living
WINTER ISSUE 2014
A Special Supplement to
Harvey’s Chicken Inn This Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association Hall of Fame inductee is a dance hot spot with rich history. ■
By SARAH BROWN
CNA staff reporter sbrown@crestonnews.com
Shirley and Keith Mueller of Greenfield recall one of their first dates at Chicken Inn before their marriage 52 years ago.
Even on a “slow” night at Harvey’s Chicken Inn, west of Creston, the dance floor is packed. Despite the number of changes and owners since it first opened in the 1930s, it appears the dancers have not missed a beat. After its closure for about a year after the death of its former owner Harvey Briles, Harvey’s Chicken Inn reopened in Oct. 2013 and is currently run by Harvey’s daughter Debbie Glick, her husband Kevin and their friends Jimmy and Snookie George. “My dad told Kevin as he was nearing death, ‘Can you please keep the Chicken Inn open for my friends to dance,” Debbie said. “And, Kevin wanted to keep his promise.” Harvey died May 7, 2011, and his friends continue to dance in the hall he owned, operated and loved so much. Community Charlie Westman, a regular dancer at Harvey’s Chicken Inn, described the bond the dance community has. “It’s not like church, but, it’s kind of like a church family,” Westman said. “We have this one thing in common. The music and the dancing.” Westman said he enjoys the social aspect of dancing at Harvey’s Chicken Inn. “As far as I am concerned, the people are the best part,” Charlie Westman said. “Whether we are good dancers or
not, we get along and we dance with each other.” And, others seem to agree. On the average dance night at Chicken Inn, which are the first and third Saturdays of the month, the number of attendees average between 80 and 100.
“Bonnie broke me like a wild horse.” — Charlie Westman on learning to dance
Westman, who dances at Harvey’s Chicken Inn with his wife Bonnie, said dancing is a “huge part of our life and our marriage.” Westman said in the five years following his divorce in 1991, he threw himself into his work as a college carpentry instructor and running his own siding business. “Eventually I thought, there has got to be more than going out and selling siding and windows every night and every weekend,” Westman said. Then one day, Westman discovered an advertisement for a singles dance group at the American Legion in the Creston News Advertiser. He decided to attend and the rest, you could say, was history. “We had a great time that night,” Westman said. Westman, new to dancing at the time, was partnered with his current wife Bonnie during a dance lesson. Please see CHICKEN INN, Page 2c