1923 dance rules

If there is one thing our predecessors knew how to do, it was how to throw a party. They worked long hours, some lived far from the city, and many had little money to spend having a good time, but entertainment was foremost on everyone’s mind once the shops were closed.

They didn’t roll up main street at 10 p.m. either, many articles talk about dances that lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. No doubt at the early ones, the children were tucked in a corner or sleeping soundly in the wagon while mom and dad spent precious moments actually enjoying themselves, maybe even putting their cares away for the evening.

McCook had opera halls, dance halls, saloons, card rooms, bath houses, skating rinks, swimming pools…entertainment galore…but figuring out where these all were is difficult! Notices of dances, recitals, plays and the like never give an address and why would it? Everyone knew where everything was. It’s like instructions to turn at the old barn and follow the road to the big tree. Apparently everyone knew where the old barn was, everyone except me.

I ran into an announcement in a 1923 McCook Tribune (11/19/1923):

“A well mannered and jolly crowd of about 200 attended the regular Saturday evening dance at the Green Lantern Inn on November 17th at which a 15 pound turkey was given away. No. 64 was the lucky number and was held by C.W. Gillen who got the turkey. This is the first public dance since the new dance ordinance went into effect last Thursday and the crowd was a bit timid at first to dance, but it was not long before the ice was broken and all had the usual good time, which is common at Green Lantern Inn dances, where good, clean dancing is the vogue. Gayle Grubb, whose ‘Southern Rag-a-Jazz’ Orchestra toured Europe last year, very ably manipulated the piano and together with the other members of the orchestra furnished excellent music, one thing you can always be sure of at the Green Lantern Inn. The American Legion Carnival, ‘Days of 49’, will occupy the hall November 22nd, 23rd and 24th, and the St. Rose Society will have charge of a Thanksgiving evening dance. A regular ‘Dime dance’ will then open the holiday season on Saturday, December 1st, at which time the tickets for the Christmas season dance, December 22nd, will be placed on sale. Necklace will be on display and tickets procurable after December 1st until December 22nd at the Keystone Cigar Store.”

My first question when I read that was where the heck was the Green Lantern Inn? My second was what the heck was a dance ordinance about? Well, let’s take the last question first. You had to get a license to have a dance. Where you were having it had to be approved. You had to be approved as being of good character and after you paid your application fee of $10 for a year or $1 per dance, your application went to the City Council for approval.

You couldn’t go to a dance if you were under 16 years old unless your parent or guardian was with you. Section 14 was the kicker: “No person shall participate in a dance of coarse or vulgar character or which is offensive to public morals or decency. No undue familiarity between partners shall be permitted or indulged in, and while dancing, the partners shall at all time maintain the ‘standard position’, which is defined as follows: the lady shall place her left hand on the gentleman’s right shoulder or arm, her right hand in the gentleman’s left hand, and the gentleman shall place his right hand on the lady’s back. (Quite obviously back-side was a no no.) At all times the partners shall keep their bodies at least 6 inches apart.”

I’m thinking not all the cobs were in the corn field when that ordinance was written and it was no doubt written in response to the ‘Roaring Twenties’ dances.

Now to answer the first question. The Green Lantern Inn was in the Armory. The Armory was in the Menard Hall. The Menard Hall was approximately where Anytime Fitness is today. Then again, I could be wrong but I do know that the Menard Opera House was exactly there originally, just like the building torn down on the south side was originally the Citizen’s bank. What I can’t quite decipher is what the building that the Bureau of Reclamation tore down was originally called because I’m pretty sure there were dances held in it also.

Back to Newspapers.com for more research because these days I can’t rely on my memory being correct.

As always, have a blessed Thanksgiving and be thankful for your blessings.