VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 NEWSLETTER • BREEZY POINT, MN • 4 PAGES • PUBLISHED SINCE 1934

MISSION STATEMENT

To build together themost preferred resortwith the best peopleproviding superiorservice to our guests inan enjoyable, safe, effi-cient and profitablemanner.

INSIDE

THIS ISSUE

OF THE

witnessed a stark contrast in themood of the resort. The flurry ofconstruction was absent and theaggressive land-sales office wasquiet. The Marina Restaurant &Bar, the Supper Club and thefront nine of the golf coursewere open from Memorial Dayto Labor Day. The lower level ofthe restaurant (later becomingthe Dockside Lounge) was oper-ated independently selling baitand offering boat sales andrentals.

Nevertheless, Brandvold wasable to attract a good number ofsummer vacationers. Nameentertainers packed the supperclub at night, while golf andboating on Pelican Lake filledthe days.

The leases bought time but, asexpected, brought with it adecline in the upkeep of theresort. Maintenance attentionwas only directed at those activi-ties necessary to keep it running.The cosmetics such as paintingwere ignored. The back nine ofthe golf course was closed andnature began to reclaim it.

As is the case in bankruptcies,the trustees’ primary interest wasthe sale of the property to settlethe creditors’ claims. With onlya lease, Brandvold had no incen-tive to improve or expand theresort operations. In the mean-time, the operation of the resortunder the lease agreementenabled potential buyers to viewthe property in a more favorablelight than had it been closed.

The resort closed for the seasonin 1967 with a dim prospect ofreopening.

March of 1968 saw another twistin the fortunes of Breezy PointEstates. Nine owners of theHopkins House, a Twin-Citiesrestaurant, successfully negotiat-ed with the trustees the purchaseof the resort.

Included in the sale were theMarina Restaurant & Bar, sup-per club, grocery store, golf

The Evolution of the Breezy Point Resort, Part 4

continued on page 2

(Parts 1 – 3 covered the period fromCaptain “Billy” Fawcett’s 1921 pur-chase of the property through the fallof 1966.)

In 1966, Breezy Point Estateswas in the hands of the bank-ruptcy court. Loyd Brandvold, aTwin-Cities businessman,acquired from the trustees twoone-year leases on the resort andoperated it during the summersof 1966 and 1967.

Guests who had been regularsduring the Simms/Eastvold days

Franklin Hobbs and 2 Resort employees broadcasting live from Breezy Point Resortin 1969. Hobbs was the late night host on WCCO Radio for over 20 years and on

Clear Channel was heard coast-to-coast.

course including the overgrownback nine, gas station, airport, 4units in the Lodge Apartmentsand 47 of the 101 rooms in theGolfview Terrace hotel. The con-dominium owners or the courttrustees held the rest of thebuildings.

The task ahead of them wasdaunting. Their only real expo-sure to the resort was as pastguests for 4th of July celebra-tions and other busy summerweekends. Hidden from theirview was the actual condition ofthe facilities.

The first order of business wasan overall assessment of whatwas needed to bring the facilitiesup to an acceptable condition.The list seemed endless.Mundane items such as crackedswitch plates were accompaniedby missing furniture and, in sev-eral units, missing water pumpsfor the sewer system. Painting,both inside and out, was started.The back nine of the golf coursewas cleared of weeds, reseededand groomed.

The resort reopened with greatfanfare as Hopkins HouseBreezy Point Resort on theMemorial Day weekend of 1968.This also signaled the return tothe resort of Dave Gravdahl,now general manager of BreezyPoint Resort. He had been work-ing for Hopkins House in theTwin Cities.

Realizing that the tourist seasondidn’t get into full swing untilthe latter part of June, mostresorts only operated theirrestaurants on weekends untillate June and then would beopen 7 days per week throughLabor Day. Hopkins House,however, staffed the SupperClub with cooks, bartenders,waiters, busboys and musiciansfor the entire summer season. Asexpected, weekends were busybut midweek in June found nocustomers.

Recognizing the growing popu-larity of snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, the owners builtan indoor/outdoor swimmingpool in what is now the recre-ation center. Several meetingrooms were created in the teen-age nightclub and became hostto the 3 nights per week DonStultz production of the Old LogTheater.

The 1968 summer season busi-ness was a dismal. The dark pub-lic perception of a bankruptresort was a never-ending obsta-cle. Frequent and flashy ads,both in the immediate area andthe Twin-Cities, were run toattract new guests. Word slowlybegan to spread that there was arebirth at the resort.

The resort closed for the season

The Passing of the Marina Restaurant & BarBob Spizzo took the “first bite” out of the old Marina Restaurant & Bar on the morning October 3, 2007

interest rates delayed the project.In the mid 1990s the Resortrenewed its efforts and obtainedthe necessary governmentalapprovals to proceed. Financingwas arranged, contractors andarchitects were commissionedand demolition and construc-tion timelines were established.

All seemed in order until twolawsuits were filed against theCity of Breezy Point regarding itsapprovals of the restaurant proj-ect. The Resort joined the Cityin its defense.

Carl Kristufek and a group ofPetitioners referring to them-selves as the Concerned Citizensbrought one of the lawsuits.They alleged that the City erredin its approval process. This suitwas dismissed in Crow WingCounty District Court. Theplaintiffs then proposed to theCity that they would not pursuean appeal of the judgment if theCity agreed not to pursue fromthem the reimbursement ofcourt costs. The City refusedtheir offer. Kristufek and theConcerned Citizens thenappealed the District Court deci-sion to the Minnesota Court ofAppeals, where it again was dis-missed. The City and Resortwere successful in obtainingfrom the plaintiffs the reim-bursement for court costs.

The 11 timeshare associations

October 3, 2007, signaled theend of a piece of history atBreezy Point Resort when theMarina Restaurant & Bar, builtby Don Eastvold and GinnySimms in 1963, succumbed tothe wrecking machines ofHengel Redi-Mix &Construction. As a train oftrucks lined up to haul away thedebris, the hungry jaws of twoexcavators systematically tore thebuilding apart.

Don Eastvold and Ginny Simmsbuilt the Marina in 1963. Acrowd, including those who hadbeen here when the Marinaopened, first-time guests andResort employees, gathered andwatched in awe as the structurewas quickly reduced to rubble.

The last weekend of theMarina’s life was a bittersweetaffair. Saturday night,September 29, saw a capacitycrowd for the music of Tami &the Bachelor. A boisterous mixof regulars, resort guests, curiouslocals and a wedding party thatmigrated from the ConventionCenter continued the Marina’srich tradition.

The following morning’s break-fast buffet, the Marina’s last, sawa quieter, more reflective crowd.The Marina has hosted count-less memory-making events suchas family reunions, marriage pro-posals, wedding receptions, char-ity events, golf and fishing tour-naments, 3 Governor’s FishingOpeners, celebrity entertain-ment, 13 seasons of the freeChris Olson Elvis show and justa cozy place to gather withfriends. Many of the patronswere here to say goodbye to anold friend.

There were obstacles

Plans to replace the Marina wereformed as early as 1981. Over theensuing years, economic down-turns, bank failures and surging

continued on page 3

The Man and His Music

page 2What’s New at

Breezy Point Resortpage 2

CelebritiesFrequented Breezy

Point Resortpage 3

Attention Time Share Owners

page 4

managed by NarvesonManagement, Inc. brought theother lawsuit. They alleged thatthe City’s approval of the restau-rant project was flawed. CrowWing County District Courtfound that in order to proceedwith the project, the Resortneeded to receive from the Citya Conditional Use Permit(CUP).

Ironically, the Resort hadalready applied and paid for theCUP before the Narveson groupfiled their suit. Nevertheless,and in accordance with theCourt’s order, the Resort soughtand received approval of theCUP at the Breezy PointPlanning & ZoningCommission meeting ofNovember 14, 2006. The Resortwas amazed to learn that thesame timeshare associationsappealed the CUP approval tothe City Council. At itsDecember 18, 2006 meeting, theCity Council denied the appealand upheld the CUP.

It is not known if these groupswere working together but thetiming of the suits raised suspi-cions. Even though both suitsfailed, they did succeed in delay-ing the restaurant and it’s envi-ronmental improvements foranother year.

As Bob Spizzo, Breezy Point

family of Companies

RV & Camping Resort

Little Known FactsAbout

WHITEBIRCH, INC.((PPaarreenntt CCoorrppoorraattiioonn ttoo

BBrreeeezzyy PPooiinntt RReessoorrtt))

- 2006 -Number of employeesFull time - 125 • Part

time - 430Employees residing in

Breezy Point - 122Annual payroll -

$4,840,000Crow Wing CountyReal Estate Taxes -

$490,0002005-06 Season

Ice Arena Hockey Tournament teams - 160

Attendance - 8,400

2 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3

The Evolution of the Breezy Point Resort, Part 4

continued from page 1

Picture in your mind Cleveland,Ohio. It’s 1934, the midst of theGreat Depression. A 19 year-oldsinger has just won a 13-week tal-ent contest. His singing abilitysecured for him a 13-week con-tract for a 15-minute radio showon station WJAY. There was onecatch to the contract…there wasno pay! After several successfulweeks, he met with the stationmanager and asked if he wasever going to get paid. The man-ager said, “No, think of the expe-rience, exposure and the oppor-tunity for singing dates you’re

getting.” As a compromise, thesinger asked to be paid his 10-cent carfare for each round tripto the station. Fearful of settinga “dangerous” precedent, themanager refused the offer andthe singer quit.

The young singer was RussCarlyle, whose fame as a singerand bandleader became synony-mous with the big-band sound.

At the time, before the advent ofTV, a band’s exposure to thepublic was through nationwide

radio broadcasts from majorhotel ballrooms. After Russ quitthe radio show, he was recruitedto go with a band to Troy, NYfor an engagement. There, hewas so well received that he andthe band were kept on for 7months.

The band returned to Clevelandand played on a nationwideradio hookup heard by theowner of New York’s EdisonHotel. An offer to the band wasaccepted and the Edison becamethe band’s base for the next 6years.

Russ’ fame continued to spread.His vocal style was similar to thatof Bing Crosby and produced agreat following.

Russ served in the Army’sSpecial Services from 1942-1945and teamed with Joey Bishop,then unknown, in a comedy actsimilar to what later would beperformed by Dean Martin andJerry Lewis.

After his military discharge,Russ continued with his bandand played throughout the coun-try. His billing was, “TheRomantic Style of Russ Carlyle”.He had also become an accom-plished songwriter.

In 1960, the female singer in hisband quit and Russ found him-self searching for a replacement.

The Man and His MusicThumbing through the yellowpages, he came upon a listing fora “Singing Schoolteacher”. Thelisting was for Patty Clayton,whose audition convinced Russhe had the right girl. The fansloved her and so did Russ. In1970, Patty became Mrs. RussCarlyle.

Now comes the Breezy Pointconnection. Russ had crossedpaths with Ginny Simms duringhis service years when she hadbeen entertaining the troops. In1963, Ginny contacted Russ’agent and hired the band for anengagement at Breezy PointEstates.

Russ had never been to this areaand, upon his arrival, immedi-ately fell in love with the coun-try. He played several seasons atthe resort, purchased land onLake Ossawinnamakee and hada house built. Although he andPatty continued their show busi-ness travels, Breezy Point becametheir permanent home.

Russ and Patty have moved offthe lake but still make theirhome in Breezy Point. Theyspend their winters in Arizona.

Editor’s note: Russ Carlyle’sCD, including the song, “You’venever fallen in love, until you’vefallen in love in Breezy Point,Minnesota”, is available at theGift Shop, 218 562-7152.

Accomplished Singer and Songwriter, Russ Carlyle

KSTP’s broadcastjournalist Jason Daviswill feature BreezyPoint Resort and ChrisOlson’s Memories ofElvis show on his Onthe Road with JasonDavis show on KSTP,channel 5, at 10:30 PM,November 4, 2007.

The first summer season for thenew Boat House has been anoverwhelming success and wehave healthy reservations overthe winter. Its 4 bedroomsaccommodate up to 12 guests.Guests have reported that it’sthe perfect place for familyreunions. Several have rebookedfor the 2008 season.

A new indoor swimming pool,including an exercise area andcommunity room, is under con-struction at Whitebirch Estates.This facility will further enhancethe luxury amenities of thisGold Crown timeshare property.

This winter’s hockey tourna-ment schedule at Breezy PointIce Arena will be the largest inits history. 172 teams are sched-uled to compete betweenNovember and March. Severaltournaments have been expand-ed from 8 to 12 teams to accom-modate the increased demand.Area businesses will benefitgreatly from these winter gather-ings.

Plans are continuing for the cre-ation of the Active AdultResidences. Planco Minnesota,Inc. has been selected as thearchitect along with LandmarkDesign, Inc. for landscaping (thelandscape designers for TheAntlers restaurant) andLandecker & Associates for engi-neering and surveying. Althoughstill in the preliminary stages,our announcement of this proj-ect in the previous BreezyPointer has resulted in numer-ous requests for more informa-tion when it’s available.

Bob Erickson is the new manag-er at The Antlers restaurant. Hebrings a wealth of fine diningexperience from Sunsets inMinnetonka.

A new well has been drilled torelieve the Whitebirch RV &Camping Resort from its previ-ous water restrictions. Otherrecent improvements includenew walking trails and a remod-eling of comfort station #1.

What’s new at Breezy Point Resort?

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and Williams & Ree (still head-liners in the casino circuit) per-formed in the Supper Club. Thehot spot in the resort was thenew dance floor and bandstandin the remodeled MarinaLounge featuring, among others,the Italian Show Band, Quasiar,Rainbow, Asian Society and TheJet & Toni. The room was loud,dark and exciting. Partiers intheir 20s. 30s and 40s from theresort and the entire BrainerdLakes area swarmed to thelounge.

Unfortunately, the expectationsand demands of the guests werechanging. Gone were the care-free, easy-going days of the 50’sand 60’s. The war in Viet Namand the assassinations of MartinLuther King, Jr. and BobbyKennedy had sobered the pub-lic’s perspective. The resort’schallenge was to create for itsguests a few days of diversionand relief from their worries andconcerns.

The resort remained closed dur-ing the winter of 1969/70. Plansfor the next summer were under-way.

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Jason Davis Meets Elvis

in September. As an experiment,and accompanied by an advertis-ing campaign, it reopened forChristmas. The results were sur-prising. There was a moderatewinter market that, with thegrowing interest in snowmobil-ing, would later prove viable.

A winter operation would not betrouble-free. None of these facil-ities were envisioned for winteruse. The insulation was not ade-quate for sub-zero temperatures,water pipes were prone to freez-ing and heating systems wereoverloaded. One observer notedthat fuel trucks were often linedup to satisfy the voraciousappetites of the furnaces.

The 1969 summer season was adisaster. Even though longtimeguests who had given up on theplace were returning, their num-bers were few.

The popularity of the big bandsthat had wowed guests since theearly 20’s was waning.Recognizing this, rock-n-rollbands were added to the venueand younger crowds invaded theresort on weekends. Efforts toprovide “something for every-one” showed promise. Bandslike the Swinging Ambassadors

3VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3

The Passing of the Marina Restaurant & Bar

Resort president, watched thedemolition, he was asked if hewas sad to see it go. He respond-ed, “Absolutely not! This is agreat day for the Resort, thecommunity and the environ-ment. It fulfills a major part ofour long-term developmentplan. I think the only ones whoare sad to see it go are thelawyers.”

The New Restaurant

Construction of the new restau-rant began as soon as the dustsettled.

Footings for the building havebeen laid and the massive under-ground filtration system for thehandling of storm water runoffhas been installed. This systemredirects storm water runofffrom the building and parkinglot to the filtration system there-by eliminating the direct flow ofwater into Pelican Lake. The set-back from the lake has beenincreased and will be landscapedwith a groundcover of vegeta-tion.

The Minnesota Department ofNatural Resources has approvedthe design and environmentalprotections of the facility. Thirty

Lakes Watershed not onlyapproved the project but recom-mended it be expedited.

At 28,000 square feet, the threelevel facility will feature strikingamenities. The lake level willhouse the Dockside Bar. Therestaurant and lounge will occu-py the main level and banquetfacilities will be on the thirdlevel.

The restaurant’s design meets orexceeds all building codes. Thekitchen will feature state-of-the-art appliances and fixtures.Handicap accessibility has beenintegrated into the entire struc-ture, creating the need toenlarge restrooms, elevator lob-bies and corridors. The interiordesign capitalizes on the

Demolition of the Breezy Point Resort Marina Restaurant & Bar

continued from page 1

The City of Breezy PointNeeds Your Help

The City is updating itsComprehensive Plan and needsyour input. Whether you’re aseasonal or full-time resident ora business owner in the City,your vision for the future ofBreezy Point is valuable.

The following describes someof the components of the Plan:

• The Comprehensive Plan is ageneral, forward-lookinggrowth plan for the city ofBreezy Point.

• The Comprehensive Planincludes information relatingto demographics, infrastruc-ture, transportation, housing,public facilities, and futureland use.

• The Comprehensive Plananticipates future growth pat-terns and makes future landuse recommendations.

• The Comprehensive Plansuggests locations for future res-

idential developments, com-mercial developments, industri-al developments, and parks.

• The Comprehensive Planhelps to ensure orderly growthand protection of the publichealth and welfare.

• The Comprehensive Plan is alegally adopted document. Itfunctions as a guideline for theBreezy Point PlanningCommission and helps steerBreezy Point planning policy.

Whitebirch, Inc. is most sup-portive of the ComprehensivePlan process. The City’s contin-ued dynamic growth and devel-opment need the rationalguideposts that can only beacquired through citizeninvolvement.

Visit the ComprehensivePlan website, www.breezypoint-plan.com and let your opinionsand visions be heard.

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Wilford H. Fawcett

Wilford H. “Captain Billy”Fawcett rubbed elbows withmovie stars, politicians andsports figures, often hostingthem at his Breezy Point Lodge.Luminaries such as JackDempsey, Bob Hope, BingCrosby, Delores DelRio, JohnWayne, Rita Hayworth, ClarkGable, Gene Autry, GretaGarbo, Myrna Loy, CaroleLombard, Joan Crawford andothers the frequented the Lodgeas a getaway from the pressuresof public life. Here they weretreated as royalty, with theirevery need attended to.

Harry Truman was anotherBreezy Point guest. EdwardMcKim, a friend of Truman'ssince World War I, told of visitsto the Resort in 1932 andTruman's success at the BreezyPoint slot machine: “Captain Billy was quite a shotwith a shotgun. He was on theAmerican Olympic team at onetime. He had some traps outthere, so we did a little shootingwith him. He had a couple ofguests, one of whom was Dr. JoeMayo, the son of Dr. CharlieMayo. Dr. Joe was killed a fewyears later in an automobile acci-dent. He was the brother of Dr.Chuck Mayo who just retiredfrom the Mayo Foundation. Wedid a little trap shooting at thattime, but we went up therealmost every night for dinner. Itwas a 35 or 40-mile drive. Westopped at a barber shop atBrainerd going up, and he hit

the jackpot in a machine in thelower lobby of the hotel. Thenhe hit the jackpot up at BreezyPoint the same night.” (Quotecourtesy of wikipedia.)Sinclair Lewis, the firstAmerican writer to receive theNobel Prize for Literature(1927), visited Breezy PointLodge while working on hisnovel, Elmer Gantry. While nota guest at the Lodge, he report-edly spent many evenings in thebar, not socializing but justobserving the other customers.He stayed in a cabin at theHamilton residence on thenorth shore of Pelican Lake.

Most guests arrived by train atPequot Lakes and were thentaken by car to the Lodge. Theroad was gravel, the weather was

hot and the windows were open.By the time they reached theLodge, the impeccably dressedguests were covered in a layer ofdust. In response to complaints,they were told it’s all a part oftheir “northwoods experience.”.

Occasionally a group would befurnished their own train carwhich was pulled from the TwinCities by the regular train andthen left on a siding in PequotLakes until their departure.

In more recent times, the Resorthosted Governors LeVander,Perpich, Ventura and Pawlenty,Hubert Humphrey, Bob Allisonof the Twins, Viking PaulKrause, Indy 500 driver A. J.Foyt, boxer Scott LeDoux,George Miken -Mr. Basketballand Olympic great Mark Jenner,amongst many more.

Rita Hayworth

Clark Gable Myrna Loy

panoramic views of PelicanLake.

The construction schedule isambitious. Work will continueover the winter with a comple-tion date of early May 2008,coinciding with the Resort’shosting of the 2008 Governor’sFishing Opener.

Although the wait has been longand expensive, the new restau-rant positions Breezy PointResort as one of the finest fami-ly, timeshare, golf and confer-ence destinations in theMidwest.

Editor’s note: Progress on therestaurant construction may beviewed on the Resort’s webcam,at www.breezypointresort.com.

“I don’t care to belong to any organization

that would have me as a member.”- Grouch Marx

4 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3

ATTENTIONBreezy Point Timeshare Owners

We have received a solid response from time-share owners to the new ID Card but still havea number of owners who have not availedthemselves of the new card.

As an integral part of Breezy Point Resort’ssecurity program, and as encouraged by locallaw enforcement, the new ID Cards protect ourtimeshare owners, guests, employees and facil-ities from unauthorized access to the Resortproperty.

The new ID Cards replace the original cards,some dating back to the 70s. Timeshare asso-ciations not managed by the Resort are notreporting to the Resort any ownershipchanges. Updating of these records and issuingnew ID Cards, at no charge, are necessary forus to adequately monitor the facilities andindividuals who use them.

An added plus to the new ID Cards is the dis-count available to the cardholder on food andgift shop purchases.

While we believe the benefits of the new IDCards are obvious, owners who opt to contin-ue using their old card should be prepared toshow proof of their timeshare ownership whileon Breezy Point Property.

Please call 218 562-4207 to schedulean appointment for the new ID Card.

Cartoon from the November 1933 issue of "CaptainBilly's Whiz Bang". Wilfred "Captain Billy" Fawcettfounded Breezy Point Lodge and launched his publish-ing empire with the Whiz Bang magazine.

“I don’t know anything

about music.

In my line you don’t have to.”

- Elvis Presley