LEWISTOWN — Thomas Inman didn’t invent the Charleston Dance, but he certainly knew the steps that popularized it. Known as the “King of Dances” in the 20th century, it had a huge influence on American culture. The feel-good sound of the Deacons of Dixieland band had Inman and his friends get up out of their seats and show off their dance moves at a concert at Triangle Park in Lock Haven.

“Yvonne and I danced the Charleston, much to the band’s delight,” Thomas commented on a YouTube post from the band’s performance in Lock Haven some time ago.

He and friend Yvonne attended and danced the night away.

“It’s been at least eight years — and most likely more than 10,” Inman quipped. “Those days, I would bring a date to Lock Haven to see music on Friday evenings,” Inman explained.

Actually, it was 11 years ago — 2014 in the aforementioned Triangle Park.

“I saw them in Lock Haven, and the only reason I remember them at all is because of the former president of Penn State playing washboard.”

Yes, playing the washboard that day was Graham Spanier, who still does as the longest tenured member of the Deacons of Dixieland, a seven-piece traditional jazz band from central Pennsylvania.

“It’s happy music,” said Mike Loewen, the band’s frontman and trombone player. “It’s fun to listen to and fun to play. We all play in other kinds of jazz groups, concert bands and jazz bands.

“For myself, it’s a little easier to play solos (in Deacons of Dixieland),” Loewen added.

That’s because the band uses sheet music with chord progressions, which allows more improvisation from the musicians.

“It opens it up for solo choruses then goes back to the melody,” Loewen said. “A lot of the tunes we play go back to the Tarnished 6 group.”

The Tarnished 6 was a well-known jazz band, which included several present band members, including tuba player John Kovalchik, drummer Dan Armstrong and even Loewen as a substitute on occasion.

“We stay with the typical songs and play them how you would expect to hear,” Loewen said of the band’s musical style.

Since most of the members are retired, their schedule isn’t too grueling as they gather to perform about six or seven times per year. One of those happens to be Sunday in Lewistown at Shy Bear Brewery. They are slated to play from 4 to 7 p.m.

“It’s our first time in Lewistown,” Loewen said. “We play more traditional jazz, New Orleans-style.

Spanier joined the band in 1995. His washboard isn’t unusual for jazz bands like the Deacons of Dixieland. However, Spanier garners attention because it’s adorned with other instruments including horns and whistles, cowbells and even wood blocks.

“He has like 26 different things on that washboard,” Loewen said.

Rounding out the band, which was founded in 1988, are Rob Byham on cornet, Marty Gillespie on soprano saxophone and Tom Cody on banjo.

“Dixieland music brings out the fun in people and you can tell that by watching the band,” Gillespie said. We’re having fun and it rubs off.”

For more information, find the band on Facebook.