The Buchanan Area Senior Center will ring in the New Year from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31.

The event will feature dancing, snacks, sparkling beverages and door prizes.

The party is being billed as a “formal event,” giving seniors an opportunity to dress in their best clothing. However, all are welcome even if they are not in formal wear.

Organizers say the New Year’s Eve party will be a good opportunity for attendees to dust off their dancing shoes and enjoy dancing to waltzes and polkas.

Randy Chain, a saxophone player in Friends Band, will be the disk jockey for the afternoon event, playing both the popular classics and some lesser-known music.

The waltz is a smooth, sliding or gliding ballroom and folk dance from the 16th Century, normally done in triple time. It originated in Bavaria, Bohemia and Austria. The dance was favored by the upper crust dressed in fancy formal attire, and performed in the most elegant ballrooms.

Polkas, on the other hand, are more commonly associated with Oktoberfests, bar rooms and small town dance halls. The polka originated in Bohemia and is still the common genre in Czech, Slovakian and Polish folk music. European immigrants brought the polka to the United States, particularly to the Midwest, and Chicago and Cleveland emerged as American polka capitals.

Chain, a 1970 graduate of Buchanan High School, has played saxophone since his high school band days.

People attending the dance party can make requests during the party or by calling the senior center ahead of time at (269) 695-7119.