Deer Lakes students help take Tarentum audience back to the 1940s at USO-themed event

When Deer Lakes High School drama and choir teacher Matt Derby sought student volunteers to sing 1940s songs for an event in Tarentum, he found his 21st-century students knew more of the tunes than he thought they would.

Marianna Vergerio, 17, recognized “At Last” from the America’s Got Talent.

Young Frank Sinatra fan Shayne Parks, 14, said he has listened to “You Make Me Feel So Young” with his grandfather.

And 14-year-old Josie Farster said her mother loves “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

They, along with Carlee Majernik and Jake Toth, volunteered to perform for a 1940s USO-themed show put on Saturday night at the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society’s Heritage Museum in Tarentum. The society staged the event with its neighbor, Tarentum Elks Lodge 644.

Founded during World War II in 1941, the USO — United Service Organizations — provides live entertainment to the U.S. armed forces and their families.

Just more than 50 people were at the opening of the event that started with the students’ performances at the museum, followed by dancing to 56 East Band at the Elks lodge, dubbed a “bomb shelter” for the night. Those attending were encouraged to wear their best 1940s attire, including uniforms.

It was a second annual event of sorts for the two organizations, coming after a 1920s Prohibition-era themed night last October, according to Steve Kubicko, secretary of the historical society’s board of directors and a seventh grade history teacher at Deer Lakes.

“We’re trying to develop additional members for each of our organizations after the pandemic,” Kubicko said.

Derby said the students volunteered and chose their own two songs to perform, while as a group they closed with “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” They had been practicing the last couple of weeks.

“They recognized more than I thought they would,” Derby said.

Vergerio, a junior from West Deer, said she jumped at the opportunity to perform. She remembered how much she loves the song “At Last” and wanted to sing it.

“My parents are huge ’40s song listeners,” she said. “We don’t usually get to perform older music. I feel a lot of the ’40s songs are timeless.”

Parks thought he didn’t know any 1940s music until Derby told him Sinatra was from that time, then he realized he did. For his two songs, he chose two from Ol’ Blue Eyes — “You Make Me Feel So Young” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

He figures his friends might like a couple of the songs, but barely.

Farster, who opened the evening with “I’m Old Fashioned,” said she finds 1940s music pretty.

“They each have their own style,” she said of the night’s selection.