Langley’s new annual dancing-in-the-street summertime tradition is back for the third year, 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 14.
Once again, bands and head-bopping people will takeover Second Street Plaza as a beer and wine garden blooms on the patio of Useless Bay Coffee. Surrounding restaurants will be staying open late.
Langley’s Third Annual Street Dance features Whidbey’s own Mussel Flats that play classic rock and blues.
Also performing are the New Rythmatics, a fun twist and jive North Seattle group that perform a variety of swampback soul, crooning tunes and blue from the ’40s to the ’70s.
The past two years, the entire block on Second Street from Anthes Avenue to the Langley library filled with hundreds of South Enders reveling in what felt like “old times.”
This is the third consecutive street party sponsored by the city. It started in 2016 as a last-minute filler to Choochokam Music and Arts Festival, a mainstay downtown summer event that relocated and was subsequently canceled.
Street dances and musicians were a staple of Choochokam events for decades.
“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,” Mayor Tim Callison said in a previous Record interview. “We decided we better have something in its place in downtown Langley, otherwise we would have something missing in the city. “
The first street dance was organized in about three weeks.
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, Callahan’s Firehouse lent space in front of the store and Useless Bay Coffee Company offered to remain open after hours for drinks and food.
Last summer’s street dance featured local bands Krash Zen and Western Heroes.
Before this year’s event, sculptures selected as Langley’s newest public art will be dedicated at 6:30 p.m.
Funded by the City of Langley, the street dance is organized by the Langley Main Street Association, www.langleymainstreet.org
