OGDEN -- Residents at Harrison Regent Retirement Center danced the night away during an After Valentine Day Ball.
During the evening dance, residents dressed up in their Sunday best and danced to familiar tunes such as the polka, "Always" and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" as musician Tim Holwig sang and played his guitar. Some residents were spinning their partners around the dance floor while others danced quietly close to each other.
Weber State University students helped decorate the dining room with red and white crepe paper and also attended the dance, asking residents to join them on the dance floor.
"We named it the After Valentine Day Ball because that way we can celebrate the month of love the whole month," said enrichment coordinator Brenda Rector. "The residents look forward to it and talk about it all year. It's really the dance where everyone dresses in their formal wear and everything is decorated. There's always excitement surrounding this dance."
Several residents danced with each other, family members who attended and the students at WSU, while others just visited. 101-year-old Kathleen Jenkins was among those who danced.
"She doesn't use a cane or a walker or anything," Rector said. "She's amazing."
Liz Zampedri said she looks forward to the dance each year and invited her family to attend with her.
Norman Barnum also attended in what was a bitter-sweet day for him. His girlfriend, Shirley Berlin, died last week and was buried the morning of the dance.
"They loved to dance and came to all of the activities together," Rector said. "Shirley was a really good dancer and they were always together. They really loved each other."
About an hour into the dance, residents Dale and Marilyn Thacker were named this year's dance royalty. The couple recently moved here from Vernal so they could be close to their son, Alan, who teaches at the Ogden LDS Institute.
Dale was a WWII veteran and served in the Army. He taught shop in the public schools before opening his own shoe repair shop called Ye Olde Shoe Shoppe in Vernal.
Marilyn was a registered nurse and worked in the emergency room and operating room in a Vernal hospital and also as a Vernal County Health Department nurse. She has a twin sister, Rosilyn.
After the couple was crowned, local performer Trevor White performed for the group. White, who has been a contestant on "American Idol" and "America's Got Talent," said he often goes by the stage name Mica Roads, in honor of his son Mica, who died at the age of 1.
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