GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — At first glance, you may mistake Jane Yonker for any plain Jane.
Just wait until second glance, when she starts to dance.
“The mayor told me my new name is Dancing Jane," she laughed.
She does the steps — to celebrate the nation’s vets.
"I go to every concert, I have to, because I love the Coast Guard," Jane smiled. "It's good for your heart. It's good for my brain.”
Every late July and into August, flags flutter over Grand Haven to signify the Coast Guard. But to the community, it may as well be Jane that is the Festival’s calling card.
“We love Dancing Jane," yelled a woman passing by during the 13 ON YOUR SIDE interview.
"We love seeing her out here every day, dancing, making people happy. We hope she does this forever," another woman said.
"She dances like nobody’s watching," her husband agreed.
"Every time there’s music going on, you’ll see Dancing Jane waving her flags or doing her little dance," laughed a passing resident.
"A lot of people come up. I don't even know them, and they just want pictures with me, hugs… Not having much family around me, it really helps bring me joy," said Jane.
Jane has years of moves under her shoes. But the dancing didn’t begin, until the music almost ended.
“Memorial Day, 2008," she explained. “I'm looking in my little station wagon mirror, and this big red truck comes and totals my car. They hit me in my head.”
The ability to remember many new faces, to sit or lay comfortably — all taken. But to Jane, it’s all about what’s gained.
“God's given me the gift to be able to dance," she said. "It makes me happy, and I love bringing joy to everybody that's so nice to me in Grand Haven.”
When life knocks you down, any plain Jane would just get back up. But Jane Yonker, instead, chooses to dance.
“I need to keep dancing, doctor's orders," she smiled.