KEYSER — Glitter, gourmet food and music from the swing band era of the 1940s and 50s will be the order of the evening on Dec. 13 when the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce again sponsors the annual Yuletide Ball.
The event has become the looked-forward-to activity of the holiday season each year as area residents gather to dine and dance the night away at Fire Hall No. 2 in Keyser amid the sights and sounds of Christmas.
This year’s plans for the evening include music by the Potomac Highlands Dance Band, which features a wide range of music from swing to favorite melodies of the season. The members of the band, according to Anne Palmer, director of the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce, are known to many area residents as their friends and neighbors who have come together to form the premier dance band of the area.
They play the traditional instruments of the big band era including trombones, trumpets, a bass, piano and drums. The 15-member group is made up of musicians from Keyser, Cumberland, Fort Ashby and the surrounding area, under the direction of Fred Kesner.
In addition to the big band era genre, the group also plays a wide range of familiar tunes from the decades, since along with the timeless holiday favorites celebrating the season.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Palmer. “It’s a time to dress up in Christmas finery, dance and enjoy a terrific dinner.”
The menu for the dinner this year, catered by Me Me D’s, begins with an assortment of appetizers including honey pecan cheese torte and crackers, hot crab melt and French baget, shrimp cocktail, spinach and five-cheese puff pastries, glazed meatballs, cocktail franks and crab-stuffed mushrooms. The entrees are garlic shrimp and angel hair pasta and honey sesame pork tenderloin with Caesar salad, sweet potato casserole and steamed vegetables. The desert table will feature a variety of cakes, pies and specialties for which Me Me D’s is known, including a chocolate fountain.
“This is the one formal event each year the entire community can look forward in celebrating the holidays,” said Palmer.
Tickets are $35 per person and $60 per couple and reservations may be made by calling (304) 788-2513 or (304) 788-1967.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the dance from 8 to 11 p.m.
The deadline for reservations to ensure that everyone who wishes to participate has a ticket is by the end of business on Dec. 7.