People from miles around know the names “Hecker Community Center” and the “Hecker Dome” as a place for dancing and fun memories, and its been that way for quite some time.

On Nov. 1, the Hecker Commercial Club will celebrate 50 years in the community with an evening of lively music, dancing, food and drinks.

Though the exact date of the 50-year anniversary isn’t really known, the club and community have picked the day after Halloween as the day to celebrate.

Records show that the charter meeting of the club was April 24, 1962, and the club sponsored its first Hecker Homecoming later that year.

Over the next few years, membership continued to grow, and members decided they needed an actual meeting space.

The original Hecker Commercial Club was constructed in the early 1970s, but burnt down in May 1979 after a gas leak caused an explosion.

Charter club member and firefighter Dale Papenberg said the community rallied to rebuild the building after the fire.

“In six months, we built a new building that was bigger and better than before,” he said.

He talked about the countless number of volunteer hours that were put into the building, including kids helping after school.

For years, the building has played host to countless dances, concerts, weddings and other community gatherings.

Papenberg cites performances by country western stars as some of the most memorable events that have taken place under the dome.

He rattled off names like Bill Anderson and Tony Orlando, who drew large crowds to the 500-person community.

They’ve also hosted the mobile Vietnam War Memorial Wall, weekend craft fairs and gun shows.

“We had and have really good members who work really hard,” Papenberg said. “There’s a lot of community pride in this place. Everybody knows about the Hecker Dome. There’s not many places this big in a town of 500.”

He said that when bands started playing at the community center many years ago, they couldn’t believe the size of the venue.

“(The community center) just means a lot to this town,” he said.

Though membership has declined considerably over the years, the remaining members still try to keep their families as involved as possible.

Papenberg said current membership is around 130 people strong.

For the anniversary celebration, the club will host Butch’s Polka Kings from 3 to 7 p.m. and FreeFall from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Admission will be free, along with free draft soda and specials on beer and mixed drinks and roast beef sandwiches with sides. They will be serving from 5 to 8 p.m.

“Everyone’s welcome,” Papenberg said. “We just want people to come help us celebrate.”