Editorial Note: Part 277 of a series of further development in the early days that impacted Franklin County. Sources: Franklin County Citizen, 1928-1932; Preston Citizen, 2013; Hometown Album, compiled by Newell Hart; Cache Valley Newsletter, compiled and edited by Newell Hart; Images of America — Preston, by Necia Seamons.

The Persiana Ballroom was advertised as the best dance floor in the west, a spring floor. With its option of a portion being open-air in the summer time the ventilation made for comfort during the warmer months, and still comfortable when the snow fell. Besides the great music the hall was simply a pleasant place to be, either as an observer or a dancer. It was very popular all through Cache Valley and even beyond, and generally had a good crowd.

Those arches at the front of the building provided a great spot for observers who didn’t want to dance, or perhaps did not have the cost of a ticket. People could still get a taste of the proceedings and hear the music. “The folding doors set inside the arches were opened up, although covered with the metal netting of chicken wire, and people passing by could stop and watch the fun through the openings. Those whose automobiles were parked just opposite the arches could be spectators and have the comfort of their cars at the same time.”

Of course this wasn’t the only dance hall in operation at this time so there was competition to bring the dancers to the Persiana. Marketing methods are not a new thing, the managers of the Persiana had all sorts of gimmicks to attract patrons. “On Thanksgiving Day there would be a Children’s Dance in the afternoon with nuts and candy for all. There were decorations to suit the occasion. One ad in the Franklin County Citizen touts that over 200 married couples attended the last dance. They held a “regular married folks dance,” priced at 50 cents per couple or a season ticket for $3.50, good for eight dances. For the New Year’s Eve dances there was confetti and streamers to throw, whistles to be blown, plenty for all on the dance floor when the clock struck midnight.

According to Necia Seamons, the first band that played for the dance hall was comprised of Paul Laren, Al Greenhalgh, Reed Hart, John Fiala, Earl Lawrence, Stan Hawkes, Mickey Hart and Mark Hart. Some of these men played in more than one orchestra throughout the valley. The word got around among musicians and orchestras from up and down the Wasatch front and a number of them were interested in procuring the job of playing at the Persiana. There is the story of a band battle, playing tunes, taking turns to audition for the job at the new place. “A Salt Lake City orchestra drove up to audition for the new hall, Nick Cook and his Seven Nick Nacks, a group who had played at the Moonlight Gardens in the past. ‘Back in town, after a song-plugging stint in Los Angeles, was the cocksure little read-head, Mickey Hart. A battle royal was staged, one band on each end of the hall, and the local boys were chosen for the job’” This had to be exciting for the hometown crew, and for the patrons that supported them.

It was a favored place for the high school proms of Preston High School. The school could decorate according to the chosen theme for that year, taking advantage of the rotating mirror ball in the ceiling to make it a more magical, elegant night for the couples.

Other Preston businesses profited from the popularity of the dance hall. There were confectioneries nearby to tempt the dancers. They sold ice cream dishes, root beer, candy. One was just across the street from the Persiana, one each to the north and the south of the building. During a break it was just a short walk to enjoy a treat. A confectionery might advertise with an item printed on the dance cards given to the ladies at the dance.

This hall did not do things half-way, it was meant to provide services found in bigger cities and drawn in clientele to match. “Patrons could check their hats and coats and be given an identifying token to help them retrieve the right items as they left the dance. Women were presented with dance cards, attached to a dainty cord that they could slip over their wrists. With the small booklet was a tiny pencil so that their partners could sign up for dances well in advance. That was one way of knowing who might be escorting a lady home when the dance concluded and played the tune ‘Good Night, Sweetheart.’”

Traveling bands from other states were featured at the Persiana, adding to its allure. It is amazing that the pull of this dance hall lasted over twenty years. Soldiers coming home from World War II in the latter part of the 1940’s were happy to come back to their old “stomping grounds.” Years in the future, when old-timers gathered they spoke of “meeting her/him at the Persiana.”

Still, time was changing things. Television was beginning to be a part of people’s everyday lives. By 1950, the Persiana closed its doors to the musical world and the building became a medical clinic and professional building for a number of years. In 1975 the old dance hall became the home of the Preston Citizen newspaper. Any musical ghosts still in residence would now hear the clank of a printing press to go with those musical notes still hanging around in the attic.

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