DALLAS — The annual Summer Reunion Dance at Irem Temple Pavilion in Dallas was in full-swing Saturday with hundreds of people dancing to the oldies all night long.
Eddie Day & TNT shared the stage with Which Doctor for the big dance that featured moves like the Watusi, the Boogaloo, the Jerk, the Mashed Potato, the Swim, the Jitterbug, the Pony (like Boney Maroney), the Frug, the Hitch Hiker, the Stroll, the Hully Gully, the Shake and, of course, the Twist.
Members in the crowd were primarily from past eras who danced at the former Sans Souci Amusement Park in Hanover Township and the former Hanson’s and Sandy Beach dance halls at Harveys Lake — plus dances at Wilkes College and King’s College and the Wilkes-Barre CYC.
The dance is the best and fastest way to zip down Memory Lane, right through all those years that have passed by so quickly. These were times when friends would pile in a car and head to a dance where they would make new friends — some would meet the love of their life and be together forever.
The Summer Reunion Dance gives youngsters of yesterday a chance to remember and swing and sway the way they used to at local amusement parks and other dance venues.
The annual dance also helps everybody forget about those aches and pains for a few hours that pass by much too quickly.
“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,” said Eddie Day Pashinski, the frontman of Eddie Day & TNT, and a Democratic state representiative representing Wilkes-Barre. “We’re all reliving our youth — and that’s what this is all about. It’s always amazing to see the people who danced with us at the same places so many years ago. We dance, we chat, we remember, we smile, we have fun.”
For four-plus hours, attendees again heard their favorite songs. They renewed friendships, told stories and they laughed and at times, perhaps shed a tear.
But the stories never get old and they seem to become even funnier each time they are told.
The annual Summer Reunion Dance brings it all back again.