Luis Carlos Cano
The Newspaper of Juárez
Saturday, January 30, 2021 | 14:26
Ciudad Juarez.– One week after the traditional 10th anniversary of the burning of the Lions Club Casino or Casino Leonístico, as it was known, only part of the building where the offices were located remains, part of the building. the bar and the kitchen. In the area of what was that memorable ballroom there is only demolition, in addition to the columns that demarcated the track with the area of tables. People of different ages now remember the place with its oil lamps and glass lit by pink hues, say historians of the El Juárez de Ahir project. It was on February 3, 2011 that a fire destroyed the casino, considered an emblematic place for many generations of people from Juarez. It was inaugurated in 1956 and was known for its evenings and dances organized by schools such as the Chamizal High School, in the late 1970s. Before, the dances were also performed for the workers of the Brewery, a company that was in close to reform avenue.
The first name of the place was “Second Front”, and at that time it presented varieties with the most famous musical ensembles and singers of the time on this border and in other parts of the country, such as the orchestra. of the teacher Ramón Muñoz Torres, Ricardo Echeverría and his ‘Crazy of the Cha Cha Cha’, the dancer Fanny Cabrera, the ‘Crazy of the Rhythm’ and the singer of tangos, Carlos de Nava, announces in one of the posters promoting dance at this casino. “Strictly family atmosphere,” was indicated on the poster announcing the upcoming presentation of the most popular radio and television artists. After several years it was named “La Joia” and later Casino Leonístico, in 1961, says José Luis Hernández Caudillo, a member of the group El Juárez de Yesterday. The Casino Leonístico, built between 1955 and 1956, had a capacity for a thousand people and was located between the streets of Uruguay to the west; the Republic of El Salvador, to the east; the Pla d’Ayala, to the north and the Nens Herois to the south, in the El Barreal colony. In the 70s, he started disco music and led to the birth of mobile nightclubs with English names, such as the “Stardust Disc” and which still at that time alternated one-hour rounds with live music from the gift orchestra Carlos Aceves, as well as the organ of Pol Ochoa, is narrated in the memories on this place. In the presentations the “strictly family atmosphere” prevailed; in the dances the dress had to be of sack and tie for the horsemen and of dress for the women, if it was a dance of 10:00 at night to 3:00 in the morning. If it was an afternoon from 7:00 pm to 12:00 pm, you had to go well dressed simply and no casual clothes. Hernandez recalls that the sale of alcoholic beverages was not allowed in the evenings. Therefore, the famous Leonadine grenadines, as well as lemonades and Coca-Cola were sold in industrial quantities during the event. “It was a time when the boys took the girls out to dance after a protocol that was followed to do so; the lady in question was placed, she was given about three or four passes near the table where she parted with other girls.Then they gave him about two rounds at the table, now in open challenge and maybe even having crossed some eyes, and then the final approach: Can you dance with me? a yes or a no, ”he says. The Leonístico was the most prestigious show and became an icon of healthy fun from the 60s to the 80s, according to the chronicles of that time.
in short
• It was inaugurated in 1956
• The ruins are located in the El Barreal colony
• Shows were presented with local and national artists