flip-book-test

In addition to owning the Parkside
Continental, Vance Campbell
opened a second bar by the
name of Myrt’s Beauty Parlor.
A hallway leading off of Myrt’s
dance floor lead to the Backlot,
a theater capable of seating 150
people. It was often used as an
after-hours bar but was also used
for Imperial Court drag shows,
theatrical productions, and was
even used by the Metropolitan
Community Church to host
Sunday morning services.
The bar closed on December
31, 1981. According to research
done by Kevin Allen with the
Calgary Queer History Project, ‘a
former patron broke into the site
and retrieved the neon ‘Backlot’
sign.’ The sign now hangs above
the door to the current Backlot
located at 209 10th Ave SW.
209 10TH AVE SW
“When the Backlot
opened up 15 years ago,
Calgary’s club scene was
different—Boyztown was
two doors down, and
Detours was 7 blocks
away on 17th Avenue.
Both of those venues are
gone, but The Backlot
continues on as a popular
community pub.”
—Evan Kayne
In 1996, Ken Schultz, Rudy
Labuhn, and Lorne Doucette
opened the Backlot in this
location. When Ken retired in
2010, Mark Campbell and Ward
Sobry bought the place and
continue to run it today.
BACKLOT
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