Chubby Checker Twisted Here!

So did The Kingsmen, Bachman, Turner Overdrive, Colin James, Loverboy, Trooper, Long John Baldry, among many others.

For the ‘Boomers of Greater Vancouver, this is the most famous, and infamous, building in the entire area, and it is not even in Canada.

This is The Breakers in Point Roberts WA.

From the Prohibition Era until 1986 it was illegal for licensed establishments in BC to serve alcoholic beverages on Sundays. To slake their Sunday thirst, Canadians made their way to the nearest border town, Sumas, Blaine or Point Roberts.

In order to accommodate the influx of drinkers the taverns were expanded to great sizes. The entire local population of Point Roberts could easily fit inside this building, and there is another equally large tavern just across the street!

Because the tavern needed to make their Sunday windfall pay for the rest of the week, the management brought in well known Rock and Blues bands in order to draw more drinkers and be able have a cover charge.

I have heard…wink, wink…that The Breakers was crammed with people, with more lined up outside waiting to get in. The music was loud, the beer flowed like water, and the carpets were awash with spillage from writhing dancers.

The original Breakers burned down in 1983, and this replacement was erected in short order to cater to the drinking crowds. It all came came to an abrupt end when the BC Government changed the rules in 1986. They had invested a great deal in hosting the World Trade Exposition, Expo ‘86. Millions of attendees, many from around the world, would expect to be served on demand regardless of day, and there was money to be made.

The Sunday exodus to the border stopped instantly. The proprietors tried to lure people south with live music, small-time gambling and bingo, but it was futile. The Beakers closed for good in 2002 and has sat empty and decaying ever since.

The extra shows its fantastic setting and how it got its name.