Valentine Dinner Dance highlights

The Urban Country band performed for the Valentine Dinner/Dance.

The Urban Country band performed for the Valentine Dinner/Dance.

Romance was in the air on Saturday evening, February 13, as couples filled the Hermosa Ballroom for the annual Valentine Sweetheart Dinner Dance. The room was decorated in the more traditional colors of red and white accented with black.

Prior to the start of the evening’s entertainment guests were treated to a wonderful menu of Coconut Crusted Shrimp with Sriracha Sauce, choice of Grilled Citrus Mahi-Mahi or Chicken Coq au Vin with sides of roasted red potatoes, vegetable medley and warm dinner rolls. Red Velvet cake was an appropriate and tasty dessert to finish the meal.

Urban Country, a well-known local five-piece band from the Phoenix and surrounding areas, entertained the crowd with a mix of classic country through the newest country hits for their dancing pleasure. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to celebrate Valentine’s Day eve.

The day we know as Valentine’s Day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th Century when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-Century England it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart shaped outline, doves and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th Century handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.