In the ‘70s and ‘80s, summer in Traverse City was akin to the greatest episode of The Love Boat ever, thanks to a revolving door of television stars – some a little past their prime – who shined in performances at the Cherry County Playhouse (CCP).

Rita Moreno, Phyllis Diller, Florence Henderson, Gavin MacLeod, Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, Hal Linden, Robert Goulet, Bob Denver, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Milner, Vicki Lawrence, Dick Van Patten, Gene Rayburn, Abe Vigoda, William Shatner and Ted Knight were just some of the stars who appeared on the CCP stage in its last decade in Traverse City.

Those performances took place at the Park Place dome, slated to be demolished to make way for a modern convention center. Pre–deconstruction of the dome is scheduled to begin May 1, with demolition taking place later in the month. The project is expected to be completed by early June 2018.

In honor of the last days of the dome, writer Patrick Sullivan talked to the people who were involved with CCP for a feature story in this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker. The in-depth narrative covers the history of CCP - from its ownership under soap opera star, Northport Point summer resident and force of nature Ruth Baile to the tenure of beloved television writer and producer Neil Rosen - as well as dozens of memorable anecdotes, behind-the-scenes hijinks and humorous stories from cast, crew and residents who worked in or supported the theater.

“It was astonishing, and you have no idea how many people it affected,” says one-time CCP Manager Phyllis Lesser Allen. “So many people went on to have careers in theater because of Cherry County Playhouse.” Notable individuals who interned at CCP over the years included Peter Bogdanovich, who apprenticed in 1955, as well as Meredith Baxter and Bruce Campbell. CCP Business Manager Dann Florek went on to play Donald Cragen on NBC’s Law & Order, while volunteer Nick Demos went on to become a Broadway producer who won one Tony for The Frog Prince and is buzzed about for another for his current production Come From Away.

From Phyllis Diller's late-night shopping trips to Meijer to Eva Gabor's scandalizing of Park Place diners when she attempted to bring five dogs to brunch to kind-hearted interactions between hotel staff and stars like Carol Burnett and William Shatner, read more about the complete colorful history of the Cherry County Playhouse and its impact on Traverse City in this week's Northern Express story, "Remember the Cherry County Playhouse?" The Northern Express is available online, or pick up a free copy at one of more than 600 distribution spots across 14 counties.