I grew up in York, Maine in the 1940's. We lived across the street from a dance hall that had the big bands on the weekends. A lot of military personnel went there.

On Friday and Saturday nights, when Mom would go over there in her beautiful gown and dance, my sister and I were allowed to go to sleep in Mom's bedroom. We grew up listening to the music of the big bands.

Later, I was able to go to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. They had several of the big bands play at the Coconut Grove Ballroom. Harry James appeared there a few times, as did some of the other bands. I remember when Harry James was playing we stopped dancing and stood there in front of the stage watching him play. I heard several people around us say that moment was a step back in time as that used to happen back in the 1940's.

My daughter was also raised on the music. We used to put her car bed in front of the stereo and she would go right to sleep for her nap. To this day, she also loves big band music. Glenn Miller is one of our all-time favorite bands.

In 1998 or 1999, my husband and I went back to Maine for a mini-vacation. We looked for the dance hall but learned it had burned down a couple of years earlier. We were so very disappointed that it was no longer there. It had very special memories for both of us. You see, my husband was 15 years older than I. When we lived there, he was in the Navy and they used to go there on Saturday nights.

Who knows? He may have danced with my Mom!

Carolanne Perez
Reno, Nevada
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