Scene Magazine
The Guinness Book of World Records credits 1,036 Colgate University students with playing Twister for 3½ hours on May 5, 1984.
Fine, says Yvette Hanzel, but when “The Biggest Twister Party Ever” takes place this weekend at the Western Reserve Historical Society, expect more than a mangled mass of chiropractic appointments waiting to happen.
“We’re not just focusing on the Twister game, but anything with a ‘twist’ in it,” says Hanzel, Society campaign associate who is confident the festively entertaining program will be “different from those of old, stodgy historical societies.”
The ’50s and ’60s-themed fund-raiser will be presented by the Time Chasers, WRHS’s young professionals group. And so what if the Time Chasers can’t even recall that era; if disco is revivable among the younger set, reasons Hanzel, the age of soda fountains, bobby socks and ponytails should be easy to resurrect.
“We’re trying to reach that audience that’s a combination of Generation X and Baby Boomers. It’ll be fun to be serving tacky appetizers, cherry cola, deviled eggs and green Jell-O with fruit.”
The fun feast will also include an authentic soda fountain; a tongue-twisting spelling bee; a DJ spinning twist and limbo tunes; a caricature-drawing artist; and a tarot-card reader. Non-stop, funnel-filled film clips from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Twister” will serve as the backdrop of the festival atmosphere.
Hanzel, co-organizer of the event with WRHS membership manager Nada DiFranco, said she didn’t care for recent results of a survey showing that historical society patrons are most likely to be elementary-school aged or senior citizens. “We discovered this is a niche we’re not getting,” says Hanzel, adding that this is just the second event for the Time Chasers, new riders of the rapidly growing wave of professional groups. “Everybody’s jumping on the bandwagon.”
Hanzel says these young, white-collar up-and-comers are fed up with cutbacks in funding for the arts and cultural programs. Should all go according to plan, proceeds from ticket sales and membership fees will help provide underprivileged students with transportation to Society-sponsored events.
“We serve 12 counties, so that money goes for them, as well as for education and supplies for our programs here,” says Hanzel.
So grease down your hair, haul out those saddle shoes and round up the Hula-Hoops. As Hanzel puts it, “We’re just trying to mix history into entertainment.”
An educational twist that’ll make you shout. – Jeff Woodard
“The Biggest Twister Party Ever” runs from 6:30 p.m. to midnight Friday, Feb. 25 at the Crawford Aviation Museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Blvd. Admission is $25 for Time Chaser members; $30 in advance for general public; $35 at the door. For more information, call 216-721-5722.