USO Dance will bring back days of big bands, America at war in 1940s
Thanks for the memories
Lt. Vivian Ekstrand of Geneva was quite the photographer. We know this because while stationed in Gian, Philippines in 1945 near the end of World War II, she captured hundreds of images on film of her surroundings. She took pictures of the military base at which she was stationed and she took pictures of the hospital at which she worked. It was a far cry from Geneva Community Hospital, that was for sure.
Ekstrand's photographs and uniform are part of the "Faces of War" exhibit currently on display at the Geneva History Center. She and many other Geneva World War II veterans are documented in the exhibit, as well as soldiers who fought in the Civil War, Black Hawk War, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. The exhibit includes a selection of uniforms from the different wars.
(Terence Guider-Shaw/For The Sun)
Where: American Legion Hall, Post 75, 22 S. Second St., Geneva
Admission: Geneva History Center members $15; non-members $20. Admission includes DJ, dancing and refreshments. Cash bar. 1940s garb encouraged. Call 630-232-4951 for reservations.
More info: "Faces of War" exhibit closes Nov. 13, Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St. Visit www.genevahistorycenter.org. Donations to this non-profit organization are always welcome.
While you only have a couple of weeks left to view the exhibit before it ends to make room for the Giving Tree exhibit, a very special event has been planned to mark its closing. Margaret Selakovich, an educator at the Geneva History Center, herself the daughter of an Air Force colonel, came up with the idea of celebrating the exhibit with a USO-themed dance.
"We're going to dress for the occasion and take everybody back, and think about those years and just have fun," she says. "It's about dancing, celebrating and reminiscing."
The USO (United Service Organization) is a congressionally chartered, non-profit organization that provides morale, welfare and recreation-type services to the military and their families. There are currently 130 USO locations worldwide. Since 1941, well-known celebrities and entertainers have traveled to military locations all over the world to bring a small piece of home to those stationed there, perhaps the most prolific being Bob Hope.
The Geneva History Center's USO Party is not an official USO event, but it will celebrate the era of big band music of the 1940s and be an opportunity for veterans to attend in uniform, if they choose, and talk about their war memories. But the event is open to the general public.
Selakovich has spent the past six months organizing various events to complement the Faces of War exhibit. She held "A Day in the Life of a Civil War Soldier" for school-aged children, as well as "This Flag is Your Flag" on Columbus Day. She is happy to immerse herself into an era and take her audience or students on that journey with her.
For the USO Party, she has selected the American Legion Hall for the location, which she thinks is the perfect setting. There are artifacts from all of the wars downstairs to view. She has also finalized a menu of food that would have been served at a USO function in the 1940s -- Spam burgers, Spam on a stick, pigs in a blanket, finger sandwiches and chips.
"Nothing fancy, which is what it shouldn't be," she says. The Legion Hall will be decorated in red, white and blue, with World War II posters loaned by Merritt King of Geneva, who was recently awarded the French Legion of Honor. Selakovich encourages party-goers to dress in uniform, even if it is a cap or attaching medals to their chest. They will receive $5 discount admission.
"I'm real excited about it," she says. "I look at it as the party of the year." So dust off your dancing shoes -- it's time to get "in the mood."
Wanted for November and December: Holiday-related ideas and events in the Tri-Cities. E-mail zohorj@aol.com .
