Through the teens in the early 20th century, jazz music, syncopated and vaguely sensuous, slowly captured the public's ears and drew them to dance halls and social clubs to try the latest dances. In Spokane, several halls opened in the late teens and early 1920s. A popular bandleader, Charles Whitehead, partnered with investors and put up one of the biggest halls and named it Whitehead's Dance Palace. The floor was massive and the bandstand was right in the center of the floor. Along the walls, dancers could rent a "loge," a covered area of tables for private use. The band played several nights a week from 8:15 to 11:45. Laws about dance halls were strict, including closing by midnight and no dancing on Sundays.  

Throughout the 1920s, club owners, especially the rural resorts where liquor seemed to flow freely during Prohibition, fought back against the Sunday rule until Spokane County relented to allow it. 

Then and Now on Monday, Mar. 21, will focus on Whitehead's Dance Palace and the 1920s entertainment scene. Does anyone remember entertainers like Dutch Groshoff, Ray Hendricks or Bob Crosby? They all started at Whitehead's. 

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