The building in the left was once a farm market and later a deli. The building on the right was a restaurant, night club and finally a “gentlemen’s club.” Both were demolished last year.
By Alan B. Crawford
If you drift over to State Route 17K, about four miles west of the City of Newburgh, on the south side of the highway, over by Rock Cut Road, you’ll find a concrete slab and a vacant lot. This is a rather recent development. The buildings have been demolished, but there were at least five establishments which called this slab home. Let’s go back to the beginning.
Scrolling back through the calendar years, in the early 1960’s, you would find Charlie’s Restaurant, which was next to Charlie’s Farm Market. The restaurant featured Italian and American cuisine with a family atmosphere. Imagine being able to sit down to a spaghetti dinner, with two meatballs, a tossed salad, with bread and butter for only $1!
Weekends offered musical entertainment with the country music melodies of groups like the Wagon Wheel Playboys, who would play all your requests, or the rock ‘n roll sound of The Four Crowns. Groups like Sonny Jay and the Country Ramblers would entertain on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as Sunday afternoons. Specials like meatball subs for $0.35 or a whole pizza for a dollar definitely kept people coming back again and again. At this time, the eatery was owned by Angelo Petrillo and family.
By 1964, the venue had changed and become Charl’s Diamond Club under the management of Mickey Allessandro. The menu continued to remain pretty much the same. Music also continued to be a major source of attraction with performers like Gil Rogers and the Country Playboys, Phil Valenti (Nettie Gironda’s brother!) and his Royal Tones, and Gracie Winters and the Ranch Hands, with rock ‘n roll edging its way in with groups like the Trolls.
With hardly taking a breath, the name changed to the Pasa Lounge in 1965, with Mickey still being the proprietor. With this incarnation, the music continued but the venue expanded its offerings to include wedding receptions, banquets, and other social functions. They were able to accommodate groups of up to 150 people. The dining became a bit more upscale, offering surf ‘n turf, fish ‘n chips, and a wider range of dishes. Along with this change came another unique form of enjoyment.
Besides the house band, the Majestics, on Friday and Saturday nights, a different type of performer was featured. Some of their names were Miss Velvet, Miss Cookie Nelson, Miss Gigi Paree, Miss Ruby the Gem, Miss Kassandra, Miss Alexandra, Natale Lee, Miss Alisa Kay, Miss Lily Pagen, Miss Rene D’Mirlo, Miss Gina D’avanzo, Miss Dianell, Miss Mia Savage, Miss Monique, DeLisa Monroe, Miss Taffy Royale, Honey Hunter, Miss Wilma, Miss Bambi, Miss Gale Gordon, Miss Vickey Taylor, Miss Jackie Winters, Miss Dana Hayden, Ilona, Miss Dior Angel, Miss Shalla, and so many more! Love those names! I wonder how many were simply the same lady who changed her stage name weekly so they could attract the same patrons over and over again. For those of you who are a bit naïve, these artists were of the burlesque type genre. Comics and similar acts were also on the venue. As with things new, and a bit edgy, there were occasional accusations made.
In the early 1970’s, the location changed again, now being knows as Ed’s Tavern. I must confess I did raise a glass or two there during this period. Great group of people simply hanging out and having fun. For a time, things were laid back and normal. The country music continued to be heard with bands like the Country Drifters. I hope some of the people who performed there, if they recognize the name of a group, will reach out with us and share some memories.
Then, the location came under the ownership of Santa Monica Holdings and thus Pleasure Island came into being. I don’t really know how much success they experienced, but from the view as you would drive by, it seemed to be haphazardly maintained. It was ordered to cease operations by November of 2017. A year or two later, it was leveled.
So, many of you may have visited one of the manifestations which graced this land. I hope those of you who love genealogy, if you find a playbill for a Miss “XXXXX” in your family archives, you’ll share a press photo of a much simpler and less graphic time. Inquiring minds would love to see it!