Last spin for local dance club?

Published 10:26 pm Saturday, December 27, 2008

EVERETT — Mildie Morrow wore a blouse of shimmering grey, a black skirt and black pointy-toed heels. She sipped champagne, chatting with her friends and waiting for the band to start playing.

Morrow, 75, of Marysville was one of about 60 people who gathered Saturday night for the Jubilee-Reveleers’ annual Christmas dance.

The local dance club has been around for almost 60 years, but dancing just isn’t what it used to be, said club member Deedee Deno.

Deno and her husband Jim Deno are both 67 and live in Tulalip.

The club used to meet four times a year in the old times, but membership has shrunk and it’s become hard to keep the club going, Deno said.

Many guests were hopeful that the club will be able at least to continue its Christmas dance, but Saturday night may have marked the club’s last get-together, said Rosalie Kosher of Mill Creek.

Kosher wore a dark velvet decolletage dress and scarlet open-toe shoes.

Whatever the future may hold for the Jubilee-Reveleers, Saturday wasn’t the time to despair. It was the time to see old friends, sport brand-new dresses and talk history.

Guests, most of whom have been with the club for decades, shared stories about bands they have danced to and cocktail parties they have been to over the years. They laughed and remembered how one man who had been too young to become a member lied about his age just so that he could join.

Mary Secoy of Everett remembered the themed dances and costume parties. “Hairdos, fake eyelashes — we were very lavishly dressed at these parties. And I miss that.”

Secoy reminisced about one particular party she attended dressed as Cleopatra. “We were so elegant,” she said.

For Mildie Morrow, Saturday night marked the end of an era. “Dancing was a big part of our lives,” she said. “Something I hate to see go away.”

Men and women fell in love dancing, Morrow said. They danced as they were getting married and danced as they were raising children. It was a way of life.

Morrow said she and her husband belong to an era when dancing was people’s entertainment. “We are still dancing,” she said. “I love music and everything that comes with it.”

Reporter Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452 or kyefimova@heraldnet.com.