Can small towns ban a boogie? Apparently, they can try. In Queen Creek, Arizona, restaurateur Dale Bell, owner of San Tan Flat Saloon & Grill, successfully fought a citation that banned outdoor dancing at his venue. As more small businesses desperately struggle against an increasingly bureaucratic atmosphere in today’s mega-corporate environment, this victory proves that the “small guys” can still prevail.

An ancient ruling on the books in this area declared that no dancing would be allowed in an outdoor, commercially owned area and that the owners should “physically restrict” anyone from attempting to sway their hips. It did allow puppet show and mime, strangely enough.

“This case is certainly one of the most absurd and strange abuses of government power that we have come across,” said Jennifer Perkins, a staff attorney from the Institute for Justice, representing Bell. “But it’s a great example of what can happen when a local government really gets free reign over the individuals in their territory.”

Bell claims the county did anything it could to shut down and/or fine the establishment for any infraction, including noise infractions and health code infractions.

“They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” Bell said.

Bell lost his first two battles with the county but finally prevailed when a state judge sided with Bell, even though the legal battle took its toll on Bell’s business.

“I was trying to teach my kid how to become a small businessman and enjoy the American dream,” Bell said. “What I really showed him was that the American dream has become the American nightmare. Small business is under attack, and it’s about all that’s left that’s good about the American economy.”

But this small business DID prevail during a trying time for small businesses. And patrons at Bell’s restaurant can now dance about it!