Boogie-woogie event benefits veterans
For four hours Feb. 28, visitors to the Cana Ballroom can enjoy a boogie-woogie musical blast from the past as part of a “1940s Night at the USO Gala” sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 688.
The event will be filled with rhythms from the Second World War, complete with attendees decked out in period costumes and dinner “ration card” meal tickets.
Organizers with the VFW said the goal is to raise funds to support Kendall County veterans and their families.
Featured music includes selections from the Boerne Jazz band and “Frank Sings Frank,” a Frank Sinatra tribute singer-entertainment act out of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Post 688 Commander Anthony White said this is the first time the organization has sponsored an entertainment-style event as a primary fundraiser.
White got the idea for the gig while stationed in the Washington, D.C., area several years ago when he attended a Victory in Europe commemorative dance held in a base hangar.
Authentic World War II aircraft flew in and attendees donned period military uniforms, suits and dresses to give the event a more authentic look and feel, he said.
White said he broached the concept at his Boerne post in January 2025 and it took off.
The gala is 8-11 p.m. at the ballroom, 202 W. Kronkosky St.
From 7-8 p.m., swing dance lessons will be offered.
In addition, and earlier that day, a free matinee from 1-2:30 p.m. at the ballroom will showcase “Frank Sings Frank.”
Organizers said Frank Cubillo, a retired Marine colonel, looks and sings the part, covering all the classics that made “The Chairman of The Board” famous.
Tickets are on sale through 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 23.
When people check in that Saturday night, they will receive a 1940s style “ration card” representing the meal of their choice.
White said 150 to 200 people are expected to attend.
He has posted resources from the VFW’s Facebook page — www. facebook. com/ profile. php?id=61551020510142 — to help people find “period” costumes and outfits. “Most of the ones I attached, it was the women who would light up and say, ‘Oh, I am going,” he said.
For men, he added, khaki pants, a uniform shirt and “a bomber jacket and a crew cut” fill the bill.
For more, contact White at 210-540-9946.
“He makes the company jump when he plays reveille/He’s the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B.”
—The Andrew Sisters, 1941
Comment
Comments