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Allemanders
Satellite Beach...The Allemanders Square Dance Club has had several busy months and has enjoyed the visits from our area clubs as well as the many snowbirds from across the US.
Our fun dances included a Mardi Gras Party with delicious food and colorful decorations thanks to our wonderful members. We also had a “Famous Couples Dance” where all of the current Presidential candidates made their dancing debut. Everyone had fun guessing their identity and dancing with their famous spouse.
We welcomed the spring season with our annual “Najarian Fish Fry” at the new Pelican Beach Pavilion. Even though it was a chilly day, Nubar and his helpers warmed us with his delicious fish and all the fixings. Thank you Nubar and Ruth for your dedication to our club!
In April we celebrated our 51st Anniversary with a gala party hosted by Wally and Maxine Robb. It is such a pleasure to welcome back former Allemander presidents and members for this event and to reflect on the happiness square dancing brings to each of us.
On a sad note, we will miss our longtime member, Vona Brown Monteforte, who passed away recently. We send our deepest sympathy to Tom and her family.
The Allemanders will dance the first three Saturday nights of May and June with our wonderful caller and cuer John Saunders and Bev Landwehr. We invite all of you to join us!
Happy Dancing...
Doug and Lona Burnett
Buttons & Bows
Lakeland...It was a dark and stormy night.....but some brave souls did join us for a fun “Spring Dance” with Art and Charlie on the mikes, about four squares on the floor, and a yummy bouquet of party food on the table. Better than the other way around!
We were entertained last week with an outing comprising a delicious lunch followed by a beautiful and vigorous musical show with Debbie Reynolds and her cast. Oh to still have that kind of energy, and those waistlines! Thanks to Bev, Betsy and Committee.
Several Banner Raids are in the works, so look for us soon. Some clubs will be closing down for the summer, so please keep in mind that we will be dancing the second and fourth Tuesdays, right on. Let us fill that open spot on your dance card!
L&D for B&B
Canaveral Squares
Rockledge...Long time Canaveral Squares member Martha Henderson seems like an unlikely contender in swim meets, but this 72 year young lady has won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals in this years Florida Senior Games. Even more unlikely, she did not start swimming until she was 50 years old. At that age she took swimming lessons at BCC and eventually started competing. After setting a record at last years Florida Senior Games, she earned a spot at the U.S. Nationals last June in Henderson, Kentucky. Other than basic swim lessons, Martha had no advanced lessons until a couple of years ago when she started being coached by Mo Hughes. Way to go Martha.
In other news, Jerry Reed, our caller, has returned from his west coast sojourn and is back calling for our club on a regular basis until...? Well, he is back for a while. During his absence, John Swindle, Dale McClary and Steve Ekin have filled in admirably. Thank you all very much.
Can’t give you any information about the Cinderella Ball as yet, but information and pictures will be forthcoming next month.
The Canaveral Square
Dixie Squares
Daytona Beach...Hi everyone and spring has spring into the steps of your Sugarfoots, each week they are becoming more and more like professional square dancers. Our new dancer are the best we have seen in a long time and they are ready to join us for our dances and put us all to shame. Our resale went well and now they look and dance like professional.
Lets take a minute to pray for Paul and hope all is well and the beat is back in his feet.
May is a busy month for us. We have graduation (May 4), picnic, our Mother’s Day dance, and Pie Night (May 29).
Hope to see you at Convention and let us all keep dancing.
Maryann, Secretary
Flagler Ocean Waves
Flagler Beach...Most of our visiting snowbirds are winging north. Some are still here to dance with us and we enjoy having them with us. We will miss them when they leave.
The A1A road crew did their clean up again. Thanks to Joyce and Dick Mangsen, our kind leaders, Carol and Denny Mueller, and Sharon and Bill Hepburn. The day was sunny, but not hot and the ocean was pretty, so the work was made easier by the weather and the promise of stopping for breakfast afterward!
Amateur night was a great success this year. Drew Esterly did a masterful job of patter and then his rendition of “Five Pound Possum” was a howling success. Kenly Spilman took a turn at patter, but we heard some coaching from R.J. when he got a little stuck. Then Jean and Dick Lee came up from South Florida to give us a real treat. Not only did Jean do a great job on the patter tip, but Jean was accompanied by Dick with some marvelous harmony on the singing call. A big thank you to all the brave amateurs.
Election of officers is coming up soon and we anticipate a great slate for next year.
A reminder that we are closed on May 23 in respect for the state convention. We will be dancing on May 30, if anyone is confused by our calendar cut off which does not show May 30 at all. Sorry about the oversight.
We would love to have you join us any time. Our calendar has the theme for May 16 as Garden Night. I wonder what bloomin’ ideas our committee will come up with for this theme. Stay posted for what happens.
Meanwhile, enjoy the spring weather and, keep your dancin’ shoes on,
Sharon Hepburn
Friendly Squares
Bellview...Spring is surely here as many of our dancers came to dance wearing colorful Easter bonnets of all kinds. They were added to the spring decorations in the hall and we had our caller R. J. Hogan and our cuer Irene Knapp-Smith tip-toeing behind them on stage. Was lots of fun.
There were excellent nearby benefit dances held in April at Anthony United Methodist Church and also at Ocala Palms. Hospice and the church benefited from these dances. Square dancers always like to help others.
May 10 will be graduation day for the new dancers from all area clubs. Celebrity and Prestige Clubs are hosting this Graduation Ball. Our new dancer special dances have had full halls, so we expect lots of dancers to have a great dance and maybe some unexpected rituals and tests for the new dancers.
We look forward to Sunshine Promenaders visiting us on May 14 for a banner retrieval. Always fun to see our hall full of dancers from other clubs.
Lots of buzz about the upcoming 54th Florida State Square and Round Dance Convention in Lakeland on May 23 to 25. And of course the National Convention in Wichita, Kansas, in June. The National Convention has excellent tours available for dancers and lots of interesting history and places to learn about while there.
Our club workshop is popular at 1:00pm each Monday. New faces show up each week to practice and learn plus calls.
We have new hours: Wednesdays 1:00pm to 2:30pm workshop; 2:30pm to 4:30pm dance.
Come dance with us on Mondays at Dancing Shadows Building just west of Belleview.
Yellow Rocks and see ya’ in a square!
Doris Caldwell, Secretary
Garden Patch Squares
Ocoee/Winter Garden...March was a very busy month for us, lots of guests, dancers running around with green hair; Rabbits and eggs on top of the heads – I guess I better explain this month. On the 13th was our St. Patrick’s Day Dance. RoyAnne with green hair, dancers kissing the “Blarney Stone” which we placed on the table and hoping for good luck that their hair doesn’t turn green like RoyAnne’s did. Lucille Norris won the door prize a basket of green and white flowers. The club was dressed up in green and white and everybody else got into the swing of it too. We all had a good dance and even some of the food was “green” – but all and all it was a green dance.
On the 20th we had our Easter Bonnet Dance. The hall was decorated so pretty thanks to Bill, RoyAnne and Richard. Our caller (Bill) was out of town that night so we had a guest caller JeanLee from the Space Trackers – she did a fantastic job on calling and cueing. That same night the “Orlando Singles” came over and raided us and wore their Easter bonnets too. We had two couples walk in and joined us and we ended up using them as our judges for the bonnet dance. They were real good sports about doing that and then JeanLee got them on the floor and they danced with us before we put them to work. The couples were Peggy and Bob Leonard, Linda and Gordon Murphy plus one of our dancers, Wayne Kuran, was a judge also (in case of a tie vote). All five of our judges did a great job on selecting the best bonnets, but I’m glad I turned that job over to them because everybody had fantastic bonnets. I would have given everybody a prize – they were all beautiful bonnets.
1st Place: Victoria (she made her bonnet with a rabbit sitting on top with eggs and flowers around the brim.
2nd Place: June Gage (from the Singles) she wore a red dazzling hat.
3rd Place: RoyAnne with her flower garden hat.
4th Place: Sandy wore an upside down Easer bonnet with the eggs hanging out. You all did a great job on your bonnets.
Petty and Bob Leonard and Linda and Garden Murphy we hope you come back soon and dance with us again.
Helen Miziner a long time charter member of our club who has been sick came back and danced with us that night. Welcome home Helen, we’ve missed you. We also had some guests from the Royal Squares. Don and Sylvia, you both come back again real soon.
Eileen and Buzz donated a DVD player to our club. Now we can have line and round dancing. Thank you buzz and Eileen.
We had one birthday this month: Bob Wasson. Happy Birthday Bob and we hope you have many more happy ones.
The minister came to see me the other day. He said that at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him, “Oh, I do, all the time! No matter where I am in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement, I ask myself – now what am I here after?”
See you next month! We love you!
Barbara and Richard
Granada Squares
Ormond Beach...Yum, yum, what a way to start a night of square dancing. Members and guests were first treated to strawberry short cake. Then the members were sequestered in one of the rooms of the Senior Center for a club meeting and election of officers. The guests danced to our caller, John Saunders, while members met for elections.
Report from the Nominations Committee was given by Gerry Page. The President, Terry Waibel, asked for nominations from the floor. Hearing none the Secretary, Pat Weber, cast an unanimous vote and they were elected. The new officers are:
Presidents: Terry and Terry Waibel
Vice-Presidents: Fred and Judy Ziems
Secretaries: Joe and Jean Hodges
Treasurers: Ralph and Vivian Stokes
Members-at-Large: Gerry and Patti Page, Fred and Sally Bond
The Anniversary dinner was held Tuesday, April 1, at 6:30 p.m. Officers were installed at that meeting. The club is now 32 years young. Beryl Ferguson is now our newest member, and was presented with her badge at the dance.
Important notice!!! The club has elected to dance at a new hour. As of the first Tuesday in May the club will be dancing on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm. Please put this down somewhere where it can be remembered. We don’t want you missing any of our great dances.
Secretary Jean Hodges decided to get some help for her position by calling Geico and getting someone who could help with writing for Bow & Swing. They promptly replied with a writer of some renown who goes by the name “jellybean”. This person will help Jean report the exciting events of the club during the year.
Come and dance with the friendliest club in central Florida on a Tuesday evening at the Ormond Beach Senior Center. Our caller is John Saunders, a caller of international reputation, along with his wife, Linda, who cues round dances and line dances via recorded music. Together they are a great team.
Jean
Granada Squares
Breaking News: After much soul searching and poll taking, we would like to announce that our new club hours are 7:30 to 9:30pm every Tuesday. With several of our members driving in from other parts we felt this would get them safely home and off the road before the late-night crazies come out.
More breaking news: We now have a brand spanking new Board of Directors – well almost new, some are actually old. Wait, let me rephrase that – some are being held over, so technically speaking they are not new, and as for “brand spanking new”, I really don’t know what that means, so let’s just start over.
New Board members:
1. Presidents: The Terrys Waibel – (You may have noticed that we have two Terry Waibels, so to eliminate mass confusion, the pretty one, and we all know who that is, will hereinafter be referred to as “T”.)
2. Vice Presidents: Fred and Judy Ziems
3. Treasurers: Ralph and Vivian Stokes
4. Secretaries: Joe and Jean Hodges
5. Board members at Large: Gerry and Patti Page; Fred and Sally Bond
6. Past Presidents Jay and Teri Peck
Congratulations to all of you. May your reign be a long and happy one.
A thought just occurred to me regarding that “brand spanking new” thing. Maybe that has to do with a newborn baby – it gets spanked when it’s born, and it is certainly new. I just love it when I sort things out like that.
Now then, let us return to those days of yesteryear or yestermonth, or more specifically, March:
The DeLand Honeybees swarmed in on the 11th wearing green instead of their usual red and black in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. They brought along Rick Yates who treated us to a round of Contra.
We stuffed everyone full of Strawberry Short Cake on the 18th thereby putting them in a drowsy mood which coincided nicely with election of officers. Some of them didn’t wake up until they noticed everyone shaking their hands and congratulating them on their new officerhood. We have a strict rule for becoming an officer on our Board of Directors: you must, and we can’t stress this enough, have a pulse.
We raided the Flagler Ocean Waves on the 28th and were treated to their usual great kitchen goodies. We also enjoyed their amateur caller night, danced like amateurs, and felt that we fit right in.
So it is with a tear in my eye and a broad grin on my face I say “goodbye”, leaving the secretarial duties in the capable hands of Jean and Joe Hodges.
Pat Weber
Hitch-N-Go
NSDCA Chapter 082
Wow, here it is March 31st!...need to get my article written! We just returned from our 4th weekend of March campout at Olde Mill Stream Campground in Umatilla. What a pleasant (my word of the month!) weekend it was for our members in several ways.
Several days before we left for the weekend, I received a phone call from a very pleasant woman who told me she, Diane, and her husband, Henry, who live near Umatilla, had just completed plus classes. They heard we were dancing at Olde Mill Stream and they wanted all our information so they could dance with us. Of course I was happy to oblige and sure enough they did come Friday night, danced with us and we all had a very pleasant time. They liked us so much they came back to join in the Saturday afternoon workshop held by our caller, Charlie Pergrossi. Diane had told me they have a motorhome but didn’t plan on joining any chapter too soon as they were planning to do some traveling first. So, I was very pleasantly surprised when soon after they arrived for Saturday’s evening dance, Diane approached me and said, ‘If you all will have us, we would like to join your club!’ What a pleasant surprise! What a tribute to all our friendly chapter members who made Diane and Henry feel so welcome!
Our thanks to Charlie and his wife Sarah for the very helpful suggestions and hints we picked up from them during the square dance workshop – we appreciate the time they spent helping us smooth out some of our rusty spots!
The weather was very pleasant for the weekend, so we were able to engage in outdoor activities – walking, biking, game playing, etc. – but had access to the beautiful hall for our meals and dancing activities.
Speaking of meals, what a pleasant surprise when our hosts and hostesses for the month, Phil/Deanna Sortore and Lee/Joyce Whitten, prepared for us french toast for Saturday’s breakfast get-together. Another very pleasant couple, Art and Lucy Mastellar, who are square dancers and reside part time at Umatilla (very good friends of Sortores), provided us with at least a half gallon of maple syrup from Lucy’s brother’s maple farm in New York State. Talk about a pleasant taste! Then, Art and Lucy donated three small containers of maple syrup which were raffled off at Saturday’s dance. Thanks, Art and Lucy!
Forward now to our Saturday evening dance. We were so happy to see Jan and Pete arrive for the potluck and dance because there was a pleasant surprise awaiting them. Their 65th Wedding Anniversary was April 4. Our membership presented them with a cake and a standing ovation that lasted a long time! I would say from their expressions Jan and Pete were more than very pleasantly surprised!
As I understand it, we have more pleasant surprises awaiting us at our April campout at Theme World and our May outing at Sanlan Ranch – come join us!
Jeanne Hartwig, Secretary
Hoedowners
gPairs & Spares”
Casselberry...On Sunday afternoons, Gene and Marty McCullough usually arrive early at the Casselberry Senior Center to give extra help to class members. In March, we enjoyed the following special club events: Club Colors Dance, St. Patrick’s Day Dance, Michael Craft’s Birthday Dance at Whirl & Twirl and Easter Buffet/Dance; also, Eleanore Weston arranged a square dance demonstration at a local nursing home with Jim Louder calling.
Darrell and Vera Figg are frequent visitors and sometimes Darrell will call, or share a tip with Gene. The Figgs will soon be headed back to Michigan until the fall. Recently Jim and Terry Louder stopped by to bring product samples and coupons – and with some urging, Jim agreed to call a tip. We are fortunate to have so much interest and support from these fine folks.
There is not enough room in this article to share details of all of the dances. However, our annual Easter Buffet and Dance was very special. Eleanore Weston, Eileen Charest, Luangel Lowder and many helpers and cooks added innumerable special touches and good food which made our Easter dinner a success with over fifty attendees! Eleanore prepared Easter basket centerpieces that were given away as door prizes, along with two lovely plants and many cuddly bunnies. Bailey Lowder distributed colorful eggs containing candy/prizes to everyone. Class members were invited to stay after the class session and dance with the club. The dance program included a line dance waltz, squares by Gene McCullough and rounds cued by Dick Nordine.
Some of our snowbirds are beginning to leave. We want to thank them for dancing with us and wish them safe traveling and a happy summer. A friendly smile doesn’t take much effort, but it sure means a lot to others. See you Sunday!
Norma Newton
Honey Bees
DeLand...March was a great month for activities for everyone! On March 7 and 8 there was a tremendous turnout for the Shamrock Swing. Green outfits swirling around the hall. Saturday night we had 15+ squares and Sunday night there were 30 squares dancing to the great calling of Whit Brown and Tim Mariner and Cuer’s Jimmy and Carol Griffin. What a great weekend for all. Finnigan’s Place, hosted and decorated by Linda and Roland Morin and their volunteers was a great success and the snacks and drinks were enjoyed by everyone. March 22, The River Rambler’s sponsored the Shriner’s Annual Benefit dance, which many of us attended. Everyone had fun with the Auctions and raffles, plus the dancing and delicious food that was served by the Shriner’s. Herman Thornberg did a great job for this benefit. March 29, numerous dancer’s from many different clubs attended the CFA’s 50th Anniversary Dance which was hosted by the Starlight Promenader’s. As usual, Whit Brown calling and cueing done by Bev Landwehr made the event a very enjoyable one. If you missed these events, you missed a truly great evening of dancing, not to mention great food.
The Honeybee’s will be sponsoring the CFA’s 5th Saturday Dance on March 31, giving all of you who missed the other events a chance to join in on the fun from 7:00-10:00pm at the Wayne G. Sanford Center in DeLand to support the CFA and meet some new people. Jo Santoro and Alice Brutche had the pleasure of dancing with the Denali’s while in Alaska.
Easter Week our club delivered Easter Baskets to the Neighborhood Center so less fortunate children could enjoy them.
Paul Place (caller for the Dixie Squares), which many of us have had the pleasure of attending, could use our prayers during his bout with health problems.
Raids: The Pirates raided us March 10. We raided the Flagler Ocean Waves on March 28 with 14 dancers. It was also amateur caller’s night – great job by all who participated. Orlando Single’s raided us April 14 and the Starlight Promenader’s will raid us on April 28.
Birthdays: March: Mary Cowen; April; Evelyn Waite, Doris Wooster; May: Lil Comee, Liz Garrett, Norma Garrett, John Linart. May Anniversaries: Judy and Cy Grover.
Don’t miss the Florida State Convention in Lakeland May 23-25. Many of the Honeybees are involved with the 2009 convention and their kickoff will be at this years convention with an array of dancing, calling, music, pageantry and much more. As General Chairman, Randy and Carol Poole will make this a great event for everyone attending – so let’s all try to be there.
Until next month, remember to “be an Angel” and encourage new dancer’s, make them feel welcome, be considerate and friendly, as they may need and appreciate your patience and help while learning, just as we all did when we were new dancers.
Cy and Judy Grover
Merry-Go-Rounders
Winter Springs...On Thursday evenings, our round dance club meets at the Winter Springs Senior Center and we would love for you to visit – enjoy the music – and dance with us. There is plenty of parking in back of the building near the door to the hall, and, in case of rain, there is an overhang for the passenger to exit the car.
Dick and Darleen Nordine prepare a dance program with Phase II–IV dances, but are happy to take requests for specific dances, or to review certain dance figures and movements.
In March, this was a sampling of programmed dances: “Star Foxtrot” (State 06), “La Vie En Rose” (State 07), “Last Cheater’s Waltz”, “Manuela”, “Adios Amigo Rumba” and “A Date With the Blues”. Many classic dances played were: “Alice Blue Gown”, “Roses for Elizabeth”, “Green Door”, “White Sportcoat”, “Non Dimenticar” and “Tango Mannita”. “All the While”, “Madeleine” (Phase IV) and “I Wanna Quickstep” dances were reviewed.
Please keep Bill and Lamonda Bussey in your prayers. Bill is fighting stage IV cancer. Hope to see you soon from across our round dance circle.
The Newtons
On Top Of The World Circle Squares
Ocala...Our Beginner class has been doing Plus now for three weeks. They are going to be good dancers upon graduation. Round dance lessons, a DBD workshop and A-1 dancing are being offer here at On Top of the World. By now some of our dancers have either left or are leaving for the summer. We still dance on Tuesdays and will until the end of July. COME AND JOIN US! Of course some of us will attend the State Convention in Lakeland. Hope to see you there. The last of the Beginner Dances will be held by Celebrity Squares this month. The clubs in our area have once again had successful Beginner’s Balls from December till now.
Have a good Mother’s Day and a good Memorial Day.
Bob Lockwood, President
Orange Blossom Squares
The Villages, Lady Lake...Here we are in the Spring Time and approaching the summer months much too fast. A good portion of our seasonal dancers have gone up the road...some of them were facing snow as they headed north. Our cooler weather is staying around here longer this year as well as the northern states getting snow later in the year. Mother Nature is trying to fool us. We enjoyed having the seasonal dancers among us on the dance floors these past months and we look forward to them returning to dance with us next Fall.
During the month of May our callers will be: Lon Ligon on the 4th, Bob Wilson on Mother’s Day the 11th, Paul Place on Armed Forces Day the l8th, we will be dark on May 25th as many of our members and other dancers in the area will be enjoying the 54th Florida State Convention in Lakeland May 23-25. As usual our Round Dance program during the month of May will be enjoyable with Joanne and Ken Helton.
Dress during May-September will be casual as well as the usual square dance attire if you wish. Yellow Rocks are welcome any time of the year.
Enjoy your summer as you travel or you host family and friends in your area.
Bob and Liz Wilson, Media
Orlando Singles
Orlando...I hope it’s not just me and my age that seems to make the time go by so fast lately. March was sure a busy one and I hope you all enjoyed it. Easter was early and I hope you all received many blessings (and some chocolate) along with your easter eggs.
We went dark on March 7 so we could all dance at the Shamrock Swing. What a great square dance weekend. And on the 14th, I abandoned my favorite club to make the trip to Jekyll Island for the Fuzzy Navel. Their attendance was a little lower than years past, but everyone there had a great time. It’s always fun to dance with friends from other areas and to different callers and cuers. Its also a great get-away weekend from your usual routines.
We had a good turn out on 20th for our Raid to the Ocoee Garden Patch where we danced to their guest caller, Jean Lee from Cocoa. Jean is relatively new to calling, but she was very entertaining and I would urge everyone’s support in her new endeavor. We certainly need new callers and more new dancers. Three of our members ended the month by attending the C.F.S.&R.D.A.’s 5th Saturday dance in Debary at the Starlight Promenaders. What a tremendous dance! One way to promote square and round dancing is to attend raids and retrievals and other dances as often as possible. The more you dance the more fun you have.
Look forward to dancing with you in a square soon, remember everyone is always welcome at the Orlando Singles, both couples and singles with or without partners.
Yellow Rocks,
Virginia Barnes
Palm Bay Promenaders
Melbourne...We begin this report with the sad news of the passing of Vona Brown-Monforte on Saturday, March 15. Vona was a long-time member of the Promenaders and the Allemanders in the Melbourne area. She was the Bow & Swing correspondent for the Promenaders until early this year. She was also very active in her church and community. At her memorial service in West Melbourne, many members of both of her clubs attended to honor her. She will be sadly missed by all of us.
The club hosted very successful raids every week in April. Our thanks to Banner chair Claire Maheu for organizing these visits and to the many members and friends who brought the refreshments that were welcomed by all.
Congratulations to the members of our Mainstream class who celebrated their graduation since our last report. They are a fine group, and we look forward to their completion of the Plus program. Thanks to all the members and friends who served as “angels” for the class.
Special club dances included Pie Night on April 17, and our planned Cinco de Mayo dance on May 8. Plan now to attend the Ice Cream Social which will be held on June 12!
We dance each and every Thursday (except Thanksgiving!) at Trailer Haven Hall in Melbourne. Early rounds with cuer Bev Landwehr, and Mainstream and Plus square dancing with Dale McClary. Please visit our attractive and informative website at www.promenaders.org.
Marcia and Tom Kabaservice
Pine Ridge Promenaders
Lake Placid...Hello All!!!
The Pine Ridge Promenaders are winding down a wonderful season of dancing. We have been fortunate to have had from eight to nine squares moving happily around the floor responding to the many fine callers and our cuer, Larry Chatos, who will not be returning next year. He and Mike Doughty have quite a drive to get here and we have always appreciated having them with us.
We took two squares to the Kenilworth Care and Rehabilitation Center for a resident’s 103rd Birthday Celebration on March 12. Although many were in wheelchairs, they enjoyed the program and moved to the music and fine singing of Dave Angell. Some of us attended the West Coast Dance on Sunday, March 16, and then followed our Banner Chairman, Marguerite Ryan to Crystal River to retrieve our banner and to wish caller Joy Teagle happiness in his retirement.
Our schedule in March had to be revised due to the illness of both Clyde Stocker and Paul Place. Many thanks to Nelson Wakeman who stepped in for Clyde and to Sam Dunn who filled in for Paul. We trust they are both feeling better now.
At our Annual Dinner held March 29, 38 members said a fond farewell to our current Treasurers and Past Presidents, Elgin and Irenee Zuhlke who will no longer be making the trip back to Lake Placid from Wisconsin. We all wished them Good Luck and God Speed. Officers for 2008/2009 will be President Jim and Carol Stoll, Vice President Don and Jean Strong, Secretary Marion and Irving Eldred (all repeating their terms), and Dan and Nell Sherman, Treasurer. Emery and Mary Graves will continue running the 50/50 drawing, Carol Rogers the refreshments, and Marguerite Ryan the Banner raids and retrievals. An announcement was made that Phyllis Hathaway will be cueing next season with Early Rounds at 7:00pm.
By the time you read this article, our two casual dances with Mike Doughty and Larry Chatos on April 3 and Sam Dunn on the 10th will be history and we will have missed an opportunity to meet and greet you. Please review our schedule for next year and plan to join us. Lots of Yellow Rocks await you!!!
Don and Marianne Reason
Prestige 55
Ocala...Hat night at Prestige 55/Celebrity Squares was March 20. It was actually billed as the Easter Bonnet dance, but since it was the week following the holiday, it became a little more generic. Lots of good laughs and great hats as evidenced in the picture.
Saturday evening, April 5, was the big fundraiser for the Anthony United Methodist Church. This is an annual event. A great lasagna dinner started off the evening followed by a lot of square dancing. A Chinese auction with some real treasures filled three of the classrooms. In between tips, everyone participated in the cake walks. Much to my chagrin and promise in last month’s Bow & Swing, I didn’t get a cake at all, let alone that double chocolate one. Sure hope you enjoyed it Ken!
For those of you that remember the summer of 1962, you likely recall a song by Brian Hyland called Sealed With A Kiss. The opening line was “…though we’ve got to say good bye for the summer…”. Saying good bye for the summer is one of those sad times we go through each year here in the Ocala area. And this year is no different. We are starting to say good bye to some of our snow bird friends and we wish them a great summer and look forward to their southern migration back to Florida in the fall.
Looking for a place to dance on Thursday evenings? We would love to have you.
Michael Cox
Promenade Squares
Pinellas Park...Our club has been in full swing with demos and visits to other clubs. Our annual picnic was held at Lake Seminole Park with lots of food and dancing with Dan Wilkerson.
Be sure to wear the colors of your favorite sports team at our “Take Me out to the Ballgame” dance on May 8.
We dance every Thursday at the Pinellas Park Senior Center. Plans are being made to have plus lessons in the future. If you are interested, call Shirley Pfeffer at 727-733-2226. Keep young and keep dancing.
Marlene Hughes, Secretary
Snell’s Bo’s & Bell’s
Largo...Our Fun Friday dances in Largo have held up well in spite of two rainy Friday nights, one of which was a downpour as storms moved inland and across North of the Metro Area. Due to the limited crowd that night, Allen did some new calls and a bit of progressive squares also.
Some of our Snowbird dancers are going to be gone soon to get back home by “Tax Time”. We hope they are all able to return next fall. Have a safe trip.
Our last Fun Friday dance of March on the 28th had eight plus squares.
Come join us when you can.
Remember the first Friday of the month is Anniversary and Birthday dance.
See you in a square.
Hobo and Gypsy
Space Trackers
Merritt Island...I have been remiss in reporting the club news for the past several months, so here goes.
We currently have 14 class members and we have just completed the Mainstream figures and started Plus on April 7. We have 7 adults and 7 children. All are doing very well, but guess who learns faster... We will have our graduation in June, then have more Plus practice and some DBD during the summer. Our new class will start Sept. 8. Boy, time flies when we are having fun!!!
On Valentine’s Day, we had a massacre by the hoods of the Space Trackers. Terri Little even brought her “violin case” and Cynthia was a flapper. Several other Space Trackers dressed up as mobsters and flappers, sorry I couldn’t get all the pictures in. They were great!
On March 6, we had our Friendship Potluck dinner and recycle sale. Our class joined us for this dance and what a fun time we had. Between eating and buying wonderful square dance outfits, we hardly had time to dance. But we did and we really enjoyed dancing with our class members.
Over 30 Space Trackers attended the Shamrock Swing and danced to Tim Marriner and Whit Brown. What a fun time we had and we are really proud of that attendance!!!
We are looking forward to the 54th Florida State Square and Round Dance Convention in Lakeland, May 23-25. Let’s celebrate in 2008
Dick and Jean Lee
Spin-A-Rounders Round Dance Club
St. Cloud...We are continuing on at a steady pace with our lessons. It is amazing how quickly we have progressed in the past three months. We are able to dance to a select array of songs. Jan and Pete have us learning new steps each week, both the beginners and the more advanced dancers.
I would like to pay tribute to one of our beginner couples, Shirley and Tom. They told us when they started taking lessons from week one that they have never ever danced any kind of dance. They have been at the hall every week since. They are so upbeat and are an inspiration to us all.
We appreciate the help we get from Bobbie and Dale, Sandy and George, Pat and Bill, Shirley and Vern – all very patient while guiding us along. Jan and Pete, you are the best!
Jeanne Hartwig, Secretary
Spinning Wheels
Tampa...Spinning Wheels had a busy month. On March 7, we honored Art and Martha Springer, for 47 years of his calling, and 38 years, for calling for our club, the Spinning Wheels. On the 14th, we had three clubs raid us – the BATs, Ding a Lings, and Kings Point.
We had a good showing when Strawberry Square raided us March 28, about two and a half squares attended. A good time was had by all.
Mark your calendar, for our 38th Anniversary Dance, on May 9. Art Springer will be calling, and Charlie Lovelace, will be doing rounds. Expect to have a great time, celebrating with us.
Wednesday April 2, we will be raiding Strawberry Square to retrieve our Banner. We always enjoy their hospitality.
Friday April 4, we will be raided by the Promenade Squares. We look forward to having them and expect a fun night. Art will be calling, and Charlie, will be on the rounds.
Lets encourage all the new dancers, we really need them. Get them out dancing to new callers, and different clubs.
See you all on the Dance Floor.
The Ghost
Starlight Promenaders
Debary...We wish to thank Carol and Randy Poole for serving as 1st-quarter Presidents of the Starlight Promenaders and as always, they did a great job. Andy and Kathy Belew have moved into the position of 2nd-quarter presidents, and we feel that they will do their normal super job and the club will not miss a beat. We also welcomed two new members into our club: Frank and Jackie Adams. Glad to have them aboard!
We have noticed that there has been an increase in attendance at many of the special dances in our area: Shamrock Swing, 30-plus squares; Knothead Konvention, 20-plus squares; and the CFA 5th Saturday Dance (and 50th Anniversary Celebration), 15-plus squares. Also, more graduates are showing up at at all the dances, and we are beginning to see people who danced before rejoining clubs. Let us hope that this signifies a turn-a-round for square dancing in our area.
Our Teddy Bear Picnic Dance was a huge success. The club collected a goodly amount of teddy bears and other stuffed animals and presented them to a representative from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Department, who gratefully accepted them. All the dancers had a picnic eating all that food. Thanks to all – we know you made a lot kids happy.
We had our Semi-Annual General (pot luck) Meeting on April 12 at the home of Randy and Carol Poole. Great food, pleasant surroundings and a beautiful spring day – and yes, we did get some work done.
The April 19 demo at the Deltona Spring Fest was a glowing success and we showed a lot of people what square dancing is all about.
Our raids for April: on the 18th we raided the Orlando Singles and enjoyed Roland, and on the 28th we raided the Honeybees and enjoyed dancing to Rick Yates.
Now that the ‘08 Shamrock Swing is history, we have the ‘08 Florida State Convention on May 23, 24 and 25. We hope to see you all there.
Dick and Jeanne Lysobey
Suncat Squares
Stuart...April was a very busy month for the Sun-Cats. We began the month with a “cake walk” and proceeded to our annual picnic at the Stuart Recreation Center Park. We have continued to meet each Friday despite of the many illnesses in our square dance family. Our members are slowly coming back and looking forward to the dancing. Sonny has been giving lessons before the dance, and Mike has been helping some of our dancers learn to round dance during the early round time.
We are looking forward to an active summer with casual attire beginning after the Memorial Day weekend. Our members have already planned a lot of fun and we’re always looking for more dancers to have more fun. Please come visit us on Friday night when you are in our area.
See you on the dance floor!
Sun-Cat Tattler
Sunshine Promenaders
Leesburg...We have several changes regarding our club. We will be dancing next season starting October 3, 2008 on Friday evenings, with Ron Libby on squares and Joanne Helton on rounds, with occasional guest callers.
Darrell and Vera Figg have decided not to call for us next year for personal reasons and we will miss them. They have been very supportive of our club and a great time was had by all who knew them. Thanks so much Darrell and Vera!
We want to welcome our new officers for 2008-2009 and they are: President Harold and Florence Robinson, Vice President Robert and Sandra Scott, Treasurer Tom and Nadalee Schubert, Secretary Roy and Doris Anderson, Membership Chairpersons Bob and Liz Bialaszewski, Banner Chairpersons Mike and Beverly Sweeney, Information Services Dan and Anna Foust, Refreshments Bill and Florence Landram. Welcome one and all.
We are planning a beginners class for next October on Friday Eve before our dances, so keep that in mind, if you need a class in the evening.
Our own members Maurie and Kay Hartman won the afghan raffle donated and made by Liz Bialaszewski. Thanks go to Liz.
We want to thank Bob and Janet Schenck for taking charge of our decorations. The hall was always decked out for every holiday or occasion. Our thanks go to our club membership for their support; we would not be successful without your hard work getting the hall ready for dancing. Our Officers did a super job, thank you one and all!
We are very pleased that Ron Libby and Joanne Helton will be with us once again next season. What a wonderful caller and cuer we have. Plan to come dance with them; you’ll have a fun evening.
Happy Dancing
Pres. Bill, Florence and Paul
Sunshine Strollers
Port St. Lucie...Our snowbirds received a great send off when the Sunshine Strollers had their Spring Fling dance for all levels of Rounds and Squares. The hall was filled with dancers enjoying both calling and cueing and food. New dancers learned how to maintain small, tight squares and two full circles were on the floor for the easy rounds. What an exciting time for all! Our Spring Fling dance has not been held for about five years, so all were glad to be a part of its resurection.
That same week, six couples assisted in a demo at King’s Isle where we had a good time helping their people through many of the basic moves. At least two couples have drifted back to dancing again and the others were glad to have been able to square dance again after so long a hiatis.
Although a few dancers must return north, we will be continuing all classes and dances. To those leaving, please have a healthy, happy summer, hopefully being able to continue dancing. And to those remaining, come join us for a night of comradery and dancing.
Until next time, happy dancing.
The Sunshine Stroller
Swinging Squares
Panama City...Three Squares! We’re excited to have three squares on the floor most dance nights. Sometimes FOUR!
Maybe it’s the callers and the rounds between squares. Jack White, Bob Poyner and Dave Muller call squares; Bill Bovard and Sandy Sturgis cue rounds. With a staff like that, an evening of great dancing is guaranteed. Is it decorations that give the hall a party atmosphere? Changes have been almost weekly lately with the purple, green and gold of Mardi Gras; bright red wall, white hearts and a kissing booth for Valentines; St. Patrick’s Day green walls, shamrocks and a gold harp in the corner and now spring butterfly’s and flowers! Our delicious snacks and the monthly birthday party might be the draw because we have some really great cooks, but we like to think it’s our friendly dancers! Come visit and you’ll see.
Two squares of those friendly dancers came out to demonstrate the fun of square dancing during our part of “Step Up Florida”. Although many in attendance participated in caller Dave Muller’s “introduction” to our favorite activity, no one signed on the dotted line for classes. There is talk of having another combined night in the fall when classes are traditionally taught. It takes commitment and we think that is the biggest drawback for someone thinking of learning to dance.
In the meantime, we’re here every Wednesday with Sandy’s early rounds, square dancing with the caller of the week and Bill’s rounds between squares. Come join us.
For more information access our website at www.floridadance.com.
Betty Kearney, PR Chairman
Temple Twirlers
Tampa...What a great month we had! It seems as though clubs are visiting clubs more here lately. The Temple Twirlers raided the Ding A Lings on the 18th of March dancing to the always colorful caller and cuer Alan Snell. A great crowd, good food and a fun night for all attending.
Strawberry Squares was next on our list of raids, March 26 with Art Springer calling and Charlie Lovelace cuing.
The Temple Twirlers were glad to have the Sun City Swingers raiding us on March 3. We danced to our own Van Coble caller and Charlie Lovelace cuer. They came with several squares and we had a fun night of dancing.
On the 24th we were raided by the Spinning Wheels. Roland Blanchette was our guest caller. We had a special dance night for Roland’s students that just graduated from our Lutz classes and from Strawberry Squares. We all know how special that first “real dance” is. Roland really does a great job teaching and his students didn’t let him down. Us “old folks” probably made more mistakes than they did. We certainly welcome them to all our dances.
I don’t think there was one person on the dance floor for our St. Patrick’s Day Dance that wasn’t Irish. Everyone attending was dressed in green. This may be a first for that. Van and Charlie struck up some good ole Irish tunes and we had one great evening including all the strawberry shortcake you could eat.
Dan Wilkerson called on the 10th with an evening of good singing calls.
Our Lutz class graduated Mainstream and Roland is moving them right along with Plus classes. We had 31 dancers on the floor (had a phantom person to make up 32).
April starts off with our Temple Twirlers Reunion Dance. So far we have over 20 people that were Twirlers at one time, that plan on attending. Let’s hope we hear from 20 more.
Our guest callers for April will be Bob Schlenker on the 14th and Gary Murphy on the 28th. We have a demo for over 100 Girl Scouts and their dads on April 4 – several raids in the planning stage, so once again we are having a full month of dancing.
Come join us!
Yolanda Trainor, Secretary
Whirl & Twirl
Orlando...Caller Paul Place’s Mainstream and Plus teaching classes are moving ahead each Tuesday night; however, he is now at home recovering from some serious surgeries. We all wish Paul a speedy recovery. We will have guest callers on Wednesday nights. Whit Brown will call for us on Fridays and will finish out the class sessions. The Mainstream class graduates on April 30.
We had a very successful clothes Recycle Sale in late March, thanks to Judy Walker and her team. This fund-raiser helps our newer dancers get started with their dancing clothes at bargain prices. Cuers Pete and Jan Shankle kicked off a free round dance class for round dance beginners on Thursday, March 27. You still have time to get involved. Call the Shankles or the club for more information.
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