Glen Park is a walking park in Williamsville, New York. It is bordered by the Glen Falls

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

Ellicott Creek Ellicott Creek is a stream in Western New York, United States. It is a tributary of Tonawanda Creek, which in turn flows into the Niagara River. Course Ellicott Creek originates in southwest corner of Genesee County, just northeast of Darien La ...

, and the inactive Williamsville Water Mill.

History

The location originally housed an amusement park, Harry Altman's Glen Park Casino and Amusement Park. The property was razed following two fires.

The Inferno in 1968

The first fire in September 1968 destroyed a nightclub on the property called ''The Inferno''. The Inferno was formerly the "Glen Casino". The nightclub was notable for featuring the bands Wilmer & the Dukes and Raven (formerly Tony Galla and the Rising Sons) on a weekly basis, which helped launch their careers. In addition, national recording acts such as

Junior Walker Autry DeWalt Mixon Jr. (June 14, 1931 – November 23, 1995), known professionally as Junior Walker, was an American multi-instrumentalist (primarily saxophonist and vocalist) who recorded for Motown during the 1960s. He also performed as a sess ...

& the All Stars, The

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, Ike &

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, The Bob Seger System,

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& the Union Gap,

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& the CC Riders, and

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also played this famous nightclub.

Underground 1973

The second fire in September 1973 destroyed several buildings, including the lower building called the "Underground". Altman, his son-in-law Dave Goldstein and grandson Steve Goldstein had hosted many famous entertainers at the '' Glen Casino'' over the years, including Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra Jr.,

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...

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, and the

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. The ''Casino'' was built in the 1940s and housed both a theater and a restaurant. In 1966, Kevin Elliott, a local promoter, sold Harry Altman the idea to convert the nightclub into a rock 'n roll venue. It was also the springboard for the Inferno house band, named the Rising Sons. This local group featuring Tony Galla on vocals, Jim Calire on piano, John Weitz lead guitar, Tommy Calandra on bass guitar,

Gary Mallaber Gary Mallaber (born October 11, 1946 in Buffalo) is a Los Angeles session drummer, percussionist and singer. He attended Lafayette High School, where he and Bobby Militello, along with other musicians, were mentored by saxophonist Sam Scam ...

on drums, became national recording artists known as Raven managed by music executive,

Marty Angelo Marty Angelo worked in the entertainment business from 1965 to 1980 as a television producer ( Disco Step-by-Step), record promoter, restaurant/nightclub owner and personal manager for rock 'n' roll bands ( Raven and Rob Grill and The Grass Roots) ...

. The Raven recorded a live album entitled, "Live at the Inferno" which was later released in 1969. The front cover of the album is a photo of the fire-razed nightspot. In 1976, the park was converted to its current state with the installation of several ponds and concrete walking paths. It has since been owned and maintained jointly by the Village of Williamsville and the Town of Amherst.

References

External links

Glen Park
- Village of Williamsville official website {{coord, 42.96489, -78.74466, scale:10000, display=title Urban public parks Fires in New York (state) 1973 fires in the United States 1968 fires in the United States Burned buildings and structures in the United States Defunct amusement parks in New York (state) Parks in Erie County, New York