JENKINS - Teased hair, clashing colors, exposed shoulders and other cliches from the decade of decadence were out in force Saturday at the Summer Fest - 80s Mega Mix Weekend at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
In the second and final day of the Times Shamrock-sponsored event at the Plains Twp. casino, thousands ate, drank and danced to classic 80s acts such as the Cars Tribute Band, Drive, Tommy Tutone and the evening headliner, A Flock of Seagulls, who performed their hit "I Ran."
As they enjoyed music from Drive, Scranton residents Jim and Colleen McConlogue talked about their memories of the 1980s - oil spills, the Berlin wall and, most importantly, the music.
Jim McConlogue said the Cars were one of his favorites; he keeps the greatest hits CD in his car.
"I play it loud whether the window is down or up," Jim McConlogue.
Colleen McConlogue said she remembers the big hair and bigger shoulder pads she sported in the 80s, styles she is happy to see go out of fashion.
"I tried all that stuff a long time ago," Colleen McConlogue said while brushing aside a strand of determinedly un-teased hair. "I had no plans to bring them back, I just wanted to hear some music."
Scranton resident Janet Michaely said she came for the music as well. Her favorite of the weekend: Firehouse, who performed Friday.
"I ran into so many old friends last night and today," Janet Michaely said Saturday. "I'd lost touch with them, I didn't even know they were coming but it was good to see them."
Her husband, John, said he remembers being a "free spirit" back in the 80s. He has calmed down a bit since then, he said, but he can still remember the good times he had.
"It was a foggy time, the 80s, but a good foggy," Jim Michaely said. "Nobody got into trouble, just good fun."
Hazleton resident JJ Jorden misses the 80s as well, though he doesn't miss the four wives he married - and then divorced - during that decade.
"Music and drinking, that's what the 80s means to me," Jorden said, while sipping a beer.