Ferndale's Very Own Time Machine: Boogie Fever

If there was ever any doubt about the fabulousness of Ferndale, look no further than . Only in Ferndale can you step out of your house for a Saturday night on the town and end up in a spot where Jimmy Carter is still president or Max Headroom still has a shelf life.

Boogie Fever is where stylish and nostalgic Ferndale residents go to relive the best of the '70s and '80s, bringing back the full arsenal of the dance moves that went along with them.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I decided to stop by Boogie Fever. I pulled together the outfit that might blend into a retro space. But, once I realized that idea was ridiculous, I changed into my usual jeans and a T-shirt. I decided on a T-shirt that said "And you don’t stop.” I was hoping to show that I was still young and confusing enough to be cool, but camp enough to enjoy Boogie Fever.

As we move toward the unknowing future, themes of the past are becoming more common in even the most modern clubs of today. If there is one thing that is certain, it is the past (and taxes and death); is it this certainty that makes the past so much more appealing than the present?

It seems as if in this time of tax millages, cuts and cutbacks, people want to live in any time frame but the present. So, I came this night to visit the past.

Looking at Boogie Fever from the outside, on a street lined with limousines, I tried to keep a level head about what to expect. As thoughts of John Travolta and Saturday Night Fever continued to flash in my mind, I felt I was either going to hate it or not understand it. There were also no lines at 12:30 a.m., so I was immediately thinking, “bust.” But apparently, in the '80's, they liked to arrive early to parties.

The inside was vast, open and heavily populated. People were gathered in clusters reminiscent of the cliques that gathered at high school dances so no one felt alone.

The room was decorated with silvers and luminescent whites that carried the rays of the cool-blue lights scattered across the ceiling. And the space was complete with the illuminated dance floor. But if you were not in the mood for dancing, which I don't imagine happening in the '70s era, there was a seating area with tables throughout.

All in all, it was a very modern disco. And staying true to Ferndale’s reputation, the crowd was very diverse: a mixture of professional, single and coupled, 20-somethings to 50-somethings, all gathered around to have a good time and catch some form of a dancing fever.

For me, Boogie Fever was a chance to visit the past, but for others it was a chance to relive the past. What would you do if you could relive your past with better style and the wisdom of an extra 10 or 20 years?

Hearing a certain song can send you on a massive euphoric trip to “the good ol' days,” so imagine what a whole club experience can do. To me, it seemed as if Boogie Fever was a chance to relive a little bit of the past the way you wanted – maybe less awkward, maybe a little more cash in the wallet and maybe a higher tolerance for booze?

So, after testing out my dance moves on the illuminated dance turf, I must say this: The only thing funnier than seeing some retro dance moves is seeing the same people who originated them attempt to do them again. Some things in the past are just not meant to come back! I left the dance floor right before those bad dance moves became dangerous ones. However, no one was hurt in the good time that was had, which is a point that needs to be made – bad dance moves don't mean a bad time.

Still thinking about time, I wondered: If the present will soon be nothing more than a memory of the good ol' days, why do we have to wait until the present is the past for it to be good time? Why can't we have a good time now?

Finally, last question: If you could relive one era, what would it be? I know how the folks at Boogie Fever would answer, but how about you?