![]() ![]() ![]() Regional bandleader Leo Greco, who started his band the same year that Armar opened and played there often, said: "They used to say the ballroom was the poor man's nightclub. David Thaler, Les Liabo and the Fellman estate, which bought it in 1963 after Archer had died. The property had been owned by a partnership between Joe Sinaiko, Dr. The sale of the property was effective Jan. Their objective was to get John Culver re-elected over challenger Tom Riley.īy December 1976, Charles Igram was waiting for the title delivery on the ballroom and the surrounding 11.5 acres. Ted Kennedy's wife, Joan, returned for another campaign event in October 1968 and shared the Armar stage with Carol Channing. Nelson Rockefeller attended a Rockefeller-Tom Riley dinner at the Armar in May 1968. Williams was the key investigator into a Senate scandal at the time. Bromwell was defeated by Culver in his bid for a third term, but not before he authored and helped pass the civil rights legislation of 1964. 25, 1966, and eventually became the 41st governor of Iowa in 2007. "We're expecting a new precinct committeeman in our house in February," he said. At that campaign dinner, Culver publicly revealed that he and his wife were expecting a fourth child. Roast beef and baked ham were served by the Town House restaurant. John Culver and 1,200 other guests on Sept. came to Armar to have dinner with his old college friend Rep. Political rallies involving all three Kennedy brothers, Nelson Rockefeller and Averill Harriman were held at Armar. In April 1966, Joseph Cardinal Beran, archbishop of Prague, was honored at a banquet in the ballroom. You will begin to receive our Daily News updates. Add your contacts.Īrmar also was a gathering place for political events and visiting dignitaries as well. In an effort to attract teens, the ballroom brought in special shows by Bobby Darin and Paul Anka in the 1950s. The national network broadcast went on air after one rehearsal. On June 24, 1950, Vaughn Monroe presented his CBS "Caravan" to about 1,000 people at Armar on a Saturday afternoon. About 3,500 people danced to Welk's Champagne Music. Lawrence Welk attracted one of the biggest crowds in 1956. Eddie Howard, Wayne King, Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Ray Anthony, Count Basie, Les Elgart, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Guy Lombardo played there over the years. The first birthday celebration for the ballroom included cake, hats, novelties, balloons and the Ray Pearl Band.Īrmar was part of the big band circuit. Manager Norman Harvey said the ballroom held 3,000 people with seating for 1,500. Its name was derived from Archer and Marion. The ballroom was the seventh in a chain of Midwest ballrooms owned by Tom Archer of Des Moines. The opening act at the Armar Ballroom was Harry James and his orchestra. ![]()
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