Hillstrummer and Hula dancer Irene Powell performs in honor of her late mother in July at the BESC. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen
COMMUNITY News:
On the last Friday of the month the Hillstrummers at the Betty Ehart Senior Center strum their ukuleles to the merriment of the crowd, in celebration of monthly birthdays.
During July, Hillstrummer and Hula dancer Irene Powell did a celebratory hula dance in honor of her late mother Alice Armour.
“My mother Alice Armour was a hula dancer, born and raised in Hawaii, she took lessons from a large Hawaiian woman,” Powell said. “When growing up I used to watch all her lessons and then when my father was stationed in Taiwan my mother taught a group of enlisted men’s wives.”
While she was too shy for lessons at the age of 4 and had to be taken home, her mother and father would have been proud of her recent performance and salute to their heritage.
Friday, Powell and her fellow musicians will celebrate the final performance of Hillstrummers Director Dan Gerth.
Lunch is $10 for non-members and younger guests, and must be reserved by calling 505.662.8924 before 10 a.m. Friday. The lunch is roast beef and mashed potatoes with gravy, peas, carrots and of course cupcakes.
