Many 70-year-olds would have trouble getting their knees up to celebrate their birthday, but not the Bermuda Junior Service League (BJSL), which is energetically planning a special 1930s ?Speakeasy and Casino Night? on March 4 to mark this milestone in its long, proud history.

The registered charity?s black tie event will take place at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess on March 4, beginning with a champagne reception at 6.30 p.m. A five-course dinner will follow at 7 p.m., during which the In Motion School of Dance will entertain the guests. The dancers will also act as ?cigarette girls? and ?gangsters? during the evening.

With appetites well satisfied by 10 p.m., the ?casino? will open and the Tom Ray Band will provide music for dancing until 1 a.m. Tombola, a silent auction, and many raffle prizes and baskets are also on the ?menu?, with the grand raffle prize being a Chevrolet ?Spark? car from Rayclan. MaxRe, PartnerRe and the Bank of Bermuda Foundation are also providing corporate support.

For those who wish to bypass the standard black tie attire and proceed to period dress, such as flapper dresses and gangster suits, the BJSL gives its encouragement.

Tickets ($150 per person) are available from Susan at 332-2575, and must be purchased by February 27. For RSVP forms visit www.bjsl.bm When completed, these can be dropped off at Rosemont Guest Apartments or mailed to P.O. Box HM 1226, Hamilton HMFX.

Sponsorship tables are available for $5000 per table, and VIP access to the ?Speakeasy Club? will include the champagne/cocktail hour, a superior table for ten people, the five-course meal, six bottles of ?prohibited? wine per table, and double casino chips for each person. In the case of company sponsors, a listing of their support in the programme of events and the inclusion of their logos on all promotional material is also included.

Anyone wishing to sponsor a table or receive further information about the event should contact Susan at 332-2575. Raffle tickets for the car are available at Rayclan, Rosemont Guest Apartments, or by contacting Susan.

Proceeds from the gala fund-raiser will benefit The Family Centre, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and other charities and projects supported by the BJSL.

?The event is bringing life members and current active members together to host this period 1930s evening,? said Deborah Titterton Narraway, the League?s vice-president of marketing and public relations.

The speakeasy theme has been chosen to tie in with the League?s founding during the 1930s, when speakeasies, first created in the US in the 1920s, continued to exist. Speakeasies were illegal nightclubs which served alcohol during Prohibition. They usually opened late at night, and were places of great enjoyment, where the affluent could party and dance the night away while local policemen with an appropriately ?blind eye? could make a little extra money.

Although most commonly associated with Prohibition, the term ?speakeasy? goes back to the 1800s when, to gain entrance to such an establishment, you had to ?speak easy? and credit whomever sent you.

The Bermuda Junior Service League is a women?s organisation which has been serving the community since it was founded by Mrs. C. Vail Zuill 1936. It is committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. Money raised is donated annually to local charities and persons based on request.

Among its many outstanding and diverse projects has been the research and building of the replica ?Deliverance? in St.George?s; assisting with creation of the WindReach playground; middle and high school debate tournaments; providing hospital equipment; patient supplies; adoption of the Shelly Bay playground and park; and helping to raise money on community service tag days. Stage productions featuring BJSL cast members were popular fund-raisers in the ?60s and ?70s.