A new book

A new book, Bass Lake - Round'n About In the Past has been published by Pat Gray Thomas. It is a wonderful little history of Bass Lake and will be for sale at this year's Bass Lake Festival . She mentions the many notables that have visited or lived at Bass Lake over the years. One of the stories in the book is about Bill and Nancy Sonnemaker's home, originally the Center View Hotel. The Hotel was built in 1907 and has seen many vacationers over the years. In her book, Pat says: Early in the 20th Century, Leo Friedman, the composer of Let Me Call You Sweetheart, Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland, and other popular songs of the era, was a frequent hotel guest. The Sweetheart song was written on site, and the original score was given to the Sonnemakers by Mrs. Hewitt, the hotel owner who, according to legend, was the song's sweetheart. With twelve guest rooms decorated in "themes," as might be guessed, one of the rooms is a "Sweetheart" room where the original score is displayed. In the 1960's the hotel became the Oz Cot Lodge and Restaurant, so-named by then-owner Harry Neal Baum, son of L. Frank Baum, author of the famous "Oz" stories. The Historical Society also has a beautiful video interview with Mrs. Sonnemaker's mother, Mrs. Vera Lorenz, who worked in the Center View Hotel as a teenager with her mother, the hotel's cook.

Below is a little about Leo Friedman and the song Let Me Call You Sweetheart. You may not remember the main verses of the song, but the last four lines are familiar to most everybody.

Leo Friedman (July 16, 1869 - March 7, 1927) was an American composer of popular music. Friedman was born in Elgin, Illinois and died in Chicago, Illinois. He is best remembered for the sentimental waltz "Let Me Call You Sweetheart".

"Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is a popular song, with music by Leo Friedman and lyrics by Beth Slater Whitson. The song was published in 1910 and first recorded by The Peerless Quartet.
The song was recorded by Bette Midler for the film "The Rose" and the accompanying "The Rose Soundtrack".
The last four lines of the lyrics:

Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.

Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true.

Let me call you "Sweetheart," I'm in love with you.

Jim Shilling
Starke County Historical Society

http://www.starkehistory.com
http://www.scpl.lib.in.us/historical/