1988 Called… and We Showed Up to Dance

by Angela Sanford

   Flashback to 1988 - It's Friday night and I've just landed at Colleen’s to finish getting ready for the dance. Sometimes, we went straight from her grandmother's but most nights we gathered at Meb and Mavis’ along with Mike’s crew of friends – a few years younger than us.      

   It was only a short pre dance routine, but it was a ritual that lasted several years and created countless memories.

   Following the gathering a few doors down, came the short jaunt to the Green Hall, where the night was already coming to life in the parking lot. The crowd often grew as the night went on but there was always a crowd, even when the doors opened.

   The music wasn't a live band, but Doug and Shirley kept the dance floor full with an extensive variety of music.  In Noel Road, and for my generation, Doug and Shirley were synonymous with Friday night dances. These weren’t 19+ events, yet the age of the dance goers spanned at least 4 decades.

    And was there ever a night that didn't spark some drama and at least a fight or two? I’m doubtful, or at least I don’t recall such a night. The number of scuffles on any given night correlated with the weather - the more rain and mud the greater the chance of a few bouts taken outside, followed by the entire dance floor gathering around the match, just to make sure they didn’t miss a beat.

    The energy levels were high and by Monday mornings the talk was already about next Friday's dance, or was still dissecting the events of the last one

    Fast forward to 2026 and a return to a Friday night dance at the Green Hall, brought to us by HNRDA. No, no Doug and Shirley, who retired from deejaying many years ago, but stepping onto the stage was a live band, “Ruckus,” whose wide range of tunes kept the crowd happy all night long.

   This time we gathered at the Legion for the pre dance party - hoping to win $40,000+, which did not happen but didn’t dampen the mood ahead of the dance.  Once the Chase the Ace draw ended the convoy of cars I was in the middle of made all made the turn into the Green Hall parking lot just as the doors were opening.

   Once the band started, the dance floor stayed packed. The crowd was a bit older this time — it was a 19+ event after all — but the ages still spanned at least t least four decades.  This put our table in the Middle Age bracket, which I know shouldn't surprise me because I know I'm well into that stage, but it's still a reality that is jarring when I reminisce on days gone by, as my mind insists that 1988 was only 10 years ago when, in actuality, it was 38 years ago!

   There were some new faces in the crowd, and the hall itself looks a little different after a few renovations over the years. But the biggest difference? The complete absence of fights.

   Well… that, and one other thing.

   By midnight I was completely exhausted, worried my glass slipper might fall off and send me crashing, so I slipped out a bit early. Everyone else seemed to be having a grand time, and I didn’t hear of any late-night drama — so thank you to the HNRDA for bringing back a wonderful memory.

   Here’s hoping it’s not the last Friday night dance at the Green Hall.