It was called the “Black Eden,” and it flourished from 1912 through the mid-1960s as one of the few resorts that catered to African Americans, drawing as many as 25,000 visitors in the summer.

Former entertainers and patrons of the Paradise Club are celebrating Idlewild’s 100th anniversary this weekend with a tribute to the era honoring impresario Arthur Braggs, the iconic producer and promoter at The Paradise Club in its heyday.

Want to learn more about this historic resort? Check out books and other materials on Idelewild by perusing KDL’s collection.

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Written by Morgan J.

Morgan J. is a KDL communications assistant. She spends summers as a “hood ornament” of sorts while her husband captains their old, cedar-sided pontoon down the Flat River. In the wintertime she counts the days until she’ll have her toes in the water again.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012 at 10:00 am and is filed under Books & More. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.