Love in Motion: From Handmade Valentines to Line Dances into Midnight

Cedar’s Coppice set the mood for Valentine’s Day with a dedicated craft station—tables stocked with art supplies and sweet details—inviting guests to design their own cards while they dined, lingered, and visited with friends.

Valentine’s Day in Bastrop County offered no shortage of ways to celebrate. From quiet creativity over lunch to high-energy dancing that carried past midnight, love showed up in many forms—art, music, laughter, and community.

The day began at Cedar’s Coppice, where customers were invited to slow down and create custom Valentine’s Day cards. Tables were stocked with paper, embellishments, markers, glue, and thoughtful details—everything needed to craft something personal. Many guests balanced lunch plates with colored pens, carefully selecting textures and phrases as they ate.

Live music by Amber Gutierrez, indie folk singer-songwriter, set the tone. Her gentle covers and original melodies drifted through the space, creating a soundtrack that felt intimate without being intrusive. Conversations softened. Smiles lingered. Cards took shape. It was the kind of afternoon that reminded you love can be handmade.

But as the sun set, the celebration shifted.

Later that evening, the Center Union Community Center opened its doors for a Valentine’s Day party and a double birthday celebration honoring Judy Lewis and Linda Burleson. The room filled quickly—friends greeting one another, hugs exchanged, tables dressed for festivity.

Then the music turned up.

Special guest Hakeem Felix of Step & Groove with Keemy Line Dancing took the floor, delivering instruction in the only way he knows how—confident, rhythmic, and contagious.

“Right, right—turn on the right!”
“Step back—hit!”
“Cha-cha—back it up!”

At first, there were tentative steps. A few laughs. Some sideways glances for reassurance. But Hakeem has a way of pulling people in.

“You say you don’t got rhythm—but I’ll get you rhythm!” he called out, and the crowd responded.

Soon, right shoulders were turning. Feet were lifting. Hands were clapping in rhythm. He broke the choreography down count by count—“One, two, three… turn!”—and then built it back up into full-wall movement. What looked complicated at first became repetition, and repetition became joy.

By the time the dance floor opened into a Soul Train line, the room had transformed. Generations moved together—some precise, some improvising, all laughing. Even those who claimed they couldn’t dance found themselves stepping forward.

Between sets, the crowd gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” in more than one rendition. Linda, celebrating 75, thanked everyone for coming and expressed her love for the community. Judy, turning 73, echoed the sentiment and added, “We have to gather more often.”

Raffle tickets were drawn. Gifts exchanged hands. Couples swayed. Friends cheered each other on. What began as a party became something deeper—a reminder that community is built in rooms like this, through repetition and return.

As midnight approached, no one seemed in a hurry to leave. The music lingered. Conversations stretched. The dance floor stayed active.

Valentine’s Day in Bastrop County proved that love isn’t just romantic—it’s communal. It’s card-making at lunch. It’s indie folk drifting across café tables. It’s elders turning right on count eight and laughing when they miss a step. It’s gathering again and again, because someone said we should.

And on this night, at Center Union, love didn’t wind down at midnight.

It kept dancing.