Tunes from the ’50s and ’60s filled the air at the 101-year-old Vero Beach Woman’s Club last Saturday night at an inaugural Sock Hop fundraiser hosted by the Indian River County Historical Society. Funds raised benefitted both organizations, and will help them to maintain three of the oldest properties in Vero Beach – the Woman’s Club, the Vero Beach Train Station and the Hallstrom Farmstead.
Dozens of old 45-rpm records decorated the doors and hung from chandeliers, and nostalgia-minded guests could have their photo taken with a cut-out of Marilyn Monroe before dancing to music of the era spun by DJ Brandon.
Many attendees got into the spirit of the evening, with men dressed in straight jeans and white T-shirts, and ladies flouncing their poodle skirts or wearing jaunty jackets emblazoned with Pink Ladies on the back in a nod to the movie “Grease.”
Mary Frances Womack, the IRCHS vice president in charge of fundraising, said that when she brought the idea to the advisory committee, they quickly and enthusiastically jumped on the concept. She credited her hard-working crew with making the dance a success.
“We have a disc jockey, trivia games, raffles and a cool 1957 Chevy Bel Air outside, so people can get their picture taken with the car,” said Carolyn Bayless, IRCHS president, whose husband had cooked up some mouth-watering sloppy joes.
The Woman’s Club and Historical Society have worked together previously and hope to make this an annual fundraiser to benefit both clubs.
“We have several projects going that we need to underwrite,” said Bayless. “Unfortunately, the Hallstrom House needs a new roof and our train station depot needs to be tented for termites.”
“The Woman’s Club was built over a hundred years ago. It takes a lot of money to maintain this building, which is such a big part of Vero’s history,” said Susan Heath, Woman’s Club president. The building was the area’s first library and also served long ago as a stand-in for a fledgling church.
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Mary Frances,” said Lynne Glass, another on the committee. “We balance each other out really perfectly. It has been an absolute blast.”
“We’re such a great team,” agreed Womack in mutual admiration. “It was a lot of fun. We thought this would be a good time of the year to hold an event so our local people can enjoy something every summer.”
Pat Kroger, manning the raffle booth out front, said she was a fan of the era but had been too young to attend sock hops back in the day. As she spoke, three ladies – Sheri Brown, Debbie Smith and daughter Holli Smith – came up the walkway wearing matching poodle skirts, bobby socks and saddle shoes.
“We are here to do the Cha-Cha, the Twist and hula-hoop contest,” said Holli Smith. “I think I will win the Twist contest though. I have young knees so I can get all the way to the ground.”