The Commercial Men's Boat Club was one of the last boat clubs to be formed in the area. Located in Riverside Park, the purpose of the club was similar to that of a country club today. It included both men and women as members. During the 1940s all the major big bands performed at the club: Glenn Miller, Lawrence Welk, Count Basie, Skitch Henderson, Louie Armstrong, and many others. During World War II, soldiers from the Air Base were frequent visitors.

In the fall of 1920, a group of Sioux City war veterans met to form a band. The eight musicians were all members of the newly organized Monahan Post of the American Legion in Sioux City and many had just returned from the battlefields of World War I. During the summer of 1921, the band grew in popularity and received frequent requests to play. Many considered the high point to be the competition in 1927 in Paris, France. When they received the word that they had won First Place, the band burst into a rousing rendition of the "Iowa Corn Song."

What did the citizens of Sioux City do for entertainment in the late 1890s through the 1920s? The answer is Riverside Park. This part of the city was a major attraction for the region. From the first amusement park (complete with a roller coaster), to country clubs, picnic grounds, baseball fields, racing tracks, and fairgrounds, Riverside had it all.