On Saturday evening, Feb. 14, we walked into The LEX’s elegant foyer and up the steps into the large room set with pink satin tablecloths on round tables.

The red velvet curtains on the stage set the scene for the night’s events. At the tables, people were chatting with friends, neighbors and new acquaintances. Dinner by Nadler’s of Wellington was being laid out on long tables, where it was served by friendly folks. People chatted in line, took their plates and chatted with their tablemates.

At seven o’clock, the red velvet curtains opened on stage and out came Matthew Ray Whisenant in his sky blue, bejeweled Elvis suit and began his show, “An Elvis Tribute.” His voice was well suited to the Elvis songs.

Couples took to the dance floor, twirling, hugging, laughing.

A young couple with little kids at home was delighted to have an evening out to celebrate Valentine’s Day with each other. They were lost in each other’s eyes, throwing their heads back laughing.

An older couple took to the dance floor and left sparks on the ground with each confident and knowing step. Clearly they had danced together for decades.

It was a beautiful thing to see all these couples so genuinely celebrating their love on Valentine’s Day.

The LEX gave them a place to do so.

A couple from Wellington mentioned that it was so nice to have something to go out and do on Valentine’s Day that wasn’t far away. They were Elvis fans, so that was what drew them. They had seen the event advertised on Facebook.

A couple from Lexington came because a dinner and dance for Valentine’s Day sounded like the perfect way to spend the evening. They usually don’t go out on Valentine’s Day, but the combination of dinner and dancing close to home was perfect. They had seen the poster at Dave’s. She thought the retro theme was fun and said, “it was absolutely a lovely evening.” He said, “It was nice to see people getting up and dancing, and a nice way to spend Valentine’s Day without it being too commercialized.”

The event was envisioned by the LEX for exactly that reason. “The vision was to give people in the community a place to go to celebrate Valentine’s Day without having to go a long distance. Bringing people together. A fun, local event with dinner, dancing, and entertainment,” said Tami Worthington, president of The LEX.

And that is exactly what it was.

“I am The LEX’s number one fan! It’s so nice to be able to go dancing here locally! You could go farther away to a bigger venue, but who wants to fight the crowds? We’ve got it all here! Dinner and a show, what’s better than that?” said Kathy Adkins.

It was a fun night for all, with around 65 people in attendance. The friendly atmosphere, food and music were welcoming to singles and couples alike. Both individual tickets and couples’ tickets were sold in advance. The advance tickets that included dinner sold out, and more people came for the show only, buying tickets at the door.

“Going forward I think it’s safe to say that The LEX intends to host a Valentine’s Dinner/ Dance every year, weather permitting. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and several commented about what a great time they had,” said Tami Worthington.

“It was a wonderful event and lovely dinner. The china plates and cloth napkins were a very nice touch. I enjoyed the entertainment. I would love to see more events like this,” said Lisa Ethington.

There are more upcoming events this year, including a dance on June 6; check The LEX’s schedule for details at thelexauditorium.org.

“I love the LEX and I love dancing and I’m so excited that we’re bringing in different genres of entertainers,” said Kathy Adkins. “It was a great night at The LEX with good food, good friends. It’s clean and neat, it’s just nice! It was a great Valentine’s Day.”

As the show unfolded, Whisenant shared that this was his parent’s wedding anniversary, and his mom passed away a few years ago. His dad was in the audience, and he dedicated two of the songs to his dad. As part of his Elvis tribute, he also made a point of giving scarves to people in the crowd.

Then at halftime, he took a break and came back in a country and western outfit, singing classic country love songs. He sounded good singing those too. Some in the audience came specifically to hear Elvis. Others enjoyed the country music more. There were plenty of people dancing to both. On the whole it seemed like both were enjoyed equally well.

“I enjoyed the country music better because that’s what we listened to 40 years ago when we got married!” said Kathy Adkins.

It did seem like couples were renewing and just celebrating their love.

James and Brittany Register were among the couples who definitely came to dance. She said: “It was a dream come true to get to listen to live Elvis music. It was such a nice surprise to listen to all of our other favorite country music songs live throughout the night. The singer was very talented. It was so fun to dance the night away on Valentine’s Day right here in Lexington. We really enjoyed the event and hope to get to go again next year.”

Bonnie Feeney said, “I enjoyed all of the memories that came flooding back while listening, and I loved that I knew all of the songs.”

Some of the biggest draws to the dance floor on the Elvis side were “The Wonder of You,” “Love Me Tender,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

Country music favorites included “Check Yes or No” (George Strait), “Lay You Down” (Conway Twitty), and “Remember When” (Alan Jackson).

“Remember when We said when we turn gray When the children Grow up and move away We won’t be sad, we’ll be glad For all the life we’ve had And we’ll remember when.”

For many, Valentine’s Day at The LEX was a happy evening to be remembered, with time to celebrate the moment and to appreciate the good memories yet to come.