AUBURN – If you’re “In the Mood” (Glenn Miller) for a classic “Jukebox Saturday Night” (Glenn again), then “Let Me Off Uptown” (Gene Krupa) on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Lost Valley Lodge. That’s when the Autumn Leaves Dinner/Dance featuring The Mike Willette Swing Band will be held.

Willette says it will be like a night from a Fred Astaire movie – a nightclub where first-class dining comes with gleaming crystal and silver on a snowy white tablecloth. A 13-piece swing band will play classics from a bygone, yet still extremely popular, era.

And couples will glide, and jitterbug, on a spacious dance floor from “Twilight Time” to “Moonglow” (that’s 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.).

The band will introduce a new female vocalist at the Lost Valley event, Willette said. She’s Nancy Curran, a music educator from the Scarborough area. Curran will offer some of the popular numbers done by such swing era stars as Helen Forrest, best known for her rendition of “Tangerine.”

Willette said he is organizing this event because many fans “have asked for a place where they can dance to our music.” The orchestra, formed a year ago, has played numerous area concerts, but there’s usually little or no dance space.

“Lost Valley is the perfect private spot to recreate a night from the swing era,” Willette said.

Willette has been singing the songs of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and other popular vocalists since he was 15. He said the band has many big band charts, old and new, so he expects to be able to fill most any request.

Most members of The Mike Willette Swing Band are area music educators and many have played with well-known regional or national aggregations. They perform under the direction of lead trumpet player Mike Plossay, whom Willette rates among the best in Maine.

A CD of songs recorded by The Mike Willette Swing Band is in the works and should be available for sale this fall. Recent concerts have been at the Rockland Harborfest Sept. 18 and the L-A Liberty Festival. Upcoming dates are a Christmas show Dec. 18 and in the new year, Feb. 12 and May 7. All are at the Franco-American Heritage Center at St. Mary’s in Lewiston.

So, if you’re thinking that “Saturday Night Is the Loneliest Night of the Week” (Frank Sinatra), join the Mike Willette Swing Band at Lost Valley and “Let’s Dance” (Benny Goodman) to an “Unforgettable” (Nat King Cole) “Sentimental Journey” (Les Brown Orchestra).

Ticket info

For information, call Pennsylvania 6-5 … sorry, call Lost Valley, 784-1561; or Mike Willette, 933-4220.

Tickets for the Autumn Leaves Dinner/Dance are available at Hannaford supermarkets in Lewiston and Auburn, at Lost Valley, at Lisbon Street News, and at the Monmouth Kwik Shop.