Trolley to Lumina: Dancing at the Palace of Light

By Pilar Walsh

Mary Nicholson, first woman in North Carolina to receive her pilot''s license in 1928, feels joy and pride piloting her own plane. There is only one thing that comes close to her felicity. It was dancing at Lumina Ballroom in the summers when she visited her uncle and aunt, Henry and Rose McCallister in Wilmington who were a huge influence in her life. This extraordinary ballroom known as the "palace of light" in the roaring 20''s, built along the barrier island of Wrightsville Beach, gave vacationers an opportunity, no matter who they were, rich or poor, or their station in life, a glorious day and night of ocean sports events, beauty contests, socializing, dancing, a special children''s night and much more, becoming anyone they wanted to be. Mary''s dream was to own her own cargo flight business or an airline company. But as with most young women, love can alter best laid plans, surprising Mary, in a way that was unforeseen. She meets the poor Ukrainian farmer, Alexander Andruchenko at Lumina, a truly talented dancer, and possessing movie star good looks. He swept Mary off her feet, literally, hearts became opened, and a relationship blossomed. Along with having to face societal barriers, jealous suitors, and passions which will take them on journeys fulfilling their dreams, both were faced with bold choices. Mary became torn between the attractive, exciting but illegal life of the bootlegger Danny Sullivan and the love of Alexander, whose disparity in background created a challenging conflict. Dancing to the famous Weidemeyer orchestra, playing in the background for the enthusiastic dancers in the ballroom, the competition heated up between Alexander and Danny for the title of best shag dancer and the love of Mary, with a surprise outcome no one could have imagined. Mary Nicholson, first woman in North Carolina to receive her pilot''s license in 1928, feels joy and pride piloting her own plane. There is only one thing that comes close to her felicity. That''s dancing at Lumina Ballroom in the summers when she visits her uncle and aunt, Henry, and Rose McCallister in Wilmington who were a huge influence in her life. This extraordinary ballroom known as the "palace of light" in the roaring 20''s, built along the barrier island of Wrightsville Beach, gave vacationers an opportunity, no matter who they were, rich or poor, or their station in life, a glorious day and night of ocean sports events, beauty contests, socializing, movie-watching, dancing, a special children''s night and much more. This family focused "fun-spot" provided anyone who had in their possession thirty-five cents for a trolley ride, to join in these activities and become anyone they wanted to be. Now that Mary was a full-fledged pilot, her dream was to own her own cargo flight business or an airline company. But as with most young women, love can alter all plans, surprising Mary, in a way that was unforeseen. She meets the poor Ukrainian farmer, Alexander Andruchenko, at Lumina, who is mega-talented as a dancer and with movie star good looks. He swept Mary off her feet, literally, hearts became opened, and a relationship was blossoming. Along with having to face societal barriers, jealous suitors, and passions which will take them on journeys fulfilling their dreams, both were faced with bold choices. She was torn between the attractive, exciting but illegal life of the bootlegger Danny Sullivan and the love of Alexander, whose disparity in background created a challenging conflict. Dancing to the famous Weidemeyer orchestra playing in the background for the enthusiastic dancers in the ballroom, the competition heated up between Alexander and Danny for the title of best shag dancer and the love of Mary, with a surprise outcome no one could have imagined.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C1J5P88T
• ISBN13: 9798386124434
• Release Date: April 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 201 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.5" x 6.0"