The Christy Taylor Band provides a blues vibe throughout the evening as American Legion Post 17 re-created the atmosphere of the Happy Day Club that had been located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue in Lewes. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Lewes Councilwoman Trina Brown-Hicks with a poster that welcomes guests to the Once in a Blue Moon Happy Day Club event. The poster has pictures of Brown-Hicks' grandparents and parents, both of whom owned the club. Organizers encouraged guests to wear their favorite shade of blue, as Brown-Hicks demonstrates.
American Legion Post 17 in Lewes was transformed into the Happy Day Club for a Once in a Blue Moon celebration May 30. The event re-created the atmosphere from the club that was located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue. 
Hitting the dance floor are (l-r) Trina Brown-Hicks, Brenda Jones and Deborah Daisey Street.
Raymond and Shirleeta Stanton of Lewes pose for a photo at the Blue Moon event.
Deborah Robinson told some of the history of the Happy Day Club. She said she was too young to go in, but remembered her parents talking about the artists who performed there.
This group understood the assignment to wear shades of blue. Shown are (l-r) Lee Smith, event coordinator Terri Smith, Jody Daminger and Ray Daminger of Daminger Designs, which made all the graphics for the Once in a Blue Moon celebration.
Guests at the the gala include (l-r) Mike Rawl, Greater Lewes Foundation executive director; Joe Stewart, GLF chair; Mary Rawl; and Ruby and Mark Schaeffer. Standing in back are Chanta Howard Wilkinson, Lewes Public Library board member, and Lewes Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba.
Kim Daniels is one of the performers who belted out the blues.
Francis Dance, right, and Kathy Kurila, recently moved to Lewes. Dance has a connection to entertainer Duke Ellington, who performed at the Happy Day Club. Dance's father was the ghost writer for Ellington's autobiography and gave the eulogy at his funeral in 1976.
Roy Messmer and Linda Millikin enjoy the blue vibes.
Cheryl DeCarlo and Pat Roach stop for a photo in front of the Once in a Blue Moon banner.
The Christy Taylor Band provides a blues vibe throughout the evening as American Legion Post 17 re-created the atmosphere of the Happy Day Club that had been located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue in Lewes. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Lewes Councilwoman Trina Brown-Hicks with a poster that welcomes guests to the Once in a Blue Moon Happy Day Club event. The poster has pictures of Brown-Hicks' grandparents and parents, both of whom owned the club. Organizers encouraged guests to wear their favorite shade of blue, as Brown-Hicks demonstrates.
American Legion Post 17 in Lewes was transformed into the Happy Day Club for a Once in a Blue Moon celebration May 30. The event re-created the atmosphere from the club that was located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue.
Hitting the dance floor are (l-r) Trina Brown-Hicks, Brenda Jones and Deborah Daisey Street.
Raymond and Shirleeta Stanton of Lewes pose for a photo at the Blue Moon event.
Deborah Robinson told some of the history of the Happy Day Club. She said she was too young to go in, but remembered her parents talking about the artists who performed there.
This group understood the assignment to wear shades of blue. Shown are (l-r) Lee Smith, event coordinator Terri Smith, Jody Daminger and Ray Daminger of Daminger Designs, which made all the graphics for the Once in a Blue Moon celebration.
Guests at the the gala include (l-r) Mike Rawl, Greater Lewes Foundation executive director; Joe Stewart, GLF chair; Mary Rawl; and Ruby and Mark Schaeffer. Standing in back are Chanta Howard Wilkinson, Lewes Public Library board member, and Lewes Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba.
Kim Daniels is one of the performers who belted out the blues.
Francis Dance, right, and Kathy Kurila, recently moved to Lewes. Dance has a connection to entertainer Duke Ellington, who performed at the Happy Day Club. Dance's father was the ghost writer for Ellington's autobiography and gave the eulogy at his funeral in 1976.
Roy Messmer and Linda Millikin enjoy the blue vibes.
Cheryl DeCarlo and Pat Roach stop for a photo in front of the Once in a Blue Moon banner.
Blue was the color of the evening at a May 30 celebration recalling the Happy Day Club in Lewes.
The Once in a Blue Moon event relived the legacy of the club, which was located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue.
American Legion Post 17 was transformed to re-create the flavor of the popular club with blue decor, R&B music from the Christy Taylor Band, and everyone encouraged to wear their favorite shade of blue.
The Happy Day Club became a safe haven for the city's African American community from the 1940s to the 1970s. It was a place where people gathered for civic meetings and where Black entertainers could perform in the era of segregation.
Sisters Trina Brown-Hicks and Deborah Robinson said they remember the club, but they were both very young. Their grandparents, Marshall Lockwood and Beatrice Williams, owned Happy Day. Their parents, Isaac and Beatrice Brown, followed them as the owners.
"I was a kid, [so] I wasn't allowed to go in there, but I used to make my allowance every Saturday and Sunday morning washing ashtrays and wiping the tables," Robinson said. "I remember my parents and grandparents' talk about the activities, the artists who came in, whose names are now history."
Those names included Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and a then-unknown James Brown.
Francis Dance was among the people who came to the event to learn more about the club's legacy. The Lewes resident said he is a big jazz and blues fan with a special connection to the music.
"My parents were involved in the jazz business. My father was the ghostwriter for Duke Ellington's autobiography and delivered the eulogy when he died in 1976," Dance said.
The Once in a Blue Moon celebration was an official Lewes250 event.
The Christy Taylor Band provides a blues vibe throughout the evening as American Legion Post 17 re-created the atmosphere of the Happy Day Club that had been located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue in Lewes. BILL SHULL PHOTOS
Lewes Councilwoman Trina Brown-Hicks with a poster that welcomes guests to the Once in a Blue Moon Happy Day Club event. The poster has pictures of Brown-Hicks' grandparents and parents, both of whom owned the club. Organizers encouraged guests to wear their favorite shade of blue, as Brown-Hicks demonstrates.
American Legion Post 17 in Lewes was transformed into the Happy Day Club for a Once in a Blue Moon celebration May 30. The event re-created the atmosphere from the club that was located at West Fourth Street and DuPont Avenue.
Hitting the dance floor are (l-r) Trina Brown-Hicks, Brenda Jones and Deborah Daisey Street.
Raymond and Shirleeta Stanton of Lewes pose for a photo at the Blue Moon event.
Deborah Robinson told some of the history of the Happy Day Club. She said she was too young to go in, but remembered her parents talking about the artists who performed there.
This group understood the assignment to wear shades of blue. Shown are (l-r) Lee Smith, event coordinator Terri Smith, Jody Daminger and Ray Daminger of Daminger Designs, which made all the graphics for the Once in a Blue Moon celebration.
Guests at the the gala include (l-r) Mike Rawl, Greater Lewes Foundation executive director; Joe Stewart, GLF chair; Mary Rawl; and Ruby and Mark Schaeffer. Standing in back are Chanta Howard Wilkinson, Lewes Public Library board member, and Lewes Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba.
Kim Daniels is one of the performers who belted out the blues.
Francis Dance, right, and Kathy Kurila, recently moved to Lewes. Dance has a connection to entertainer Duke Ellington, who performed at the Happy Day Club. Dance's father was the ghost writer for Ellington's autobiography and gave the eulogy at his funeral in 1976.
Roy Messmer and Linda Millikin enjoy the blue vibes.
Cheryl DeCarlo and Pat Roach stop for a photo in front of the Once in a Blue Moon banner.Event Details :
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