The Western Illinois Museum presents a USO Night on Friday, October 9th, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm as part of the Macomb Park District and Western Illinois University’s World War II Living History Weekend. Featuring WIU’s Jazz Studio Orchestra with singers Nicholas Miguel and Melissa Chavez, along with dance instruction at 5:00 and 6:30 pm by Springfield dance instructor Elizabeth Cheney, the Museum will be transformed into a lively 1940s-style USO dance hall. Come on out, bring your best gal or fella, and enjoy some swinging big band music, hit the dance floor, grab a refreshment, and soak up the good old-fashioned camaraderie that made USO dances such a swell part of the home-front experience during World War II. A suggested $5 donation at the door helps support the Museum’s community programming.

Often described at the time as “the most unambiguously and whole-heartedly do-good and feel-good affair” in the region, USO evenings brought together Camp Ellis soldiers, Western Illinois State Teachers College students, and residents for music, dancing, and entertainment. These gatherings offered a chance to forget their cares, kick up their heels, and enjoy an evening of fun and fellowship. USO Night draws inspiration from these historic events and the welcoming spirit Macomb residents extended to service members during the war years.

USO events were held throughout Macomb at the Lamoine Hotel, American Legion, Ewing Building, and, beginning in 1945, City Hall, which was converted into a USO center for soldiers stationed at Camp Ellis. Drawing on this history, the Western Illinois Museum brings that spirit back to life this October with a swinging evening of music, dancing, and wartime camaraderie.

Program Schedule:

5-5:30 pm Dance instruction with Elizabeth Cheney
5:30-6:30 pm WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra
6:30-7 pm Dance instruction with Elizabeth Cheney
7-8 pm WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra
Dancing is encouraged but not required, and no experience is necessary to join in the fun.

Plan Your Visit
Located at 201 S. Lafayette Street, just a block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square, the Western Illinois Museum is a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the history, culture, and traditions of McDonough County. The building is fully accessible, and there is free parking available.

Visit wimuseum.org for a full schedule of events, or follow us on social media @wimuseum. For questions, call 309-837-2750, text 309-837-2613, or email info@wimuseum.org.

This program is funded in part by grants from the Illinois Arts Council.

About the WIU Jazz Studio Orchestra

The Jazz Studio Orchestra is the premier large jazz ensemble at Western Illinois University. The group performs contemporary music by leading jazz composers including Jim McNeely, Chuck Owen, Maria Schneider, and Mike Crotty, as well as original compositions by WIU students and faculty. Over the years, the ensemble has collaborated with acclaimed artists including Urbie Green, Ernie Watts, Louis Bellson, Nick Brignola, Marvin Stamm, Diane Schuur, Snooky Young, Don Menza, and John Clayton.

The Jazz Studio Orchestra tours the Midwest annually and has performed in Europe. Its honors include a Grammy nomination for Jazz At The Cross Roads and four-star recognition from Downbeat magazine for its recording The Third Degree. The ensemble has also appeared at Fitzgerald's, The Green Mill, and The Jazz Showcase and was featured with Italian jazz composer Marco Renzi and clarinetist Bepi D'Amato at Carnegie Hall in 2010.

About Singer Nick Miguel

Dr. Nicholas Miguel is a versatile baritone singer who performs in a variety of musical styles. He currently sings with the GRAMMY-nominated professional choir True Concord and is a regular soloist throughout the Midwest. His concert appearances have included works by Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Monteverdi, Vaughan Williams, Arvo Pärt, and Craig Hella Johnson.

Miguel is an Associate Professor of Voice at Western Illinois University, where he teaches classical and musical theater voice. In addition to his work as a singer, he is a composer and arranger of art song, choral music, and jazz, and can be heard as a pianist on the album A Hero's Journey by saxophonist Jeff Miguel.

About Singer Melissa Jean Chávez

Soprano Melissa Jean Chávez has been praised by the Washington Post for her “voluptuous voice” and “coolly exemplary production.” A versatile performer, she has appeared in more than 35 operas, including leading roles in Carmen, Così fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Otello, The Merry Widow, Le nozze di Figaro, and Street Scene. She spent four seasons as a young artist at the prestigious Castleton Festival under the direction of the late Lorin Maazel.

Chávez is equally at home on the concert stage, with recent appearances as a soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, and Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. A winner of the Bach-Handel Competition and a finalist in several national competitions, she holds degrees from Penn State University and Shenandoah Conservatory and currently teaches in the vocal department at Western Illinois University.

About Dancer Elizabeth Cheney

Dance instructor Elizabeth Cheney has been teaching ballroom dancing for more than two decades. A Springfield native, she began dancing at age three and received professional ballroom training in Nashville, where she was an instructor, professional competitor, and pro-am competitor at a renowned ballroom studio before returning to Illinois in 2002.

Today, Elizabeth teaches a wide range of ballroom and social dances, including American Smooth (Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Tango) and Rhythm dances (Cha-cha, Rumba, East Coast Swing, Bolero, Mambo), along with Night Club Two Step, Salsa, and Hustle. In 2022, she founded the Springfield Social Dance Club to create a space and community for people who enjoy social dancing. Elizabeth teaches group classes throughout the year and is also available on a limited basis for private lessons or events, including working with wedding couples, wedding party dances, and line dance instruction. When she is not teaching, she works as a Nurse Practitioner for Springfield Clinic, as the Artistic Director for the Springfield Youth Performance Group, and choreographs for various local community theater projects.