MIFFLIN — The Mifflin-Juniata Regional Services Corp. — The Care Network hopes to turn back the clock and dance the night away with donations at the same time.

A Sock Hop, sponsored by Centers in Motion and held at the Four Seasons Senior Community Center, located at 56 Jam House Road in Mifflin, is slated for Friday, July 18, from 5 to 8 p.m.

All adults age 55-plus who live in Mifflin and Juniata counties are invited to attend. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

“Many of the members that attend the center were asking for a Sock Hop, we thought this would be a good event to host during the summertime,” said Beth Harlan, senior community services supervisor for MJRSC — The Care Network.

“Hoping for nice weather and an evening filled with fun, dancing and, of course, eating,” Harlan added.

Historians say sock hops were held as early as 1944 by the American Junior Red Cross to raise funds during World War II. They then became a fad among American teenagers in 1948, originating as informal school dances.

They were called sock hops because the dancers danced in their socks. The original sock hops were held in gymnasiums where street shoes were not permitted because they scratched the hardwood floors.

Dress was simple for sock hops, as it was basically a come-as-you-are event in school clothes. Guys dressed in jeans and shirts or t-shirts, while girls wore skirts with lots of petticoats that looked cool swirling on the dance floor.

For its sock hop, Centers in Motion has music, games and a costume contest planned, along with food from Smoke House Bar and Grill, a photo booth and a root beer float bar. Costumes are not required to attend.