Rainbow Gardens, now Atlas Industries 1736 East State Street Fremont, Ohio 43420

My father Robert Williams from Detroit performed here with the Vernor's Ginger Ale band about 1935

My father Harold Frey was the singer in the Charlie Hauser Big Band that was the house band at Rainbow Gardens in the late 50's. He is 92 now, but has a lot of good memories of RB including having taken my Mom there on one of their first dates to go dancing.

Sadly the building no longer stands. What glorious memories I have of the Saturday nights there listening and dancing to the name bands back in the late 1940's. I'm now a Florida resident but lived in Fremont on Croghan St. for many years, then Linden Blvd. on the east side till 1970.

My father, Harold Frey, peacefully passed away January 23 survived by wife Elizabeth, daughter Lisa, and sons Chris and myself. He was a WW II veteran having served as a communications specialist in the Navy and worked for his father Henry G. Frey at the H. G. Frey Company that eventually burned down in 1965 in Fremont, OH. They had one of the original contracts to produce Kewpie dolls. He was an incredible and wonderful singer having sang, as I mentioned in my previous post, with the Charlie Hauser Big Band in the late 50's. And he also sang with a theatre company in Fremont (I don't recall the name) and I have a publicity photo of him when they did "Guys & Dolls". Mr. Wang, who used to run the Wang Music business in Fremont, recorded a lot of the Big Bands that came thru Rainbow Gardens on a reel-to-reel and recorded the Charlie Hauser Big Band - he sent a couple of CDs to my Dad a few years back where he converted the reels to CD and my Dad is singing.

In this photo it was the ITE Circuit Breaker Co.

My Dad's band played there for years...Charlie Haaser Orchester

After dancing at The Gardens on Saturday eveing, we returned to roller skate on the marble floor Sunday afternoon. While slipping and sliding on the Dance Wax for the first 15 minutes!

It's Charlie Haaser (correct spelling)

My apologies for spelling the name incorrectly - thank you for providing the correction. My mother passed away 4 months after dad, so as we were going thru everything I found dad's hand written original list of band songs and the ones marked where he would be singing and I framed it. Harold (amazing, my dad's name), if you would like a copy of the CDs I have of the band and my dad singing let me know.

I don't know why I was told the building was taken down years ago. It looks to me like its still standing and above it says it's now Atlas Industries. Sorry for my mentioning earlier that the building no longer exists.

Atlas gone. Sold Dec 9 2019 to Thermo King Corp

Kevin Frey.....I'd be glad to get a CD of the old times!!
Harold F Haaser
560 Grasslands Village Circle
Lakeland, Florida 33803

By the way.....I think "Weng" is the spelling for Weng's Music Store. I used to take music lessons from them.

Oh Geez!!! I can't spell anything correctly. Thank you!!! I'll make a copy of the CD and get it mailed off. Last I know Mr. Weng retired to Florida. I haven't had any luck on contacting him to see if he has any other recordings of the Charlie Haaser Orchestra. With your living in Florida you might have better luck. And I spelled everything right!!! Dad used to talk about the trumpet player in the band that was the lead trumpet soloist, Joe Pass - and I may even be spelling his last name incorrectly, I never asked Dad to spell it out for me. Dad always said he was such a great musician he could have played with any well-known big band. Apparently I met him a couple of times, but I was very young so I don't recall. Any information about him? Lastly, the rumor I heard is the marble floor is still preserved under the Thermo King Corp. building. Anyone know if there is any truth to this rumor?

Kevin... I don't know about the floor but I did send Mr. Weng an email. No response as of yet.
Harold

I have an item that might be related. Was there any connection between Rainbow Lanes and the Rainbow Flyers?

Kevin Frey....can you drop me a line? haroldhaaser@gmail.com
I want to send you some pictures! Received your package yesterday...and thanks! (03.06.2021)

Mr.weng passed away...I think a year or two ago...I played cards or checkers with him at valley view ...I was a volunteer for a while...my dad gave organ lessons at wengs music store...

Harold, I know this is two years later, but did I follow-up and send you and email so you could send the pictures? I had a real rough time like many, many people 2020 thru 2021 getting COVID three times and the second time in early 2021 was a doozy - I work in healthcare as a certified surgical technologist and hospitals needed my help, but put me at some risk.
Does anyone know if Mr. Weng still had all the tapes he recorded of big bands that played at Rainbow Gardens? Sorry to hear about his passing. His music store was an icon in Fremont for many years.

Small building at the right is Otto's Restaurant. 1618 E State St.