It’s safe to say of the ordinarily somewhat staid Michigan Shores Club that the joint was jumping on Friday, thanks to the Wilmette Park District’s 2017 mother-son dance.
The dance floor didn’t quite resemble a convention of small whirling dervishes, but many of the more than 100 mothers who attended had some extraordinarily energetic dance partners.
“Yesterday was his birthday,” mom Janine Rosenberg of Wilmette said, nodding at 7-year-old Benjamin. The dance was all that Benjamin and his brothers, 8-year-old Andrew and 5-year-old Jacob, had been talking about for the previous week, she said.
Rosenberg had also looked forward to it, she said: “I love it – it’s an excuse to dress up!”
Sebastien O’Neill was squiring his mother, Sarah O’Neill, as they waited in line to have their pictures taken by a professional photographer. Sebastien, of Wilmette, who was a 5-and-a-half-year-old fashion plate with bright red trousers, said he wanted to dance with his mother to Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill.”
“Ed Sheeran’s his favorite singer,” Sarah O’Neill said. “It must be his heritage, since he’s half Irish.”
The park district event is a popular one, according to Marlon Rodas, the district’s communications and marketing manager. This year, an estimated 110 mother-son couples registered, according to Rodas and park district officials. Those guests who weren’t bopping to the DJ’s music were enjoying ice cream with sprinkles.
The ice cream was high on Wilmette resident Prescott Metzger-Mugg’s priority list. Prescott, who informed a listener that he was “5 and nine-quarters,” looked a little dubious about the dancing. His brother Anderson, who said he was “8 and one-quarter,” was more willing to take on dancing duties.
“This is like one of their favorite things to do,” Lisa Metzger-Mugg said.
While some boys tried out break-dancing moves, 6-year-old Zachary Gerber of Wilmette stuck relatively close to mom Candy Gerber, twirling in place in front of her as they both danced. The two wore color-coordinated outfits, Zachary’s shirt matching his mother’s ball gown.
“We’ve been talking about this for a while,” she said. “And he’s pretty wound up about it.”
Eman Awwad and 5-year-old Layth Awwad of Wilmette were smiling at each other as they shimmied to the music.
This was their first mother-son dance, Eman Awwad said, adding, “We’re having fun!” before turning back to her dance partner.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy