The ‘70s Celebration! event on Saturday, May 12, at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre just got a little bit more far out! A dance contest has been added to the festivities starting at 7:30 p.m. CDT.
As part of the 70s Celebration!, a disco dance will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the lobby of the center with music provided by LaneTrain Express Entertainment.
Light hors d’ourves will be served during the dance, and there is no fee to attend.
At 7:30 p.m., there will be a disco dance contest that will be judged by the DJs, so bring your best moves and channel your innermost John Travolta and win a couple of special prizes at the museum’s first (and perhaps only) dance contest of 2018!
The ‘70s Celebration! will be held from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday. Historical presentations, crafts, a photo contest, and a disco dance highlight the day’s activities. The event is being held in conjunction with the new exhibit “The Spirit of the ‘70s” on display in the Hogen Gallery in the museum. There is no fee to attend the program, but attendees are asked to make a freewill donation. Refreshments will be available.
Visitors will be invited to make pet rocks and macramé jewelry from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Both were popular activities in the ‘70s.
A photo contest will be held from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. with prizes for the top contestant in three categories: best disco pose, funkiest hairstyle and grooviest outfit. Contest winners will receive prizes donated by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the society’s nonprofit fund-raising partner.
“We want to make it clear that the photo contest will go on through 9 p.m. and that the museum will be open so visitors can enter the contest and visit the museum even if they do not wish to join in the dance activities,” commented Museum Director Jay Smith.
There are no activities scheduled from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. but the museum exhibit and photo contest will remain open.
“The Spirit of the ‘70s” exhibit features people, places and events that influenced history, society and popular culture both in South Dakota and around the nation. The exhibit addresses such issues as Wounded Knee II and Watergate, the war in Vietnam, and the election of 1972 featuring South Dakotan George McGovern, the Democratic nominee for President. While the decade was filled with weighty issues and events, the decade also offered “less serious” cultural touchstones like mood rings, disco dancing, and fashion accessories like leisure suits and platform shoes.
The museum is open from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1-4:30 p.m. on Sundays and most holidays. Call 605-773-3458 for more information.
About the South Dakota State Historical Society
The South Dakota State Historical Society is a division of the Department of Education. The State Historical Society, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is headquartered at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. The center houses the society’s world-class museum, the archives, and the historic preservation, publishing and administrative/development offices. Call (605) 773-3458 or visit www.history.sd.gov for more information. The society also has an archaeology office in Rapid City; call (605) 394-1936 for more information.
