Vets Club wants to keep annual street dance

Despite losing money on their street dance in June, Vets Club directors say they plan to stage another dance next summer.
The June 23 street dance, the Vets club’s third annual summer dance, was not a paying proposition, board members meeting last week were told.
Still, one bad year isn’t reason enough to drop the dance, indicated Jim Beach, board president.
Street dances have long been a tradition in Hillsboro and the Vets Club can continue to carry on that tradition, Beach and other board members allowed.
Veterans of Foreign Wars post commander Rich Gehrke said it would be premature to discontinue the once-popular street dance.
“I don’t think we should take a year off because we had a bad year.”
Gehrke also doesn’t think the club needs to gloss over the fact that the dance lost money this year.
“We took a hit,” he admitted.
Board member Neil Nelson suggested at last week’s July meeting that the club should consider dropping the dance.
Nelson questioned if street dances aren’t a thing of the past?
Outside community centennial celebrations, when everyone returns home, can small towns today execute a profitable dance? Nelson asked.
“It’s a crapshoot, scheduling a dance in June,” said Nelson. “We had a beautiful night, and we still didn’t have a crowd.”
Is it worth all the work without a guarantee? he asked.
The Vets Club, managed jointly by the Legion and VFW posts in Hillsboro, is one of the city’s largest benefactors, thanks in large part to events like its annual street dance.
Acknowledging that fact, board members aren’t ready to give up the street dance.
“It’s worth another shot,” said Herman DeLeon.
Board member Lorrie Jerde questioned if the club dropped the dance, “could we ever get the crowd back? That would be hard.”
The board will consider bringing in a Big Name band next year. Scheduling the dance on another summer date was also suggested.
Regardless, board members agreed, the dance is still in the mix for next year.
Meanwhile, the board is conscious of complaints from neighbors to the annual street dance.
It’s an issue the board and club hope to resolve.
The two service organizations and the Vets Club have been long-standing members of the Hillsboro community and its business community, board members acknowledged.