For one night, the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society will recreate the aura of a structure that’s been gone for more than 30 years. The Hotel Hershey’s Garden Terrace Ballroom will transform into the once popular Hershey Park Ballroom for the society’s 16th Annual Preservation Dinner on Sept. 22.
“We want participants of the evening to feel as if they are actually experiencing the Hershey Park Ballroom on a Saturday night in 1947, with all the sights and sounds of the of the Big Band era,” said Lauren Grubb, who serves on the Preservation Committee.
The committee plans life-size displays, large-scale photos, and music from Hershey Symphony Orchestra’s Big Band, under the direction of Paul Metzger. “It will be a wonderful evening of music and dancing, and we invite everyone in the region to come enjoy the nostalgia,” Grubb said.
First called the Dance Hall, the Ballroom opened in the mid ‘20s, when Hershey was in its earliest stages of growth. The hall boasted a massive 22,900-square-foot dance floor and came into national notoriety in 1930 when Rudy Vallee and the Connecticut Yankees performed for a sold-out crowd. The Ballroom became a destination point for the most acclaimed performers of the day.
By the late ‘30s headline acts such as Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey performed in Hershey. Over 176 different groups played in the Ballroom between ‘33 and ’42, regularly attracting crowds of 5,000 or more. Dances were held every Wednesday and Saturday evening with a ticket price of 50 cents to $1.50.
“People don’t believe you when you tell them you saw Miller and Dorsey for a buck,” said the late Bob Payne, a former Hershey resident, in an interview recorded with the Historical Society. “Those were great days.”
World War II impacted the Ballroom when the US Price Administration announced automobiles could not be driven to “places of amusement.” The facility was shut down for the ‘43 summer season, opening again that fall.
After the war, the big-band craze continued and in ‘47 Vaughn Monroe’s famous band drew one of the largest crowds in the history of the Ballroom. More than 6,000 people danced to his hit song “Racing with the Moon.”
“On a given night the ballroom attracted more than the entire population of our town. That’s really something,” remembered Kathy Lewis, Hershey native and long-time supporter of the Historical Society. “It brought many people into our community that otherwise wouldn’t have come here.”
By the mid ‘60s, ballroom dancing had faded as one of America’s favorite pastimes. The Ballroom was remodeled in hopes of reviving the dance movement in Hershey. The center portion of the roof – previously damaged from a snow storm – was removed, leaving the dance floor open to the night sky. The venue received its third name: Starlight Ballroom.
Patti Boccassini, editor-in-chief of Harrisburg Magazine, recalled: “I can still picture my father getting ready for the evening in his white dinner jacket and bow tie. My parents enjoyed many lovely evenings at the Ballroom.”
In 1964 the Starlight Ballroom hosted only 16 dances and by the late ‘60s was nearly abandoned. It was torn down in 1977.
“Recreating something that has been gone for many years is a challenge,” Grubb said. “This will be a wonderful way to remember an important piece of the Harrisburg area’s history.”
The event, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 22, includes a silent auction prior to dinner and dancing. Proceeds will benefit the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society, which provides a free museum and other services and educational programs for the community. Tickets are $100 each. To reserve seats, donate auction items or sponsor, visit www.HersheyHistory.org or call 717-520-0748.
