1976 Exhibit Brochure
By 1925 dances at the Lagoon Ballroom were among the most important social affairs of the Wasatch front.
2023 Exhibit Guide
In July of 1896, Lagoon Resort opened in Farmington as an amusement park and gathering space. In addition to swimming, rides, food, and other diversions, the Lagoon Resort featured a popular dance pavilion.
During its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, local and national bands and musical groups ranging in genre attracted dancers to the Lagoon Ballroom. At that time, the Great Salt Lake and Hot Springs railway brought many people from Salt Lake City to Farmington’s Lagoon Resort in search of entertainment and ballroom events. By 1925, dances at the Lagoon Ballroom were among the most important social affairs of the Wasatch Front.
Kaysville Area Connections
From 1896 through the 1920s the young people of Kaysville especially enjoyed the entertainments at Lagoon’s Ballroom and were some of its major patrons. Beginning in 1912, Kaysville doctor Sumner Gleason’s six-member band was a popular attraction at Lagoon on Friday and Saturday nights. Nora Bonnemort Thornley was the band’s original pianist and Paul Williams later took over her position.
Artist
Mary R. Warnock (1907-1997)
Mary Roberts Warnock, first lived in Kaysville then moved to Farmington, Utah, where her art studio was based. She was an accomplished watercolor and portrait artist. She graduated from the University of Utah and pursued additional studies at the Otis Art Institute in California and the Los Angeles Art Center. Warnock was an active member of the Associated Utah Artists and the Ogden Fine Arts Club and was appointed chairman of the Ogden Palette Club’s studio committee. She was a student of LeConte Stewart.
Warnock’s work has been exhibited in many collections, including several one-artist shows throughout Utah. She has also won several awards and recognitions for her artwork such as the prize for portraiture at the Utah State Fair.
Sources
- “Bicentennial Historical Art Collection.” 1976 Exhibition Brochure, Special Collections, Weber State University.
- Eyes Toward the Past. DVD.
- Karras, Marilyn. “Lagoon Dance Pavilion Popular”. The Ogden Standard Examiner, 21 November, 1976.
Notes
Copyright owned by Weber State University Storytelling Festival. All rights reserved. Painting shown by Kaysville – Fruit Heights Museum with permission. Painting number 17 in the 2023 exhibit guide.
