DALLAS — Joe Nardone & the All Stars and Eddie Day & the Starfires again held their Summer Dance Reunion at the Irem Pavilion in Dallas Saturday night with an overflow crowd dancing to the music of the ’50s and ’60s, bringing back memories for all.
The Summer Dance Reunion brought more than 700 out on a warm, humid night, but it didn’t seem to deter anyone from having a great time.
The dance that allows all to take a trip down Memory Lane, was held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Joe Nardone and Eddie Day Pashinski, two icons of the local music scene for decades, gave the youngsters of yesteryear a chance to remember and swing and sway the way they used to at local amusement parks and other dance venues.
“When you hear music you first heard as a kid, somehow the years seem to melt away — and it’s a good feeling,” Nardone said.
The target audience is the crowd who remember dancing at the former Sans Souci Amusement Park in Hanover Township and the former Hanson’s and Sandy Beach dance halls at Harveys Lake.
“I played at Sans Souci a lot and Eddie Day played at Hanson’s,” Nardone reminisced. “Both of those locations brought in a lot of big names, before they became big, when they were just starting out. For example, we had Neil Diamond three times at Sans Souci, and Chubby Checker was at Hanson’s.”
“Do you know how many people met their wives or husbands at these dances?” Nardone said. “Thousands.”
“Now they want to have fun and dance the way they did years ago,” Nardone said. “Myself and Eddie, we appreciate those great memories.”
During the four hours of music, the bands took turns playing and finally, at the end, come together for a few numbers with both the All Stars and the Starfires performing together.
“I really enjoy seeing familiar faces that remember the great dances at Sans Souci,” Nardone said. “They always ask for the songs of their youth. That’s why they come out to Irem — to be able to hear the same songs they grew up dancing to.”
Nardone said the annual dance also helps everybody forget about those aches and pains for those four hours that pass by much too quickly.
”The All Stars and the Starfires are very lucky to be able to still perform the greatest songs of all time for the greatest generation of all time,” Nardone said. “I’m not sure how long this can continue, but for now it’s a once-a-year night to remember the good times.”
Pashinski said he and the Starfires agree.
“We absolutely feel blessed that at this time in our lives, we’re still together, making music and seeing people we haven’t seen in decades,” he said. “We’re all reliving our youth — and that’s what this is all about.”
Pashinski said he feels the music when he’s on stage.
“I see the joy on people’s faces,” he said. “And they forget their age. They only remember those good old days — it’s uplifting and therapeutic.”
“The dance allows us to revisit the fun times of our past,” Pashinski said.