GREENFIELD — A beloved Valentine’s Day tradition that aims to foster healthy relationships between fathers and daughters celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

After paying $10 at the door and taking a raffle ticket, families in attendance at the Greenfield Moose Lodge’s Father-Daughter Dance snacked on sandwiches and baked treats from the buffet, crafted valentines, snapped pictures under a decorated archway and danced the night away.

“As you can see, the excitement is pretty lively,” said Greenfield native Bryan Noga, president of the Loyal Order of Moose. After joining the organization in 2016, Noga started spearheading the dance in 2020. “This event in particular is about fostering a healthy relationship between a father and a daughter,” Noga explained with Taylor Swift singing from the speakers behind him, “and reminding them that they are special.”

According to Noga and past organization President Richard Cummings, the dance grew from the fraternal organization’s mission.

“The Moose is all about our children,” Cummings said.

The Moose fraternity runs Mooseheart, a residential child care facility in Chicago “for children and teens in need, from infancy through high school,” according to the campus’ website. Cummings said the facility provides schooling and an escape for children living in distressing circumstances like abuse.

“It’s an organization I can’t turn my back on,” he stressed.

For many fathers at Saturday’s dance, the night was a chance to sneak away for some one-on-one time with their daughters.

“This is one of the only things in the area for girls and their daddies, and she’s loved it right from the beginning,” said Greenfield native William Pease, who has been dancing with his 11-year-old daughter Kalina since the inaugural event.

Although Pease once waited for his favorite songs to dance, “Nowadays, I just kind of wait for her to come over and drag me,” he said with a chuckle.

For Bernardston resident Richard Burgh and his daughter Brayleigh, this quality time together is rare.

“She plays sports all the time, so we don’t really get a chance to hang out, and this is a good opportunity to get daddy-daughter time,” Burgh said. His daughter, a basketball, softball and soccer player agreed, “We get to spend time together.”

While the Burghs returned for their eighth year, Turners Falls resident Sunny Lucas and his daughter Aubrey only attended once before. The decision to come back and boogie again was a no-brainer for Lucas after last year.

“It was probably the most incredible moment I’ve had with her in the last year,” he gushed. “There was a moment where I just forgot what was happening — it was just the two of us, and I didn’t know anything else in the world was going on.”

Donations from local businesses like the Garden Cinemas, Liberty Tax Service, and Gary B. Noga Accounting and Tax Service helped fuel the entertaining evening. While every daughter left with a free movie ticket, raffle winners carried away prizes like Monopoly: Barbie Edition and backpacks.

Montague resident Tim Kelley said his 3½-year-old daughter Kember had been counting down the days until the dance since he first mentioned it in September.

“We treasure our daddy-daughter time,” he explained, peering down at his daughter standing beside him, patiently waiting for her dad’s next dance move in a dress trimmed with silver unicorns. “It’s a new tradition for us.”