02-11-26
Top Image by omar sahel from Pixabay
Uvalde Hesperian
Photo credit: Uvalde Photo
Commentary by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
On Friday, February 13th, the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its 106 Annual Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce Dinner and Awards Banquet at the Uvalde County Fairplex. Event Center.
In an emailed invitation to Uvalde Hesperian, (a Uvalde Chamber of Commerce member) the message read, “This special evening is our opportunity to come together as a business community to celebrate achievements, recognize outstanding leaders, and reflect on another successful year in Uvalde.” And each year, the Chamber selects a theme for the gala. This year’s theme was announced as “A Night at the Disco”
When I read that, I said, “Wait, What?”
As an early member of Generation-X being born in the mid 1960’s, my childhood and early teen years were spent in the 1970’s and I remember Disco with its bell-bottom slacks, polyester leisure suits with wide collars and ladies platform shoes. Tons of people wanted to learn “The Hustle.” Saturday Night Fever was big back in 1977 with John Travolta strutting to the Bee Gee’s hit, “Staying Alive” and dancing under a spotlight hitting a mirror ball hanging above the center of the dance floor.
My working parents struggled along with everyone else with high gasoline prices. I remember my mom proverbially clutching her imaginary pearls when gasoline jumped to $59.9. In the late 70’s, gasoline shortages causing long lines at the pump and stagflation paired two economic killjoy buddies together: inflation and unemployment.
In 1979 a Revolution in Iran resulted in the capture of Americans who were held hostage for 444 days. The 70’s as a decade were gritty and dirty. It makes sense that Stayin’ Alive was a hit. Most were trying to do that! The 1970’s bright spots included amazing Major League Baseball with teams like the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankee, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that rallied around a sister Sledge hit, “We are Family” and made it their World Series anthem.
The Swedish pop group Abba was amazing! So Was Olivia Newtown-John. Roller rinks were a blast when I wasn’t falling down.
A Disco “groan” hit in the 1970’s was “YMCA” by the Village People.
Then something amazing happened! Enough people came to their senses and realized, “Hey, Disco sucks.”
On July 12th, 1979, Major League Baseball held a Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago which ended in a riot. According to Wikipedia it reads, “At the climax of the event, a crate filled with disco records was blown up on the field between games of the two-night doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers. “
Then Bob Seger released his hit single in 1979, “Ole-Time Rock and Roll” with some choice lyrics against Disco.
As a Gen-X’er, Disco wasn’t my music. The Big 80’s were my era where MTV and some seriously good music played. Now in my late 50’s, I have a few grey hairs, and many consider me old.
If I had to guess, the theme, A Night at the Disco was probably picked to appeal to the last of the Baby Boomer hold outs. I don’t know.
What I can say is I’m giving a hard pass to this year’s Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet. I do hope those that go have a great time and it turns out to be a success. But as for the Uvalde Hesperian, it will be designated as a “Disco Free Zone.”
