The Texas Dance Hall Preservation will host its first in-person event, “Swing into Cat Spring” in nearly two years this Saturday, March 12, at the Cat Spring Agricultural Society Hall. The event will feature Asleep at the Wheel, along with artist Al Dressen.

In June 2019, Texas Dance Hall Preservation held its last Texas Dance Hall Tour event at the Cat Spring Ag Hall and Saturday’s dance will be the first public event since then.

“We’re not quite ready to do another tour but this is a way to get folks together again in a big, beautiful hall to dance and enjoy some great western swing music,” Asleep at the Wheel bandleader Ray Benson said.

Benson said he has been playing dance halls ever since the band came to Texas in the early 1970s but has performed less in recent years as many venues that the band played at have disappeared.

“TDHP hired the band a few times back in 2013 and 2014 to play their big annual dance at Anhalt Farmers Verein north of San Antonio. A few years later, we worked together to create the Texas Dance Hall Tour in early 2017, which was like a land cruise going to several different halls over a few days,” Benson said. “Folks came from all over the country, and everyone had a great time so Asleep at the Wheel continued to host a few more until COVID happened. The tours helped to raise money for TDHP so they could help dance halls with various things.”

Benson said he got involved with TDHP because he hopes to help keep dance halls from disappearing. Events like Swing into Cat Spring keep dance halls alive.

“As I understand things, it is pretty much a sold-out show with maybe a handful of tickets that may be on sale at the door,” Benson said. “(The event is) March 12 with doors opening at 6 p.m. Asleep at the Wheel goes on at 8:30 p.m. with Al Dressen and his Super Swing Revue opening things up for us. They start at 7 p.m.” Benson said there are

Benson said there are plenty of great dance halls in Austin County.

“Our second Texas Dance Hall Tour included three halls in late October 2017. Asleep at the Wheel played the first and last nights with the first at Galveston Garten Verein and the last at Bellville Turnverein Pavilion. Other artists on the tour played the other two nights at Peters Hacienda Hall and Cat Spring Hall,” Benson said. “We got lots of positive comments from tour attendees about the uniqueness of these round halls that were so well maintained by their communities. We know there are a number of other halls in Austin County, so folks here are lucky to have so many still close by that are operating in some form.”

Texas Dance Hall Preservation turns 15 years old this year, Benson said.

“They have done a lot to help different dance halls specifically with grants and consultations and they have definitely raised the awareness of the need to keep them alive for future generations,” Benson said. “All I can say is, support TDHP. They are the only nonprofit doing this type of work and we need them to continue.”

For more information on TDHP visit their website at texasdancehall.org.