The Dixie Sun

Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Levi Arnone St. George locals enjoy a beverage at Scaldoni's, 1183 E. 100 South. Scaldoni's will no longer host a club night, which was popular with adults.

Scaldoni's is a locally operated restaurant trying to offer more to their customers, but when dancing was offered, the city put a stop to it.

Scaldoni's, 1183 E. 100 South, offered a club-like atmosphere featuring live music and a live DJ. People could eat, dance and mingle. The dancing was discontinued due to lack of a dance hall permit.

St. George has had a few dance clubs in the past including Digitz and Sub Zero located off of St. George Boulevard, and the 2 Lazy 2 Ranch which also featured Area 51 located in Washington. Clubs allowing people under 21 have not had enough support from the community to stay open longer than a year.

These dance clubs came and went like the pattern seen now with restaurants trying to offer more than just a good meal. The lack of dance hall permits were due to a misconception that the permits are unattainable.

"I had a lot of fun on Wednesday nights," St. George resident Amber Dorius said. "I used to go to Mesquite to dance."

The difference between a dance club in St. George and a club in Mesquite is that the casinos fund the club and keep it running. Often when a place opens for dancing it is busy for a while. However, people lose interest and there isn't enough money to keep the business going.

Local Disc Jockey Lex de Azevedo II, know as "Lex" is familiar with the dance hall permit. He was hired at Scaldoni's as entertainment simply for atmosphere purposes.

Lex said: "When I DJ'd at Scaldoni's, the ads never said there would be dancing. It was very clear the music was for entertainment only."

Frustrations aren't felt only by those hired, but also by those who do the hiring.

"What are we allowed to do here?" Scaldoni's owner Johnny DeVivo said. "I want to offer a place where my customers can have a good time."

An annual inspection of restaurants was conducted at Scaldoni's when the city discovered the restaurant had no permit and any dancing was discontinued immediately thereafter.

If restaurants do continue to operate without permits they may receive a reprimand from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Continued...

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