Grand Benders

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Mickey, heavily accented, gives his take on the Grand Bend summer tradition: "People come here to hang out. Blow off some steam. Boy meets girl, girl meets boy." And, hopefully precautions are taken. The beach. For generations people have flocked there to rest, tan and hook-up. Beach life is slower, hotter, and more carefree than the rest of the year - but it doesn't last long. Near the Canada-US border, on the shores of Lake Huron, lies a classic beach town - a hot-spot destination for over 100 years, Grand Bend is also a legendary party place - one of the last of its kind. Part dance club, hotel, bar and restaurant, Cocos is a family-run business that's been packing crowds in for a generation, after the sun sets. Its success depends largely on Mickey Rapaport - a.k.a. Mick Coco, the eccentric Polish-Jewish showman/trickster who created it. Coco's crew of 18- to 24-year-olds will undergo a unique beach town boot camp, involving sleep deprivation, caffeine and cigarettes, liquor, love stories, misbehaving, hard work, and lifelong friendships. By the time Labour Day weekend ends and it's time to shut down, the goodbyes will be bittersweet.