Forward Into the Past

The annual 1940s WWII Era Ball gets bigger and better every year — and if you were at the first ball, which featured vintage military vehicles and uniforms, aerial burlesque, a barbershop quartet, a big band, a costume contest and dancing, then you know that’s really saying something. This year,...

By Amber Taufen

June 16, 2011

Audio By Carbonatix

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The annual 1940s WWII Era Ball gets bigger and better every year — and if you were at the first ball, which featured vintage military vehicles and uniforms, aerial burlesque, a barbershop quartet, a big band, a costume contest and dancing, then you know that’s really saying something. This year, the ball’s founder and organizer, Khyentse James, just might have outdone herself. “We’re doing this whole tiki scene,” she explains, “setting up bamboo tiki huts where we’ll have Hula Moon bartenders dressed up and serving drinks with umbrella and fruit.” This is aside from a movie theater, a paper moon atop which you can get your photo taken, even more aircraft and vehicles — including vintage WWII Jeeps, which will shuttle party-goers back to their own vehicles at the end of the night — and some very special guests: real members of the band of brothers upon which HBO’s hit series Band of Brothers was based. “Folks can come say hi to some living legends,” notes James.

“People see this as a unique event and want to share that with their friends and family,” she adds. “It’s not a bar, it’s not sitting in a chair and watching a performance. It’s an experience, one where you get to be a part of something and connect with other interesting individuals.”

There will also be hairstylists offering 1940s ’dos, hula dancers, a live broadcast of the shindig, music by Hot Tomatoes and DJ Rag-top Rocker, Frank Sinatra and the Andrews Sisters (well, close enough), skydiving re-enactments, a massive conga line and much, much more.

The ball takes place in a hangar at the Boulder Airport, 3393 Airport Road in Boulder; tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. Visit www.1940sball.org for more information.
Sat., June 18, 6 p.m., 2011

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Amber Taufen has been writing about people, places and things in Denver since 2005. She works as an editor, writer, and production and process guru out of her home office in the foothills.

Contact: Amber Taufen

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