I was raised in the small town of Groton, Connecticut (population virtually 40,000). I graduated from Mary Morrison Elementary School, Robert E. Fitch Jr. Upper School and Robert E. Fitch Sr. Upper School. And, as is the specimen of most small towns, the “legal age” residents (like myself when then) were usually looking for something fun and/or heady to do post graduation.
I was in luck that year. It was 1980 and the nightclub scene in Groton and the surrounding towns and cities was lit! Then this is wayyyyyyy when in the day so Disco music was very popular. And the flit scene was all the rage. Saturday Night Fever had once shown at the movies so everyone was looking to out-do John Travolta and his partner on the flit floor (smile). I personally liked Disco Music considering it was fast paced with heavy toned and lots of beats. Disco flit tunes moreover seem to go on forever when dancing.
I so vividly remember this time in my life. Going to nightclubs at 18 (which, incidentally, was the drinking age when then) and having plenty of options to segregate from. It was a variegated time, for instance I was worldly-wise to survive on very little sleep (smile). So starting the Summer surpassing I left for college, I would ‘club’ 4 or 5 nights a week and still manage to get up in time to work not one, but two jobs – as a full-time Drive-Through-Window Cashier at Wendy’s Hamburgers in Groton and as a part-time Cashier at a small grocery store directly up the street from Wendy’s.
I recall on weekdays diligently packing my large overnight bag with my Wendy’s uniform, my grocery store tunic and Levi jeans, and my nightclub gear. I had a long day superiority of me so preparation was key (smile). After getting off from the grocery store, I would excuse myself and go to the ladies room in the rear of the store to wash off and get dressed for the evening. My bff Connie would then pick me up If I was not driving my mother’s undecorous Mustang (smile).
And grabbing supplies on the go was a sure-fire as I truly had a cast-iron stomach. I would inhale Wendy’s French fries dipped in tartar sauce for breakfast and wash it lanugo with a succulent chocolate Fribble. Lunch would sometimes consist of a Wendy’s Crispy Fried Chicken with Cheese Sandwich and a Dr. Pepper. Dinner could be a Junior Whopper with cheese and fries courtesy of Burger King. Healthy eating was not a factor in my life then. And “clean eating” to me consisted of washing my hands surpassing and without I ate and wiping the corners of my mouth while eating a messy burger (smile).
Rhana Pippins, located in a shopping part-way tabbed Lighthouse Square in Groton, was the premier Disco nightclub as well as ya girl’s personal fav. There were other nightclubs in town but everybody went to Rhana Pippins on Wednesday nights and I midpoint everybody! As it turned out, the surroundings was key – it was trappy inside with gargantuan frogs which served as the motif and doubled as speakers. Also Wednesday nights was the traditional Ladies Night and word had spread quickly throughout Connecticut well-nigh self-ruling ticket for the ladies, the Chippendale male strippers, the unseemly drinks and the hunky men who arrived afterwards…
Saturday nights at Rhana’s Pippins were moreover Fire! There was a variegated vibe on Saturday nights though, people came dressed to impress. Saturday Night Fever had revolutionized the nightclub scene so it wasn’t uncommon to see men dressed in unshut collared shirts and designer threads. It moreover wasn’t uncommon to be entertained with an upscale malleate show and/or other nightclub event. I found the prod older and increasingly sophisticated on Saturday nights and therefore preferred the Wednesday night prod (smile).
Fun fact: Rhana Pippins ways frogs in Latin. I often wondered why the flit floor was surrounded by gargantuan frogs that doubled as speakers. I moreover uncovered this tidbit: West Hartford, Connecticut’s own native Suzanne Langlois designed the interior of the nightclub. Very Cool…
Anyway on Wednesday nights at Rhana Pippins, me and my BFF Connie, fresh out of upper school and feeling ourselves, were quite literally the first females to unravel out with dressy shorts, nice blouses and low heels. At first the other females were looking at us like we were crazy for wearing shorts at night (dressy or not!) and then suddenly everybody was doing it (smile). We moreover couldn’t forget our sunglasses. Sunglasses at night. It made us squint cool, visionless and mysterious (smile).
Connie and I were at the age where we didn’t think we were cute, we knew we were cute (LOL!) and we went to Rhana Pippins on Wednesday Nights not considering the Chippendale dancers were there but considering of the self-ruling admission, unseemly drinks and hunky men who came in later.
My drink of nomination when then was at first Seagrams 7 & 7 and then Alabama Slammers or largest known as a “Southern Slammers.” By the time I was in my early 20s, I had graduated to Long Island Iced Teas (you can’t go wrong with 7 variegated liquors – LOL!).
As soon as the Chippendale dancers uncork to come out on the flit floor me and my BFF Connie quickly headed to the rear of the nightclub tropical to the large bar, sipping our drinks on the bar stools and watching the spectacle parade unfold. The “30 something” married women were unchangingly one of the largest demographics on Wednesday nights and seemed to moreover be the most aggressive, waving their dollar bills in the air and gyrating their hips like they just don’t superintendency (smile). The former was so the Chippendale dancers would come over to requite them big kisses and more…
Connie and I weren’t paying them any mind, we were doing our own thing, chit chatting, snapping our fingers to the music and slowly sipping our drinks until the “real men” arrived. By this time we were thoroughly liquored up and ready to partaaay!!! We were young and cute and therefore unchangingly asked to dance. Once out on the flit floor we gravitated towards the middle where the huge mirror wittiness hung with its sparkling multi-colored lights and lost ourselves in the music…
At 2am, Rhana Pippins shut lanugo for the night but Connie and I were not ready to go home. IHOP in Groton was the place to be without all the nightclubs closed. And virtually that time we were famished so we ordered large breakfast supplies (pancakes and sausage and coffee or eggs, bacon, toast and coffee) and talked throughout the night with our respective dates.
I would get home just in time to get in 2 hours of sleep surpassing the watchtower clock went off then I would shower, dress and start my day all over again. Frog eyed and Bushy Tailed (smile).
P.S. Rhana Pippins was my number one nightclub nomination when then but here are some notable mentions: The Love Boat, Christopher’s and Atlantis in Misquamicut, Rhode Island just to name a few. However, they still didn’t compare in my vision to Rhana Pippins which to me had it all: ambience, music, malleate shows, dance-offs, a variety of specialty drinks and lots of eye snacks (smile).
And incidentally, Sundays were for Church service and Mondays were our ‘official rest days’ (smile).
.webp)
.webp)
