Tim Chapman/PCT Balta Bar & Grill owner Stephanie Hackel interacts Tuesday.

BALTA – Stephanie Hackel embodies at least one saying about good service: three-quarters of it is in the smile.

Hackel’s engaging personality, creative menu and colorful barroom have turned the only bar in a town of about 65 into a regional go-to in just nine months. Hackel hopes to showcase the renewed energy of the town as organizer and sponsor of the Balta Street Dance on Aug. 2.

The event will feature Bismarck rock band Fully Loaded beginning at 9 p.m., concessions and drinks, and coincide with Balta’s biggest weekend of the summer, which continues the next day with the annual demolition derby and Little Flower Church Corn Feed at Balta Dam.

“There had been some patrons asking about a street dance,” said Hackel, who opened the bar in mid-October.

“I said that sounds good. When I was a kid they always had one.”

Hackel, who grew up nine miles northwest, doesn’t try to hide her anticipation of the event. The town had a huge gathering two years ago for its centennial, but a summer street dance hasn’t been a regular thing.

“I’m not even gonna sleep for three days,” Hackel said. “I’m so excited, I can’t stand it.”

Her pride in Balta is shared throughout the area and in her family. Kathy Havlorson, Hackel’s mother and Rugby Eagles Club manager, is sponsoring a party bus from Rugby to Balta and back that night.

“We hope it’s a nice community event,” said Hackel, who hopes to see as many as 500 people attend. “I remember it growing up. It brought the community together.”

For more information, stop in Balta Bar & Grill, call 542-3322 or visit the bar on facebook.