Langley boogies to familiar beat; street dance felt like old times, residents say

Published 2:33 pm Tuesday, July 12, 2016

As the bands filled the Langley air with twangy sounds and infectious grooves, the city’s feet were moving. The entire block on Second Street from Anthes Avenue to the Langley library was overtaken by hundreds of South Enders who strutted their stuff to the music, while the smell of barbecue wafted through the air from the patio of the South Whidbey Commons coffeehouse.

For many, the night was reminiscent of “old Langley,” and there are hopes for another event next year.

Those were the festive scenes at the Langley Street Dance on Saturday night at the plaza in front of Callahan’s Firehouse Glass Gallery. The event, organized by City Hall, Langley Main Street Association and the Langley Chamber of Commerce, gave attendees the street dance that’s traditionally been a mainstay of the Choochokam Music and Arts Festival.

The street dance was advertised as a way for Langley to get back to its roots. With the festival typically providing a stage for South Whidbey’s musical talent and landing on the weekend following July 4, the dance was a reminder of the Choochokam of old. Over the years, Choochokam’s musicians seemed to increasingly come from Seattle or elsewhere, and Langley residents began to miss the old local atmosphere of the festival, said Langley Main Street Association Program Manager Lorinda Kay.

“This was about bringing back the local bands to play the street dance,” Kay said. “People missed the street dances where the community would come out of the woods for these bands that we all knew and loved.”

After this year’s Choochokam was moved, and later cancelled, Langley Mayor Tim Callison felt the city needed to host an event as per Langley tradition. When he asked around town to see what aspect of Choochokam Langley residents would miss most, it became clear to him that many marked July 9 on their calendars for the Saturday night street dance. A lightbulb illuminated in his head.

“When we found out that Choochokam initially had plans to move to Community Park, many people were upset and thought the move would be bad for Langley,” Callison said. “We decided we better have something in its place in downtown Langley, otherwise we would have something missing in the city. So I made some calls.”

Things fell into place for Callison, and the street dance was organized in about three weeks. He says it felt like musicians and businesses were waiting for the call to organize an annual festive Langley night. South Whidbey bands Rusty Fender and the Melody Wranglers and Janie Cribbs and the T. Rust Band both quickly filled in to provide live music for the street dance, Callahan’s Firehouse lent the space in front of the store and Useless Bay Coffee Company offered to remain open after hours for drinks and food.

“We had a lot of willing parties who were happy to do this,” Michaleen McGarry, executive director of the Langley Chamber of Commerce said. “We were worried that both tourists and locals wouldn’t have something to do for the big weekend, so we tried to make the best experience possible.”

Although the dance was only over the weekend, Callison said the street dance could possibly become Langley’s premier street festival in future years. He plans to call a community conversation “in a week or two” to see what residents want to see in a future Langley event.

Kay said there’s been talk of holding a Langley arts fair again, especially after the successful street dance. The dance felt like the old Choochokam and celebrated what Langley loves about Langley, Kay said, who hopes it becomes a tradition in order to utilize the plaza in front of Callahan’s Firehouse.

“I want to hear from the community to determine what form of entertainment we want to see in a Langley event,” Callison said. “We want it to be authentic to Langley and it seems like the street dance is what we’re all about.”

Maxwelton Valley resident René Shepherd said the dance felt like the Langley of days past. She echoed Callison in believing Saturday’s dance could be the beginning of a new street festival in Langley, and called the dance a “revitalization of the heart and soul of Choochokam.”

“It’s attractive to live in a community involved in arts and togetherness,” Shepherd said. “It’s what gives Langley its character.”

Organizers emphasized the importance of involving the community in the creation of a regular Langley arts festival. Kay said it’s important to create something that works for both merchants and visitors, and the best way to get there is by starting a community conversation. But as it stands now, the street dance is a popular option among event organizers.

“It was a great gathering for the community, and it was so fun,” Kay said. “I think it was one of the best gatherings we’ve had.”