By Shelley Widhalm

The Surveyor

Fathers and daughters will be treated to a sock hop Oct. 27 at Grace Place to get a taste of dancing in the ‘50s.

The Berthoud church will present the seventh annual Father and Daughter Dance to treat fathers and their daughters — or grandfathers, uncles, or older brothers and their granddaughters, nieces and sisters — to dancing, music and an old-fashioned soda fountain.

“We understand that dad is not always available to go, so it’s open to big brothers, uncles and grandpas who want to spend the night with a girl and make memories,” said Kellie Davidson, who helps organize the dance and serves as the church’s connections pastor overseeing local and global outreach and community care. “It’s for all ages. We welcome anyone. Adults will go and have a good time, which is fun to see.”

The dance has a different theme each year — last year, it was steampunk, and the year before, Hollywood.

“Each year I try to come up with something a little different that appeals to dads and grandpas and the girls they’re bringing,” Davidson said. “It’s a fun way to bring back some nostalgia and something relatable for both age groups.”

Davidson likes changing the theme to keep up the interest, and each year 150 to 250 people attend, coming mainly from Larimer County.

“There’s some appeal in that wanting to go back and see what’s been done differently,” Davidson said.

As in past years the sock hop will take place in the church’s plaza, auditorium and café. The plaza will be decorated like a drive-in movie theater with 1950s cars on display, and the café will be set up like a soda shop. In the auditorium there will be a sock hop with deejay music and dancing, reflective of the movie “Grease” with the classic jukeboxes and records. There also will be a photo booth with photographs taken by a professional photographer.

The dance had its start to give fathers and daughters an event geared just to them.

“It was really myself, along with a couple of other moms of daughters who felt there was a gap in activities for dads to do with their girls. We wanted to create a simple event, a simple way for dads to spend an evening together, giving attention to their daughters, building memories with them,” Davidson said.

Daughters will see their fathers value them and want to set aside time outside of the routine of school and work.

“It’s a time to take a break from that and focus on each other and build a relationship with each other,” she said.

For the past seven years Jason Hurd of Johnstown has been going to the dance with his daughters, Aubrey, 16, and Ava, 10, to be able to spend one-on-one time with them.

“It gives me the opportunity to focus only on them and to show them a good time with dad,” Hurd said. “It is critically important for dads to be present in their daughters’ lives. If a dad is not available to his daughters, they will seek that relationship elsewhere. … I love taking my girls to this event every year because it is something they love attending. They love getting dressed up and dressing me up.”

The dance serves as a form of outreach for the church.

“It’s wanting to provide something to bless our community, the people in our community, without asking for anything in return,” Davidson said. “This is one small way we can do that.”

The Father and Daughter Dance will be 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 27 at Grace Place, 375 Meadowlark Dr. Tickets are $30 per couple and $10 for each additional girl. Tickets can be purchased in advance at graceplace.org/events or at the door.

“The main focus of it is to spend time together, to dance and to put your hair down,” Davidson said.