Some schools had a “Sock Hop.” But at Stambaugh High School in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it was called the “Sadie Hawkins Day Dance.” It was held every year in October—the chance for girls to ask out boys for a change. The boy I asked, who shall forever remain nameless, (unless I decide to write about him in a future book…look out!) said, “No!”
I’d caught him coming down from the 3rd floor and heading for the back door of the building where he and his pals parked the car they drove to school rather than ride the bus like the sissy kids did. I had planned it out for several days. It seemed foolproof. I must admit I was pretty nervous, but the unwritten rule was that boys who were invited had to accept. But not this boy! No way was he going to some drippy dance in the gym. Believe me, that was the one and only time I ever asked out a boy! One rejection in life was enough for me!
My girlfriends and I went to the dance, took our shoes off and sat around on bales of hay and acted like we were having a blast! Our teachers monitored our activities by pacing the sidelines of the gym. But there really wasn’t anything to monitor. Even though the girls invited the boys to the dance, the boys found refuge from the dance scene by tucking themselves safely away in a corner with their pals. That is, if they even agreed to attend! And that, my friends, is the tale of the Sadie Hawkins Day Dance at our school. Did you have one at yours?
4 responses so far ↓
1 Ritergal // Oct 14, 2007 at 11:48 am
Oh, yes! The Sadie Hawkins Dance! Thank you for the reminder. You don’ t mention the origin of this dance, which sprang from the comic strip L’il Abner. Sadie Hawkins was a superbly ugly gal who needed all the help she could get. One day a year was declared for women to propose to men, so she could get a husband. (Or so I remember, without any research.)
So much for background. In my high school, in Los Alamos, NM, the Sadie Hawkins Dance was held the first weekend in November. I invited a boy to Sadie Hawkins my freshman year. He did accept. We did go. We did not know each other, except to nod in the halls, and I have no idea how I happened to choose him. I wore a short skirt made of burlap, with patches sew non, and a simple scoop-necked tee-type shirt with 3/4 sleeves. In the interests of protection from cold grown, sandals substituted for the bare feet of Dogpatch. As I recall, my mother drove us to and from the dance.
Aside from dancing a couple of fast dances, awkwardly at best, I don’t remember much about the evening. It definitely was not a romatic event! I never asked a fellow to that again.
Around Valentine’s Day we had our annual Sweetheart’s Dance, and this was also a Girls Ask Boys thing. My senior year I did ask a boy I’d dated a couple of times, but some blond sophomore beat me to him. Aargh! I was so elated when he ended up sick in the hospital, unable to go with either of us!
Would I want to go back and be a teenager again? Not on your sweet bippy!
2 Coralie // Oct 14, 2007 at 11:57 am
Oh yes! That’s right, I remember that Sadie Hawkins was the from the L’il Abner comic strip! I read that crazy comic every night. Thank you, Al Capp! I really had to laugh envisioning your mother driving you two to the dance. What a funny and poignant memory! Love your descriptions! Thanks for sharing!
3 Chris // Oct 14, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Hi. What a coincidence that I found your blog and you are writing about High School! Just this week I received an email from my very first boy friend. He is now married, but we are planning to meet the family, his and mine, this week. I remember good times and good dances, and not so good time and not so good dances. but No, I do not want to be a teen even again ! Thank you for sharing
4 Coralie // Oct 14, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Hi Chris! Thanks for stopping by! What a time we had as teens! Some good experiences; some not so terrific! Oh, those dances…the dance band playing, “Good Night Sweetheart,” still sounds to me like old times. Bittersweet, I guess you’d say. Still, some great memories! Thanks for sharing!
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