Remember Tiger Town! Nevada "what happened to really cool youth center's"? Pros and Cons-Tuesday, May 25, 2004 By; Richard Carpenter
Pros and Cons-Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Richard Carpenter
I just love to look at these Internet calendars that have lists of historical events for each day. May the 25th, 1962, had a notation that at first seemed just trivial to me, and then after some reflection it started me on one of my daydreams of those proverbial "good old days." The event was the release of a record single by the Isley Brother's titled "Twist and Shout." Since Memorial Day is just next week, I thought some of you might like to go down that memory lane with me.
I was in the seventh grade when that song hit the airwaves. By the way I mean WHB. No one over 45 or under 60 around here will ever tell you there was any station other than WHB. Names like Phil Jay, terms like pick hit of the week, and call in money games such as too high or too low, mean a lot to those of us who remember our non stereo, AM only radios.
I was in the seventh grade when that song hit the airwaves. By the way I mean WHB. No one over 45 or under 60 around here will ever tell you there was any station other than WHB. Names like Phil Jay, terms like pick hit of the week, and call in money games such as too high or too low, mean a lot to those of us who remember our non stereo, AM only radios.
In 1962, two years before the Beatles would change Rock and Roll forever, the twist was the rage. I can only imagine what my parents generation must have thought. Here kids even in grade school were doing the twist. It was a movement that did not last too long, but it did usher in a period when dancing was the supreme event for young people.
There would follow many types of dances similar to the twist. I can only remember a couple right now such as the watusi and the mashed potato, The real impact of the time however was that these dances were quite a departure from the types of dancing that had preceded them. During World War II the kids had danced to a lot of melody slow dances and another new fast dance called the jitterbug, sometimes known as bee bop. In most of these dances the partners maintained physical contact.
There would follow many types of dances similar to the twist. I can only remember a couple right now such as the watusi and the mashed potato, The real impact of the time however was that these dances were quite a departure from the types of dancing that had preceded them. During World War II the kids had danced to a lot of melody slow dances and another new fast dance called the jitterbug, sometimes known as bee bop. In most of these dances the partners maintained physical contact.
The twist and all the subsequent dance styles that followed were completed by the partners almost entirely without ever touching. Each person danced to their own beat and style. This led most likely to the famous slang term that entered American hip language, "do your own thing." Well Nevada did its own thing in those years and for several to follow.
Dancing was one of the main events of our lives during that time. During the week we would go on almost any given night to the Youth Club. Bob Current and his wife ran this kids night club, I can't think of a better term. We had game areas, snack bars, and most important the two things that mattered most, music to dance to, and other teenagers to dance with. It did not matter if you were any good or not, everyone danced that was just how it was. The Youth Club even made a move one time and changed its name to Tiger Town, but it was still the place we all went to be with our friends and to dance.
Over the next six years Rock and Roll changed, but the dancing didn't. We danced at just about every school event. The big events like Anti Van and Homecoming, we had live bands. None of us had ever heard of disco at that time. We either had a live band, or we had a juke box at events like after-game sock hops. At worst we might be at someone's house and use their 45 record player to listen to our music and dance.
Dancing was one of the main events of our lives during that time. During the week we would go on almost any given night to the Youth Club. Bob Current and his wife ran this kids night club, I can't think of a better term. We had game areas, snack bars, and most important the two things that mattered most, music to dance to, and other teenagers to dance with. It did not matter if you were any good or not, everyone danced that was just how it was. The Youth Club even made a move one time and changed its name to Tiger Town, but it was still the place we all went to be with our friends and to dance.
Over the next six years Rock and Roll changed, but the dancing didn't. We danced at just about every school event. The big events like Anti Van and Homecoming, we had live bands. None of us had ever heard of disco at that time. We either had a live band, or we had a juke box at events like after-game sock hops. At worst we might be at someone's house and use their 45 record player to listen to our music and dance.
After Bob left the Youth Club, he and his son opened the famous Pavilion for live music on the weekends. The Pavilion had a unique sound and atmosphere that lent itself to music and dancing. It was built on an island, but what I think made it really special was the materials in the building and the way it was designed. It was all wood for one thing, and it was mostly a summer place. It had open joists in the ceiling, and the music just resonated throughout the building. Located in that valley and on the island, the music floated irresistibly all over that end of town.
The place would be totally packed if 150 people were inside, but I am sure we surpassed that on many occasions. When a great rock and roll song was playing, I have been on the floor many times when it felt as if the entire building was moving with me, the crowd, and the band to the beat. It was something you have to experience. The only thing I can even remotely compare it to is being in Arrowhead Stadium when someone like Dante Hall scores a touchdown and the entire stadium shakes. That was how the music and the dancing felt in the pavilion.
Dancing at the Pavilion ended when the ownership changed hands in the early 1970s. There were a few bars and even some places like the American Legion or the Armory where periodic dances took place. We still loved dancing and it remained a date thing right up there with going to dinner and a movie for a long time. Bands were still the rule until the early '80s when the professional disco players began to appear. A good dance band could cost anywhere from $300-$500, while a disco player could be hired for a fraction of that figure. In a matter of weeks and months the days of dance bands seemed to just disappear.
Once in a while, however, the old music reappears. It may be at a class reunion, a wedding, or some social event where those of us from that era hear the music and we just want to twist and shout once more. The bodies are not so slim, the hair not so thick or colored, and the movements are not so nimble, but just let a tune like "It's a Celebration," blare over the speakers, and the children of the '60s can still "do their own thing." I just wish more of us did it more often. Most of us could use the exercise for sure. It would be a shame if our dances and our music were forgotten.
I know the music of today's kids is just as important to them, but it won't hurt them to take a few lessons from some of us on what it means to "Get Down!"
Once in a while, however, the old music reappears. It may be at a class reunion, a wedding, or some social event where those of us from that era hear the music and we just want to twist and shout once more. The bodies are not so slim, the hair not so thick or colored, and the movements are not so nimble, but just let a tune like "It's a Celebration," blare over the speakers, and the children of the '60s can still "do their own thing." I just wish more of us did it more often. Most of us could use the exercise for sure. It would be a shame if our dances and our music were forgotten.
I know the music of today's kids is just as important to them, but it won't hurt them to take a few lessons from some of us on what it means to "Get Down!"
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