'I know a place where we can dance the night away'
The 50th anniversary Dance Reunion will bring back memories and friends for another night of fun on the floor.
By LINDSAY MICHEL
Published August 23, 2006
PINELLAS PARK - As a teenager, Gail Larson spent her Friday nights jitterbugging at the City Auditorium.
"It was a good opportunity to meet boys," she said of the Friday Night Teen Dances that began in 1956 and brought Pinellas Park teens together every weekend until 1973.
As Larson gears up for the dance's 50th reunion, her focus isn't on meeting new people - she already knows everyone - but on revitalizing old friendships and staying close to her roots.
"Roots are important for friendships," said Larson, a 1964 graduate of Dixie Hollins High School.
The Pinellas Park Dance Reunion began in 1996 when a group of "Parkers," a name for people from Pinellas Park, were at a get-together and realized they had one thing in common: They all attended the Friday night dances as teenagers.
Soon after they decided to reunite their former classmates at City Auditorium to re-create those memorable nights spent dancing in poodle skirts and sneaking out to sip beer hidden in someone's trunk.
Friends began spreading the word, and by the time their first reunion was held in October 1997 they had reached 180 people.
"It just kept snowballing, and there were more people at every meeting," said Jack Westerman, the club's president, also a 1964 Dixie Hollins graduate.
The club again surpassed its expectations during its second reunion in 2002 by gathering together almost 400 old friends.
"We were just wanting to break 100," Westerman said of the group's attendance goal during its early years.
Past reunions have brought live bands, DJs and Elvis impersonators, but this year Westerman said the group will play it easy by only hiring one DJ. It gets complicated, he said, when you have guests representing almost two decades. Some want Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, while others only get their feet moving to Roy Orbison or the Platters.
"It used to be as teenagers we probably would have gotten into fistfights over it," Westerman said of the music dispute. "But we're adults now."
This year the club has the perfect plan.
Diana Lett, the reunion's treasurer and secretary, researched the No. 1 hit song for every month between 1956 and 1973, when the teen dances ended. After selecting two or three hits from each year, Lett compiled a list to give to the DJ in hopes the mix will be the ultimate peacemaker.
The Oct. 21 event also will feature classic cars along the street, historic photo displays and an outdoor grilled meal provided by the Kiwanis Club of Pinellas Park.
The club relies on donations for its activities, and Westerman said they are still looking for businesses willing to donate materials or money for door prizes.
Organizers say one reason the reunion has been so successful without implementing member dues is the group's large network of acquaintances.
The group stays active during the five-year interim between reunions by holding yard sales, making a float for the Christmas Parade and participating in the annual March chili competition held by the Pinellas Park Fire Department.
But when it comes down to the day of the dance it's not only about the small group that has put everything together, but about the Parkers who come from across the state and the country to relive their days.
"It is just so nice to see everybody in their little huddles hugging," Larson said.
The hardest part of the reunion is the new faces that appear on the Memorial Board, she said.
But most of the group is determined to focus on the positive and to celebrate the memories and friendships created throughout their lives.
"As you mature your less mature days become more important to you," Larson said. "Because life gets really stressful, and it's nice to go back in time every once and awhile."
