THE HORSESHOE DANCE HALL IN SUDBURY

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1 THE HORSESHOE DANCE HALL IN SUDBURY THE PAVILION DANCE HALL ON LAKE HORTONIA Gene Preseau and others in the Preseau family were involved at the Pavilion Dance Hall on Lake Hortonia on Walkers Grove Road off Route 30. That dance hall closed in 1965 so Gene s brother Wilfred decided to build his own dance hall. CAMP AWANEE DINING HALL ON BEEBE POND IN HUBBARDTON Camp Awanee was a beautiful girls camp on Beebe Pond in Hubbardton that was owned by June Sherline. She closed the camp in 1964 andsubdivided the property into vacation building lots. When the Pavilion closed in 1965, Wilfred and Cecile Preseau decided to have their own dance hall. They bought Camp Awanee s Recreation and Dining Hall from June in They had friends Earl & Mary Burns who had built and owned The Old Lantern in Charlotte where Wilfred had played. The two families removed every board and nail and took the material to the Preseau Farm on Horton Road in Sudbury. This is what the building looked like at Camp Awanee in Camp Awanee (Recreation and Dining Hall) They had to resort to using dynamite to remove the chimneys. 1

2 In 1967 the Horse shoe was built on the west side of Horton Road in Sudbury. The only additional materials purchased were: the metal roof, the 4 x 4 cross beams to help support the roof, and the hardwood dance floor. The main structure contained a 45 foot by 96 foot dance floor. Across the back was a 15 foot by 96 foot addition that housed a bar room when there were weddings, a stage, restrooms for women and men, and a large kitchen. 2

3 Some of those in the orchestra, with some names likely misspelled, were: Band Leader and Violin Player: Caller: Bass Guitar: Rythm Guitar: Drums: Trumper: Accordian: Cook and Assistant Manager Wilfred Preseau Gene* Preseau, Edgar Preseau, Johnny Blackburn, Art Blair Peter Praseau Alfred Dolphi, Donny Hanfield Carl Brown, Jack Sackson Rene Preseau Linda Clark, Rose Saubert, Louis Winbicki Cecile Preseau *Wilfred s brother. Wilfred ( ) and Cecile bought a farm on the west side of Horton Road in June They had 4 sons: Edgar (1942), Rene (1950), Peter (1956), Ronnie (1959). It remained in the family until Cecile s home was sold to William and Tanya Welch in She said 13 rooms were too much for me. Cecile, born in 1919, is a super 92 year old lady, still with a twinkle in her eye. Horseshoe was simply a name Cecile and Wilfred both liked. Horseshoes were also used as coat hooks in the dance hall. Wilfred and Cecile Preseau c1965 3

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5 The Horseshoe operated 9-1 every Saturday year round. Later changed to Usually about 250 showed up, but they had 350 people attend on one St Patricks Day Round and Square Dances Wedding and Annivesay Receptions and Catering. (Wilfred died of a heart attack on 1/1/1981 at a New Year s Eve Dance at the Horseshoe) 1985 Sold to Maurice Ponton who only used it for receptions Sold to Bob Prozo, an auctioneer who only used it for auctions. Last auction may have been in Cecile Rene Edgar & his wife Monique Preseau s on

6 Cecile M. Preseau Cecile M. Preseau SUDBURY Cecile Mary Preseau, age 93, died Tuesday, September 4, 2012, at Helen Porter Health & Rehabilitation Center in Middlebury. Mrs. Preseau was born in Ontario, Canada, on May 17, She was the daughter of Arthur and Marie (Dubuc) Cousineau. She moved to Bridport with her family in She received her education in Middlebury schools. On September 11, 1939, she married Wilfred Joseph Preseau in St. Mary s Catholic Church in Middlebury. They made their home on Horton Road in Sudbury since 1939, where they ran the family farm together. Mr. Preseau predeceased her in Following their retirement, they spent winters in South Carolina and returned to Vermont in the summer. They had owned and operated The Horseshoe in Sudbury for many years. She was a member of the Sudbury Ladies Circle. In her earlier years, she belonged to the Sudbury PTA. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting and cooking. She was a communicant at St. Paul s Catholic Church in Orwell and St. Mary s Church in Brandon. Surviving is a daughter-in-law, Mrs. Edgar (Monique) Preseau of Honea Path, S.C.; three sons, Rene Preseau and his companion Sharon Alexander, Peter Preseau and his companion Margaret Hanson, and Ronnie Preseau and his companion Michele Fyles, all of Sudbury; a sister, Catherine Latour of Orwell. Nine grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, several great-great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins also survive her. She was also predeceased by a son, Edgar Preseau; seven brothers, Richard, Osiaf, Norman, George, Paul, Ector and Romeo Cousineau; a sister, Cedlia Charlobois; and a grandson, Mark Preseau. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, September 8, 2012, at 10 a.m., at St. Mary s Catholic Church in Brandon. The Rev. Lance Harlow, Mrs. Preseau s nephew, will be the celebrant. The graveside committal service and burial will follow in St. Genevieve Cemetery in Shoreham. Following the ceremony, the family will receive friends at Brandon American Legion Post #55, for a time of fellowship and remembrance. Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made in her memory to The Orwell First Response Squad, PO Box, Orwell, VT Arrangements are under the direction of the Miller & Ketcham Funeral Home in Brandon. 6

7 Cecile was quite religious. Her great nephew gave her last rites and officiated at her funeral on She wanted her funeral on the Virgin Mary s birthday and it was. (When was the Mother of God born? We can't know for certain, of course, but for almost 15 centuries now, the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated on September 8, which is exactly nine months after December 8--the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.) 7

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