This barn dance was not the kind of barn dance you might be thinking about. There was no hay or livestock on the property, although there was Def Leppard’s “Animal” on the karaoke machine. This barn is not a working barn any more. In fact, you might it a party barn. It sits in the middle of town right next to a new subdivision, and people can rent it for parties and weddings. When we’re visiting my dad, we have often seen a bridal party taking photographs at the barn. This weekend it was our turn to party at the barn. The theme? Dress up in either 60’s or 80’s garb. One of my cousins planned a birthday party for my aunt and my cousin, who both have milestone birthdays this summer.
The first day of summer in Iowa was a typical Iowa summer day; hot and humid. Despite its suburban location, the barn is a real barn. Which means there was no air conditioning, just two huge industrial fans, one blowing in one barn door and the other blowing air out of the other. Lily and Emmy had come to dance, however, and so dance we did. The girls were dressed up in 80’s garb, and Ed had purchased a special mullet for the occasion. We prepared by singing and dancing to “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and “Walk Like an Egyptian.” Emmy had a special request for the DJ, however, for a dance that is definitely not retro…yet. Her request? Op, op op op oppan Gangnam Style!
The girls also got a taste of the original Nintendo. My cousin projected Super Mario Bros onto a screen and it didn’t take long for Lily and Emmy to get hooked! Is that a good thing or a bad thing? They are so used to a touch screen that it took them a few minutes to adjust to the game controller, but then they had a blast!
After we worked up a sweat (which really didn’t take much more than toe tapping) and sang our hearts out into the microphone (Ed and I do a mean Def Leppard impression), the barn dance was over and it was time to take the girls off to bed.
Do-si-do!
