The Way We Were Column
By MIKE FILEY
It was on this day in 1967 that the Village Corner, Toronto's first folk club, closed its doors forever.
Located on Avenue Rd. just north of Davenport Rd., the club imitated the folk clubs that had opened across the United States in the late 1950s.
It opened its doors to the public in early February 1960. There was a basic membership fee of 25 cents plus an additional 50 cents admission charge.
It was reported that you could sit in the club all night and, even if you splurged on a cup of coffee, you'd spend no more than a buck.
One of the earliest performers was Gordon Lightfoot, who performed on its small stage for two years.
Another was Vancouver's Ian Tyson, whose Saturday night concerts often resulted in long lineups trying to get into the packed club.
In the fall of 1960 Ian was joined by Chatham, Ontario's Sylvia Fricker. The duo of Ian and Sylvia soon became the most popular attraction to ever play the Village Corner.
Though several subsequent owners tried valiantly to keep the place alive, it continued to lose customers because, as some suggested, folk music had moved to the south - to Yorkville.
(char adds - Bernie Fiedler opened The Riverboat in 1964 in Yorkville -
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.c...=U1ARTU0002991 )
