The Kids Are Alright: Mod Subculture and the Teen Centre, 1966

On Friday, June 25th 1966, the new Teen Centre opened at 79 Pim Street. The owner of the club, Joe Bumbacco, modelled the club after ones he saw in New York and Winnipeg. Half dance hall, half restaurant - a place where teens could go four days a week from 9:30 PM until 1 AM. Food and beverages were served in the seating area, while the dance floor and stage were located on the other side of the room. 

The opening night was described as “packed, even though there were two other dances in town.” Three bands played to a crowd of 200 that night: The Rogues, More or Less and the Odds and Ends. 

The centre was described by David Wilson as a place for teens to have fun, unlike the city or school dances where the attendees go “just to be seen”. Tom Mitchell followed up David's statement by saying, “We’re ourselves, they’re phonies.” Both Tom and David were members of Amen, a band that graced the Teen Centre stage nearly every weekend in 1966 before making the move to Toronto. 

Amen, 1966. From the Sault Ste. Marie Museum collection.

The Teen Centre was a haven for musicians, artists, “mods” and those who dressed out of the conservative norm. Articles from 1966 describe the fashion popular at the Teen Centre as “following the London Look” with miniskirts, patterned nylons, go-go boots, empire waist dresses, paisley, polka dots, bell-bottoms, and dangling earrings. Beatle haircuts, frilly shirts and colourful pants were “all the rage”. 

​The Teen Centre, while first getting both parent and police approval, quickly fell out of favour with adults. A fight that broke out at the Centre in September 1966 between a group of out-of-town teens and a group of locals caused a riot, resulting in 11 arrests. The teenagers who witnessed the fight and subsequent riot banded together to bail out their peers to the tune of $1008.

Mod fashion in 1966, From the Sault Ste. Marie Museum collection.

Mod fashion in 1966, From the Sault Ste. Marie Museum collection.

In November 1966, the Mayor of Sault Ste. Marie asked the police to report on juvenile delinquency and whether or not it was an expanding problem. A multitude of people within the community were posed these questions. Many said that there was an issue, however, Centre owner Joe Bumbacco stated that the problem was that teens had nothing to do and nowhere to go. He stressed that teen facilities should be organized and operated by teens, for teens. “If the centres are not designed to suit the kids’ wants and needs, you might as well throw your money in the river.”

The Teen Centre closed in 1967 after a year-long run. Various attempts to create a new place for teens to go in the 1960s were short-lived. They included Friday night club Youth Come Alive in 1967, and that same year, a teen centre at the boat club and the Centennial Youth Centre on Gore Street. These clubs were more conservative than the Teen Centre, and didn’t offer the same haven for those who dressed “alternatively” as long hair and mod clothing were not allowed.

​Teenager Brian Stocco was standing with a group of teens on Queen Street on a Friday night and was quizzed by the Sault Star on why he wasn’t at any of the teen centres. He replied, “Can’t get in. You have to dress a certain way, and we don’t.” Another teenager, when asked about the centre on Gore, stated, “Are you kiddin’, man? The atmosphere is nil, zilch.”

Mod styles at the Teen Centre, 1966. From the Sault Ste. Marie Museum collection.