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Published: Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 3:15 a.m. last Modified: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 4:50 p.m.
It’s time once again to dig deep in the closet in search of polyester leisure suits, halter tops and bell bottom trousers.
Still own a mood ring or a pair of platform shoes? Dust them off.
Retrofest, the Southeast’s largest disco party, will return to Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on Saturday, giving area residents a chance to deck themselves out in vintage 1970s-style fashions while supporting a worthy cause.
Now in its 14th year, Retrofest is an annual fundraiser for the Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“We have 1,200 people every year at the auditorium, and each and every one of them is dressed up just like they walked out of ‘Saturday Night Fever.’ It’s amazing to see,” said Lora High, development director for the Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross.
High said that the one-of-a-kind event, over the years, has raised more than $800,000 for the local Red Cross.
“That money has gone directly to help disaster victims – mostly victims of house fires and things like that – get back on their feet,” she said. “We’re just really grateful that the community still loves to come and that the money is still there to help the people in Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties who need it.”
Complete with mirrored disco balls, beaded curtains, black light posters, bean bag chairs and lava lamps, the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium is transformed into a time warp-like setting for a massive, funky party that draws people from far beyond the Upstate.
“We had some people from Maryland who kept winning the dance contest for a couple of years,” High said.
Cash prizes will be awarded for a disco dance competition and for best costumes.
Live music will be provided by Sleeping Booty, a high-energy band that dishes out a wide selection of hits from the disco era, including songs by such acts as K.C. & the Sunshine Band, Blondie, the Bee Gees, Chic, the Jackson 5 and the Village People.
DJ Motown Bobby will perform during the band’s breaks, and the entire event will be emceed by deejays from radio stations Magic 98.9 and B93.7.
“The event is multicultural and multigenerational, and that’s what makes it so much fun,” High said. “you see people of every age and every ethnicity there, all of them dancing together to support a wonderful cause.”
Free soda, popcorn and pizza will be provided at Retrofest with alcoholic beverages available through a cash bar. Attendees are required to bring proper identification.
High credited a variety of sponsors for helping the Piedmont Chapter of the Red Cross put on Retrofest and particularly noted the contribution of Shelley Sullivan, a Budweiser of Spartanburg employee who was among the group that founded the event in the late 1990s.
“Retrofest would not happen if it weren’t for Shelley and all the energy and time she’s put into it over the years,” High said. “We’re just very grateful for volunteers like her.”
High said that her office had received several phone calls concerning “rumors and speculation” about the Red Cross discontinuing Retrofest.
“I just want people to know that Retrofest is going nowhere,” she said. “It’s here to stay. and we have plans to expand the event next year to perhaps even a weekend long party.”
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