WWSC countdown to 75 — Dancing for dimes

This is the latest in an occasional series of posts leading up to the 75th anniversary of Glens Falls radio station WWSC on Dec. 18, 2021.

The dance step superseded the march step, for the most part, although the Adirondack Pipe Band was among the lineup.

About 750 people paid 50 cents each on January 24, 1954 to dance the night away at the Glens Falls armory to raise money for March of Dimes, as the national organization was nearing a breakthrough in polio research.

Additional money was raised from a hot dog and ice cream sale and white elephant auction at the dance.

Attendance was not required to donate.

WWSC radio broadcast live from the armory and took call-in pledges.

When all was said and done, more than $500 — the equivalent of about $4,765 in 2020 dollars — was raised in the year that Dr. Jonas Salk would test his polio vaccine.

The Glens Falls local of the American Federation of Musicians union recruited entertainers to volunteer their time and talent from 8 p.m. to around 1 a.m.

The lineup was as follows: Ernie LaRouche and his orchestra, Sonny Thompson Trio, Adirondack Bagpipe Band, Blue Jacks, Ray Nelson and his orchestra, Tuck Tucker and his band, Gus Parham and his orchestra, Dixieland Cats, Clyde Reynolds Trio, and The Rambling Ramblers.

Sources: The Post-Star Jan. 28, 29, 1954.

Click here to read the most recent previous post in the series.