In a nod to the past, the Kelley House Museum is hosting a Hard Times Dance Party at Mendocino’s Crown Hall on Saturday night, October 7, from 8-11:30 p.m. featuring the rock, blues and funky boogie music of the Mighty T-Bones. A full bar will be available.

Hard Times Dances started as Civil War-era fundraisers for soldiers and widows. As times improved, the dances became costume balls where people dressed in rags or clothes made from flour sacks, curtains or burlap. They peaked in popularity between the Panic of 1893 and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, when people danced to keep the hard times at bay.

In 1912, the Circle Concordia Club held a Hard Times Dance in Mendocino. At 10:00 p.m. on October 7, photographer Nicholas Wilson will snap a shot of the crowd, recreating that photo from the Kelley House archives. His photo will be added to the museum collection, guaranteeing a place in history for those at the dance.

Come as you are, or in your glad rags. The Hard Times Dance Party is a benefit for the non-profit Kelley House Museum and is sponsored by KOZT The Coast, Harvest Market, North Coast Brewing Company, Frey Vineyards, and Husch Vineyards. Advance tickets are $20 and available at Out of This World in Mendocino, Harvest Market in Fort Bragg, online at BrownPaperTickets.com, or at the Kelley House research office on Albion Street in Mendocino. Tickets at the door are $25.

The poet Alice Walker said, “Hard times require furious dancing.” Release some passion dancing the night away and do a good turn for Mendocino’s non-profit history museum.