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Zoar Dance Hall Celebration
October 2, 2005

The Zoar Dance Hall had been a favorite social gathering place from the early 1930's until 1959.  Several generations of people attended the dances, met sweethearts, learned to dance, played in the bands, went to war, returned from war, and started families, all with the Dance Hall as the center of their social lives.  The stories of these people are touching and funny, each bringing a new piece of history to light from a mostly forgotten era.

It is for these people that we hosted a concert on a warm sunny day in October.  Through our friend Patty Roth, who sings in the band, we were blessed with a musical event donated by the members of Recollections, a local Big Band orchestra.  The concert was free so people could come and go as they pleased, but we did ask for donations to support the Arboretum.  People were very generous and we raised more than $800 during this event.

As the music played people tapped toes, a father tossed a frisbee to his daughter, children were fishing in the lake, a group was line dancing in the grass, a small girl in a pink dress was dancing, and young parents played with their baby on a blanket.  It was comfortable and casual, just as we hoped it would be.  Many people told us they loved the concert and wanted us to do it again in 2006.  We are making plans...

One obstacle we had to overcome for such a large crowd, was "where would everyone park?"  Thankfully, our neighbor Scott Gordon allowed the use of his hay field for parking.  With the help of our dedicated volunteers we set up a system of valet parking for anyone who could not walk the short distance from the parking area.  The system worked beautifully.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers Jim McWhorter, Lisa Kahler, Roy Newsome, Amy Watt, Patrick Watt, Fern and Bill Dews, and Sandy Tusing for organizing, decorating, valet parking, donation collecting, and hotdog serving.  With their efforts we were able to pull this event together in a very short time to give music back to the people of this community.

Thank you to the members of Recollections for donating your time for this concert.  We hope to have you back next year.

Patty Roth sings while members of Recollections play the favorites of the Big Band era.	Members donated their musical talent for our celebration of the Zoar Dance Hall.	The picnic shelter provided the perfect setting for Recollections to perform their music.
Raymond "Skeets" Botdorf performs a trumpet solo. We were honored to have Skeets at our concert since he is an original band member of the Shively Yates Orchestra. The orchestra often performed at the Zoar Dance Hall in the late 1930's.	The picnic shelter is nestled in the trees and offered a beautiful setting for the orchestra to entertain our more than 200 guests.	Our guests across the lawn as seen from our hilltop.
The casual atmosphere prompted guests to set up chairs wherever they felt most comfortable.	Our peaceful lake served as the perfect backdrop for this musical event.	Fern and Bill Dews dancing under the lights. We hosted their wedding reception in this shelter in 2002.
Our guests enjoying the music.	A brief intermission	Lisa Kahler and Pam Feagler served hotdogs and drinks during intermission.
Even on a hot day, roasted hotdogs are the best.	The day was about meeting up with friends and family.	One group of friends enjoyed their own picnic feast while the music played.