large number of parked motorcycles out front. The venue hosts mainly blues shows, but also rock and country as well.
Vangeli's has been a local bar on Broadway since around 1965. However it was recently - 2010 - that it started acting as a music venue. It hosts a variety of music, local and not, from a variety of genres, including rock, blues, jazz, alternative, and everything in between.
While the Yamaha Piano Centre isn't actually a music venue, it is a locally owned business that provides a service to the greater music community in Broadway and Saskatoon as a whole. Owned by a local couple, the Yamaha Piano Centre was opened in 1980. It is the only locally owned and operated music store in the city and provides lessons as well as sales and service.
Bibliography
Fuller, Cam. 1993. 'Broadway To Launch New Era Next Week'. Saskatoon Star Phoenix.
Morin, Chris. 'Main dies at Saskatoon's The Fez.' Ominocity.com. Accessed March 25, 2015. http://www.ominocity.com/2012/07/27/man-dies-at-saskatoons-the-fez/
Morin, Chris. 'Ominocity's Guide to Saskatoon Music Venues.' Ominocity.com. Accessed March 25, 2015. http://www.ominocity.com/2012/08/16/ominocitys-guide-to-saskatoon-music-venues/
Morin, Chris. 'Saskatoon music venues still strong despite recent closures.' Ominocity.com. Accessed March 25, 2015. http://www.ominocity.com/2013/08/02/saskatoon-music-venues-still-strong-despite-recent-closures/
The Sheaf. 'Debate: Lydia's.' The Sheaf. Accessed March 27, 2015. http://thesheaf.com/2015/02/15/debate-lydias/
Silliphant, Craig. Exile off Main Street: Random Dispatches from the Saskatoon Music Scene. Saskatoon: Thoughtlab Media, 2013.
Yamaha Piano Centre. 'About Us.' Yamaha Piano Centre. Accessed March 27, 2015. http://www.yamahapianocentre.ca/about-us.html
