Mrs Rabinowitz and I met at dance lessons 10 years ago.  We have danced nearly every weekend since then...probably close to 500 times.

Sadly, yet another place we went to has closed.  The Ranch House in Sachse shut down last weekend.

This is a list of dance venues, including ballroom, that have shut down in the past 10 years that we know of.

Wagon Wheel, Denison
Tango & Cha-chas, Dallas
Ballroom Headquarters, Frisco
WW Fairfields, Richardson (which was reincarnated by....)
WW Fairfields, Plano
Guitars & Cadillacs, North Dallas
Post Time, Dallas, and the afore mentioned
Ranch House, Sachse

When Guitars & Cadillacs was open you had lots of young people.  It drew a crowd of progressive and west Coast Swing dancers.  Some of those young people are good and most of the girls are very pretty.

It's a shame though.  Seems that C&W dancing is dying with my generation.

One that has opened is Good Vibes in Richardson.  It's a real nice place, but their dance floor is smaller than our living room.

I always told my male high school students if they learned how to dance, they would always have a date, or at the least a girl in their arms.

I haven't been there in years, used to be one of the bars we played league pool out of. I heard it was closing but thought it had already happened a while back.

They had to shut down for the Rice-a-Rona.  Then they needed to get a new booze license and the scuttlebutt was that they wouldn't and it would stay closed.  They got on as a restaurant that served booze rather than as a bar.  They just couldn't stop losing money.  Unless a miracle happens, it's gone for good.

I had thought I heard it closed or was closing as of sometime in 2019 before any of the current mess occurred.

That never was my thing when I was in high school. There were a few girls around at dances who wanted you to whirl them around, I just wasn't that interested when I was 16, 17 years old, I had my sights set elsewhere at the time. If I knew then, what I know now, it might have been a different story and I might have accidentally fathered some children.  

At A&M in the 90's, if you wanted it, it was there. Wasn't a bad place to hang out and drink a few beers. Don't know the situation now. With the Aggie Wranglers club, it seems pretty popular, I know they started a North Texas branch, but it's jr high and high school kids. My niece is involved, but I don't know the particulars.

I went with some friends to Cowboys on East Grand before it went to Tejano, to an Ace Hardware and YMCA to a Tom Thumb. Can't say that I miss it. Same for a place we went in Arlington, Red River maybe? My first wife liked to dance, my second wife not so much. I'm good with that.  The Neon Cowboy is halfway between my job and my house, there's been enough people shot over there that I don't feel the need to stop over there and check it out.

The world's not what it once was if you live in town (the big cities). People are rude and they suck. Not friendly at all. I used to wear boots 7 days a week and don a bangora straw hat in the summer, felt in the winter, 13MWZ cowboy cut wranglers. I've moved over to lace up work shoes and a baseball cap. I do have a weakness for the Cinch white label jeans though, they fit pretty well, that's about as cowboy'd up as I get any more.  

I reckon if you get away from Dallas and Houston, and I mean really get away, like west of I35, I think you'll still find that kind of culture in small towns.

When I was in A&M in the 70s, there was a club called Lakeview. It was very popular. We also had several Band & Corps arranged dances with all but 1 in Class A uniform.

This was also about the time of the Urban Cowboy rage.

Unfortunately all those hot girls and flatbelly boys are now in their 60s with varicose veins and big guts and have more doctors than friends.

Instead of a few beers before going out,  we take an Advil and a Tylenol and hope they kick in before our knees start to ache.

Jake's Place has opened a food truck park in Denison where the old Calhoun's club was. They are re-opening the club for beer and wine sales and a concert venue. Supposedly the dance floor is larger than before. They have not booked a country act in there yet, though. The 'Rona has hit the almost dead club scene in Grayson county hard. The Coyote Club in Denison was taking off with the closing of Loose Wheels last year but it is shut down too. Same with the Cowboy Club in Van Alstyne. Other than Music on Main in Denison and Hot Summer Nights in Sherman there is no live music scene here anymore.

Calhoun's, man. Wow.

The first band I ever did sound for played there in the mid 90s.

Try the Round-Up Saloon

I had many memorable (and some I don't remember) nights there in the '80s.
The '90s were my dark period for bands and clubs due to the wife and kids. We can't wait till this is over so we can go back to hearing some live music again. I would love to see the Allman-Betts band at the Kessler in late January.

Yeah, I hear ya. I got married and had kids in the 2000s, so that was my dark period. Ever since about 2012, though, I've been back at it.

I'm a little more optimistic than most about live music coming back next year. Bands and nightclubs come and go. Yeah, they're gone right now, and in a big way, but there are still plenty of people who want to get out there and shake it.

This story is a good example of what's going on with bars and music venues.

https://www.vanalstyneleader.com/story/news/2020/12/16/local-landmark-fights-survive/3925377001/

It's criminal what's being done to these places.

I miss going to see Brave Combo at the old Czech Club on Military Pkwy.  That dance floor was incredible.  I'll have to look to see if the Sons of Hermann hall is still open.

The same thing is happening in central Texas.  James White, the owner of the Broken Spoke, is no spring chicken, and when he's gone I don't know if anyone will be around to keep the place running.  What used to be the odd local tire shop or other run down business on both sides of the Spoke is now multi-story apartment complex.  Just a matter of time.  Coupland Inn has been off and on again over the years.  I don't know if it'll make it through covid.

They just announced they jumped through the hoops and will be opening back up on Jan. 1.

Go west young man-

Longhorn Saloon

"Honky-Tonk NIRVANA" -Texas Monthly

Like the OP my wife and I met at dance lessons. That was at  Stampedes in Dallas in 1992. Doubt if it is still open.

I remember that place...........I think.

I hit them all up at one time or another in Dallas.
I always seem to get into trouble in Ft. Worth though.  Those stories are for another day and thread.

I drive past the Kessler couple times a week.  When I drove past yesterday they didn't have any bands listed on the marquee, but when I checked the website Allman-Betts already has two shows sold out.  Sure hope they can survive covid;  I've had some good times there since they reopened about a decade ago.  As a kid growing up in Oak Cliff I recall it being closed for the longest time.

We caught Monte Montgomery at the Kessler about this time last year. It was our first time there and were just blown away by the place. We hope to catch many more shows there in the future.


My cousin's ex-husband used to play in the house band at Belle Star in the mid-80s. He took me back to meet the manager who at the time was having a "business meeting" with his east coast associates. I may or may not have seen some things I shouldn't have.  
We very quietly left.

We went to Jake's Place Friday night.  It's really nice, but they do not have a dance floor.  We were told that they were going to reinstall the floor in the center of the club where it used to be.  The previous tenant ripped up the floor.  We were told two more weeks, which from my experience means maybe by the end of the summer.

Was that for the George Strait cover group?  How was the turnout?

We didn't stay.  We ended up driving to the Electric Cowboy in Lewisville.  Lots of fun.

Saw in the news today that James White, the owner of the Broken Spoke, passed away yesterday.  The article also mentioned that he ran the Spoke with his wife and two daughters, so perhaps it will soldier on for a while.

Sorry to hear about James White......

We had the Hall of Fame, in Bryan......it is long gone, now a walmart.
Good times there.......glad I saw Johnny Bush there, before he passed.

best....TexasAg