Elli Emerson danced at the Radisson Hotel with Mike Allen, who said he attended the National Singles Convention as "form of therapy." Allen is getting over the end of a 10-year relationship.
Doug Harrold, a civil engineer, and Marie O'Donnell, a contract analyst, were typical of the nearly 100 conventioneers who met at the event and mingled at the dance party.
Happy Valentine's Day. That is, if you have a valentine. While many couples spend the holiday celebrating their love and exchanging tokens of affection, some singles pass the time cursing card companies and feeling depressed.
"Valentine's Day is the loneliest day of the year," said Rich Gosse, chairman of American Singles, perhaps the only nonprofit singles group in the nation.
Gosse rattled off discouraging statistics from various researchers, including the fact that 46 percent of single women and 22 percent of single men nationwide never date.
"What I conclude from all that is ... there's a shortage of single women who are datable in America," he said.
Gosse's group and the for-profit video-dating service Great Expectations aim to reduce these numbers by introducing eligible singles to one another. On Saturday, the two groups hosted a series of seminars and a dance party at the Radisson Hotel in Sunnyvale with the intent of helping single people meet their valentines.
The local event was the second day of a three-day National Singles Convention that took place in the Bay Area during "Meet Your Valentine Week," Feb. 8-14.
In between experts' talks on "Finding Your Life Mate," "Mapping the Terrain of the Heart" and other topics, conventioneers were expected to socialize.
"We encourage people to dine together and sit with the opposite sex. And, of course, the dance party makes it easy to meet people," Gosse said.
About 100 people turned out for the dance party, which lasted from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Couples toured the floor to adult contemporary hits, including Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart." Most of the attendees appeared to be in their 40s or 50s and seemed to find the event helpful.
"The lectures really hit home," said Christie Albright, who drove to Sunnyvale from Walnut Creek to attend the event. "It's great to talk with other singles."
Whether or not any singles left with a Valentine, only they know for sure. Gosse said he can't be responsible for folks who were disappointed.
"You can lead a horse to water," he said, "but you can't make them drink."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, February 14, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.