'Shake that booty’: 1970s Santa Rosa teens disco danced at Fourth Street Annex

The disco ball twinkled in the night. Fog emanated from the dance floor. Glamorous strobe lights flashed. And the bar served... juice.

For Santa Rosa teenagers during the late 1970s, the late-night hot spot for disco dancing was at Fourth Street Annex, which hosted the under 21 crowds until 1 a.m.

The popular nightclub was a much-needed venue for teens and young adults who complained there wasn’t much to do in the area at night aside from watching TV or cruising Mendocino Avenue and Fourth Street.

“I even wrote an essay in English class wishing there were a disco for teenagers because they don’t have anywhere to go,” 17-year-old Rancho Cotate High student Irma Colon told The Press Democrat in 1978.

Cover fee for weekend evenings was $3.50 at Fourth Street Annex, where there was a 24-by-18-foot dance floor, according to Press Democrat reports.

Other Sonoma County spots that offered disco dancing — mostly for adults — included the Music Box, Rascals, Jeremiah’s Cellar Bar, the Flamingo Hotel and Special Dimension, among others.

Disco dancing evolved in nightclubs with LGBTQ+, Black and Latino populations before it exploded in mainstream popularity after the release of the hit 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta.

Side-stepped moves, pointed fingers and the Hustle were just a few components of disco dancing.

Press Democrat writer Sophia Jensen may have put it best in her 1978 report on local disco dancing: “It won’t last forever, but while it does, it’s a dream for anyone who wants to dress up, get out and shake that booty.”

Fourth Street Annex closed during the 1980s. It was located at 450 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa. At that address currently is Super Buffet, an all-you-can-eat Chinese restaurant.

See the gallery above for dancing photos during the 1960s and 1970s.