Dripping Springs dance hall reopens after two months
AUSTIN, Texas - Bars and many other Texas businesses reopened on May 22, as part of phase two of the states reopening. This paved the way for the Mercer Street Dance Hall in Dripping Springs to reopen their doors.
The dance hall was closed for more than two months because of COVID-19. They reopened Friday with a band and dancing. The festivities continued through the weekend.
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Sunday, Monte Good and the Honky Tonk Heroes, a New Braunfels band played in the hall, as retirees John and Jeannette Stuart danced the Texas two-step.
“We love dancing and we love Monty Good!” said John Stuart.
Hall owner, Nicholas Dotin, explained that each “step” was a careful calculation. “We even did the math on the dance floor. You can put out 17 couples, who can keep 6 feet,” he said.
Dotin says the hall usually pulls in a crowd of 125 to 200 people but has the capacity for 400 people inside and 200 on their porch. He says that makes it easier for the hall to operate at 25 percent capacity, as ordered.
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“We’re doing our part. We want people to be able to get back out of the house, come back and enjoy the music. We gotta start living again, but you can’t ignore it.”
The Dotin’s are taking a number of precautions. Examples include newly installed plexiglass around the bar, and greeting area. Hand sanitizer is readily available, and masks are a personal choice.
“I would say we use common sense, we’re not taking undue risks, we’re being careful we’re doing some distancing,” explained Jeannette Stuart.
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