Phil's Beach Thread

[cynot]

A friend of mine told me about this, I looked it up online... some cool pics!

www.dailyherald.com/article/20140710/entlife/140719958/

[cynot]

It made the front page of the paper

[Steam McQueen]

Jul 12, 2014 17:29:49 GMT -5 cynot said:

some cool pics!

Definitely! I love this pic of Dan backing up to 1st position ...









I said Dan instead of Elwood because Elwood never used reverse on Phil's Beach haha. I think Elwood used reverse only once in the movie ... ? Setting up the back-flip is the only time I can think of. I guess that was part of the joke with the parking. How to parallel park without using reverse Elwood is a busy guy, he doesn't have time for reverse (Unless he needs to do a back-flip).




* Edit - Oops just remembered, Elwood uses reverse in the mall just before the "new Oldsmobiles" line.

[Steam McQueen]

The Wauconda Park District is set to purchase Phil's Beach and some nearby property from the family that's owned the scenic spot on the western shore of Bangs Lake since the 1920s. The agreed sale price is $690,000.

The beach was prominently featured in "The Blues Brothers." The film was shot on location throughout Chicago and the suburbs, including an important scene in which stars Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi drive along Phil's Beach to promote their concert at the fictitious Palace Hotel Ballroom.

Despite its popularity, the Reilly family shut down the beach in 1990 because of rising insurance costs. It has been closed to the public ever since.

Park district officials have been speaking with the Reillys for more than 18 months about purchasing the beach. The siblings decided to sell because they're getting older and want to see what the park district can do with the property.

- www.dailyherald.com/article/20160909/news/160908915/

[Steam McQueen]

^ Good news here ! ...

The village board unanimously approved a conditional use permit that will allow park district officials to move ahead with the $3 million project on the 300 block of North Main Street. The permit allows the district to open the once-popular beach, which is on the western shore of Bangs Lake, to the public for the first time since the 1980s.

- www.dailyherald.com/news/20180515/phils-beach-renovation-work-could-start-this-fall

Dating back to the 1920s, Phil's Beach was founded by Phil Froehlke as a private business that eventually was handed down to his descendants. It drew people to Wauconda every summer for decades. Both the beach and its giant, J-shaped slide were featured in the classic 1980 film "The Blues Brothers."

[Steam McQueen]

- Another pic of filming on Phil's Beach ...

[Steam McQueen]

- They're still doing fundraisers and stuff for Phil's Beach. I've never been in an "Indoor Bike Relay" ... at a brewery  





- www.facebook.com/philsbeach/

The scariest part of the slide back in the day ... was the climb up!

[Steam McQueen]

- The mission continues ...





^ Article seems to be behind a paywall ?

There's been two slides in the lake, which is called Bangs Lake, and you can see them both in previous posts in this thread and you can actually see both in the movie. The more modern slide you see featured more than the straight-up tall one. But from what I understand when the renovations are complete and the Beach is re-opened next summer, they will not be putting the slides back in the water.

Historic footage of the slide(s) in use preserved on film in The Blues Brothers and also some Super-8 movies here and there on daTube .





Could be a great gathering for "Blumo's on the Beach 2020" !

[Steam McQueen]

- A bit later than hoped but true to their word, open in 2020 !

The beach, featured in the classic 1980 film “The Blues Brothers,” was formerly a privately run attraction founded by the late Phil Froehlke in the 1920s.

- wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/the-blues-brothers-wauconda-beach-to-reopen-after-30-years/

[2FAB]

Here's a couple of the above shots without the Photobucket overlay (sorry I can't host-and-post).

[Steam McQueen]

Phil’s Beach in Wauconda is ready for a Memorial Day weekend opening. Any potential problems were ironed out last year, as a result the Wauconda Park District has developed a firm plan to keep thing things moving and people safe, while they enjoy the sun and water of Bang’s Lake.

- www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/ct-lns-phils-beach-reopens-st-0426-20210423-gealvza5sncjlbujp3lslxl4fm-story.html

An older and iconic reminder of the beach is the famous J-Slide, designed by Stanley Jachec, a 45-foot-tall structure that propelled swimmers down the chute to glide over the water. When Phil’s Beach closed in the 1990s after more than 60 years because of rising insurance premiums and other costs, the slide was dry-docked on the property, where it remains.

“It sits in a corner by Main Street, and has become a great photo opportunity,” Burton said. “The art teachers at the Wauconda School District also illustrated a ‘face in the hole’ board, right next to it. We have no intentions of moving the slide. People still love to see it and reminisce. These are great memories that people share with us. We are looking forward to creating new ones.”

Phil’s Beach was opened in 1926, by owner Phil Froehlke and his family. The beach appeared in the 1980 movie, “The Blues Brothers,” with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd driving their “Bluesmobile” across the sand, an oversize loudspeaker tied to the roof, and promoting a concert. Crews then went to the nearby bridged intersection of routes 12 and 176 to film part of the movie’s chase scene.

- www.waucondaparks.com/

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This clip is posted above but here it is again ...