Everybody Dance Now!
It’s going to be a busy – and fun – October here at Quality Connections.
For the first time in several years, Quality Connections is bringing back one of its favorite traditions — the community DJ dance party, with our first one happening on Halloween night.
We’ll be showing off our costumes (and our best dance moves) on Friday, October 31st, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the QC Flagstaff office, 3012 E. Route 66 in Flagstaff.
It will be an evening of music, games, laughter and more, and is open not only to our members, but also friends and supporters (like you!) as well as all of the local groups who assist individuals with disabilities.
Admission is free, but donations to Quality Connections are always welcome.
These dances have a long, rich history in Northern Arizona.
They began in the early 2000s with David and Karin Grandon, founders of The Scenic Route, which organized biking trips, concerts, camping adventures, and dances for individuals with disabilities.
Their goal was to create opportunities for friendship, social growth, and community inclusion.
Eventually, folks from the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities took over organizing the dances, with different agencies sponsoring each one. All were popular, but the favorite was the Halloween dance.
“We’d have 300 to 400 people for the Halloween dance,” recalled Doug Arnett, our Chief Administrative Officer at Quality Connections, who often helped organize the parties. “We’d hold it in the Joe C. Montoya Community Center and it was just like going to your typical hot, sweaty dance club.”
After a long pause during the pandemic, we’re thrilled to bring these events back, and we plan to hold these get-togethers every quarter.
While our Flagstaff crew is on the dance floor, our members in Page will be taking part in one of Northern Arizona’s most stunning fall traditions, the Page Balloon Regatta and Street Fair, running from October 30th through November 1st.
“We are so excited here in Page for the Balloon Regatta,” said Kristine Lozano, who heads our Page division. “We love to watch the balloons launch and float through the crisp fall air. And we always look forward to the Street Fair where we can get our fix of Kettle Corn and a Texas Twister!”
The regatta will conclude on November 1st with a gorgeous Balloon Night Glow, where the balloon line up on Lake Powell Boulevard and light up, bathing the street in a radiant display of color and light.
