Members of the Pickwick Dance Club gathered for a special party recently at Mountain Brook Club.
Members celebrated the club’s 40th anniversary with a birthday bash in March.
The celebration began with cocktails and supper in the living room.
Members were greeted with large balloons in the shape of a “40” and given glow-in-the-dark wristbands and colorful bracelets to wear.
President Cathy Echols with Jack welcomed members along with party planners Helen Pardue and Richard and Peggy Goodwin with Ed.
Other officers attending were Jean and Robert Woodward, Kathy and Frank Anderson, Jan and Jack Shannon, Lindsay Cook and Kelley and Pete Gage.
The Pickwick Dance Club was formed in 1974, and membership has remained strong throughout the past four decades. The first president was Grace Whatley. The club began in Kelley Gage’s living room with a band of friends who wanted to form a fun dance group.
The group wanted a name with Birmingham significance. Kathy Peerson suggested the name Pickwick, in reference to the old Pickwick Club in Five Points where many members’ parents danced in their younger days.
This year’s party began with a members-only cocktail event in the living room at Mountain Brook Club, with the dance in the ballroom and light fare served at mid-evening in the sunroom. The decorating committee created a festive atmosphere with flowers, white balloons on strings of white lights and votive candles on the tables.
Enjoying cocktails and a buffet dinner in the living room were Cruse and Don Bevill, Romona and Jimmy Shannon, Tricia and Jim Ford, Kathryn Porter, Chris and Alston Ray, Sara and Tom Moody, Laura and Erskine Ramsey, Meg and Bill North, Charlotte and Mark Coggin, Carol Provost, Sharon Lumpkin, Patsy and Alan Dreher, Beth and Bill Gunn, Catherine Anne and J. B. Schilleci, Sarah and Jerome Hodge, Trissy Holladay, Allison Morgan, Donna Jernigan, Lind Burk, Linda and Bobby Vann, Grace and Larry Whatley, Susan and Bob Warnock and Fran and Rob Glendenning.
On the veranda were Sheard and Tommy McCulley, Jim and Ann Moore, Charlotte and John Kearney, Lynda and George Hiller, Sharon and Emris Graham, Jane Van Eaton, John Washington and Mallory Gray.
Musical Fantasy from Mobile played hit music from the 1960s and 1970s.
Not missing a beat on the dance floor were Bootsie and Lowell Garrett, Molly Bradley, Marion and Robbie Nichols, Beth and Bill Gunn, Jane and Joe Gribbin, Garnett and Jimmy Baker, Doris and Sam Sparks, Gail and Alan Howle, Dottie and Raleigh Kent, Candy and John Lindley from Knoxville, Tenn., Julianne and Joe Cleage, Bimi and Blair Cox, Jim and Jeanne Adair, Dana and Tommy Norton, Beth and Rick Woodward and Marsha and Owen Vickers.
