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Dances
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Dancing as a form of recreation was well established in Summerside before the RCAF built its air training school. However, the arrival of hundreds of young airmen meant that there was considerable interest in holding dances for their entertainment. As early as December 1940 the town planned a special dance on New Year's Day giving complimentary tickets to airmen and to members of the Girls Band who acted as hostesses. While 150 free tickets were distributed, more were sold to bring the attendance to 360.

The first dance at RCAF Station Summerside was on Saturday March 1, 1941. The Commanding Officer and approximately 40 officers invited about 100 guests from Summerside to a buffet supper and dance. Dances became a regular event at the Airport under the direction of the YMCA secretary stationed there. A Dance Committee arranged for the Station Orchestra to play at most of the events, even though the membership of the band was continually changing. It had as many as eleven musicians and often a vocalist. The typical dance attended by 300-400 people in the summer of 1941 was a combination of Paul Joneses, Waltzes, Fox Trots, and Jive.

In January 1942 the Director of Dancing at the No. 9 School initiated a Modern Dance Club with the motto "Have Fun While Learning." Airmen applied for membership through Cpl Robertson and single Summerside ladies submitted their names by mail. A special bus service was arranged and instruction was given weekly on Thursday from 8-9 p.m., followed by a regular Station dance. Latin dances were learned along with the more traditional steps and contests were held, making for much merriment.

Once the Women's Division arrived at the base the invitations to local women were curtailed. In April 1942 it was announced that only wives and girlfriends would be invited to dances at the Port. A special reception and dance was arranged by the town to honour Group Captain Fullerton and his officers prior to the No. 9 School's departure in July 1942. The function took place in late June at the Summerside Academy Auditorium with music by the airport orchestra and refreshments by the IODE.

The No. 1 General Reconnaissance School also held dances at the Station, but there was no opportunity for civilians to attend without a special invitation. In August 1943 the largest dance up to that point in time was held in the Drill Hall with music by Don Messer and his Islanders. Approximately 2000 people were in attendance. Station dances for the airmen were held weekly in the fall of 1944 and the spring of 1945, with the occasional large dance for all ranks.

In addition to the dances at the Station, both the Knights of Columbus and the Canadian Legion offered a small dancing area in their facilities. The Journal in August 1941 reported that at the Legion's weekly dances "the men have the opportunity of meeting specially-selected young ladies of the town who are chosen each week from a carefully prepared list of the fair sex." Their parents generally closely monitored the attendance of young ladies at any of the dances.


There were also regular dances at halls in the community. The most popular one was Maple Leaf Garden, which was located upstairs in a building on Summer Street. After the war, it became the Regent Theatre. There were large turnouts at the dances held there at least every Saturday night. Other halls that were used for dances were the Montgomery Hall, the CMBA Hall, and the Miscouche Hall. The St. Mary's Church Hall was used for two successful Valentine Day dances as well as for other dances. Bishop's Diner on the road to the airport (South Drive) was advertised as a place to "Dine and Dance."


Live band music was enjoyed at all the large dances. The bands that played in this area were Don Messer's Orchestra, the New Dome Dance Band, the Maple Leaf Orchestra, the Summerside RCAF Orchestra, and the Mount Pleasant RCAF Orchestra. The No. 9 Orchestra supplied the music for the Convocation Dance at the Summerside High School in May 1941.

Dancing where space was limited was usually to the accompaniment of a gramophone. Vinyl recordings and radio music were popular at impromptu dances in private homes. Frances Corney, a teenager at the time, recalls that she and her friends almost wore out the carpet in the livingroom of her family's house on Convent Street.

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