Kesocks reunion promises a dance down memory lane
CARMICHAELS – One event that’s part of Carmichaels 250th anniversary celebration hopes to rekindle fond memories for those old enough to remember a special place in town.
Scheduled from 7 to 10 p.m. this Saturday, the dance at the Carmichaels Activities Center hopes to draw those who put on their dancing shoes on Saturday evenings and headed to Kesocks Melody Green Meadows, located at 100 Nemacolin Road.
While the public is invited to attend the celebratory dance, which will feature music from the 60s and 70s played by a DJ, organizers are hoping that those who paid their $1 admission back then and enjoyed an all-teen evening with friends will come in and reminisce about days gone by.
Josephine and Charlie Kesock opened a bar on the site in the 1940s, and decided to hold teen dances on Saturday evenings in the early 60s. Their children, Jackie and Bernie, served as DJ and equipment / sound man, respectively, and the dances became quite popular, drawing teens from Greene and neighboring counties through the 70s. Eventually, the old dance hall became the home of today’s Carmichaels Activities Center.
John Brodak of Carmichaels remembers that his aunt, Josephine Kesock, ran a very strict ship and didn’t let anyone smoke or drink alcohol. Brodak also remembers helping with the equipment but never became a dance participant.
Someone who did become a dance regular, Rainy Welsh, said she started going to Kesocks in 1966 at the age of 16 and continued going until 1970.
“No one over the age of 21 was allowed in, and it was a great place for teens to dance,” she said. “They played a lot of music of the era, especially Motown and ballads for the slow songs. There was no alcohol, no smoking and no fighting, and I made a lot of friends with teens from all over the region. I’d estimate that 100 showed up each week, except when the weather was bad in the winter.”
Welsh remembers staying after everyone left at midnight when she and a friend would dance to newly released music played by the DJ. If they liked what they heard, the DJ would add it to the repertoire the following week.
Dance contests with trophies awarded to the best dancers were part of the Kesocks’ teen experience. Welsh said her friend Debbie Mattei of Nemacolin was such a good dancer she took home several trophies and that she never competed with her because she was so good.
“Eventually we shortened the name of the place to Socks,” Welsh said. “I recall that Josephine always wore a white outfit to the dances, and during the evening, she’d scatter something on the floor to make it a bit more slippery and easier to dance on. She always decorated the place beautifully and made the best hoagies, which would sell like crazy.”
Another regular, Ann Bargerstock, who calls herself a “child of the 60s,” recalls becoming a Kesocks groupie at the age of 15 and continuing through her last year of high school.
The Carmichaels resident also remembers Kesocks’ hoagies, saying “they were absolutely amazing and the best around.”
Bargerstock plans to attend Saturday’s dance at the Activities Center, but, as a member of the 250th Anniversary planning committee, will be busy all weekend. However, she still plans to find time to drop in at the dance where she’s anticipating running into some of her old dancing friends from the past.
While Frances Pratt of Carmichaels didn’t make the Kesocks dances, her three boys – Calvin, Chris and Kevin, now in their 50s, did. Fifteen years ago, Pratt, a member of the Activities Center board, started to join in the center’s country dances, performed by a live band and held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Fridays. Admission to the dance is $10.
“We’re looking forward to seeing a lot of folks who danced at Kesocks in the 60s and 70s come in for Saturday evening’s celebration dance,” she said. “It should be a lot of fun.”
In addition to the Kesocks reunion, other events have been scheduled this weekend for the Carmichaels birthday bash.
An around-the-town, at-your-own-pace driving tour is scheduled for today, Friday, June 30. The tour will begin at the Greene Academy, one of the three focal points of activity, along with Carmichaels Town Square and Wana B Park.
From 4 to 8 p.m., a car cruise and car show will be held with cars displayed by decade and prizes awarded.
The activity level picks up considerably on Saturday, beginning with a golf outing at the Carmichaels Golf Course at 9 a.m. Wana B Park will also feature Civil War and fur-trapping reenactments, handmade Indian pottery, food and crafts. Beginning at 9 a.m. at Carmichaels Town Square, there will be face painting, clowns making balloon art, food and vendors, along with musical acts in the afternoon.
An antique train display will be featured, at the Greene Academy along with a petting zoo, horse and buggy rides and a slide show of the Carmichaels community.
On Sunday, the final day of the birthday celebration, an “old time church service,” with the Rev. Harold O. Kelley and featuring Heaven Bound Ministries, will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Wana B Park.
An old-timer baseball double header featuring the Addison Mountain All Stars and the Frosty Sons of Thunder will begin at 1 p.m.
Tours will be available at the high school and elementary school for those wishing to see the renovations that have taken place, and shuttle buses will be available for visitors at all locations. Activities will conclude between 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday.