It wasn’t the turnout she hoped for, but Highland County Senior Citizens Center Executive Director said those that showed up seemed to enjoy themselves during a 1950s Dinner and Dance held Saturday.
It was the opening night for a full summer of special events at the center.
Frost said about 60 people, including volunteers and staff, turned out Saturday.
The evening featured a 1950s-style dinner of burgers, French fries and ice cream sundaes, then dancing and several contests.
One of the contests involved hula hoops and was won by Emily Mertens, a dance instructor from the Arthur Murray School of Dance in Dayton, who was on hand with dance partner Tsali Helton to give dance demonstrations.
Each contestant started with one hula hoop and advanced in the competition by keeping the hoop going for an amount of time required by a deejay. After the contest started with one, two and then three hoops, five hoops then were added each round. Mertens won the contest by keeping 40 hula hoops going for the required amount of time.
Mertens and Helton also performed popular dances from the ’50s and then brought audience participants onto the dance floor to teach them some of the dances, Frost said.
The rest of the evening consisted of cake walks, vintage style portraits, 1950s trivia, a Conga line, and dancing to songs from the 1950s.
The next event at the center is a community yard sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 3. Booth spaces can be rented for $10 for members and $15 for non-members, with tables and chairs provided by the center.
The next day on Saturday, June 4 the center will host BBQ Bingo that’s open to the public. Food will be available from noon to 1 p.m. when there will be cake walks and raffles, then bingo is from 1-4 p.m. Games are 25 cents per card, per game. Anyone playing must be 18 years of age or older. The community is invited. Bingo prizes will include ribs, pork loin, 50 hot dogs, 10 pounds of beef, and one-gallon containers of barbecue sauce.
The event is being sponsored by First State Bank with co-sponsors including Walmart, Valley Foods, US Foods and Sam’s Club.
Other activities open to the public at the center this summer include a Mark Twain impersonator returning to the center on June 18, a Hee Haw show on July 30, another yard sale on Aug. 5, and a Rod Stewart impersonator performing on Aug. 20.
