| The Midway Ballroom or Gardens as it was also called, once stood on pilings over the water on the North end of Cedar Lake, IN. It was constructed well before my time and even when I was a kid, it seemed old. It burned in April of 1986, a week before it was due to reopen for the season. I have no idea when it was built. Over the years the place hosted a mulititude of top artists of the era. They had a big band phase, country after that, and later on, rock n roll. I have a lot of good memories of the popular hard rock bands that manager Brian Kubal brought to town. I also remember big name country stars, but not the big bands. The thing that was really cool about Midway is that it was on a pier over the water. On a still summer night, with large screened windows open the music carried across the water almost like magic. You could hear it all around. People would anchor boats nearby or just sit on the docks and enjoy the tunes. The morning after the fire I for one, was shocked to see what was left of our beloved Midway! The dock still stood, but nothing else was left except for smoldering debris. This was a tough loss for Cedar Lake. The only place for live entertainment, or any entertainment really, was gone. It was later learned that owner Jim Kubal had let the insurance lapse since the place was closed for the season. I'm pretty sure the Kubals made efforts to rebuild, but were turned down by the Indiana Dept of Natural Resources. For a few years the decking remained and was a popular fishing spot, but eventually the remnants were removed along with the pilings later on. If anybody has any more information or corrections, feel free to let us know at: contributions@regionrockmemories.com |
| Date | Headliner | Notes | Media | Review |
| 6-02-?? | Ralph Marterie | |||
| 6-09-?? | Tommy Dorsey Band | |||
| 6-16-?? | Tony Pastor | |||
| 6-23-?? | Richard Maltby | |||
| 6-30-?? | Tommy Dorsey Band | |||
| 7-07-?? | Les Elgart | |||
| 7-14-?? | Woody Herman | |||
| 7-21-?? | Glen Miller Band | |||
| 7-28-?? | Dukes of Dixieland | |||
| 8-04-?? | Stan Kenton | |||
| 8-11-?? | Les Brown | |||
| 8-18-?? | Jimmy Dorsey | |||
| 8-25-?? | Ralph Marterie | |||
| 9-01-?? | Dukes of Dixieland | |||
| 7-10-60 | Les Elgart | |||
| 1960s | Omens | |||
| 1960s | Buckinghams | |||
| 1960s | Blue Angels | |||
| 1960s | Kingsmen | Performed one song with Blue Angels | ||
| 8-24-63 | Beach Boys | |||
| 1980s | Barbara Mandrell | |||
| 1980s | Centerfold | |||
| 1980s | Mark Farner | Also billed as Grand Funk. (nice try Bri) | ||
| 1980s | Rory Gallagher | |||
| 1980s | Rare Earth | |||
| 1980s | Steppenwolf | |||
| 1980s | Guess Who | |||
| 1980s | Iron Butterfly | |||
| 1980s | Gruesomes | |||
| 1980s? | SGT. ROXX | |||
| 5-05-84 | Foghat | yes |
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