BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — There’s lots to look forward to at a hockey game, the action, the food, and the mascots. But it's not often fans are treated to a unique treat in the audience, and that's exactly what Dancin' Granny was.
- Video shows Phyllis "Dancin' Granny" Hansen, a local celebrity in Condorstown who touched the hearts of generations of hockey fans each game when she busted a move.
- Hansen's funeral services will be held on April 11 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Fruitvale Avenue at 10 a.m.
“What went through your head when you first saw Dancin' Granny?”
“Awesome! I want to be like her when I’m her age.”
Maria Ramos first met Phyllis Hansen in 2016. Ever since, each game she and her family attended, they looked for granny.
“Everything that was dancing granny was, you know, true, genuine," said Jose Rivera, VP of Member Services for the Condors.
There’s lots to look forward to at a hockey game, the action, the food, and the mascots. But it's not often fans are treated to a unique treat in the audience, and that's exactly what Dancin' Granny was.
Soon, each attendee both old and young eagerly awaited the third period for Hansen’s signature sound “Cotton Eyed Joe” to play.
“she was an inspiration, to get up and dance, especially at her age, just amazing," said Danny Lasater, a longtime fan, 365 member, and enthusiast of Dancin' Granny.
It wasn’t just her dancing that drew Condorstown in. Hansen was an avid community member and an ambassador for Condors.
“A very kind special woman," Ramos said. "You can’t say that about everyone and she was genially kind and caring to everybody she met."
In December though, Ramos noticed Hansen’s seat was empty more and more.
“Right away you would see that people noticed when Dancin' Granny wasn’t in attendance," Rivera said.
Her absence left a hole in the Condors experience and now, the fans who cherished Hansen for decades are mourning her passing after her death on March 25 at 90 years old.
“It’s hard, and then seeing her picture and her flowers here, it makes it real, because she’s not here and she’s not in her seat and that’s really hard," Ramos said.
Ramos said now she’ll cherish her memories of Hansen, but the Condorstown experience will never be the same.
“There’s never ever going to be another like Dancin' Granny," said Lasater. "A sad day in Condorstown for sure."
However, her presence will always be felt.
Hansen's funeral services will be held on April 11 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Fruitvale Avenue at 10 a.m.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
