The 18th annual Oldies Dance will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 21 at the Eagle’s Hall in Biddeford. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Portland, which assists families of pediatric patients. Courtesy photo/Oldies Dance Group

YORK COUNTY — Rock n’ Roll fans are cheering the return of a popular Oldies Dance in Biddeford next month which will assist a deserving local charity.

On March 21, York County’s Oldies Dance Group will present the 18th Rock n’ Roll Oldies Dance at the Eagle’s Hall in Biddeford with 300 tickets up for grabs. Now in its 12th year, proceeds from the Oldies Dances have raised a total of $66,200 for the Ronald McDonald House in Portland since its inception.

Oldies Dance Group founder Bruce Martin said the dances are staged twice a year in March and October and have become a popular place for rock n’ roll fans of all ages to spend an evening dancing to their favorite oldies music with more than 1,740 songs available in a casual and fun setting.

“This dance has become the largest community fundraising effort for Ronald McDonald House of Portland, which provides comfort for the families of pediatric patients and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children,” Martin said. “Ronald McDonald House provides access to quality health care and enables family centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their child’s care.”

According to Martin, participants attend the dances to socialize and have fun with their friends, but it’s really all about enjoying the music of another day and age that has become the soundtrack of the lives of so many generations worldwide.

“Over the years, I’ve found that the slow songs really get people up on the dance floor,” Martin said. “Songs like ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers, or ‘Oh Girl’ by the Chi-Lites or ‘Misty Blue’ by Dorothy Moore have such everlasting appeal. I can play ‘Unchained Melody’ and then see husbands who don’t normally dance at all out there with their wives on the dance floor swaying back and forth to that one.”

A typical set list for the Oldies Dance also includes a generous selection of Motown tunes, and iconic hits such as ‘The Twist’ by Chubby Checker, ‘Locomotion’ by Little Eva, ‘YMCA’ by the Village People and ’My Girl’ by the Temptations.

Music includes oldies favorites from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with videos provided by “Oldies “R” Us.

“I have yet to find anyone who doesn’t love to dance to the Temptations,” Martin said. “We encourage those who want to attend to get their tickets early because of the limited seating available. People not only love to come out and dance, they appreciate that all of this is to help the Ronald McDonald House. It’s simply a fun event that is for a good cause.”

The next Oldies Dance will be from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 21 at the Eagle’s Hall, 57 Birch Street in Biddeford. Tickets are $10 per person and do sell out quickly.

For more information or to obtain tickets, call 284-4692.