The Patio Cowboys are warming up on stage as men and women, some in pairs, some alone, slowly file into the Knights of Columbus hall on East Avenue in Lewiston on Sunday night.
Sue Tremblay, 61, sits looking at Avon catalogs, her boyfriend, Henry Wilson, 69, sits by her side watching the crowd.
The two are planning on moving in together at the end of April, close to one year after they met at the weekly KC Singles Dance.
“The country music is really good and we’re like one big happy family here,” Tremblay said of the dance. “If someone is out sick, we send them a card. It’s a great place to come on a Sunday.”
“And it’s quiet. No trouble at all,” Wilson said.
Twice widowed, Tremblay started coming to the dance a little over five years ago after a friend told her it was the place to meet people.
Wilson, also a widower, was a relative newcomer one year ago when he caught Tremblay’s eye.
“It was lady’s choice and he was just sitting there alone and I was alone, so I asked him to dance,” Tremblay said. “We just hit it off and it’s been great.”
Soon, their friends Irene Smith, 67, of Sabattus, and Ed Saire, 77, of Lisbon, arrive at the dance.
Hugs and handshakes are passed around and the foursome settle into their weekly routine.
Smith and Saire also met at the KC Singles Dance over three years ago.
Both had been seeing other people, but when those relationships ended, the two locked eyes and the rest is history.
“We had danced with other people at the singles dance that night,” said Smith, who started coming to the dance in 1995 when her second husband passed away. “We both turned around and our eyes met. We danced with each other all night long and have been together ever since.”
“Aside from the physical attraction, we both love country western music and we like the exercise from it,” said Saire, a lifelong bachelor, who has been attending the dance for the past six years. “We have a lot in common also — action movies and plays. We love dining out. And lately we’ve been shooting pool.”
Attracting a crowd from people in their 20s to people in their 90s, country western fans of all ilks flock to the dance.
“The age thing isn’t a problem,” Smith said. “Because you can dance with whomever you want to!”
What: KC Singles Dance
Where: Knights of Columbus Hall, 150 East Avenue, Lewiston
When: Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dancing from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $9.00, with a cash bar. Bring your own snacks if you wish.
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- Couples Henry Wilson, 69, and Sue Tremblay, 61, right, and Irene Smith, 67, and Ed Saire, 77, left, dance to a slow song performed by the Patio Cowboys at the KC Singles Dance on Sunday night at the Knights of Columbus hall on East Avenue in Lewiston. Tremblay and Wilson met one year ago, and Smith and Saire met three years ago at the weekly dance.
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