Local Band Recalls Memories of St Joseph’s Shadowland & Silver Beach Amusement Park
There is a group of two musicians calling themselves the Mystery Forest Band that recently wrote a song and directed a video tribute to the old Silver Beach Amusement Park & Shadowland Ballroom, just over 50 years after the amusement park closed down. The park was a staple of the community starting all the way back in 1891, as their website remembers:
The Silver Beach Amusement Park that graced the shores of St. Joseph, Michigan, from 1891-1971 meant something special to every one of its millions of patrons through the years – regardless of age. To some, the Silver Beach Amusement Park meant an afternoon of carnival rides, snacks, and games of chance and skill. To others, it meant a family picnic, a swim in the big lake, or just a moonlight stroll along the boardwalk. Still, others saw Silver Beach Amusement Park as a way of life.
The Shadowland Ballroom still exists today as a wedding venue and company gathering center, and the days of bands coming in and playing are long gone but not forgotten. The song Shadowland is definitely a tip of the hat to bands coming out of 50s. Many people have been enjoying it recalling all the old memories it brought back up and how it was a shame it had to go away:
It's a shame it got torn down. I get it that it needed a ton of money to be rehabilitated but it was something in the area that really stuck out. The tourists today would just love it.