Vasa Park Resort

In 1926 a group of Swedish immigrants living in Ballard were looking for a farm to buy, to build a retirement home, learn English, and get together with fellow countrymen. They found a 36 acre farm with about 1,300 feet of waterfront on Lake Sammamish that even came with a one-eyed horse! The beauty of the farm in its idyllic setting was eventually purchased for $25 and became Vasa Park Resort. In 1945, following the invention of social security members decided to convert the park into a non-profit and open the gates to the public. In 1929 the Event Center was built to be a dance hall for the local Swedish community. In the early 1950s the Vasa Park Resort Event Center was transformed into a popular roller rink. The popularity of the space attracted alternate opportunities like becoming a concert venue used by promoter Pat O'Day. Throughout the 1960s the space hosted concerts for Conway Twitty, Ray Charles Band with Dave Lewis Combo, and Thomas and His Tomcats featuring a teenaged guitarist named Jimi Hendrix.