# clubnews

date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Jamond Billyard and Donna Whitmer
news:
  Hello fellow dancers. March 28 is our ever popular pancake dinner
  dance, starting with a 5:00pm dinner at the Cartwright Maple Tree Inn,
  at 4321 County Rd 15A, Angelica NY 14709. Then we will dance at 7:00
  at the Birdsall Grange Hall, 9010 Route 16, Birdsall NY
  14822. Admission will be six dollars per person and we&rsquo;ll be
  open to all. It will be beginners to mainstream, caller will be Ray
  Tompkins.

  Our club is going to do an event, Jamboree of Hope, April 22 at 11:00
  am at the Warsaw Moose club to raise money for cancer research for
  kids.

  For more info call Lynette at 585-689-3908 or Lori at
  585-380-2288.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 44
information: Jeanne Hering (315-252-3991) (jhering@twcny.rr.com)
reporters: Jeanne Hering (315-252-3991)
news:
  We&rsquo;re a fun square dance club in Auburn, NY. Please visit our
  Facebook page&mdash;TheFunBunchSquareDanceClub.

  We are currently on an indefinite pause while we regroup following the
  COVID interruption.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 19
information:
  George &amp; Carol Ann Stahl (585-533-9241);
  stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com

reporters: Carol Ann Stahl
news:
  March is here, can Spring be far behind? Members of Grand Squares are
  eagerly anticipating the longer days and warmer temperatures of this
  season of rebirth. As usual we closed out the Christmas season with
  our Christmas-In-January dance with two squares who enjoyed ice cream
  and a holiday cake between dance tips. We are grateful to the guests
  who came that evening as well as those who join us for all our dances.

  Back to the present&mdash;March is also a time for celebrating our
  Anniversary&mdash;62 years of continuous dancing. The club began as
  Lima Grand Squares, understandably because they danced in
  Lima&mdash;at the Town Hall in winter and a barn during the
  summer. We&rsquo;ve changed locations several times, but we have tried
  to live up to the title from its early days as &ldquo;the friendliest
  club around.&rdquo; Hoping to lessen the chance of a late winter
  storm, we plan to hold our Anniversary Celebration on Friday, May 19.

  But don&rsquo;t wait until May to come dance with us. We will dance on
  March 23, our Welcome Spring dance, on April 13 and 27 and May 4. All
  of our dances, except for our Anniversary Dance are on Thursdays and
  all are 7:00&ndash;9:00 at Roth Junior High on East Henrietta Road.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 51
information: Jerri Saintey (jsanitey@verizon.net) (315-546-3851)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  It&rsquo;s been a while since the Pairs N&rsquo; Squares have
  published news. We have had many trials and changes in the last year
  but, we are back. Our caller is Ron Schweitzer. We dance on Monday
  nights at the St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church; 210 Hazel Street,
  Liverpool NY from 6:30&ndash;8:30. We would love to see guests at any
  time.

  On March 13 we will celebrate St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day with wearing of
  the green and themed treats.

  Our dance year will end on May 22 with a potluck dinner beginning at
  6:00. All are welcome!

  Hope to see you soon! Happy Dancing!!


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (315-536-6066)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares hosts Wednesday workshops from 6:00 until
  9:00 pm with basic level for new dancers from 6:00 until 7:00 and
  mainstream/plus from 7:00 to 9:00. We meet at the Penn Yan Grange Hall
  at 408 Elm Street in Penn Yan.

  We have a Saturday evening dance coming up on April 15 at the Penn Yan
  Grange Hall with a Spring theme. Richard Rosenfield will be calling
  and Lisa Treichler will be cueing. The level of dancing will be
  Class/Club. Early rounds will start at 7:00 with 2x2 from 7:30 to
  10:00 pm. We hope to see you there.

  Plans for a dance on a Saturday in May are in the works.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Weekend from September 15&ndash;17 in 2023
  with Bill Harrison calling &amp; Steve Bradt, from Easton, PA cuing. It&rsquo;s
  not too early to register. Mark your calendars and comedown for the
  weekend or just an evening or all day on Saturday. For more info
  contact Sue Irvine at 585-330-9129 or email her at
  irvinesuej@gmail.com . Stay well, and we hope to see you soon!


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 14
reporters: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (marlenethone@mindspring.com)
news:
  Round Towners is an Easy-Intermediate Round Dance Club, dancing a
  Phase III &amp; IV level program, on Thursday evenings from
  8:00&ndash;10:00. A teach or a review, at the Phase III+ or Phase IV
  level, is included most evenings. We work on Phase III+ and Phase IV
  figures in all rhythms and welcome anyone to join us who is interested
  in dancing at this level. Dress is casual/comfortable.

  We have not yet settled on a new dance location, so stay tuned for
  day, time and place.

  Round Dance Leaders/Instructors: Mark and Marlene Thone

information:
[cell repeats an earlier one in this file: 115 characters]


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 20
information: Caller Mike &amp; Wanda Callahan (585-406-8797)
reporters: Mike Callahan
news:
  Shamrock Squares dances the Callerlab Advanced A-2 program on Tuesday
  afternoons 2:30&ndash;4:30 at the Pieters Family Life Center, 1025
  Commons Way, Rochester. We welcome all A-2 dancers to join us. For
  more information, please call.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  It was a busy holiday season for our club. There was a great turnout
  for our Thanksgiving dinner and also the New Year Chili Fest. There
  will be plenty of fun and celebrating coming up. On March 17 wear your
  green for St. Patty&rsquo;s dancing. On April 21 we will have our
  pizza night. May 19 we will have our cookout with everyone bringing a
  dish to pass. Dave will help us burn the calories from all our eating
  with some great dancing.

  On June 3 we will be hosting the Elaine Eno Memorial ALS Dance from
  1:00&ndash;9:00. There will be multiple callers for your dancing
  fun. All proceeds will go to the ALS association. We hope to see many
  of you there.

  Happy Dancing!

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 5
information:
  Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net)
  (585-200-0464)

reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  Silver Squares continues to have four or five squares weekly. We dance
  almost every Monday from 1:00&ndash;3:00pm and we dance a combination
  of Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  laughter, and friendship.

  We follow all COVID precautions. We have sanitizer and masks available
  and encourage people to wear masks if they feel they would be more
  comfortable (Don at 585-317-6442 or Anne at 585-200-0464).

  Just to remind everyone that Silver Squares does NOT offer dance
  lessons. We are happy to talk with anyone interested in square dancing
  and refer them to clubs that are offering dance lessons. Call Don or
  Anne for any information.

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. Our Christmas
  Dinner Dance was well attended with five squares dancing and the
  dinner catered by Forest Hills was delicious. The turkey roll ups were
  a big hit! We introduced the New Year with our Hawaiian Dance, then
  the following week a Pizza Party Dance, and then our very first
  Snowflake Ball. Look for pictures of these fun events under the
  Promenader&rsquo;s Photos and Features Tab!

  Mile Callahan headed to warm and sunny Arizona for the New Year and we
  are very grateful and privileged to have our very own Jim Gotta call
  for us. He will be our caller until Mike returns in April.

  We are inviting all our square dance friends in different clubs to one
  FREE DANCE on a certain date. Look for our SILVER SQUARES INVITATION
  FLYER under the Silver Squares Flyer section on the Promenader. This
  will give you the date for your FREE dance. If you have any questions,
  please call Anne or Don at 585-317-6442 or 585-200-0464.

  Looking ahead through June, here is what&rsquo;s going on at Silver
  Squares!

  March 13 St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day Dance is just the best!! On this
  special occasion, we will enjoy the &ldquo;wearing of the
  green!&rdquo; We are also asking that you bring in your favorite green
  dessert!!

  April 3 We are celebrating the beginning of Spring with a Spring Fling
  and Silent Auction. Bring baked goods, new gifts, recycled but like
  new treasures or service/gift cards for silent bidding. This is a
  great fun for everyone to enjoy while we dance the afternoon away.

  April 10 NO DANCE

  April 24 Let&rsquo;s Have a Pie Party!! Bring in your favorite pie:
  small, big, or just a few slices. Homemade or store bought. All kinds
  of pies are welcome!!! We can eat pie, dance, and socialize with
  friends. Where else can you do this??

  May 8 Our Lilac Day Dance is a celebration all the beauty that
  surrounds us in the Rochester area&mdash;especially the lilacs! Wear
  purple, bring lilacs, do whatever is fun. We invite all to come, enjoy
  each other, and enjoy the decorations and festivities!!

  May 22 The Memorial Day Dance is a special tribute to those who
  sacrificed their lives so we could be free. Come and enjoy the dance
  and remember our family and friends who made our freedom possible.

  May 29 is Memorial Day. There is NO DANCE

  June 12 Our Flag Day Dance honors our Flag. Dress in patriotic colors
  and enjoy dancing to Mike&rsquo;s patriotic music.

  June 26 This is our end of year picnic so, LET&rsquo;S PICNIC!! Lunch
  starts at noon. Finally, this year, we can bring a dish to pass! Come
  and enjoy visiting with our dancing family and looking at the many
  pictures from the past year. This is a special event that should not
  be missed. We hope that many of our friends from other clubs will join
  us.

  Our Silver Squares Calendar is posted on the Promenader
  website. Please check it out. We have become a family and we welcome
  each and every person that walks through our doors. Please call Don or
  Anne with any questions.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  We dance once a month May thru October at the CampBell Campground,
  8700 State Route 415, Campbell, NY. Most dancers camp for the weekend,
  but walk-ins are welcome at our dances. We dance at the
  Mainstream/Plus level with rounds in between each tip. However, our
  callers are very good at calling to the floor. We also offer Super
  Saturday events which include workshops in the afternoon, dinner and
  an evening dance&hellip;all for a reasonable price.
   
  See our posted flyers (in season) for dance details, and see the
  CampBell website (https://campbellcampground.com) for campground
  information and local area attractions.
   
  Don&rsquo;t have a camper???? Not a problem. Give Ed a call at
  CampBell Campground (607-527-3301). They have campers and cabins
  available to rent. Be sure to mention that you are coming to join us
  and they will give you a special rate. If you just want to come for an
  evening dance, consider staying for a while after dancing and join us
  at the campfire. There is always lots of laughter shared while keeping
  warm. There are also several nice hotels in the area if that is the
  style of &ldquo;camping&rdquo; that you prefer.
   
  We now welcome all dancers to join our club-campers or not! So, please
  consider becoming a member and save on the cost of the weekend.


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 10
information: Peter Emmel (585-381-5049)
reporters: Peter Emmel (pemmel@frontiernet.net)
news:
  We are a Plus-level square dance club, dancing Wednesday evenings at
  the United Church of Pittsford, 123 South Main Street, Pittsford,
  NY. Our caller is Gil Porter.

  We have paused weekly dances while we recover from the COVID
  interruption, and from depleted membership due to moves and
  funerals. Our plan is to dance more or less monthly when our snowbirds
  are home in the spring and fall. Watch for flyers in the Promenader
  and announcements on the WNYF Facebook page (SquareDancingRochester).


date: 2023-03-01
clubid: 6
information: Gary Etherton (ge14094@gmail.com) (716-796-9265)
reporters: Gary Etherton
news:
  We are a Mainstream/Plus/Round dance club, dancing a 2x2 format
  starting at 7:00pm on Monday evenings in Amherst, NY, at the Amherst
  Community Church, 77 Washington Highway.

  Our caller is Jim Gotta and our cuer is Elaine Nichols.

  For dance dates, see the Schedule pages.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue&mdash;Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  COVID Protocol for VA: Proof of Vaccination required; Mask must be
  worn entering and leaving dance. Mask not required in Gym. Our caller
  is Gary Bubel


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 7
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our Wednesday round dance club began dancing in May. Our numbers are
  few but we have been doing Phase 2 &amp; Phase 3 and learning &amp;
  practicing Phase 3 figures.

  We invite all round dancers to join us. We are happy to cue your
  favorites and review anything that you may be having trouble with.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 8
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Happy Spring! We have returned from Florida and our Tuesday night club
  began dancing again in May. We are reviewing mainstream calls that our
  dancers want to see and will be teaching the plus calls throughout the
  summer.

  We hope the new graduates will join us for a fun evening of dancing
  and review. Everyone is welcome and we have enjoyed seeing all our
  friends.

  All dances are at the Henrietta Fire Hall.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 56
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our Friday afternoon club had their trail in dance May 12th. We are a
  fun dancing group doing both rounds and squares. Sometimes we all go
  out for an early dinner after the dance.

  Nobody wants the fun to end!

  What fun we have sharing dancing, food and friendship! Remember our
  club dances May to December. Please join us some Friday afternoon!


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  June, July &amp; August: Fun, Fun, Fun for the Cayuga Cut-Ups at our
  Summer Home&mdash;Bailiwick&rsquo;s Market &amp; Cafe, Thursday
  evenings from 600&ndash;8:30, 441 NY-5, Elbridge, NY 13060. We dance
  in the gazebo behind the main building, it is screened in, with
  overhead fans and popup shades if it rains. Of course, the cafe serves
  dinners, drinks, homemade ice cream and much more! Bailiwick&rsquo;s
  is the brain child of a local farm family&mdash;many farm-to-table
  food items and made-in-NY items to purchase. Ron Brown and our dancers
  are often the center of attention for diners and customers. If
  encouraged we sometime get watchers to come and dance with us! Summer
  is our favorite time to shine and maybe showoff a bit. Guests are
  encouraged; please make us your summertime visit.

  Of course summer is not complete without our Anniversary Dance &amp;
  Steak Roast! This year the Cut-Ups celebrate 62 years of dancing in
  Cayuga County. Our club caller Ron Brown and caller Dave Eno will be
  getting the party rolling at Vince&rsquo;s Park, NY-318, Seneca Falls,
  NY 13148. The pavilion is air-conditioned, roomy and easy to find off
  the thruway. August 12 from 12:00&ndash;1:00 is the Steak Roast; the
  dance starts at 1:00; walk-ins are welcome. The cost for the Steak
  Roast &amp; Dance is $25/dancer and Dance only $10/dancer. If you can
  consider the Steak Roast &amp; Dance the steaks are great, you must
  pre-order Steak Roast &amp; Dance (because we don&rsquo;t want to
  over-order steaks) Pre-paid Reservations can be sent to Linda English,
  3524 Clinton Rd, Jordan, NY 13080; checks payable to Cayuga
  Cut-Ups. August 5, 2023 is the deadline to pre-pay. Call 315.689.1679
  if needed.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 18
information: Diane Camp (607-776-4528)
reporters: Art Diefenbach
news:
  We traditionally dance at 7:00 on Saturday evenings at St. Thomas
  Episcopal Church, 122 Liberty Street, Bath, NY.

  Look for us on Facebook as &ldquo;Champagne Whirl-A-Ways Square Dance
  Club.&rdquo;

  We are currently on an indefinite pause while we regroup following the
  COVID interruption and the passing of our traditional caller, the late
  Mike Herne.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972)
reporters: Carl Webster, Corresponding Secretary
news:
  Our last class session went well. We had many angels show up, not only
  to help with our instructors, Mike Callahan and Jim Gotta but to enjoy
  dancing. Our solo class members were rarely without a partner, and
  many of the more advanced dancers were able to switch from their
  regular side to the opposite side to help fill in a square.

  Cloverleaf Squares is a &ldquo;Singles&rdquo; club, and we encourage
  solo dancers to come and join us. Over the years, however, we have
  become less of a &ldquo;Singles&rdquo; club and more of an
  all-inclusive one, encouraging solo dancers to become comfortable with
  the community and the partnered dancers to dance with the solos to
  build a dancing square. We are not a Dance by Definition (DBD) club
  where dancers perform calls from non-traditional positions. We accept
  dancers to dance on the opposite side of a couple; women dancing on
  the left side (taught as the man&rsquo;s side) and men dancing on the
  right side (taught as the woman&rsquo;s side). If there is a missing
  partner, it is great when someone steps in to fill a square, no matter
  which side is available. The flexible dancer is rewarded with the
  experience of expanding their dancing skills. It also tends to bring
  some novelty to the evening. Dancing is fun.

  Our round dance class has begun with success. This year we are
  teaching the Cha Cha and Rumba rhythms. It is one more class of
  rhythms to add to our area dancers&rsquo; repertoire. We appreciate
  Mark Thone&rsquo;s and Alice Bubel&rsquo;s teaching and cueing skills
  to help us round out our dance night (or afternoon) out.

  Check out our summer theme dances: Red/White/Blue, Silly Hats Night,
  Country Night, and Cookie Night. You can find the dates on our
  schedule on our website and flyers on our online flyer table.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 30
information: Rick and Donna LaDonna
reporters: 585-633-2044 Gary and Lorraine Granath
news:
  March 4, 2023, was Hawaiian night. Thirty-nine dancers came in very
  colorful attire including Hawaiian moo moos, shirts, and blouses, and
  even a pair of shoes with a pink flower adorning the top of each
  shoe. Jim Gotta fulfilled the duties of both caller and cuer. Bouquets
  of flowers adorned our snack table and the caller&rsquo;s table. Thank
  you, Debbie Blood! Volunteers brought an assortment of snacks,
  including fresh fruit.

  Our Crazy Hat Dance was a hit! There was quite an assortment of head
  coverings, including (but not limited to) a magician&rsquo;s top hat,
  Minnie Pearl&rsquo;s straw hat, and a Viking helmet. The dance was a
  class/club dance and was very well attended.

  The last dance of the season was the April Showers Dance. Officers for
  the 2023&ndash;2024 dance year were elected. Electees: Bonnie Allen
  and Dick Wesner, Co-Presidents; Pat Santacroce, Vice President; Debbie
  and Jeff Blood, Co-Treasurers; and Paul and Debra VanGraafeiland,
  Co-Class Coordinators. Donna and Rick LaDonna will remain on the Board
  as Past Co-Presidents/Advisors. The office of Secretary is open. If
  any member of Copy Cats is interested in fulfilling this position,
  please contact any Board Member.

  Our Copy Kittens are no longer Kittens. They have graduated! Guests,
  club members, angels, and Kittens gathered for pizza prior to the
  graduation ceremony. The ceremony began with a welcome to all and a
  prayer for the Kittens. The lighting of four candles followed. The
  first candle represented the flame of friendship, the second the flame
  of duty, the third the flame of enjoyment, and the fourth the flame of
  democracy. The mood was festive. The graduates are: Doris Eckert,
  Nancy Hutchings, Nay Jacobson, Don Lucas, Lynn Lucas, Barb Manchee,
  Nadine Mucci, Pam Oblein, Edith Onusseit, J. Riddell, Mary-Ellen
  Riddell, Jim Schaefer, and Timothy Storm Coleman. Each graduate
  received a 2023 diploma. Well done graduates!

  The Copy Cats Rathke Award was created in recognition of Jim and Pearl
  Rathke. The award was first presented to Jim and Pearl in 1982. It
  continues to be awarded annually to an individual or couple who have
  been significant contributors to the club. This year&rsquo;s
  recipients are Debbie and Jeff Blood. Congratulations Debbie and Jeff!

  Our club is a Plus level dance club. Dances follow a 2x2 format, with
  no early rounds. CDC Guidelines are followed at each dance. We meet
  two Saturday evenings per month from 7:00&ndash;9:00 PM at the First
  Baptist Church of Penfield, 1862 Penfield Road, Penfield, NY.
  Beginning in January, 2023, we will have three afternoon club dances
  to replace the 7:00&ndash;9:00 PM time slot. Please check the
  Promenader for specifics.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Jamond Billyard and Donna Whitmer
news:
  We are a sociable club, dancing normally at the Living Hope
  Fellowship Hall, 30 North Main Street, Castille, NY, with Ray Tompkins
  calling.

  We&rsquo;re taking the summer off, except for a special CURE Benefit Dance
  from 1 to 5 on the afternoon of August 18. This dance will feature
  guest callers and cuers, hots, hamburgers and other snacks, and a
  basket raffle with all proceeds to C.U.R.E. in Rochester, NY. It will
  be held at the Bliss Rec Hall, 3529 East Main Street, Bliss, NY.

  Please see our flyer in the Promenader for further details.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 44
information: Jeanne Hering (315-252-3991) (jhering@twcny.rr.com)
reporters: Jeanne Hering (315-252-3991)
news:
  We&rsquo;re a fun square dance club in Auburn, NY. Please visit our
  Facebook page: TheFunBunchSquareDanceClub.

  We are currently on an indefinite pause while we regroup following the
  COVID interruption.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 19
information:
  George &amp; Carol Ann Stahl (585-533-9241);
  stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com

reporters: Carol Ann Stahl
news:
  Grand Squares has finished another successful season of dancing. We
  are very grateful for the willing hands of the Rush-Henrietta
  custodial department at Roth Junior High, who faithfully set up and
  repositioned the room where we dance. And, of course, we are grateful
  to our innovative callers Mike Callahan, our regular caller, and Jim
  Gotta, who graciously filled in for Mike during those winter months
  when he was away. Can&rsquo;t forget to mention our treasurer, Gary,
  for collecting our survival funds and providing us each evening with a
  riddle or joke. And last, but certainly not least, we are grateful for
  our guests whose monetary and edible support and enthusiasm enabled us
  to survive another year.

  Unless something beyond our control occurs, we will be back for
  another season come September. Meanwhile, I encourage our dancers to
  take advantage of those clubs offering dances during the summer; I
  know we will.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 51
information: Jerri Saintey (jsanitey@verizon.net) (315-546-3851)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  Pairs N Squares are off for the summer, following our season finale
  on May 22. We&rsquo;ll be back in the fall, dancing on Monday nights at
  the St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church; 210 Hazel Street, Liverpool NY from
  6:30&ndash;8:30 with our caller Ron Schweitzer. We would love to see
  visiting dancers at any time.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Our summer schedule and venue are still TBD. However, they should be settled very soon, so watch the schedule and flyer pages.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Weekend from September 15&ndash;17 in
  2023 with Bill Harrison calling &amp; Steve Bradt, from Easton, PA
  cuing. It&rsquo;s not too early to register. Mark your calendars and
  come down for the weekend or just an evening or all day on Saturday.
  For more info contact Sue Irvine at 585-330-9129 or email her at
  irvinesuej@gmail.com . Stay well, and we hope to see you soon!


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 14
reporters: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (marlenethone@mindspring.com)
news:
  Round Towners is an Easy&ndash;Intermediate Round Dance Club, dancing
  a Phase III &amp; IV level program, on Thursday evenings from
  8:00&ndash;10:00. A teach or a review, at the Phase III+ or Phase IV
  level, is included most evenings. We work on Phase III+ and Phase IV
  figures in all rhythms and welcome anyone to join us who is interested
  in dancing at this level. Dress is casual/comfortable.

  Round Dance Leaders/Instructors: Mark and Marlene Thone

information:
  Information: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (585-226-8984 home);
  (585-748-5131 Marlene&rsquo;s cell); (585-748-8568 Mark&rsquo;s cell)


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts

  The Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts will be dancing thru the summer in
  our air conditioned hall. We dance at the Fulton Municipal Bldg 141
  South First Street, Fulton NY from 7:00&ndash;9:00.

  On June 3, from 1:00&ndash;9:00, we will be hosting the ALS Dance. All
  proceeds go to the ALS foundation. It will be a great day with a
  variety of callers. We will have advanced level dancing during the
  dinner hour.

  Caller: Dave Eno

  Hope to see you all on the dance floor!


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 5
information:
  Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net)
  (585-200-0464)

reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance with the Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter) from 1:00pm&ndash;3:00pm, dancing
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  laughter, and friendship.

  We follow all current CDC COVID precautions. We have sanitizer and
  masks available and encourage people to wear masks if they feel they
  would be more comfortable. Food is allowed at all dances along with
  prepackaged snacks.

  Silver Squares will NOT be offering dance lessons again this fall. We
  are happy to talk with anyone interested in square dancing and refer
  them to clubs that are offering dance lessons. We welcome anyone who
  is interested in dancing to call or come visit us. Call Don or Anne
  for any information (Don at 585-200-0464, Anne at 585-317-6442).

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have four squares weekly and sometimes even five squares. Jim Gotta
  was our caller from January to March and we were so lucky to have
  him. Thank you, Jim! Mike Callahan returned in April, and we welcomed
  him back. The Valentine&rsquo;s Dance is always one of our favorite
  dances. The dance floor was a sea of red and white. Our Shirt and
  Skirt dance was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time at the
  Spring Fling with the Silent Auction. Treasures went from one house to
  another! We had 120 pieces of pie at our Pie Party!! Our committee has
  worked hard to put together another calendar full of fun, laughter,
  and lots of dancing!! Remember these are only some highlights of our
  summer and fall activities. Look at our calendar for the full dance
  schedule.

  July 2023

  July 3

  NO DANCE Independence Day Holiday.

  July 10

  We invite the Dalton Gang and Shirts and Skirts to dance for FREE.

  July 17

  It&rsquo;s the perfect time for an ICE CREAM SOCIAL. Come dance with friends
  and choose your own ice cream sandwich, nutty buddy, fudgesicle,
  etc. We will dance up an appetite!

  July 31

  Let&rsquo;s Have a Pie Party! Bring in your favorite pie: any kind of pie,
  any size of pie, homemade or store bought. We welcome all kinds of
  pies!! We can eat pie, dance, and socialize with friends. Where else
  can you do this??

  August 2023

  August 14

  We invite the Shamrock Squares and Southern Tier Wheelers to dance for
  FREE.

  August 21

  Summer does not get any better unless you celebrate it with a Root
  Beer Float!

  Enjoy an afternoon of dancing and making your very own Root Beer
  Float.

  September 2023

  Sept. 4

  NO DANCE Labor Day

  Sept. 11

  Fall Festival! Come to Silver Squares and enjoy Free Fun, Free
  Dancing, and Free Pizza and Soda.

  Sept. 18

  We invite the Waterwheels and Penn Yan Squares to dance for FREE.

  Sept. 25

  The 50&rsquo;s Dance!! Girls, dress up in your poodle skirts!! Boys, find
  those black leather jackets or t-shirts!! Get ready to dance to Elvis
  and have a lot of fun!!

  October 2023

  October 2

  Come join us for our Crazy Hat Dance. Find your favorite hat or just
  any hat and wear it while you dance! Is there any place you can have
  this much fun on a Monday afternoon??

  October 16

  Soup and Salad Potluck Lunch at NOON. Bring a donation for the food
  shelf and dance for FREE!

  October 30

  Join us for our annual Halloween Dance. Come dressed in your favorite
  costume an be ready to have a great time! Vote for your favorite
  costume.

  November 2023

  Nov 6

  Let&rsquo;s honor our vets with a Veteran&rsquo;s Day Dance! We invite Boo Bull
  Squares and Cloverleafs to dance for FREE

  Nov. 13

  Western Day! Get dressed in your favorite western shirt, skirt, hat or
  boots and come to enjoy square dancing at its best!!

  Nov. 20

  This is our Traditional Thanksgiving Pot Luck Luncheon. Come at
  Noon. We invite all to join us on this extra special day. It&rsquo;s a day
  filled with celebrating our square dance friends and our love of
  dancing.

  December 2023

  Dec. 4

  We invite Grand Squares and Copy Cats to dance for FREE.

  Dec. 11

  Join us at 1:00 for dancing and stay for our catered Christmas
  Dinner. The dinner starts at 3:00pm. If you can come, please call and
  make reservations by Monday, December 4th, 2023. Come and enjoy this
  special time with friends.

  Dec. 18

  This will be our final dance of the year. We&rsquo;ll return to dance after
  the holidays on January 8.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  We dance once a month May thru October at the CampBell Campground,
  8700 State Route 415, Campbell, NY. Most dancers camp for the weekend,
  but walk-ins are welcome at our dances. We dance at the
  Mainstream/Plus level with rounds in between each tip. However, our
  callers are very good at calling to the floor. We also offer Super
  Saturday events which include workshops in the afternoon, dinner and
  an evening dance&hellip;all for a reasonable price.

  See our posted flyers (in season) for dance details, and see the
  CampBell website (https://campbellcampground.com) for campground
  information and local area attractions.

  Don&rsquo;t have a camper???? Not a problem. Give Ed a call at
  CampBell Campground (607-527-3301). They have campers and cabins
  available to rent. Be sure to mention that you are coming to join us
  and they will give you a special rate. If you just want to come for an
  evening dance, consider staying for a while after dancing and join us
  at the campfire. There is always lots of laughter shared while keeping
  warm. There are also several nice hotels in the area if that is the
  style of &ldquo;camping&rdquo; that you prefer.

  We now welcome all dancers to join our club-campers or not! So, please
  consider becoming a member and save on the cost of the weekend.


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 10
information: Peter Emmel (585-732-1004)
reporters: Peter Emmel (p.emmel47@gmail.com)
news:
  The Village Squares are a Plus-level square dance club, dancing
  Wednesday afternoons in the spring and fall, about once each month in
  Pittsford, NY. Our caller is Gil Porter.

  We have paused weekly dances while we recover from the COVID
  interruption and from depleted membership due to moves and
  funerals. Our current plan is to continue dancing approximately
  monthly, but only when our snowbirds are home in the spring and fall.

  We will be dancing in June and July. Our June dance will be on 6/14
  at the Pittsford Community Center (35 Lincoln Ave, Pittsford), from
  2:00 to 4:30pm in Room 215. See our flyer posted in the Promenader.
  Our July dance will be a Summer Picnic in the north shelter at
  King&rsquo;s Bend Park in Pittsford (170 West Jefferson Road,
  Pittsford). Socializing will start at 3:00pm and dancing will begin
  at 5:30.

  Watch for flyers in the Promenader and announcements on the WNYF
  Facebook page (SquareDancingRochester).


date: 2023-06-01
clubid: 6
information: Gary Etherton (ge14094@gmail.com) (716-796-9265)
reporters: Gary Etherton
news:
  Waterwheels dance 2 by 2&rsquo;s on Monday nights (see schedule
  section for location) from 6:30&ndash;8:30. Our hall has an elevator
  to whisk you to our second floor that has a great wooden dance
  floor. Please come and join the fun!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue&mdash;Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  COVID Protocol for VA: Proof of Vaccination required; Mask must be
  worn entering and leaving dance. Mask not required in Gym.

  Our caller is Gary Bubel


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 7
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  This year, we have changed our format. We now dance Phase 3 &amp; 4 on
  Wednesday afternoon 2:00&ndash;3:30. If you would like to join us some
  Wednesday, please call to be sure we are dancing as our numbers are
  low and we might have to cancel. We then dance Phases 2 &amp; 3 at
  3:30&ndash;5:00. This session has a few more participants, so we do
  not have to worry about canceling. We are always open to reviewing and
  showing steps that you might be having trouble with. Please join us
  some afternoon.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 8
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Where did summer go? Times seems to be dancing along at a fast
  pace. Please note that our club continues to dance until the beginning
  of December and we will continue our Tuesday night workshop. We are
  all having fun reviewing calls and dancing. We have been averaging
  about 2 squares each week. We welcome anyone who wants to review and
  brush up on their dancing and have a fun doing it!!

  We are now teaching Advance dancing on Wednesday nights
  6:30&ndash;8:30. Please feel free to come and angel for the teach or
  to brush up on your dancing. Our new dancers to this level appreciate
  your help and encouragement!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 56
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our club dances on Friday afternoon 1:00&ndash;3:00. We dance both
  mainstream and plus with rounds between tips. We would love to have
  you come and dance with our club and for those of you who do not want
  to drive at night now that it gets dark earlier, this is eliminates
  night driving. We are a friendly, fun loving and welcoming
  club. Please join us some Friday afternoon&mdash;you won&rsquo;t be
  disappointed!! As an added bonus, some of the group goes out for an
  early dinner, often at the LeRoy No Finer Diner and the good times
  continue!!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  Hi all,

  Thank you to all our Steak Roast dancers and friends, 62 years dancing
  for our club!

  The Cut-Ups are actively recruiting for new dancers with 3 Open Houses
  on September 7, 14 &amp;amp; 21 at the Weedsport United Methodist
  Church, 2744 E. Brutus Street, Weedsport, NY, at 7 PM, all are
  welcome. October has our annual Halloween Party on the 26th and yes,
  costumes are encouraged! November is the month for our Harvest Dinner
  on the 16th--turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and all the fixings! We
  will famously end the year with the White Elephant Gifting Party!
  December 21st, bring a wrapped regifted item to add to the gift table,
  the game begins with individuals selecting a number, then each person
  can select a gift or steal from another, the laughter is real, and
  extremely funny!

  The Cut-Ups is a banner stealing club and we have banners to steal, we
  may be coming to you or encouraging you to come visit us.

  All are welcome, we dance Thursday nights until January then, which to
  Sunday afternoons, keep dancing, see you soon!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972)
reporters: Carl Webster, Corresponding Secretary
news:
  &ldquo;Rumba and Cha-Cha&rdquo; sound foreign, but no longer to many
  of our square dancers. Alice Bubel and Mark Thone led a group of new
  dancers this past summer to enjoy the round dance rhythms of rumba and
  cha-cha. We had dancers from Silver Stars, Waterwheels, Copy Cats,
  Dalton Gang, and our club. Now they can increase their evening
  enjoyment by participating in more round dancing in area clubs.

  We are looking forward to our yearly open house. We distributed flyers
  and announced the event in community papers. We have also talked to
  our friends and handed out business cards to acquaintances. Last year
  we had a blast; this year will be even more &ldquo;blastier.&rdquo;

  Our perennial event, the Ice Cream Social, will be held at the First
  Baptist Church of Chili. Last year&rsquo;s social was a little on the
  sloppy side since we no longer had access to the freezer to keep the
  treats in their best condition. All solved in Chili. Come to our Ice
  Cream Social and enjoy ice cream as it should be enjoyed.

  Upcoming theme nights include &ldquo;Halloween,&rdquo; &ldquo;Veterans
  Day / Honor Flight,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Thanksgiving Dinner.&rdquo; Be
  sure to check our website from time to time to stay current.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 30
information: Donna and Rick LaDonna
reporters:
  Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com; Phone:
  585-633-2044)

news:
  Despite rainy days for both our May 20th and August 8th picnics, the
  Copy Cats showed up for lots of good food, games, socializing and
  dancing. At the May picnic, our new officers were installed (Bonnie
  Allen and Dick Wesner, Co-Presidents; Pat Santacrocce, Vice President;
  Debbie and Jeff Blood, Co-Treasurers; Debbie and Paul VanGraafeiland,
  Class Coordinators and Donna and Rick LaDonna, Past Presidents). At
  the August picnic, Bonnie and Dick presented Copy Cats badges to 8 of
  our 13 enthusiastic new members. Jim Gotta provided entertainment at
  both events.

  The Copy Cats will hold an Open House for new dancers at the Bay Trail
  Middle School (1760 Scribner Road) on Tuesday, September26, 2023 at
  7:00 PM. Weekly classes will begin on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:15 PM
  with a Plus Refresher followed by Mainstream lessons at 7:00 PM. These
  lessons will also be held at the Bay Trail Middle School.

  Here&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s on our dance schedule through the end of
  December. As a reminder, our dances are held at the First Baptist
  Church of Penfield (1862 Penfield Road, Penfield, NY) from
  7:00&ndash;9:00 PM. Our Club is a Plus-level dance club. Dancing will
  be in a 2 X 2 format with no early rounds. CDC guidelines are followed
  at each dance. Please see our website:
  www.copycatsdancing.wordpress.com and the Promenader for flyers
  containing additional information.

  September 9, 2023&mdash;Rusty Hinge Dance

  September 23, 2023&mdash;Disney Night Dance

  October 7, 2023&mdash;Western Night

  October 28, 2023&mdash;Halloween Dance

  November 4, 2023&mdash;Veterans Dance

  November 18, 2023&mdash;Thanksgiving Dance and Turkey Raffle

  December 2, 2023&mdash;Ugly Sweater Dance

  December 16, 2023&mdash;Holiday Dance (and Catered Dinner TBD)


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Jamond Billyard and Donna Whitmer
news:
  We are a sociable club, dancing normally at the Living Hope Fellowship
  Hall, 30 North Main Street, Castille, NY, with Ray Tompkins
  calling. We&rsquo;re taking the summer off.

  Please see our flyer in the Promenader for further details.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 44
information: Elisa Keating (elisakeating1@gmail.com)
reporters: Elisa Keating
news:
  We&rsquo;re a fun square dance club in Weedsport, NY. Please visit our
  Facebook page&mdash;TheFunBunchSquareDanceClub.

  We dance every Tuesday evening from 7&ndash;9 p.m. at First
  Presbyterian Church, 8871 S. Seneca St., Weedsport, NY 13166 to
  caller Ron Schweitzer. Come join us!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 19
information:
  George &amp; Carol Ann Stahl (585-533-9241);
  stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com

reporters: Carol Ann Stahl
news:
  The Rush-Henrietta School District has initiated several new
  requirements for their building usage and we are not able to meet
  them. It has been difficult to get a response to questions and at
  this point we are not able to use Roth as we have in the past.
  Consequently we are not able to schedule any dances at this time. We
  are very appreciative of your faithful support in the past and will
  let you know of any changes.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 51
information: Jerri Saintey (jsanitey@verizon.net) (315-546-3851)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  The Pairs &rsquo;N&rsquo; Squares are looking forward to getting back
  to dancing after the summer. We dance on Monday nights from
  6:30&ndash;8:30 at St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church in Liverpool. Come
  join us with Ron Schweitzer calling. We don&rsquo;t dance on the first
  Monday of the month.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 21
information: Sue Irvine (irvinesuej@gmail.com) (585-330-9129)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares will start Wednesday workshops in
  September 2023 at the Penn Yan Grange Hall on Route 54A in Penn Yan.
  Workshops will run from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. New dancers are
  encouraged to arrive at 6:30. Club level dancing will start later.
  The cost for workshops will be $6.00 per dancer.

  We will host three evening dances this fall. On Saturday, October 14,
  Dave Eno will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be cueing a
  Mainstream/Plus level dance. The theme will be Apples, Grapes and
  Pumpkins. On Saturday, November 11, Gil Porter will be calling and
  Lisa Treichler will be cueing a Mainstream/Plus level dance. The
  theme will be Remembrance. On Saturday, December 9, Richard
  Rosenfield will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be cueing a
  Class/Club level dance. The theme will be Holiday. The cost for
  dances will be $7.00 per dancer. Early rounds will start at 7:00 and
  2X2 squares and rounds from 7:30 until 10:00 pm.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Weekend from September 15&ndash;17 in
  2023 with Bill Harrison from Cheltenham MD calling &amp; Steve and
  Irene Bradt, from Easton, PA cuing. See our flyer on this site, and
  please mark your calendars to come down for the weekend or just an
  evening or all day on Saturday. For more info contact Sue Irvine at
  585-330-9129 or email her at irvinesuej@gmail.com (.) Stay well, and
  we hope to see you!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 14
reporters: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (marlenethone@mindspring.com)
news:
  Round Towners is an Easy Intermediate Round Dance Club, dancing a
  Phase III &amp; IV level program, on Thursday evenings from
  8:00&ndash;10:00. A teach or a review, at the Phase III+ or Phase IV
  level, is included most evenings. We work on Phase III+ and Phase IV
  figures in all rhythms and welcome anyone to join us who is interested
  in dancing at this level. Dress is casual/comfortable.

  Round Dance Leaders/Instructors: Mark and Marlene Thone

information:
[cell repeats an earlier one in this file: 115 characters]


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  The Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts have enjoyed a great summer of
  dancing. We had our graduation in June and ice cream social in July as
  well as a club picnic in August at the Bomgren&rsquo;s. Our caller,
  Dave Eno, has been strengthening our plus calls over the
  summer. Everyone is looking forward to a fun fall and a new class. We
  will have our get acquainted dances on September 8 and 15 with classes
  starting on October 6.

  October 27 will be our Halloween Dance. November 17 we will have our
  Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings. On December 15 we will
  celebrate with our Christmas Dance.

  As always, everyone is always welcome to come dance with us!

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 5
information: Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net) (585-200-0464)
reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance at Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) from 1:00&ndash;3:00 and dance
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  fun, laughter, and friendship.

  We follow all current CDC COVID precautions. We have sanitizer and
  masks available and encourage people to wear masks if they feel they
  would be more comfortable. Food is allowed at all dances along with
  the prepackaged snacks.

  Silver Squares will NOT be offering dance lessons again this fall. We
  are happy to talk with anyone interested in square dancing and refer
  them to clubs that are offering dance lessons. We welcome anyone who
  is interested in dancing to call or come visit us. Call Don or Anne
  for any information (Anne at 585-317-6442 or Don at 585-200-0464).

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have 4 squares weekly and sometimes even 5 squares. Our Flag Day Dance
  was a celebration of our Flag and all it means to us. Our members
  dressed in patriotic outfits and colors and Mike had a great selection
  of patriotic music. The end of year Let&rsquo;s Picnic Dance gathered
  five squares of dancers!! We enjoyed hot dogs and wonderful dishes and
  desserts made by our Silver Squares cooks and bakers. Look under
  Photos and Features for pictures of these dances.

  Starting off the summer we had our Ice Cream Social. We had a variety
  of wonderful ice cream treats and a whole room of dancers. It is just
  wonderful to see that many of our dancers have returned to dancing.

  Coming up we have many event dances. Out Root Beer Float Dance, Fall
  Festival (free dance with free pizza and soda), 50&rsquo;s Dance, Soup
  and Salad Dance, Halloween Dance, Thanksgiving Feast, and Christmas
  Dinner Dance to name a few! For the Soup and Salad and Thanksgiving
  Feast eating starts at Noon and at our Christmas Dinner Dance, the
  dinner starts at 3:00pm. Yes, we do dance in between eating!

  Our committee has worked hard to put together another calendar full of
  fun, laughter, and lots of dancing!! Remember these are only some
  highlights of our summer and fall activities. Look at our calendar for
  the full dance schedule. The calendar is on the Promenader, and also
  available at Silver Squares and other clubs.

  Come join us sometime. Dance in a square and make a circle of friends!


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  As you are reading this, the Southern Tier Wheelers are winding down
  our camp/dancing season. We have 2 weekends left&mdash;both in
  September. On September 9, we will be holding a special Saturday
  afternoon Fall Fantasy Dinner dance with Howard Williamson calling
  and Lisa Treichler cueing. It will be held at the Campbell fire hall,
  followed by a chicken parm dinner. All for $25 a person.

  Our last weekend of the year will be held September 30&ndash;October 2
  with Gary and Alice Bubel. We are working on our schedule for 2024 and
  will be sure to send it in for publication as soon as it is
  finalized. Please keep dancing and we hope to see you in the spring.

  Further details on activities around the September 9 Fall Fantasy
  Dinner dance: Penny is planning a Taco night for dinner on Friday
  evening. She is asking for people to respond if they would be
  attending and what you would like to bring. Penny is doing the meat
  (beef and chicken) and is asking for help with the rest of the
  ingredients.

  Bill and I will be there and will bring shredded lettuce.

  After dinner on Friday evening, she has a &ldquo;Get to Know your
  Fellow Dancers&rdquo; game planned followed by a campfire.

  Saturday will start off with breakfast followed by a Euchre tournament
  or cornhole tournament&mdash;your choice. Early rounds will start at
  1:300 with 2 x 2 dancing from 2:00&ndash;4:30.

  Dinner will be served back at the campground at 5:30. A special game
  of &ldquo;Show Me the Money&rdquo; will follow dinner. Please be sure
  to bring $1 bills to play with another campfire at about 9.

  Sunday morning, we are working on a place to hold a Trail Out dance.

  So, if you will be coming to the Dinner Dance, please reply by August
  30th. We will need to know if you will be having tacos with us on
  Friday evening and Chicken Parm on Saturday. Thank you for
  understanding the situation we were in. Also, please print off a copy
  or two of the flyer and share it with other dancers in your clubs.


date: 2023-09-01
clubid: 10
information: Peter Emmel (585-732-1004)
reporters: Peter Emmel (p.emmel47@gmail.com)
news:
  The Village Squares will kick off the fall 2023 season with a
  &ldquo;twice-a-month&rdquo; schedule of Wednesday afternoon dances at
  the air-conditioned Pittsford Community Center (Room 218). Note that
  these are the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Many thanks
  to Gerry Schwartz and Gil Porter for spearheading our dance planning!

  We had a lot of fun dancing monthly through the spring and summer,
  including a dance/picnic in July at King&rsquo;s Bend Park in
  Pittsford. The weather was wonderful&mdash;clear and sunny, without
  oppressive heat or smoke.

  We are a Plus-level club, with walk-throughs on figures that need
  work.

  COVID protocols are relaxed, but if you have a cold or flu-like
  symptoms, please stay home&mdash;a good practice under any
  circumstances :-)

  At the July picnic, the club presented a lovely and delicious cake to
  Sandy Barron and me, congratulating us on our marriage. Square dancing
  has brought so very many good friends into my life. It&rsquo;s
  impossible to adequately thank you all for the friendship and support
  that you have given me over the past 30+ years. I hope to stay in
  touch as I move north to be with Sandy in Canada. For now, we are
  still shuttling between countries.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue&mdash;Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  Our Callers are Gary and Alice Bubel, and Denny Frey.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 56
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Where did the year go? Our Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Clubs are
  winding down for the winter. Some of our dancers have already left for
  Florida and we will be leaving soon.

  The last club dance for this year is Friday December 1st. Please join
  us for our Christmas party and dance. It should be a lot of fun.

  Thank you to everyone for the support you have given us to make our
  club successful for another year. We will be back in May, with our
  trail in dance. We look forward to seeing everyone.

  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  Big News&mdash;The Cayuga Cut-Ups have started the &lsquo;winter
  schedule&rsquo;, meaning we have moved to Sunday Afternoons! Yes, no
  one wants to drive at night, therefore Sunday works for our church
  family and dancing family&mdash;heating costs! Please consider coming
  to our White Elephant Re-Gifting Party (12/17/23), shop your house for
  re-gifts, wrap, and bring one for each dancer in your party! It is a
  hoot, lots of fun with stealing, trading gifts, etc! January we will
  celebrate the Lunar New Year (1/21/24) and in February (2/11/24), Pie
  Night! We are a Banner Stealing Club and hope to dance with lots of
  folks this year!  Keep dancing, Linda English, Club Secretary.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972)
reporters: Carl Webster, Corresponding Secretary
news:
  We are well into our Mainstream class; with eight new class members
  who are all doing well. The strength of our angel cadre is having a
  great impact on class learning. Many of our recent graduates are
  engaging in positive renewal.

  Again, our Honor Flight fund dance last November raised quite a bit of
  money to send local veterans to Washington, DC, to visit veteran and
  war memorials in their honor.

  Our Thanksgiving Dinner was a pot-luck extraordinaire. Home-cooked
  turkeys brought the experience up to the finest level. We worked off
  our meal with class/club dancing. Nothing is better than gathering for
  dinner and dancing with our friends.

  We enjoy dressing up for our Halloween dances. Our stars of the
  evening were Ron Struzik, Greg Marling, Eileen Webster, and Paul and
  Jan Weitz, all winners of our casual judging review.

  Speaking of costumes, this coming Sunday, December 3, is our Santa/Elf
  Night-themed night. Dress up as a Santa or an Elf. Get those ears and
  hats out, and come and join us.

  Be sure to save your appetite for the Holiday Dinner. It will be a
  catered dinner starting at 5:00 pm with dancing beginning at 6:30 pm.

  We are not dancing on December 24 or 31.

  Ray Tompkins will be guest calling and teaching on February 4 and
  11. On the fourth is our Valentine&rsquo;s dance. On the eleventh is
  an afternoon class with angels in attendance. We will not be dancing
  during our regular evening hours. (That time is reserved for our
  cheering the Bills in their Super Bowl win).


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 30
information:
  Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com)
  (585-633-2044) (copy.cats@live.com)

reporters: Donna and Rick LaDonna
news:
  Our Copy Cats Open House on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 was a success
  with over 20 perspective dancers. Fifteen dancers have continued
  lessons. We are currently not accepting new students. We plan another
  Kitten Class in the fall of 2024.

  Mike Callahan challenged our dancing skills at our Rusty Hinge Dance
  on September 9. Many of our hinges were pretty rusty having not danced
  over the summer. Others found that dancing with Gary and Alice Bubel
  during the summer made us less squeaky. Our Disney dance was a lot of
  fun. We had five squares dancing. Childhood memories of the Mickey
  Mouse Club and Walt Disney were refreshed with the tunes provide by
  Mike Callahan and Alice Bubel. There were a lot of desperados at our
  Western Night Dance! $1,000 Rewards were asked for their capture. No
  information is available as to whether any of the suspects were
  apprehended! Lastly, our Halloween Dance was a success. We danced to
  The Monster Mash, Purple People Eater and other well-chosen
  numbers. Alice and Mike did a great job creating the spooky atmosphere
  for this dance.

  Here&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s on our dance schedule through the end of
  February. As a reminder, our dances are held at the First Baptist
  Church of Penfield (1862 Penfield Road, Penfield, NY) from
  7:00&ndash;9:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. We are a Plus-level dance
  club. Dancing will be in a 2 X 2 format with no early rounds. CDC
  guidelines are followed at each dance. Please see our website:
  www.copycatsdancing.wordpress.com and the Promenader for flyers
  containing additional information.

  December 2, 2023&mdash;Ugly Sweater Dance (Mike Callahan, Caller/Jim
  Gotta, Cuer)

  December 16, 2023&mdash;Holiday Dance and Catered Dinner (5:00
  p.m.&mdash;Dinner; 7:00&ndash;9:00&mdash;Dancing&mdash;Mike Callahan,
  Caller; Lisa Treichler, Cuer) (Menu: Grilled Marinated Chicken, Baked
  Ham, Sirloin Tips and Gravy, Pasta and Sauce, Mashed Potatoes,
  Vegetable of the Day, Salad, Rolls and Butter&mdash;Cost: Copy Cats
  Members&mdash;$20/person; Guests [Dinner and Dance]&mdash;$27/person
  and Dance only $7/person)&mdash;See Flyer for reservation information.

  December 31, 2023&mdash;WNYF and Copy Cats Co-Sponsored New
  Year&rsquo;s Eve Afternoon Dance (3:00&ndash;5:00 p.m.&mdash;Jim Gotta,
  Caller/Cuer)

  January 6, 2024&mdash;Ring in the New Year Dance (Jim Gotta, Caller;
  Chuck Meyer, Cuer)

  January 20, 2024&mdash;Winter Wonderland Dance&mdash;Class/Club
  Dance&mdash;(2:00&ndash;4:00&mdash;Ron Brown, Caller; Lisa Treichler,
  Cuer)

  February 3, 2024&mdash;Mardi Gras Dance (2:00&ndash;4:00&mdash;Hip
  Boot Boys, Calling; Chuck Meyer, Cuer)

  February 17, 2024&mdash;Valentine&rsquo;s Dance (Elaine Mikenas,
  Caller; Dennis Viscanti, Cuer)


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 9
information: Lynette Kemp (lynette.kemp@yahoo.com)
reporters: Nancy Mirabal (nancylmirabal@yahoo.com)
news:
  Dalton Gang dances Tuesday nights in Castile from 6:30 until 8:30,
  with Ray Thompkins calling. We are having our Christmas party on
  December 12. Bring a dish to pass and 1 gift for your gender, labeled
  as such. We had a great benefit this last August in Bliss for CURE.
  We raised $1,005 total for this great cause and are hoping to make
  this an annual event. Callers Mike Callahan, Ray Thompkins, Jim Gotta
  and Gary Bubel and cuers Alice Bubel and Lisa Treichler donated their
  time. We had a basket raffle which brought in $180 and a donation jar
  also. Thanks to all the Rochester square dancers who traveled to make
  this worthwhile event a success. We had four squares on the floor and
  at least two sitting out. Thanks to all! Have a Merry Christmas and a
  Happy New Year!


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 19
information:
  George &amp; Carol Ann Stahl (585-533-9241);
  stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com

reporters: Carol Ann Stahl
news:
  Even good things must someday find an end. Not for lack of support at
  any level did this closing occur. Grand Squares can boast of great
  callers in the past, most notably Gary Bubel, and our present
  contributors Mike Callahan, Jim Gotta, and Terry Irvine.

  We are also thankful for the Custodians at Roth Junior High who
  without complaint, for over 20 years, set up and took down our various
  places to dance. And our leadership was enhanced by fellow officers
  over the years, especially Ray and Donna McCagg and Gary Albright.

  In earlier years, Grand Squares earned the title of the
  &ldquo;Friendliest Club Around&rdquo; and our present members, though
  few in number, helped to make that title true to the end.

  And one of our biggest sources of success was all the visitors who
  presence and enthusiasm, month after month, enabled us to survive.

  So to everyone, Thanks for the Memories.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 51
information: Betty Green (bettygreenjafra82@gmail.com) (315-209-0541)
reporters: Betty Green
news:
  The Pairs &rsquo;N&rsquo; Squares have had a full fall of dancing
  Mainstream and Plus and have been pleased to have some new class
  dancers taking lessons. We are back to dancing EVERY Monday night from
  6:30&ndash;8:30 at St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church in Liverpool. Come
  join us with Ron Schweitzer calling.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares will host Wednesday workshops on January
  10, 17 and 31, February 7, 14 and 21 and March 6, 13 and 20 of 2024
  at the First Baptist Church of Penn Yan, at 224 Main Street in Penn
  Yan. Workshops will run from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. New dancers are
  encouraged to arrive at 6:30. Club level dancing will start later.
  The cost for workshops will be $6.00 per dancer.

  We will host two afternoon dances this Spring. On Saturday, April 13,
  Ron Schweitzer will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be cueing a
  Mainstream/Plus level dance. On Saturday, May 11, Richard Rosenfield
  will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be cueing a Class/Club level
  dance. The cost for dancers will be $7.00 each. Early rounds will
  start at 2:00 with 2X2 squares and rounds from 2:30 until 5:00 pm.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Weekend from September 20&ndash;22,
  2024 with Jack Pladdys from Indian Springs, OH calling &amp; Steve
  and Irene Bradt, from Easton, PA cuing. See our flyer on this site
  soon, and please mark your calendars to come down for the weekend or
  just an evening or all day on Saturday. For more info contact Sue
  Irvine at 585-330-9129 or her at irvinesuej@gmail.com (.) Stay well,
  and we hope to see you!


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  The club has been having a great time at all our dances. We have
  celebrated Halloween with costumes and Thanksgiving with a delicious
  feast.

  On December 8th we will be bringing toys for the Toys For Tots. We
  will celebrate Christmas with our party on December 15th.

  Our class is doing a great job learning the calls and dancing with our
  angels.

  January 5th we will start off the New Year celebrating with our chili
  party. February 9th will be our Valentine&rsquo;s dance and pie night.

  As always, everyone is always welcome to come dance with us!

  We dance at the Fulton Municipal Bldg 141 South First Street, Fulton
  NY from 7:00&ndash;9:00.

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 5
information:
  Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net)
  (585-200-0464)

reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance at Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) from 1:00&ndash;3:00 and dance
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  fun, laughter, and friendship.

  We have sanitizer and masks available and encourage people to wear
  masks if they feel they would be more comfortable. Food is allowed at
  all dances along with the prepackaged snacks.

  Even though Silver Squares does not offer dance lessons, we are happy
  to talk with anyone interested in square dancing and refer them to
  clubs that are offering dance lessons. We welcome anyone who is
  interested in dancing to call or come visit us. Call Don or Anne for
  any information (Anne at 585-317-6442 or Don at 585-200-0464).

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have 4 squares weekly and sometimes even 5 squares. We finished up the
  summer with our Pie Party and Root Beer Floats. The Pie Party was
  amazing! We had over 91 pieces of scrumptious and amazing pies. Our
  bakers outdid themselves. The Root Beer Float Party was a great way to
  end summer and hang out with friends. Starting off September, we
  celebrated with our Fall Festival with a Free Dance, Free Pizza, and
  Free Soda. We had a lot of fun visiting and dancing! Our Soup and
  Sandwich PotLuck Lunch in October was the best ever. We had six
  different soups, a variety of sandwiches, and many other wonderful
  foods and desserts. Our cooks and bakers are the BEST. Dancers also
  brought in donations for the Food Shelf and we donated 91 pounds of
  food. Look under Photos and Features for pictures of some of these
  dances.

  Our committee has worked hard to put together a calendar full of fun,
  laughter, and lots of dancing! Make sure you check out the Promenader
  for any upcoming events or any changes. Coming up we have many event
  dances. Please look under Ads and Flyers and you will find a calendar
  through June and individual flyers for each special dance. We have two
  theme parties a month so there is a lot of opportunity to dance. Just
  remember that we dance weekly so dust off your dancing shoes and come
  over to Silver Squares

  Call Anne (585-317-6442) or Don (585-317-6442) for any questions.

  Come join us anytime! Dance in a Square and Make a Circle of Friends.

  Don and Anne, Squares Club Presidents.


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  While we are excited to see so many clubs holding &ldquo;Hi
  Neighbor&rdquo; nights to encourage new dancers, we are sad to see the
  end of our 2023 camping season.

  The Southern Tier Wheelers are a camping/dancing club and we meet 5
  times during the summer at CampBell Campgrounds in Campbell, NY. The
  campground is just minutes off I-86 so it is very easy to get to.

  We will be making some changes for the 2024 season that, we hope, will
  encourage more dancers to join us. Beginning with our May 17&ndash;19
  weekend, featuring Betsy and Roy Gotta, our dance on Saturday will be
  held in the afternoon. We will have early rounds beginning at 1:00 and
  then regular 2 x 2 dancing from 1:30&ndash;4:00. We then will have a
  social hour with beverages and appetizers. A catered dinner will be
  available at 6:00. The menu varies from month to month so please check
  to see what we will be having. We have also created a flyer, located
  elsewhere in this issue, listing other dates and callers/cuers that we
  will be featuring.

  Have a safe winter, stay warm and keep dancing. We hope to see some of
  you in a square next year. Yellow Rocks to one and all!


date: 2023-12-01
clubid: 10
information: Gerry Schwartz (585-329-2403)
reporters: Peter Emmel (p.emmel47@gmail.com) (585-732-1004)
news:
  The Village Squares are very sad to note the sudden passing of our
  caller, Gil Porter. Rochester square dancing has lost a dynamic voice
  and enthusiastic caller. He will be missed by dancers all around our
  area and especially by the Village Squares. As dancers, we could
  always count on Gil to show us something new, and as friends we could
  always count on a congenial and lively conversation.

  With Jim Gotta calling, the Village Squares will maintain our
  published schedule of &ldquo;First and Third Wednesday
  Afternoon&rdquo; dances (1&ndash;3pm in room 218 at the Pittsford
  Community Center, 35 Lincoln Ave, Pittsford) through at least December
  (with the exception that we will not dance on December 20).

  In December, we will take stock of where we are and decide on our
  dancing future.

  Watch the Schedule and Flyer pages for our 2024 dance plans.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue&mdash;Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  Our Callers are Gary and Alice Bubel, and Denny Frey


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 7
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our Wednesday club will begin dancing May 15. We dance Phase 2 &amp;
  3, 3:30&ndash;5:00. We will have a great time this year sometimes
  learning new dances, some challenging and some just easy level and
  sometimes just dancing to old favorites.

  We may begin teaching a new rhythm this year. Stay tuned for more
  information.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 8
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Happy almost spring!! Not sure what the weather is doing but I&rsquo;m
  sure it doesn&rsquo;t look like spring yet!

  We will be starting our dancing on May 14 this year with our Tuesday
  Night workshops. New dancers are welcome and encouraged to attend. We
  will be reviewing whatever moves are needed and throughout the summer
  will teach the plus movements. Dances are 7:00&ndash;9:00.

  Our Friday dances begin May 17. These are club dances with rounds
  between square dance tips. This is a fun club and is afternoon dancing
  1:00&ndash;3:00. Many times, we all go out for an early dinner
  together. We hope you will join us for an afternoon of fun and
  fellowship.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  The Cut-Ups are planning to get to other clubs for banner stealing. We
  could be coming to your dance any time :-) !!!

  See our spring dance listings in the schedule pages.

  Save this date: Our 63rd Anniversary Dance &amp; Steak Roast is set
  for August 18th, at Vince&rsquo;s Park, Seneca Falls!


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972) or (https://www.cloverleafsquares.org)
reporters: Joan Updaw
news:
  Our 2024 &ldquo;dance card&rdquo; in January and February was one of
  variety and, of course, fun. Cheese Lover&rsquo;s Night and Pie Night
  celebrated the culinary skills of our club members and our Valentine
  Dance and Mixer Night added joy and humor to our dance calls. During
  our March and April dances, food themes (Peanut Butter Night, Bread
  Night) and holidays (St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day, Mardi Gras) will be
  celebrated. Please refer to Dance Schedules for more information about
  our dances in the coming months. Please note that there will be no
  dance on March 31, Easter Sunday.

  Our dancers/club members also enjoyed each other&rsquo;s company
  during a movie/dinner night in February. Also on February 26, we
  danced with the SilverSquares, enjoying their hospitality and an
  afternoon of dancing. In March we are planning a pancake breakfast at
  Cartwrights Maple Tree Inn in Angelica, NY.

  Our officers for 2024 are:

  President Jim Gotta

  VP/Social Calendar Becky Sabin

  Recording Secretary Bonnie Swanson

  Corresponding Sec. Carl Webster

  Treasurer Nancy Tompkins

  Contracts Marge O&rsquo;Shea, Sharon Meyer

  WNY Federation Rep. Sharon Meyer

  Past President Henry Capron

  We thank the numerous dancers from other clubs who join us on Sunday
  evenings. We enjoy your company and our new dancers appreciate your
  encouragement.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 30
information: Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com phone 585-633-2044)
reporters: Lynn and Don Lucas
news:
  Our Copy Cats club has been focused on encouraging our 15 Kittens as
  they grow in dance competency and develop friendships with each other
  and with club members. Our very smart Kittens are learning, laughing
  and dancing quite well. They have been introduced to the Basic Calls
  and are now beginning to learn the Mainstream Calls. Class time for
  our Kittens is every Tuesday from 7&ndash;9pm, at Bay Trail Middle
  School in Penfield, with Ron Brown calling and teaching.

  Our December Holiday Dinner Dance, December 16, 2023, was a class/club
  affair. This was the first time Kittens were invited to a dance. We
  had over 50 reservations for dinner and many more dancers joined us
  after dinner. Not wanting the holiday season to slip away too quietly,
  we co-hosted (with WNY Federation) a New Year&rsquo;s Eve Dance,
  December 31,2023 and our club&rsquo;s New Year&rsquo;s Dance followed
  on January 6, 2024.

  On January 20, 2024, our Copy Kittens were the stars of our Winter
  Wonderland Dance. They had the responsibility for decorating the
  church as well as providing the snacks. On top of which they danced
  very well making us all proud Copy Cat parents.

  We are looking forward the rest of our dance schedule:

  March 2, 2024&mdash;Class/Club Dance, Hawaiian Theme, 7&ndash;9pm (Jim
  Gotta, Caller and Cuer)

  March 23, 2024&mdash;St Patrick&rsquo;s Dance, **2&ndash;4pm, (Dave
  Eno, Caller; Chuck Meyer, Cuer)

  April 6, 2024&mdash;Class/Club Crazy Hat Dance, 7&ndash;9pm, (Mike
  Callahan, Caller; Lisa Treichler, Cuer)

  April 20, 2024&mdash;Spring Fling Dance, 7&ndash;9pm, (Mike Callahan,
  Caller; Chuck Meyer, Cuer)

  Email: copy.cats@live.com


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Nancy L. Mirabal
news:
  We have been down for a couple of weeks due to the January weather but
  are now back in force. We had two squares going on, January
  30, thanks to visitors Anne and Don and Sue and Mitch from the Silver
  Squares. All had a good time. On January 15, Bill and Betty and I
  joined Batavia Silver Stars for a fun time. On Sunday February 4 some
  from Dalton joined Cloverleaf Squares to support our caller Ray
  Tompkins for their Valentine&rsquo;s dance.

  On the March 26 we will be enjoying our Pancake Supper at the Maple
  Tree Inn in Angelica at 5pm, followed by a dance at the Birdsall
  Grange right around the corner, featuring good dancing and a Chinese
  auction. Come join us for a fun filled evening!

  Our club is always welcoming and having a good time is our nature. We
  dance in Castile every Tuesday. We held a benefit dance for C U R E in
  August last year, and many of you joined us. Thank you for the
  support. We hope to do this this every year, since it is such a great
  and worthy cause. August is the month so keep your eyes open for
  updates and please come help us for this oh so worthy cause.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 51
information: Betty Green (bettygreenjafra82@gmail.com) (315-209-0541)
reporters: Betty Green
news:
  The Pairs &rsquo;N&rsquo; Squares is a Mainstream and Plus club. We
  are pleased to have new class dancers taking lessons. We dance EVERY
  Monday night from 6:30&ndash;8:30 at St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church
  in Liverpool. Come join us with Ron Schweitzer calling.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares will hold Wednesday workshops on March 6,
  13 and 20 of 2024 at the First Baptist Church of Penn Yan, at 224 Main
  Street in Penn Yan from 6:30 until 9:00. Class level dancing will
  start at 6:30 and club level dancing will start later. The cost for
  workshops will be $6.00 per dancer.

  We will hold Wednesday workshops on April 3, 10, 17 and 24 and May 1,
  8, 15, 22 and 29 at the Penn Yan Grange at 408 Elm Street in Penn
  Yan. These workshops will also run from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. Class
  level dancing will start at 6:30 and club level dancing will start
  later. The cost for workshops will be $6.00 per dancer.

  We will host two afternoon dances this Spring as follows. On Saturday,
  April 13, Ron Schweitzer will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be
  cueing a Mainstream/Plus level dance. On Saturday, May 11, Richard
  Rosenfield will be calling and Lisa Treichler will be cueing a
  Class/Club level dance. The cost for dancers will be $7.00 each. Early
  rounds will start at 2:00 with 2X2 squares and rounds from 2:30 until
  5:00 pm.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Weekend from September 20&ndash;22,
  2024 with Jack Pladdys from Indian Springs, OH calling &amp; Steve and
  Irene Bradt, from Easton, PA cuing. See our flyer on this site soon,
  and please mark your calendars to come down for the weekend or just an
  evening or all day on Saturday. For more info contact Sue Irvine at
  585-330-9129 or her at irvinesuej@gmail.com (.) Stay well, and we hope
  to see you!


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 14
reporters: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (marlenethone@mindspring.com)
news:
  Round Towners is an Easy&mdash;Intermediate Round Dance Club, dancing
  a Phase III &amp; IV level program, on Thursday evenings from
  8:00&ndash;10:00. A teach or a review, at the Phase III+ or Phase IV
  level, is included most evenings. We work on Phase III+ and Phase IV
  figures in all rhythms and welcome anyone to join us who is interested
  in dancing at this level. Dress is casual/comfortable.

  Round Dance Leaders/Instructors: Mark and Marlene Thone

information:
  Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (585-226-8984 home); (585-748-5131
  Marlene&rsquo;s cell); (585-748-8568 Mark&rsquo;s cell)


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  We started the year off with our chili night. Many happy bellies
  and a fun night of dancing to work off the calories. In February we
  enjoyed celebrating Valentine&rsquo;s Day with our club bakers making
  a variety of pies. March will celebrate St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day with
  wearing of the green accompanied by green themed snacks.

  Keep June 1, in mind for the annual ALS benefit dance with a variety
  of callers and cuers featured.

  Guests are welcome any Friday as we dance from 7:00&ndash;9:00. at the
  Fulton Municipal Building in Fulton, NY. Hope to see you there!

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 5
information: Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net) (585-200-0464)
reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance at Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) from 1:00&ndash;3:00 and dance
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  fun, laughter, and friendship.

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have 4 squares weekly and sometimes even 5 squares. We finished up
  2023 with an incredible Thanksgiving Feast and catered Christmas
  Dinner. For our Thanksgiving Feast, our amazing cooks and bakers
  brought in an array of different foods for the feast. Forest Hills
  catered our wonderful Christmas Dinner and our bakers outdid
  themselves with all different desserts. Yes, we also danced!!!

  Our caller, Mike Callahan, is wintering in Arizona and Jim Gotta is
  our winter caller. We hope Mike is enjoying a well-deserved break and
  thank Jim for calling for us. We ushered in 2024 with our Hawaiian
  Dance. All kinds of outfits were seen! Don wore his grass skirt and
  coconuts. A sight to see!!! We had a Sports Day and Pizza Party, and
  our Snowflake Ball. We saw so many beautiful outfits wore by the
  ladies at the Snowflake Ball.

  Coming up we have several event dances. Our Valentine&rsquo;s Dance
  (2/12), which is a favorite, President&rsquo;s Day (2/19),
  St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day (3/11), Soup and Sandwich Potluck (3/25),
  Spring Fling and Silent Auction (4/15), Skirt and Shirt Dance (5/6),
  Lilac Dance (5/13), Memorial Day (5/20), Flag Day (6/10), and our
  annual Picnic Lunch (6/24).

  Our committee has worked hard to put together a calendar full of fun,
  laughter, and lots of dancing! Make sure you check out the Promenader
  for any upcoming event details or any changes. Please look under Ads
  and Flyers and you will find a calendar through June with individual
  flyers for each special dance. We have two theme parties a month along
  with our regular fun dances, so there is a lot of opportunity to
  dance. Just remember that we dance weekly so dust off your dancing
  shoes and come over to Silver Squares

  Come join us anytime! Dance in a Square and Make a Circle of Friends


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  We dance once a month May thru October at the CampBell Campground,
  8700 State Route 415, Campbell, NY. Most dancers camp for the weekend,
  but walk-ins are welcome at our dances. We dance at the
  Mainstream/Plus level with rounds in between each tip. However, our
  callers are very good at calling to the floor.

  Our posted Schedule Flyer gives details. Note that we now have our
  dances in the afternoon to better accommodate dancers who are willing
  to travel. Please call 607-857-1553 (Pat) or 607-739-3299 (Bill) to
  verify that we are dancing on that date.

  See our posted dance flyers (in season) for dance details, and see
  the CampBell website (https://campbellcampground.com) for campground
  information and local area attractions.

  Don&rsquo;t have a camper???? Not a problem. Give Ed a call at
  CampBell Campground (607-527-3301). They have campers and cabins
  available to rent. Be sure to mention that you are coming to join us
  and they will give you a special rate. If you just want to come for an
  evening dance, consider staying for a while after dancing and join us
  at the campfire. There is always lots of laughter shared while keeping
  warm. There are also several nice hotels in the area if that is the
  style of &ldquo;camping&rdquo; that you prefer.

  We now welcome all dancers to join our club&mdash;campers or not! So,
  please consider becoming a member and save on the cost of the weekend.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 10
information: Peter Emmel (585-732-1004)
reporters: Peter Emmel (p.emmel47@gmail.com)
news:
  The Village Squares are hibernating for now, having been decimated
  over the past few years by COVID and attrition. A few of us are
  gathering Wednesday evenings on Zoom, to stay in touch while we wait
  for lightning to strike&mdash;bringing the spark of life into the club
  and making a return to dancing possible.


date: 2024-03-01
clubid: 6
information: Gary Etherton (ge14094@gmail.com) (716-796-9265)
reporters: Gary Etherton
news:
  Waterwheel Squares dance 2 by 2&rsquo;s on Monday nights (see schedule
  section for location) from 6:30&ndash;8:30. Our hall has an elevator
  to whisk you to our second floor that has a great wooden dance
  floor. Please come and join the fun!


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue, Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  Our Callers are Gary and Alice Bubel, and Denny Frey


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 7
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  We began our round dancing on Wednesday, May 15. We dance Phases 2
  &amp; 3 at the Henrietta Fire Hall from 3:30 to 5:00 on Wednesday
  afternoons. We are always open to reviewing and showing steps that you
  might be having trouble with. Please join us some afternoon.


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 8
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our Tuesday night workshop returned on May 14. We dance
  7:00&ndash;9:00 and review all basic and mainstream calls as needed
  and teach plus movements. This is a perfect night for our new
  graduates to continue dancing throughout the summer. It is also a
  great time for anyone who wants to brush up on their dancing. We are
  willing to review any call that you want, just ask! We have a lot of
  fun reviewing calls and dancing. Again, we welcome anyone who wants to
  review and brush up on their dancing and have a fun time doing it!!

  We are now teaching Advance dancing on Wednesday nights
  6:30&ndash;8:30. If you are not sure if you are ready to dance this
  level, just come and give it a try, you might be surprised! Please
  feel free to come and angel for the teach, or to brush up on your
  dancing. Our new dancers to this level appreciate your help and
  encouragement!


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 56
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our club dances on Friday afternoon 1:00&ndash;3:00. We dance both
  mainstream and plus with rounds between tips. We would love to have
  you come and dance with our club. We are a friendly, fun loving and
  welcoming club. Please join us some Friday afternoon&mdash;you
  won&rsquo;t be disappointed!! As an added bonus, some of the group
  goes out for an early dinner, often at the LeRoy No Finer Diner and
  the good times continue!!


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  We can&rsquo;t wait for Summer Dancing, lots of choices with the
  Cut-Ups!  June, July, September and August we move to our outdoor
  Bailiwick&rsquo;s Gazebo. Bailiwick&rsquo;s Market &amp; Cafe on Route
  5 in Elbridge is a great location to enjoy the summer weather, dinner,
  dancing &amp; homemade ice cream for dessert! Gotta love that combo!
  We dance Thursday nights from 6:00&ndash;8:30. This year we are
  advertising our dance to the public starting at 7:30. We want to
  encourage folks to come and experience Square Dancing with us. We will
  offer Mainstream and Plus dancing from 6:00&ndash;7:30 and if we have
  public dancers we will move to demo/instruction for the rest of the
  evening. We want to increase our visibility in the area and welcome
  singles and families to give us a try!

  Our 63rd Anniversary Party &amp; Steak Roast is August 18 at
  Vince&rsquo;s Park, Seneca Falls, Route 318. Pre-orders for Steak
  dinners can be sent to Linda English, 3524 Clinton Rd, Jordan, NY
  13080 (Checks to Cayuga Cut-Ups). Steak dinner starts at Noon, dancing
  starts at 1:00 until 4:00 with the Hip Boot Boys calling and
  entertaining. We are excited to offer a Luau Themed event, Hawaiian
  shirts, leis, pineapple punch and lots of photo opportunities with
  great friends. Please plan to attend, this is our only fundraiser for
  the club, cost is $25/dancer for Steak &amp; Dance, walk-ins
  $10.00/dancer for the dance only.

  PS-we will start Banner Stealing soon, look out, here we come! Keep
  dancing.


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972) or (https://www.cloverleafsquares.org)
reporters: Carl Webster, Corresponding Secretary
news:
  We were delighted to have six dancers finish our Mainstream class and
  join the club. Many took the opportunity to dance at other locations,
  strengthening their skills and enjoyment of square dancing. View our
  Facebook page for pictures of their graduation.

  Another round dance class has begun at the Henrietta Fire Hall. The
  waltz rhythm is a very popular dance. It has many of the figures found
  in the foxtrot rhythm, which is found at the phase III level. Mark
  Thone started us off, and Alice Bubel will continue through the rest
  of the summer.

  We have guest caller and cuer, Betsy and Roy Gotta, coming to us on
  August 4, from New Jersey. No one should miss dances where they are
  calling and cueing. Both are very experienced and enjoyable. When we
  return to Chili next fall on September 8, we will have our Ice Cream
  Social (leave room for dancing).

  But our most important event will be our Open House on September 15 in
  Chili. Bring your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, or the
  guy down the block. Show them a good time, and watch their faces beam.

  We will not be dancing on Father&rsquo;s Day, June 16, or Labor Day,
  September 1.


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 30
information:
  Information: Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com phone
  585-633-2044)

reporters: Lynn and Don Lucas
news:
  Through the winter, our Copy Kittens continued to lap up all the new
  calls that our teacher and caller Ron Brown offered. On April 16 our
  twelve Copy Kittens became the graduating class of 2024. During the
  graduation ceremony, special &lsquo;Thanks&rsquo; were extended to the
  15 angels who danced with the Kittens over 10 or more weeks. Eleven of
  the Kittens have already joined the club for the 2024&ndash;25 year.

  Through the winter, our Copy Cat members were to be found hosting
  dances and leaving home turf to dance with other clubs. Copy Cats
  stole the Cloverleaf banner as well as earned back their banners from
  both Batavia Silver Stars and Silver Squares.

  As spring settles in, our recent graduates and members alike are
  looking forward to dancing at DOR on May 4; then gathering on May 18
  for our club&rsquo;s Trail&rsquo;s End Picnic and Dance with Jim Gotta
  calling. At this event we will be thanking outgoing board members
  Debbie and Paul VanGraafeiland as well as welcoming new board members
  Pete Mills and Phyllis and Charlie Smeltzer. Our Presidents Bonnie
  Allen and Dick Wesner will be announcing special &lsquo;Thanks&rsquo;
  and awards as well.

  The club is very grateful to our teacher and caller Ron Brown for
  donating his calling skills at the Copy Cats Fundraiser Dance (100%
  Singing Calls) on June 1 from 2:00&ndash;4:00 at the First Baptist
  Church of Penfield. A donation of $7.00 per person is requested. This
  benefit dance is to offset some of the costs to the club for the
  Kitten Class of 2023&ndash;2024.

  Copy Cats are looking for a new den for our Copy Kitten&rsquo;s class
  next year. So stay tuned to see where our Copy Kittens will be leaning
  to dance, having fun and strutting their stuff.

  Copy Cats takes a break hosting dances over the summer but will gather
  for a club picnic and dance on August 13 to begin looking forward to a
  new season of hosting dances! First dance is the Rusty Hinge Dance,
  September 7 at 7:00 at the First Baptist Church of Penfield.

  Please note a new format for Copy Cat dances: there will be a tip of
  Mainstream, 1 round dance, a tip of Plus, 1 round dance then repeated
  with a tip of Mainstream, 1 round dance. We hope this format
  encourages everyone to attend our dances: new graduates, rusty, and
  not so rusty experienced dancers as well as round dancers!

  Email: copy.cats@live.com


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Nancy L. Mirabal
news:
  Our club is always welcoming, and having a good time is our nature. We
  are on our summer break right now but come next fall we&rsquo;ll be
  dancing in Castile every Tuesday.

  We held a benefit dance for C U R E in August last year, and many of
  you joined us. Thank you for the support! We plan to do this every
  year, since it is such a great and worthy cause.

  We&rsquo;re repeating this benefit dance again on August 24, 2024, so
  please come help us support this oh so worthy cause. See our listing
  in the schedule pages and take a look at our flyer.


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 51
information: Betty Green (bettygreenjafra82@gmail.com) (315-209-0541)
reporters: Betty Green
news:
  The Pairs N Squares are now dancing all summer! As the only Central
  Syracuse club, we invite you to dance with us! We dance Mainstream and
  Plus Learning on Monday nights from 6:30&ndash;8:30 at
  St. Paul&rsquo;s Lutheran Church, 210 Hazel Street, Liverpool, NY. We
  can&rsquo;t wait to see you!


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares will hold workshops on Wednesdays, June 5
  and June 12, at the First Baptist Church of Penn Yan, 224 Main Street
  in Penn Yan, from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m. All workshops (including July,
  August and September) start with class level dancing at 6:30 and club
  level dancing later. The cost for each workshop is $6.00 per dancer.

  We will hold workshops on Thursdays July 11, 18, and 25, and August
  1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 at the First Baptist Church of Penn Yan, 224
  Main Street in Penn Yan, from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m.

  We will hold workshops on Wednesdays again in September, on the 11th,
  18th, and 25th. Starting with these workshops in September,
  we&rsquo;ll dance at the Penn Yan Grange at 402 Elm Street in Penn
  Yan from 6:30 until 9:00 p.m.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Glen Weekend from September
  20&ndash;24, 2024 at Clute Park Community Center in Watkins Glen.
  Jack Pladdys from Indian Springs, OH will be the caller &amp; Steve
  and Irene Bradt from Easton, PA will be cuing. See our flyer on this
  site, and please mark your calendars to come down for the weekend or
  just an evening or all day on Saturday. For more info contact Sue
  Irvine at 585-330-9129 or her email at irvinesuej@gmail.com

  Stay well, and we hope to see you!


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 14
reporters: Mark &amp; Marlene Thone (marlenethone@mindspring.com)
news:
  Round Towners is an Easy-Intermediate Round Dance Club, dancing a
  Phase III &amp; IV level program, on Thursday evenings from
  8:00&ndash;10:00. A teach or a review, at the Phase III+ or Phase IV
  level, is included most evenings. We work on Phase III+ and Phase IV
  figures in all rhythms and welcome anyone to join us who is interested
  in dancing at this level. Dress is casual/comfortable.

  Round Dance Leaders/Instructors: Mark and Marlene Thone

information:
[cell repeats an earlier one in this file: 115 characters]


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 20
information: Caller Mike &amp; Wanda Callahan (585-406-8797)
reporters: Mike Callahan
news:
  Shamrock Squares dances the Callerlab Advanced A-2 program on Tuesday
  afternoons 2:00&ndash;4:00 at the Pieters Family Life Center, 1025
  Commons Way, Rochester. We welcome all A-2 dancers to join us. For
  more information, please call.


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  Warmer weather has arrived. The Shirts &lsquo;N&lsquo; Skirts will be
  dancing in air-conditioned comfort throughout the summer. We look
  forward to guests joining us!

  On June 8, we will be hosting the ALS benefit dance from
  1:00&ndash;8:00. During the dinner break there will be A2 and C1
  dancing. Please come join for a good dance and help raise money for
  the ALS foundation.

  June 21, will be our class graduation and strawberry social. July 19,
  will be the ice cream social.

  Hope to see many of you on the dance floor!

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 5
information:
  Don Naulin (naulin@netzero.net) (585-200-0464)/ Anne
  Granger

reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance at Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall) from 1:00&ndash;3:00; and dance
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  fun, laughter, and friendship.

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have four squares weekly and sometimes even five squares. Looking back
  at our dances, we had a lot of fun. Valentine&rsquo;s Day is always a
  very special dance at Silver Squares. Groups of friends gathered under
  out huge heart and had their pictures taken. Denny Frey came to our
  rescue when we were in need of a caller on short notice. He came with
  his vinyl records and vintage songs, and he was a hit!! Joann Baxter
  was dressed in her patriotic best for President&rsquo;s day and on
  St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day we combined five squares of dancers, a pie
  party and Copy Cats came to steal their banner back!

  Banner stealing is getting to be a &ldquo;thing&rdquo; between Copy
  Cats and Silver Squares. Silver Squares has stolen the Copy Cats
  banner three times and they have taken it back twice! The Copy Cats
  banner is now residing at Silver Squares until its return to Copy
  Cats. We are having lots of fun!!

  We look forward to the rest of our dance schedule for Spring and
  Summer:

  June 10: Flag Day Dance

  June 24: Annual Picnic at NOON, Dance at 1:00PM

  July 1: Chocolate Day Dance

  July 15: Ice Cream Social

  July 29: Pie Party Dance

  August 5: Apron Day Dance

  August 19: Root Beer Floats

  September 16: Fall Festival&mdash;FREE Fun, FREE Dance, and FREE Pizza

  Our committee has worked hard to put together a calendar full of fun,
  laughter, and lots of dancing! Make sure you check out the Promenader
  for any upcoming event details or any changes. Please look under Ads
  and Flyers and you will find the 2024&ndash;2025 calendar with
  individual flyers for each special dance. We have two theme parties a
  month along with our regular fun dances, so there is a lot of
  opportunity to dance. Just remember that we dance weekly so dust off
  your dancing shoes and come over to Silver Squares. Come join us
  anytime! Dance in a Square and Make a Circle of Friends


date: 2024-06-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  We dance once a month May thru October at the CampBell Campground,
  8700 State Route 415, Campbell, NY. Most dancers camp for the weekend,
  but walk-ins are welcome at our dances. We dance at the
  Mainstream/Plus level with rounds in between each tip. However, our
  callers are very good at calling to the floor.

  Our posted Schedule Flyer gives details. Note that we now have our
  dances in the afternoon to better accommodate dancers who are willing
  to travel. Please call 607-857-1553 (Pat) or 607-739-3299 (Bill) to
  verify that we are dancing on that date.

  See our posted dance flyers (in season) for dance details, and see the
  CampBell website (https://campbellcampground.com) for campground
  information and local area attractions.

  Don&rsquo;t have a camper???? Not a problem. Give Ed a call at
  CampBell Campground (607-527-3301). They have campers and cabins
  available to rent. Be sure to mention that you are coming to join us
  and they will give you a special rate. If you just want to come for an
  evening dance, consider staying for a while after dancing and join us
  at the campfire. There is always lots of laughter shared while keeping
  warm. There are also several nice hotels in the area if that is the
  style of &ldquo;camping&rdquo; that you prefer.

  We now welcome all dancers to join our club&mdash;campers or not! So,
  please consider becoming a member and save on the cost of the weekend.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 2
information: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
reporters: Lucy Pietrzykowski (luciapietrzykowski@gmail.com)
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond Avenue,
  Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00pm.

  Our Callers are Gary and Alice Bubel, and Denny Frey


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 7
information: Alice &amp; Gary Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  This year, we have changed our format. We now dance Phase 2 &amp; 3 on
  Wednesday afternoon 3:30&ndash;5:00. We review Phase 3 figures as
  needed. We are always open to reviewing and showing any figures that
  you might be having trouble with. Please join us some afternoon.

  In the evening 6:30&ndash;8:30 we are teaching a basic waltz class. We
  have about 12 new dancers who are doing great!! We will continue to
  teach waltz, moving into Phase 3 figures and perhaps the foxtrot
  rhythm. Please feel free to join us some Wednesday evening if you want
  to brush up on the waltz.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 8
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Where did summer go? Times seems to be dancing along at a fast
  pace. Please note that our club continues to dance until the beginning
  of December and we will continue our Tuesday night workshop. We are
  all having fun reviewing calls and dancing. We have been averaging
  about two squares each week. We welcome anyone who wants to review and
  brush up on their dancing and have a fun doing it!!


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 56
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Our club dances on Friday afternoon 1:00&ndash;3:00. We dance both
  mainstream and plus with rounds between tips. We would love to have
  you come and dance with our club; and for those of you who do not want
  to drive at night now that it gets dark earlier, this eliminates night
  driving. We are a friendly, fun loving and welcoming club. Please join
  us some Friday afternoon&mdash;you won&rsquo;t be disappointed!! As an
  added bonus, some of the group goes out for an early dinner, often at
  the LeRoy No Finer Diner and the good times continue!!


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  Thank you to the friends &amp; dancers attending our 63rd Anniversary
  Dance &amp; Steak Roast, we had a blast! Long time dancers Kay &amp;
  Andy Anderson, Missy Frendak, Norm Courtemanche &amp; Polly Losito
  were recipients of the Circle of Service Award honoring their decades
  of service to the club. Thank you to the Hip Boot Boys for as much
  Hawaiian Luau theme music as possible!

  The club is looking to Open Houses on September 5 &amp; 12 at the
  United Methodist Church, 2744 East Brutus St, Weedsport, NY from
  7&ndash;8:30pm. Then a quick Mystery Dance on September 7 (location
  known to one person); on to Special Dancing with our Annual Halloween
  party 10/24; Harvest Dinner 11/24 and White Elephant gifting party on
  12/22. Regular weekly class/club dancing will continue after the Open
  Houses&mdash;September 19, with club dancing starting at 6pm and class
  coming about 7:15&ndash;8:15pm. Club dances are mainstream and plus
  levels.

  Please note we will move to our Winter Dates on November 3rd, which is
  Sunday afternoons from 2&ndash;5pm.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972) or (https://www.cloverleafsquares.org)
reporters: Carl T. Webster
news:
  Jane Avery told us about her summer picnic for all square dancers:
  &ldquo;The Square Dance Picnic [at her house in Brockport] was a
  smashing success! There were about 30 dancers in attendance with a
  great assortment of food and desserts. We had a fun game of
  &lsquo;RoadKill Bingo&rsquo; with prizes for the winners. People
  gathered around tables to play cards and games or to just chat with
  friends. The pool was open and well used by the children in
  attendance. At dusk, we started a bonfire and some people stayed and
  roasted marshmallows and made s&rsquo;mores. The weather was
  absolutely perfect and a good time was had by all.&rdquo; Jane said
  that she wished that more area dancers attended.

  Our waltz class went well; we had about a dozen couples, many of whom
  attended Alice Bubel&rsquo;s weekday class. This fall, more couples
  will be able to join their fellow round dancers between square dance
  tips. We also learned Plus calls throughout the summer. Our new
  Mainstream dancers should be able to attend more venues around town.

  Last month, we were privileged to have Betsy and Roy Gotta call and
  cue for us. They have been leaders throughout the country and in
  Canada. Both have presented caller and cuer schools. It was great to
  have them at Cloverleaf&rsquo;s.

  In September, we are back to our winter digs in Chili. We dance at the
  First Baptist Church of Chili at 3182 Chili Avenue in Chili from 5:00
  to 8:00. We will begin with our Ice Cream Social on September 8. Ice
  cream brings out the dancers! Our most important event is our Open
  House, which will begin at 5:00 on September 15. It is a special
  night to show others our hobby and sport and recruit others to join us
  in a new class. The weekly Mainstream class begins at 5:00 on
  September 22. Be on the watch for our Halloween-themed dance (Remember
  Ron Struzik&rsquo;s bat costume from last year?). Come to our Veterans
  Day / Honor Flight dance to honor our veterans and donate to our
  yearly fundraiser for Honor Flight. One of our favorite dances is our
  Thanksgiving Dinner &amp; Dance. We get a good showing during this
  favorite holiday. Our Santa / Elf Night is always fun; many dancers
  wear costumes.

  You will find more information on our website&rsquo;s flyer table
  (www.cloverleafsquares.org/Flyer_Table.htm) and this website under
  &ldquo;Schedules.&rdquo;

  We have quite the assemblage of callers and cuers coming our way this
  quarter: Alice Bubel, Mike Callahan, Jim Gotta, Chuck Meyer, Mark
  Thone, and Lisa Treichler.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 30
information:
  Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com phone
  585-633-2044)

reporters: Lynn and Don Lucas, Copy Cats Secretaries
news:
  In June, Copy Cats held our club&rsquo;s Trail&rsquo;s End Picnic with
  business meeting, games and social time along with potluck dinner and
  dancing all at the beautiful Perinton Park in Fairport. The weather
  was perfect, and over 65 members and guests attended.

  So far this summer, many Copy Cats have been taking advantage of dance
  opportunities at demos, with the Cloverleaf Club, with Gary Bubel,
  and at Silver Squares. There are Copy Cats learning to round dance
  with Alice Bubel and even trying A1 with Mike Callahan and Jim Gotta.

  Copy Cats are looking forward to our summer potluck picnic on August 13,
  at King&rsquo;s Bend Park in Pittsford from 3:00&ndash;8:00. We will
  challenge each other with games and enjoy a time to visit with each
  other while caller, Jim Gotta keeps us moving with lots of dancing.

  Our big news is that we will be working with Penfield Recreation to
  hold our student (kitten) classes at the Penfield Community Center
  (1985 Baird Road, Penfield) on Wednesday evenings. The Penfield
  Recreation Brochure will advertise our classes and will handle
  registration. Students do not need to be residents; classes are open
  to everyone. Ron Brown will return as our caller and teacher and many
  members are signed up to be angels for our new class of kittens.

  FREE OPEN HOUSE dates are Wednesday, September 18, and Wednesday,
  September 25, from 7:00&ndash;9:00. These will be followed by two
  introductory start-up classes on October 2 and 9 from 7:00&ndash;9:00
  (registration via Penfield Recreation (required, fee $10.00). The fall
  semester of classes will run from October 16, 2024 through January 29,
  2025, 7:00&ndash;9:00 (registration via Penfield Recreation required,
  fee $90).

  Plus level refresher lessons will begin Wednesdays on September 18
  from 6:15&ndash;7:00, prior to the Open Houses and the kitten classes
  (7:00&ndash;9:00).

  The Copy Cats Dance schedule is for everyone; with fun themes,
  mainstream tips, round dances, plus tips and tasty snacks all at the
  First Baptist Church of Penfield, 1862 Penfield Road, from
  7:00&ndash;9:00; Visitors cost $7.00, members free and 50/50 raffle
  tickets available for all. Please bring your own beverage.

  Please see the schedule of future dances.

  Email: copy.cats@live.com


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Nancy L. Mirabal
news:
  We have been dark for the summer but got together on the 24th of
  August in Bliss, NY, to dance for the benefit of C.U.R.E. against
  childhood cancer. This was our second C.U.R.E. benefit dance, and with
  the help of ALL our square dancing friends it raised another $1,000
  for C.U.R.E. Last year&rsquo;s C.U.R.E. benefit dance also raised
  $1,000. There were guest callers and cuers, a basket raffle, 50-50,
  and individual donations. Raffles were at 4:30. Water and finger foods
  were provided. Thank you to all who attended.

  With your help we want to continue this tradition EVERY year to help
  this great cause. Mark it on your calendar whenever you see our
  flyer. Sure, it&rsquo;s a drive but what a great cause! Questions: Call
  Lynette Kemp at 585 689-3908 or Lori Duschen 585 380-2288.

  Our open house will be September 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the
  Living Hope Fellowship Hall, 30 Mail Street, Castile (on other side of
  the post office building). We will start regular dancing on October 8
  at the same time and place. Come dance with us. We are a fun, laid
  back club.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 44
information: Daniel Dobrovosky (mddobrovosky@verizon.net)
reporters: Elisa Keating (elisakeating1@gmail.com)
news:
  We are a fun Mainstream and Plus club that dances every Tuesday from
  6:45&ndash;9:00 pm at the Weedsport Presbyterian Church, 8871 S
  Seneca St, Weedsport, NY.

  Please visit our Facebook page&mdash;TheFunBunchSquareDanceClub.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares will hold workshops on Wednesdays this
  fall on September 11, 18, 25; October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30;
  November 6, 13, 20; and December 4, 11, 18. The location and
  time will be the Penn Yan Grange Hall, 402 Elm Street in Penn Yan,
  from 6:30 until 9:00. All workshops start with class-level dancing at
  6:30 and club-level dancing later. The cost for workshops is $6.00
  per dancer.

  We will host a Saturday afternoon dance on October 26 with early
  rounds at 3:00 followed by 2x2 from 3:30 until 6:00 at the Penn Yan
  Grange Hall, 402 Elm Street in Penn Yan. Dave Eno will be our caller
  and Lisa Treichler will be cueing. The cost for this dance will be
  $7.00 per dancer.

  We will host a Saturday afternoon class/club dance on December 7 with
  early rounds at 3:00 followed by 2x2 from 3:30 until 6:00 at the Penn
  Yan Grange Hall, 402 Elm Street in Penn Yan. Richard Rosenfield will
  be our caller and Lisa Treichler will be cueing. There is no charge for
  class members. The cost for other dancers will be $7.00 each.

  We will be hosting the Watkins Glen Weekend from September
  20&ndash;22, 2024 at Clute Park Community Center in Watkins Glen,
  NY. Jack Pladdys from Indian Springs, OH will be the caller &amp;
  Steve and Irene Bradt from Easton, PA will be cueing. See our flyer on
  this site, and please mark your calendars to come down for the weekend
  or just an evening or all day on Saturday. For more info, contact Sue
  Irvine at 585-330-9129 or her email at irvinesuej@gmail.com. Stay well, and
  we hope to see you!


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  Where has the summer gone? We have celebrated our 5 new graduates and
  started teaching the plus calls. They are doing great!

  We are starting the fall with open houses on September 20 &amp; 27.
  Bring your friends and show them how much fun we have.

  October 25 we will celebrare Halloween with a costume contest and many
  treats. November 22 will be our Thanksgiving feast complete with
  turkey and all the trimmings. December 13 will be our annual Toys for
  Tots toy drive. December 20 will be our Christmas celebration. We
  won&rsquo;t dance after that until the New Year.

  Happy Dancing to all!

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 5
information: Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net) (585-200-0464)
reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  If you are looking for something to do on a Monday afternoon, come
  over and dance at Silver Squares! We dance almost every Monday
  (Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall) from 1:00&ndash;3:00 and dance
  Mainstream, Plus, and Rounds. We are located in the Greece United
  Methodist Church at 1924 Maiden Lane in Rochester, NY 14626. The cost
  is $5.00 per person. We welcome anyone who would like to join
  us. There is no better place to be on a Monday afternoon for dancing,
  fun, laughter, and friendship.

  Our theme parties continue to be extremely successful. We continue to
  have four squares weekly and sometimes even five squares. Looking back
  at our dances, we had a lot of fun. We celebrated Memorial Day, Flag
  Day, and July 4 with pride and patriotism. We all dressed in red,
  white and blue and Mike played many patriotic songs. Joann Baxter
  continues to be our best dressed patriotic dresser. We had an amazing
  end-of-year picnic with hot dogs and more food than anyone could eat!
  We also managed to dance with five squares dancing and one square
  socializing! Summer rolled in and we started it with a Chocolate Day!!
  Our bakers, cooks, and shoppers surprised us with a delight of
  chocolate desserts. Members dressed up as Hershey Bars, Kit Kats, and
  Kisses. Then we had a &ldquo;real ice cream social&rdquo; with dishes
  of ice cream, many toppings, whipped cream and sprinkles. Gone were
  the ice cream novelties. The members of Silver Squares took over the
  planning and serving. Thank you, Everyone!! The Pie Party was next and
  we had a huge variety of pies. In case anyone is wondering if we
  danced, YES, WE DID and we had a lot of FUN!!!

  We are having fun with banner stealing between Silver Squares, Cayuga
  Cut Ups and Copy Cats! Silver Squares has stolen the Copy Cats banner
  three times and they have taken it back twice! They will be back to
  retrieve their banner soon. A group of six couples drove out to Cayuga
  Cut-Ups to dance and get our banner back. What a welcoming and
  friendly group! We are having lots of fun dancing and visiting with
  other dancers. Square dancing is truly a blessing for many of
  us. Besides the exercise, it is an opportunity to socialize and just
  have a great time!

  We look forward to the rest of our dance schedule for the
  2024&ndash;2025. Please look on the Promenader under Ads and Flyers to
  see our 2024&ndash;2025 calendar with days off and regular dances
  listed.

  We have two theme parties a month along with our regular fun dances,
  so there is a lot of opportunity to dance. Just remember that we
  dance weekly on Monday afternoons. So, dust off your dancing shoes
  and come over to Silver Squares.

  Come join us anytime! Dance in a Square and Make a Circle of Friends.


date: 2024-09-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  Summer is drawing to a close. While many of your clubs are busy
  organizing &ldquo;Hi Neighbor&rdquo; nights, the Southern Tier Wheelers
  are wrapping up our dancing/camping season. We would like to thank all
  of you who came and joined us for a Saturday afternoon dance. We
  looked forward to having visitors, and you all brought such enthusiasm
  and added much to our dancing pleasure.

  However, you still have two more chances to experience a dance with
  the &ldquo;Wheelers.&rdquo; Don&rsquo;t let these opportunities pass
  you by. On our September weekend (September 6&ndash;8), we will be
  dancing to the calling and cueing of Gary and Alice Bubel. The
  Saturday afternoon begins with early rounds at 1:00 and ends at
  4:00. You are invited to join us for a &ldquo;happy hour&rdquo; and to
  even stay for dinner (chicken parm). Howard Williamson and Lisa
  Treichler will be doing the honors for our October weekend (October
  4&ndash;6). Dinner will be Ed&rsquo;s famous spaghetti and meatballs
  which are always delicious&mdash;as are all of his meals. Dance fees
  are $7.00 per person and meals are a very reasonable cost of $15. We
  hope you take advantage of one or both of these opportunities to join
  us before the season is over with.

  We will soon be considering dates for next summer and will be sharing
  that with all of you as soon as we can. Until we can meet in a square
  once again, yellow rocks to one and all.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 2
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  We dance Mainstream, Plus and Rounds in a 2x2 format on Monday
  evenings in Batavia, at the VA Medical Center, 222 Richmond
  Avenue&mdash;Building #4 (upstairs), Batavia, NY, starting at 7:00.

  Our Callers are Gary and Alice Bubel, and Denny Frey


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 11
information: Linda English (315-689-1679)
reporters: Linda English, Club Secretary
news:
  The Cut-Ups will continue our Winter Hours on Sundays from
  2:00&ndash;5:00. Club dances from 2:00&ndash;3:00, class from
  3:00&ndash;4:00 and then club from 4:00&ndash;5:00; we may end at 4:30
  as needed. Our winter season activities include the Annual White
  Elephant Gifting Party (12/22/24) which asks folks to shop their
  houses for items to &lsquo;regift.&rsquo; Wrap the item and play the
  game opening then stealing from each other, always amusing and that
  shower cap keeps returning, who will get it this year? In January
  (1/19/25) we will celebrate the Lunar New Year, wear red and maybe
  Chinese takeout! February (2/16/25) Valentine&rsquo;s Day is Pie
  Dessert Day. March (3/16/25) is St. Paddy&rsquo;s Day and Soup
  Night. During the winter season please call ahead to make sure we are
  dancing that afternoon, (315) 689-1679 and leave a message, I will
  return the call as the weather sometimes changes our well thought out
  plans, go figure! Keep dancing,


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 1
information: (585-987-5972) or (https://www.cloverleafsquares.org)
reporters: Carl Webster
news:
  We have 21 members in our class. With our angels, we have six to seven
  squares dancing. It is amazing how our members have joined the class
  to help Mike Callahan teach beginning western square dancing. (Our
  snack &ldquo;Buffet&rdquo; has also increased).

  Our Class/Club Thanksgiving Dinner Dance was well attended, with the
  finest pot-luck course in Rochester. There was plenty of dancing after
  dinner to clear out any calories that had been consumed.

  Jim Gotta, Chuck Meyer, Lisa Treichler will be on hand to cue our
  round dances. Our latest classes of Waltz and Rumba/Cha will bring
  greater enjoyment to the evenings.

  Our theme dances are sure to put more fun in our step. Dress as a
  Santa or elf on December 8; enjoy our class/club dance with a catered
  holiday dinner on December 15. Bring in your favorite cheeses on
  Cheese Lover&rsquo;s night, January 19. Dance with your valentine on
  February 2. There will be no dancing at the end of December 22 and 29,
  however.

  Because the Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, February 09, there
  will be no dancing during our regular evening times. Instead, our
  class will be in the afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Many of us will
  be supporting our favorite team later in the evening.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 30
information:
  Bonnie Allen and Dick Wesner (bfallen3@aol.com phone
  585-633-2044)

reporters: Lynn and Don Lucas, Secretaries
news:
  Copy Cats started the class year by hosting two Free Open Houses and
  two Introductory Lessons that saw over 60 new faces coming to
  dance. Thanks to our Copy Cats Angels, Angels from other clubs and our
  caller/instructor, Ron Brown, we now have kittens, kittens, kittens
  everywhere! Our newest litter has 29 kittens, all of whom are eager to
  learn to square dance as they grow friendships and exercise their
  brains and bodies dancing. Copy Cats worked with Penfield Recreation
  to advertise our kitten classes this year and the Penfield Community
  Center is a great place to dance. Kitten classes are Wednesdays from
  7:00&ndash;9:00, with Plus level refresher time from 6:15&ndash;7:00.

  Our fall dances have been well attended and feature alternating
  mainstream and plus tips, with a round dance in between. Dances are
  held at the First Baptist Church of Penfield, 1862 Penfield Rd,
  Penfield, NY.

  We held our Veteran&rsquo;s Day Dance on Saturday, November 9,
  7:00&ndash;9:00 with veterans admitted free. Then we promenaded right
  into the holiday season with our Thanksgiving Dance, Saturday
  November 23, 7:00&ndash;9:00. We held a turkey raffle and a
  non-perishable food was collected to support the Penfield Ecumenical Food
  Shelf.

  Dig deep into your closets for your Ugly Sweater or Crazy Hat and come
  to our Dance on Saturday, December 7, 7:00&ndash;9:00.

  Celebrate friends and the holidays at our Holiday Dance on Saturday,
  December 23, 7:00&ndash;9:00. This is the first of our class/club
  dances. Students from any club are admitted to the dance for free. We
  will start the evening with an optional buffet dinner, for $20 per
  person, served 5:30&ndash;6:30. Dinner features grilled chicken, baked
  ham and sirloin tips with many delicious sides as well. RSVP and send
  payment by December 13 to Debbie and Jeff Blood, 108 Cindy Lane,
  Rochester, NY 14626.

  2025 starts off with a switch to afternoon dancing with our New
  Year&rsquo;s Dance from 2:00&ndash;4:00 on Saturday, January 4.

  Class/club dance #2, Winter Wonderland on January 18, 2:00&ndash;4:00
  will be hosted by the kitten class and students from any club are
  admitted to the dance for free.

  Celebrate your home team or favorite sport (other than square dancing,
  of course!) at our February Sports Dance, Saturday, February 1,
  7:00&ndash;9:00. This is our third class/club dance
  opportunity. Students from any club are admitted to the dance for
  free.

  Copy Cats Valentine&rsquo;s Dance is for all who love square dancing!
  Share the love and join us on Saturday, February 15, 2:00&ndash;4:00.

  Jump into spring with our Hawaiian Theme Dance on Saturday, March 1,
  7:00&ndash;9:00. Remember to wear a coat over your island attire. This
  is another class/club dance, and students from any club will be
  admitted free of charge.

  Shamrocks may not be blooming but it&rsquo;s time for the St
  Patrick&rsquo;s Dance! Join us Saturday, March 15, 7:00&ndash;9:00 for
  a lucky good time. This might be the perfect time to try your luck at
  the 50/50 raffle.

  Email: copy.cats@live.com


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 9
information: Jamond Billyard (jamondbillyard@yahoo.com)
reporters: Nancy L. Mirabal
news:
  Dalton Gang will be dancing every other Tuesday from now on&mdash;working
  on getting more people.

  We held a donkey dance in Warsaw in October. What a day! In the
  morning, a group of horseback riders and buggies entertained us for
  two hours. Then we had a potluck lunch with Ray calling a great square
  dance in the arena that was set up by the owners for us. They also had
  a miniature horse and burro in a pen in the arena, and we all had our
  pictures taken with them. Many of the horseback riders joined us for
  the dance, also square dancers from Rochester came to enjoy the fun
  with us. After dancing the daughters of the arena owners put on a
  trick riding exhibition for us. Yes, it was a drive but well worth
  it. A great time was had by all.

  Come join us in Castile at Living Hope Church right on Main Street in
  Castile. We welcome all and are a friendly warm fun-loving club.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 44
information: Daniel Dobrovosky (mddobrovosky@verizon.net)
reporters: Elisa Keating (elisakeating1@gmail.com)
news:
  We are a fun Mainstream and Plus club that dances every Tuesday from
  6:45&ndash;9:00 at the Weedsport Presbyterian Church, 8871 S Seneca
  St, Weedsport, NY. Please visit our Facebook page:
  TheFunBunchSquareDanceClub.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 21
information: Lise Rosenfield (585-245-3720)
reporters: Gary &amp; Sue Groom (585-489-6186)
news:
  Penn Yan Friendship Squares holds workshops on Wednesdays in the fall
  and winter at the Penn Yan Grange Hall, 402 Elm Street in Penn Yan,
  6:30&ndash;9:00. All workshops start with class-level dancing at 6:30
  and club-level dancing later. The cost for workshops is $6.00 per
  dancer.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 15
information: Jerri Saintey (jsaintey@verizon.net) (315-546-3651)
reporters: Jerri Saintey
news:
  We had a great fall of dancing. Our class is full of energy and doing
  fantastic with learning the calls each week. In October we brought
  donations during our Black Cat Dance for the Oswego Humane
  Society. There were some creative and spooky costumes and treats to
  celebrate Halloween. November was our annual Thanksgiving dinner and
  dance. Very delicious food was had by all.

  In December we will donate to &ldquo;Toys For Tots&rdquo; on the 13th
  and celebrate Christmas with yummy themed treats on the 20th. We will
  NOT dance on December 27.

  January 3 will be our New Year&rsquo;s celebration with chili and
  cornbread. February will be our Valentine&rsquo;s Dance and pie night
  on the 14th.

  Guests are always welcome. Hope to see you there.

  The Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts dances at the Fulton Municipal Bldg
  141 South First Street, Fulton NY from 7:00&ndash;9:00.

  Caller: Dave Eno


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 5
information:
  Don Naulin / Anne Granger (naulin@netzero.net)
  (585-200-0464)

reporters: Anne Granger (ssunnyweather7@gmail.com) (585-317-6442)
news:
  Monday afternoon is a lot of fun at Silver Squares Dance Club. Five
  squares of dancers welcomed in the Fall with a Pizza Party!! We
  followed that with a Crazy Hat Dance on September 30th, when four
  squares of people wore their crazy hats and danced to caller, Mike
  Callahan. Lots of laughs and lots of fun!!!

  The club&rsquo;s annual Soup and Sandwich dance was a hit! Six
  different soups, a variety of sandwiches and many desserts were
  enjoyed by all. Five squares of people not only ate but danced
  too. What a fun day!

  Banner Stealing is always fun. Copy Cats members visited Silver
  Squares and took their banner back! Don Naulin and Anne Granger,
  Presidents of Silver Squares, tried to hang onto the banner but no
  luck. Banner Stealing promotes good will and a lot of fun among clubs.

  Our Halloween dance is always a lot of fun!! Laughter, dancing and
  eating always makes for a great afternoon. Caller Mike Callahan had
  dancers promenade in a circle and then everyone voted for the best
  costume. The contest was won by Joann Baxter and Diane and Richard
  Cundra!!


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 16
information: Bill and Pat Mosher (607-739-3299)
reporters: Bill &amp; Pat Mosher
news:
  We dance once a month May through October at the CampBell Campground,
  8700 State Route 415, Campbell, NY. Most dancers camp for the weekend,
  but walk-ins are welcome at our dances. We dance at the
  Mainstream/Plus level with rounds in between each tip. However, our
  callers are very good at calling to the floor.

  Our posted Schedule Flyer gives details. Note that we now have our
  dances in the afternoon to better accommodate dancers who are willing
  to travel. Please call 607-857-1553 (Pat) or 607-739-3299 (Bill) to
  verify that we are dancing on that date.

  See our posted dance flyers (in season) for dance details, and see the
  CampBell website (https://campbellcampground.com) for campground
  information and local area attractions.

  Don&rsquo;t have a camper???? Not a problem. Give Ed a call at
  CampBell Campground (607-527-3301). They have campers and cabins
  available to rent. Be sure to mention that you are coming to join us
  and they will give you a special rate. If you just want to come for an
  evening dance, consider staying for a while after dancing and join us
  at the campfire. There is always lots of laughter shared while keeping
  warm. There are also several nice hotels in the area if that is the
  style of &ldquo;camping&rdquo; that you prefer.

  We now welcome all dancers to join our club&mdash;campers or not! So,
  please consider becoming a member and save on the cost of the weekend.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 10
information: Peter Emmel (585-732-1004)
reporters: Peter Emmel (p.emmel47@gmail.com)
news:
  The Village Squares are hibernating for now, having been decimated
  over the past few years by COVID and attrition, and by the passing of
  our caller, Gil Porter. A few of us are gathering most weeks on Zoom,
  to stay in touch while we wait for lightning to strike and bring the
  spark of life into the club to make a return to dancing possible.


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 6
information: Gary Etherton (ge14094@gmail.com) (716-796-9265)
reporters: Gary Etherton
news:
  Waterwheels is still &ldquo;chugging along&rdquo; as the last square
  dance club in the Buffalo area with our loyal cadre of dancers. All of
  our dancers know how very lucky we are to have Jim Gotta calling for
  us. Every Monday he makes the long drive to Buffalo and back so we can
  continue to enjoy square dancing. See you at Dance-O-Rama.

  Waterwheels dance 2 by 2&rsquo;s on Monday nights (see schedule
  section for location) from 6:30&ndash;8:30. Our hall has an elevator
  to whisk you to our second floor that has a great wooden dance
  floor. Please come and join the fun!


date: 2024-12-01
clubid: 7
information: Gary &amp; Alice Bubel (585-538-9887)
reporters: Gary and Alice Bubel
news:
  Where did the year go? Our Tuesday workshop, Wednesday Rounds and Friday Club are winding down for the winter. The last dances for this year are in the first week of December. Please join us for our Christmas celebrations at each of these dances. It will be a lot of fun celebration with everyone!!

  Thank you to everyone for the support you have given us to make our clubs a success for another year. We will be back dancing in May. Please watch for information as the time gets closer. We look forward to seeing everyone.

  Merry Christmas and Happy New year!


# articlecontent

articleid: 1
position: c
type: text
content:
  You may want to save this issue because it is the last one we will be
  printing commercially, and distributing via second class mail at the
  Post Office.

  The current general editors are unable to continue on, and have not
  been able to find new recruits to take over.

  But this publication has been published for over 52 years, and should
  not be discontinued just because no one is available to do it. We
  still want to provide you with access to Rochester area dance news. We
  have expanded our editorial staff over the past few years with the
  intention of easing the burden on new general editors. But, since no
  one has stepped forward to edit the printed version, we need to try a
  different solution.

  This summer, a panel of interested dancers began exploring the
  possibility of &ldquo;going online&rdquo; with the Promenader. A major advantage
  we have in our area is that there exists a Federation website already
  in place. Much of the information contained in the Promenader is
  already on this website. We began to look at how an online
  Promenadercould be part of this website. The current editors, Betty
  and Andy Ludwick, are working with Web Moderators Sid Marshall and
  Peter Emmel, and the Promenader Panel to design and implement making
  this the home base for the Promenaderpublication.

  One important aspect of this online publication with be its
  printability. We want to make it possible to print pages, or whole
  sections of the publication, from the website. It will of course not
  look exactly like these printed pages, which are all produced at once
  by a commercial printer. This is because each browser has its own way
  of rendering pages for printing. So how it looks will depend on what
  software/hardware is used. But we will try to make all necessary
  information printable in some form, whether via a dancing friend, a
  club reporter, or a Federation communications person. Although the
  online Promenaderis free, please remember that printing pages involves
  some expense. So you will need to make arrangements and pay any
  printing and first-class mailing costs involved. The Promenader Panel
  members and Federation board are still working out the logistics of
  this change.

  But we hope that for most readers, the format that will work best will
  be viewing it on the FREE website. We are attempting to make it as
  &ldquo;user-friendly&rdquo; as we can, and viewable on as many different
  platforms/devices as possible. Without the limitations of physical
  printed pages, we expect to be able to expand the amount of
  information we can include. Free online access, as well as free ads
  for Federation clubs, should increase and enhance the marketing
  efforts of both small and large clubs.

  Then, starting in December 2014, those of our readers who have
  internet availability will be notified and encouraged to view the
  Promenaderon the Federation website. Our subscription process will
  consist of signing up to be notified.See the following page for
  specifics.


articleid: 2
position: b
type: text
content:
  Patience and good will, as the task ahead is formidable.

  An email or in-person subscription from you if you wish us to notify you when new information is available.

  A message from you if you need help with paper copies of any part of future Promenader issues.


articleid: 2
position: d
type: text
content:
  Email: promenader@rochester.rr.com (Use SUBSCRIBE as the subject of
  your email.) There is no charge for an online subscription. Please let
  us know your name and club in this email.

  In Person: Come to the Federation meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17 (or
  subsequent ones), held at the First Baptist Church of Rochester, 175
  Allens Creek Road (corner of Clover Street), starting at 7:30 p.m.
  All are welcome! Or sign up at the Promenader Dance on Sept. 27.

  By Phone or Snail Mail: You may reach a member of our Promenader
  Transistion Team, Peter Emmel, by phone at 585-732-1004. (If Peter
  doesn&rsquo;t answer, please wait for the beep and leave him a voice
  mes-sage with your name, phone number, and the best time to call you
  back. You can also write to him at 24 High Hill Dr, Pittsford, NY
  14534, stating your wish to remain a Promenader subscriber even though
  you lack internet or printer access. Please also include your club
  affiliation, if any.)


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  Our full-page advertising rates for now will stay as they are ($30)
  for non-RAF groups. All clubs affiliated with the Rochester Area
  Federation will be able to place PDF flyers in for NO CHARGE. Club
  news and dance schedules will also continue to go in FREE. The only
  charge will be for a listing in the SPECIAL EVENTS section, which will
  stay at a cost $5 for all. Contract advertisers will be contacted
  individually.


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  We expect to test out a sample website during the fall months, and &ldquo;go
  live&rdquo; with our new online Promenader before Dec. 1. When it is ready,
  we will notify all subscribers who have signed up. Before the next
  issue comes out, we hope to have a communications person in place at
  the Federation, and plan to send out a flyer to clubs about this.


articleid: 2
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  IN ORDER TO BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL ABOUT THE NEXT PROMENADER...

  BE SURE TO:

  RESUBSCRIBE before Nov. 15 by emailing us:
  promenader@rochester.rr.com. Put SUBSCRIBE in the subject box.

  OR sign up at the Promenader Dance on Sept. 27, 2014 (see page 24).

  OR at a Federation meeting (see page 6).

  squaredancingrochester.org


articleid: 3
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content:
  Hello Dancing Friends,

  I hope everyone has had a chance to relax as well as time to enjoy
  some of the wonderful summer dance opportunities that were
  available. It is now time for our new full dance season to begin!
  Please be sure to check out all of the dance opportunities that are
  available, both at your club, and other clubs. You can also find full
  dance schedules on the Federation web site at
  squaredancingrochester.org, in at least three different formats.

  If you have not checked out the Federation web site before, I
  encourage you to do so. You will be amazed at all of the information
  posted there! You can locate dances anywhere within the Rochester
  area, you can get listings of club locations, or if the club has their
  own web site, you can link to it from the Federation site. You can see
  what is scheduled for special dances (as far out as they go) and it is
  the way clubs can schedule future dances without conflicts with other
  dances already scheduled. You can find information on your favorite
  callers/cuers, you can even see some photo highlights from past
  dances. This web site has been a work in progress, and is continuing
  to grow and expand. We are fortunate to have Sidney Marshall and Peter
  Emmel as the comoderators for our web site. It is becoming an
  exceptional way to keep up to date on everything happening in the area
  regarding square dancing.

  As many people have been aware, we have been actively searching for
  someone to take over the general editor&rsquo;s position for the
  Promenader for some time now. To date, we have not found anyone that
  felt they could handle the task once Betty and Andy step down after
  this issue. That being said, there have been a number of people
  working behind the scenes (including Betty and Andy) and we are almost
  ready to present a new style of Promenaderthat may make the task
  easier to handle, thereby helping to find someone willing to assume
  the position of General Editor. This new style will include a
  reduction of the most demanding parts of the task. What is this new
  style, you ask? I will lead into that by letting you know that this
  fall issue of the Promenaderwill be the last commercially printed
  version of the Promenader. (DON&rsquo;T PANIC !!!) The Promenaderwill
  continue, but in a printable, electronic version. I feel the tension
  rising ...... don&rsquo;t worry. Many people are working to make this
  transition as easy as possible. I am now going to borrow some of
  Betty&rsquo;s words to help explain the basics, and remember, we are still
  working on many details, and will continue to make adjustments as we
  go. The following is a portion of Betty&rsquo;s explanation to the proof
  readers: We will try to make this transition as smooth as possible,
  but there will inevitably be bumps along the way. We are hoping for
  everyone&rsquo;s cooperation in the process and will try to keep you as
  informed as possible. Please know that you are very much included in
  our vision of what it will look like, We will try to make the online
  Promenader as much like the printed one as possible. This means we
  will still need reporting from club reporters, and the work of our
  editorial staff and proofreaders. One of the main aims of this change
  is to lighten the load for the next editors. And thus to accomplish
  getting the next editors.

  As I mentioned, there are still many details being worked on, but some
  things we see as benefits will include: access to the
  Promenader content from multiple devices. You should even be able to
  check information from your tablet or phone (you should be able to
  already do this for the web site). The Promenader will now be available
  to everyone, not only those who subscribe to a printed version. You
  can print out the whole magazine, or only the pages you want, from
  your home computer, or even at a library. We do understand that this
  will be a BIG change for everyone, but our choices were to move to
  this updated electronic version (as so many other publications have
  done) or we would have no Promenaderat all. I know we can make it
  through these transitions together! We will work to make information
  available as details progress. Please check into the RAF web site
  (squaredancingrochester.org) for information postings as available.

  In closing, I have the huge responsibility of trying to find the right
  words the thank Betty and Andy Ludwick for their 16 years of
  dedication to the Promenader. Words alone could never express the
  gratitude for the hours, weeks and months, they have poured into each
  edition of the magazine. From their vision, and hard work, we have
  all benefited by having details on all dance related information and
  postings on many topics. When the Promenader has been shown at National
  Conventions or other large groups, Betty and Andy&rsquo;s work has always
  been noticed, and we have been told we have one of the best
  publications throughout the country. We are very fortunate to have
  Betty and Andy working to help structure our electronic Promenader. We
  know their attention to detail and high standards for quality
  presentation. Betty and Andy deserve the gratitude of each person that
  has been informed by, or found pleasure in the Promenader. Please make
  a point to thank Betty and Andy for their 16 years of dedication to
  our entire square dancing community when you see them! We hope you
  enjoy each and every day ahead of you. THANK YOU !!

  I hope to see you on the dance floor soon!


articleid: 4
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content:
  Ok, it has been a really fun summer: Lots of great dancing, like the
  June Jamboree; trips; cruises; even a Tractor Dance...again (thank
  you, Ron)! But lets not forget the fun picnics. I caught Top Powers
  doing the &ldquo;Dogs,&rdquo; and Roger VanPatten with the spatula...and Tom
  Mallory just savoring the moment. Inside were cards, whatever...mostly
  just people being with people whom we have come to love...and you
  can&rsquo;t find a better example of that than Liz, Barb and Irma.


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  So now, lets get serious: classes are starting and I know that the
  Cloverleafs and the Copy Cats have some very ambitious plans...so if
  your club is not having a class, check out their flyer and grab a
  carfull of unsuspecting friends and GET THEM STARTED ON THE TIME OF
  THEIR LIVES!


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  Be sure to caution them though: Do Not Do This unless you seriously
  want to live 10 to 15 years longer; be healthier than you ever thought
  you could be, and are ready to add a new and fun dimension to your
  lives...and something you can do together with your spouse or special
  friend. AND, if you don&rsquo;t have either of those, square dancing is
  FDA-approved as the absolute best place to find one!

  We can&rsquo;t wait to square up with you.


articleid: 5
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content:
  Dave Eno and the Fulton Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts, as always, donated all of
  the proceeds from their 5th Annual ALS Benefit Dance to the ALS
  Research Fund. Kathy Lahey, the area representative, thanked Dave and
  the club for the over $2,000 donation.

  This year&rsquo;s dance was held at the air-conditioned Polish Home in
  Fulton, N.Y., on Saturday the 7th of June, from 2-10 p.m. I am happy
  to report that, even though the Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts are our easternmost
  club, and over 100 miles for some of us, we were well represented and
  helped make the event another fun and financial success.

  For most of us, ALS is not even on our radar; few people know about
  the disease; it is typically referred to as &ldquo;Lou Gehrig&rsquo;s Disease&rdquo; to
  make it recognizable. Dave Eno, his father Phil, and the Fulton Shirts
  &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts are working closely with Kathy, doing all they can, not just
  to generate research funds; however, also to create awareness, and to
  somehow give meaning to, and as a tribute to his mother and our never
  to be forgotten friend.

  On behalf of the Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts and the Enos, our thanks to the
  Rochester Area Federation. Don&rsquo;t miss the 6th Annual ALS Dance next
  year. We need YOU!


articleid: 6
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content:
  For those of you working on your Century Club, Red Bates big Tumbling
  Leaves Festival at Bennington College is rapidly approaching
  Oct. 17-19, and Red assured us over the 4th, at his annual Rocky&rsquo;s
  Weekend, that our reservation at the Best Western is all set - and we
  have the Party Room! I always recommend the meal package at the
  College also. Can&rsquo;t beat the deal...and like everything else with
  square dancing, it&rsquo;s the people: friends, and making new ones!

  One thing to note for you newer dancers, there are halls for every
  level, Mainstream right on up. A great opportunity to hone your
  skills; learn new ones; and make life-long friendships. Don&rsquo;t miss the
  boat on this one...and on the way, view some of the prettiest fall
  scenery on the planet.

  If you check out the flyer, there are six great &ldquo;Big Time&rdquo; callers and
  two great cuers. We danced with the MacKays, who were cueing the 2+2s
  at the 4th of July Weekend with Red, and guarantee you will love
  her...and if you are a &ldquo;solo&rdquo; lady, her husband Robert hates to just
  watch!

  Of course, you don&rsquo;t have to wait until October to dance with Red,
  &ldquo;Mr. Smooth&rdquo;; he will be at Watkins Glen in September for the Penn Yan
  Friendship Squares biggie...and I point out that &ldquo;Walk-Ins&rdquo; are
  welcome. Check out the deal on their flyer.

  Tell your friends about all the fun you are having, and don&rsquo;t forget
  to add:

  &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Envy a Square Dancer. Be One!&rdquo;


articleid: 7
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  Another of Americas, &ldquo;Greatest Generation&rdquo; passes...and if you knew
  John as I did, you would hardly expect this diminutive man to have
  been the war hero that he was...but when he told me that he had been
  assigned to the 47th Bomb Group flying A-20s, then classified as a
  Medium Bomber, you would have immediately known that you were talking
  to a very lucky man, and your respect for him would take a Quantum
  Leap! To be here, alive, and talking to me in the mid 1990s, at Mike
  Callahan&rsquo;s Shamrock Squares, was certainly defying the odds.

  Until I talked to his wife of 31 years, Christine, to get material for
  this article, I had not known that both of their previous spouses had
  died, and they had met dancing with Bob Ellis&rsquo; Diamond Squares, and
  were married in a &ldquo;Square Dance Wedding&rdquo; a few years later, in
  1983. Curiously, they and the Diamond Squares then danced at the same
  church on Culver Road where we danced for years with Mike Callahan&rsquo;s
  Shamrock Squares...and also, earlier, with the Circulators.

  When WW2 started in Europe in 1939, John was twenty years old and
  positioned to experience the whole thing: Through the African
  Campaign, Italy, and Germany. In those days there were no defined
  deployments - your orders read: for the duration and six months!

  Do not misunderstand: I do not downplay the heroes of all of our wars,
  and that includes everyone, whether draftee or volunteer; whether male
  or female. When you have answered your nation&rsquo;s call, you know what I
  mean...and you also know what I mean when I say: John deserves your
  snappiest salute.

  Christine lives at 104 Church Hill Road in Henrietta, and can be
  reached at 585-334-5095. We hope to find an occasion soon to call and
  take her out to lunch; send a card...some expression of our love and
  best wishes.


articleid: 8
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  Hello and welcome,

  Thank you for visiting our updated Rochester Area Federation Web Site!
  We hope you will enjoy browsing through the different areas of
  information we have tried to make accessible. We have provided
  information regarding area wide dancing schedules, Federation
  officers, Federation meeting dates and minutes from past meetings. We
  have also included easy access to our dancing community news-magazine,
  the Promenader.

  The Promenader is full of dancing information and club news. You can
  see at a glance &ldquo;Special Dances&rdquo; coming up, and with just
  one or two clicks you can sort dance schedules out by club,
  caller/cuer, day of the week, and other sorting options. Each club in
  the area that chooses has submitted &ldquo;Club News&rdquo; letting
  you know what has been happening and what is coming in the near
  future, at their club. You can also catch up on news that touches our
  dancing community through the Photos and Features section.

  So I hope you take your time, and feel free to peruse through each
  section of the web site. I am sure you find the some helpful
  information and maybe even find some new and interesting pieces of
  information. Our hope is that this will open up information for people
  looking into Modern Western Square Dancing for the first time or
  visiting our area for the first time, help our newer dancers to learn
  and explore a little more, and keep all of our experienced dancers up
  to date on all that the Rochester Area Federation has to offer!

  I hope you find this helpful, and that I might see you on the dance
  floor soon.



  <!--
  Hello Dancing Friends,

  Welcome to the new Promenader! I know it will take some time to feel
  completely comfortable with this new electronic version, but once you
  spend some time browsing through the Promenader and the Federation web
  site (like 2 chapters in 1 book!), I think you will be amazed at how
  much information you can find! We know there may be some areas that
  still need a little work as we go, but we have to start somewhere, and
  this is it!! I hope you will be patient with the committees working on
  this wonderful news source as we continue with the development. Many
  hours, by many people have already gone into this first edition, so we
  hope you enjoy it.

  I hope clubs have had successful open houses. I am hearing of some
  nice classes at this point. There are already a number of Class/Club
  dances scheduled so please encourage your class members to attend
  these larger events. We know that dancing only gets better when you
  have a bigger group on the floor! Remind these newer dancers that
  dancing will be called at their skill level, for the time the dance is
  held. A big THANK YOU to the clubs hosting these very important
  dances! These new dancers are the future of our clubs and they need
  these opportunities to practice what they are learning. Be sure to
  welcome them into squares, and remember that we were all in their
  shoes at one time. Check this issue of the Promenader for details on
  these dances.

  The Dance O Rama committee has shared some very exciting news for our
  2015 dance event! We will be dancing at a new hall, closer to the
  central part of our dance area and it is AIR CONDITIONED!!! We will be
  holding the 57th Dance O Rama at the Perinton Parks and Recreation
  Center on Turk Hill Road in Perinton (Fairport area). We hope that the
  new location, and climate control will encourage even more dancers to
  join us on May 2, 2015 for this all day Dance Festival! More details
  will be coming soon, but please save the date, and start explaining
  this wonderful dance opportunity to new and experienced dancers. There
  will be dancing at different levels, Rounds, Squares, and a few
  surprises thrown in for fun! Our caller line up will be: Mike
  Callahan, Jerry Carmen, Dave Eno and Gil Porter. Cuers are: Alice
  Bubel and Mark Thone. We will once again have 2 wonderful dance halls
  and a room for snacks (can&rsquo;t dance without them!) and our famous
  Basket Raffle. I look forward to seeing our halls full of dancers!!

  I would like to let people know that there are still some
  opportunities for you to be able to be a part of our dance community
  via the organization area we call the Rochester Area Federation. We
  are still looking for someone willing to help with communication
  (Communications Liaison) between the Promenader and The &ldquo;Federation&rdquo;
  and also help to guide our Promotions Committee. This would not
  require a lot of direct promotional work or public speaking. This
  person/persons would help with some ideas, and relay information back
  to the Federation. The second opportunity we have is for our actual
  Promotions Committee. We would like to have 3 - 5 people who could
  share ideas on where and how to promote our wonderful activity in the
  very broad sense, then follow through the implementation of the
  ideas. These could include (but are not limited to) advertising on
  Community Bulletin Boards, Internet Bulletin Boards, possibly health
  fairs, and the list goes on. This would be directing people to the
  Federation Web Site, where people can then find a club in their
  preferred location, and go from there. It is also nice if the
  Promotions Committee can schedule different ideas, promotions, to get
  people out and dancing at multiple clubs, especially during the winter
  months when attendance can be lower at all clubs. If you are
  interested in either of these 2 opportunities, please contact me
  (Terry Pratt) at 585-469-7808, or prattsunshine@aol.com .

  I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season, and enjoy all of the
  wonderful dances in our area during this period!!
  -->


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  A big thank you to the Copy Cats for bringing National Caller Tim
  Marriner to Rochester, and I have to say they did it right: renting
  the big hall at St. John Fisher College, wooden floor, great acoustics
  and all&hellip; which I suspect was not cheap! I don&rsquo;t have any
  figures, but I think we made out all right. Over 14 squares showed up
  in spite of it being a dark, cold, miserable evening, and the day
  after Halloween.

  I also thank Mike and Wanda Callahan, and Gary and Alice Bubel, for
  their support. Mike and Wanda hosted their friend Tim at their home,
  and both the Callahans and the Bubels worked to make sure the
  afternoon &ldquo;A&rdquo; Dance was a success. Most of Mike
  Callahan&rsquo;s Shamrock Squares and others from as far away as
  Pennsylvania came for both dances.

  I did not get one picture of the square dancers in action since I
  danced every tip myself, and almost all of the rounds. My thanks to
  Barb and Vicki for dancing with me while Irma was nursing her knee. I
  do have a picture of Barbara from Pennsylvania&hellip;she is at the right
  in the picture of Bob &amp; Dianne Schlenker.

  It was a fun dance and thanks to all of the Copy Cats that helped to
  make it a success!


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  AKA PROMENADER DANCE CLOTHING SALES

  When the music stops and the dance is over, most of us just go
  home. For the past few years Irma and I were trying to cram all the
  un-sold clothes into our hatchback KIA Rondo, and with the seats
  folded down we were piled to the ceiling! Needless to say, the work
  was a long way from being over.

  This year we begged off from hosting the sorting party; Irma&rsquo;s
  new knee was just not up to it&hellip; and in answer to our prayers,
  Jane Avery stepped up to the plate, offering up her nice dry barn and
  exiling her car to the elements for the duration. We thank Jane for
  her yeoman effort in handling it all, and for everyone who showed up
  to help at her fun Barn Sorting Party, complete with cider and
  goodies. Shown left to right in the group picture are: Dick Halstead,
  Barb Green, Andy and Betty Ludwick, Irma Halstead, Jane Avery, Donna
  Smart, Sharon Meyer, Jan Weitz and Karen Olmsted&hellip; Mary Ellen
  Bella somehow worked hard, but escaped the picture.

  We now have containers filled with some great square dance clothes
  looking for a home&hellip; and we are looking for ideas on how best to
  match them up with just the right people. If this causes the creative
  juices to flow in any of your fertile brains out there, give any of us
  you know a call&hellip; you might just have the solution!


articleid: 11
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content:
  Recently, and for the first time in Shamrock Squares&rsquo;
  decade-long history, a &ldquo;Lifetime Membership Award&rdquo; was
  made to Sid and Toni Marshall, for their selfless work in providing a
  means for experienced Plus Dancers to progress to the &ldquo;A&rdquo;
  level.

  Some time ago Sid started FREE Advanced classes at a school in East
  Rochester, and with great success! His graduates have proven a
  &ldquo;boon&rdquo; to the membership of Shamrock Squares.

  Ginger and Leon Smith are two of those recent graduates, and are shown
  here proudly showing off their new diplomas, attesting that they have
  learned the over 40 new calls that comprise each of the new lists: A1
  and A2. Some dances, notably big weekend events such as Tumbling
  Leaves, offer separate A1 and A2 halls; however, in most venues,
  &ldquo;A&rdquo; dancing assumes proficiency at both.

  Sid does a great job with his classes, and the new faces have been
  welcome additions to our club.

  On another celebratory note, two of Shamrock Squares&rsquo; dancers
  have taken yet another step&hellip; Oh yes, sometimes our members get
  married too! I am certain that you recognize these
  two. Congratulations, again, to Carl and Eileen Webster.


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content:
  The Cloverleafs, the Rochester Area Federation&rsquo;s premier
  &ldquo;singles club,&rdquo; has a long history of doing things right,
  and a dedicated number of members and leaders that work hard to make
  it &ldquo;happen.&rdquo; The club has supported Rochester&rsquo;s
  &ldquo;Honor Flight&rdquo; program for many years now. This program
  sends WWII, and now Korean War Veterans, on an all-expense-paid trip
  to our nation&rsquo;s capital, where they are escorted to the Memorial
  Wall&hellip; where they can run their hands over the names of
  &ldquo;buddies&rdquo;; probably saying a silent prayer&hellip; I know
  that&rsquo;s what I did when I ran my hand over Captain Riley&rsquo;s
  name, my boss that bought the farm in Vietnam&hellip; and we all know
  many others. There is a full day of activities that includes
  ceremonies at Arlington, and the respect of their nation.

  But it is not just those that paid the supreme sacrifice that we
  honor. Everyone that answered their nation&rsquo;s call, that raised
  their hand and solemnly swore to defend their country, and has a
  DD214, a RECORD OF MILITARY SERVICE, deserves our honor and
  respect. You go where you are needed and sent. No one gives their life
  on purpose&hellip; records show that most did it doing their best to
  NOT let a buddy down; and to not let their country down. Arlington is
  the final resting place for many of those who honorably served, from
  presidents to privates, as are all of our national cemeteries. Indeed,
  many rest in places known only to God.

  The attached pictures show President Jane Avery thanking their club
  members, and all the dancers from other clubs in the area that showed
  up, putting us over the top. Sure, we wanted to dance to Mike
  Callahan, he is a great caller, and a veteran himself; and we wanted
  to dance to Eileen too&hellip; but this was Veterans Day Week, and a
  great way to show support, and respect for our veterans, and a great
  cause. Hey, there are not too many of us left, and although at 85, I
  do not feel like the most senior &ldquo;vet&rdquo; around&hellip; I
  must certainly be getting closer every year.

  The veterans in the picture are: front row, Pat Hayford, Sharon
  Woodward, Mike, and Rick Young; back row, me, Carl Webster, Henry
  Capron, Paul Weitz, Barb Green, Clayton Wing, Steve Barkley and John
  Baccoli.

  The club officers that I caught at the sign-in table are Jane Avery,
  Steve Barkley (note the Purple Heart from Vietnam), Karen Olmsted, and
  Dave Sanford.

  Again, hats off to the Cloverleafs. Great job&hellip; makes one proud
  to be a dancer.


articleid: 14
position: a
type: text
content:
  The Promenader staff joins the Rochester area dance community in
  mourning the loss of Kathleen O&rsquo;Hara Georger, who passed away
  peacefully on September 28, 2014, at the age of 80.

  Kay was the mother of six children, who alongside her husband of 57
  years, Kenneth, raised her family in the town of Gates, NY. Survived
  by her husband Ken; six children: Daniel (Christine), James (Donna),
  Susan (Michael) Kowalczyk, Kevin (Molly Frank), Edward (Debra), and
  Gary (Lorena); 14 grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; brother
  David O&rsquo;Hara brothers-in-law William, Thomas (Donna); many
  nieces, nephews &amp; cousins.

  She was born on August 25, 1934 in Rochester NY, 19th Ward. An eternal
  optimist with tireless energy, she was an active member of
  St. Helen&rsquo;s and most recently at Holy Ghost Parish. Kay was a
  volunteer who selflessly gave back to her church and community through
  her involvement in many clubs and organizations, including: Gates
  Historical Society, GEVA, Rochester Broadway Theater League and JCC
  usher, Lifespan and Landmark Society.

  She enjoyed square dancing for 45 years with the Country Twirlers,
  bowling, golfing, bicycling and cross-country skiing. She had a strong
  love of family, faith and life.

  Besides serving as presidents of Country Twirlers for many years, Kay
  and Ken also were active as Federation presidents and were members of
  the Dance-O-Rama committee from 2000 to 2007. And her cheerful spirit
  and readiness to help were present at every Promenader Dance. In 1999,
  Ken and Kay were the recipients of the Daphne Norma Leadership Award.

  Donations in her memory may be made to Hope Hall or Notre Dame
  Learning Center.


articleid: 15
position: b
type: text
content:
  Saturday, the 25th of October, 2014, will live in the annals of square
  dancing history in Rochester as the date that an emotion-filled Ken
  Georger sat before us as their long time, &ldquo;perennial
  president,&rdquo; and together with other long-time members, rang down
  the curtain on their illustrious 55 years among us: 55 years of
  leading the way, bringing top notch callers to our area; 55 years of
  some of the most memorable dancing, and some of the most memorable
  dancer friends, many of whom are also no longer with us.

  Of course, one of the reasons for this closure is that this sterling
  venue, the Washington Irving School has been sold, and whether it may
  be an option again for our &ldquo;big dances&rdquo; is uncertain!

  Right, I am talking about the one that was so conveniently located on
  Chili Avenue, and near the airport. Everyone loved that raised stage;
  the great wooden floor&hellip; but it was more than that: there were
  also the declining numbers; and the reason that our beloved Ken was
  sitting was that it was painful for him to stand, and for a while,
  impossible to dance.

  I know for many of you the ink is hardly dry on the sympathy cards
  that you sent to Ken at the passing of his wife, and our also beloved
  friend, Kay Georger. Now I am suggesting that we all send thank you
  cards to Ken for his many years of service, and especially if you can
  remind him of fond memories. And just to tickle your &ldquo;fond
  memory button&rdquo; a bit, I am including a collage of pictures, most
  from the dance last night (for me as I write this), but some you will
  recognize from the past, as in their 45th Anniversary Celebration, and
  others.

  I am not certain how this will all work now that our also beloved
  printed Promenader is &ldquo;history&rdquo; as we knew it, arriving in
  our mail boxes&hellip;but think positively: my hope is that there will
  now be room for additional pictures, with the restrictions of printing
  costs falling away. Tell your friends, we are now available FREE at:
  squaredancingrochester.org.

  As an aside in ending this, as Federation historian, I have club
  histories that I hope to be able to make available on our website,
  working with our webmaster(s), and also with individual clubs to make
  them in fact, &ldquo;living histories&rdquo;!

  My personal thanks to Ken and all of the Country Twirlers for a great
  ride, and with the prayer that we may all be blessed with many years
  of dancing and working together to ensure that we remain one of the
  best year-round dancing areas anyplace.


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  Pick a year, you could have a &ldquo;roll call&rdquo; of Rochester
  area dancers at Red Bates&rsquo; annual square dance
  &ldquo;biggie&rdquo; at Bennington College, &ldquo;Tumbling
  Leaves,&rdquo; and find us well represented. And why not: dancing just
  does not get any better than this, and with separate halls for
  whatever level you want to dance at, it is a square and round dancing
  &ldquo;pig out&rdquo;! &hellip;And I use that analogy because if you
  get the all-inclusive meal plan, there are virtually limitless
  options&hellip; check with any of the people you see in these
  photos&hellip; it would take too long to describe here.

  Of course, it&rsquo;s not just the dancing, driving along the thruway
  the 200 miles to Albany is a joy all by itself on a sunny day in the
  fall; then just about seven or eight miles north to Troy, and up over
  the hill, and down the other side, and you are in beautiful
  Bennington. Make a right and you are two blocks from the Best
  Western&hellip; included in the package; check in, and you are less
  than five minutes to the college campus, where Ginny Bates will have
  your package waiting for you, along with a friendly hug! (NOT too
  vigorous: her back was hurting this year.)

  Just below the campus are three of the most picturesque Vermont
  covered bridges, which are a photographer&rsquo;s dream. This is
  assuming you can tear yourself away from your pick of Red, Tim
  Marriner, Ken Ritucci, Bill Harrison or the Canadian caller for next
  year, Barry Clasper. Steve and Irene Bradt, and Beverly and Robert
  Mackay, are slated for next year again too.

  Red does not pay me to do this, I just love your company&hellip; and
  we are pre-registered, as I think is everyone you see here.

  What does that tell you???


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  There were happy moments: and perhaps none happier than when we called
  Betty and Andy to the stage, to recognize and thank them for their
  many years of service, transforming our beloved Promenader from an
  informative instrument into a world-class square dance magazine -- one
  that advertisers lined up to insert full-page ads in, and one that we
  anxiously awaited seeing each time a new issue came out. It had become
  an &ldquo;art form&rdquo; with a usefulness and convenience that kept
  us going back to it many times, as it kept us quickly informed -
  &ldquo;Hey, where is that special dance we don&rsquo;t want to
  miss?&rdquo;

  Right on the front page of course! And all of the routine dances were
  right where people always open a magazine to: the inside back pages!

  Again Betty and Andy, thank you for your more than 16 years of keeping
  us all on the same page &hellip;and now for continuing to help as we
  transition to the new &ldquo;normal.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s right. The
  world has changed!

  Now we want whatever we need to know to be right at our
  fingertips. With just a swipe and a couple of clicks on this new
  ePromenader, we can not only discover where the dances are scheduled,
  we can also find them with a map that shows us exactly where they are
  located&hellip; You don&rsquo;t know where the Pieters Family Life
  Center is? Click, and there you are.

  If you are reading this, you have already accessed
  squaredancingrochester.org. So check out its many features. Sid
  Marshall, Peter Emmel, Betty Ludwick, and the rest of our Development
  Team are doing a great job on this -- and we are making continuous
  improvements.

  But, getting back to the dance, there were sadly reflective moments
  too. But, life goes on, as you can see in the picture of Ken Georger,
  bravely showing up, doing his thing at the check-in table, as are many
  others. There was a lot of work to do. I carried in more than 30 bags
  of clothes that had been stored at Mike and Ann Herne&rsquo;s home,
  and soon a swarm of all of you out there were helping get everything
  set up&hellip; and sales were brisk, and thankfully so. Even our new
  electronic format has costs involved, so we appreciate your on-going
  support.

  Thanks to all of you that showed up, and a special thanks to our
  callers and cuers who donated their time and talents. It was a fun
  dance and I think, I know for me, it will be long remembered.

  One final thought. If you have a square dance friend who has not tried
  checking out our online access, take a moment and show them how easy
  it is&hellip; add it to their &ldquo;My Favorites&rdquo; list, or
  bookmark it on their desktop for them.

  If all else fails, give them Peter Emmel&rsquo;s phone number and
  maybe we can get them a hard copy.

  We look forward to your constructive input.


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  I can&rsquo;t think of anyone within the footprint of the Rochester Area
  Federation of Round and Square Dancers whose life has not been touched
  by the life of Tom Mallory. And that includes many members of
  Rochester&rsquo;s non-hearing community, and who were part of
  NTID&hellip; where Tom taught square dancing -- using sign language!
  He was a member of Callerlab and was gaining an ever-increasing
  following as a professional caller.

  Of course, as with all of us, there was much more to &ldquo;who he
  was&rdquo; as a person, than that which is shown in his brief
  obituary, as posted in the Rochester D&amp;C. One thing that Tom had
  in common with many of us was a love for scuba diving; however, most
  of us, like me, are relative amateurs; he was a professional&hellip;
  and until recently, was often called upon for helicopter rescue
  operations.

  Although Tom became a &ldquo;professional caller,&rdquo; and as such
  could be found, as in the attached pictures, calling at Dance-O-Rama
  and many of the clubs in the area. Tom was also a loyal member of the
  Copy Cats&hellip; one of several large and very active clubs in our
  area.

  Many of you reading this may never have met Tom; however, with what I
  hope are your daily discussions with your Creator regarding what you
  are grateful and thankful for&hellip; and fondly pray for&hellip; you
  might wish to mention that Tom, in his own way, made a
  difference&hellip; and I am grateful for that, and having known him.

  -submitted by Dick Halstead

  Walter &ldquo;Tom&rdquo; Mallory of Webster, NY, passed away on Tues.,
  Sept. 30, 2014, at age 62. Predeceased by his wife, Eleanor. He leaves
  his children, Jonathan (Kara), Sarah (Joseph) Camiolo; grandchildren,
  Mack Mallory and Flora Camiolo; siblings, Kathleen (Joseph) Cometa,
  Maureen (Joseph) Schoeffel, Pegi (Marvin) Davis, David (Kathleen)
  Mallory; nieces and nephews; companion, Betty Lamb.

  Memorials may be directed to the American Cancer Society.


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  Robert P. Meagher was a square dance caller, and a friend.

  Irma and I had not been dancing too long when we first met Bob. In
  those days we did not travel that much to other clubs, and he had
  agreed to do a &ldquo;demo&rdquo; for us, then the Wayne Westerners,
  at a nursing home in Newark. It was just a great dance that the
  residents thoroughly enjoyed, as we all did. When we were leaving and
  I was thanking him, I commented, &ldquo;That was great, Bob, I think
  you called every call on the Mainstream and the Plus
  lists&hellip;&rdquo; He answered with that wry grin of his and said
  simply: &ldquo;I did!&rdquo;

  There was just so much more to &ldquo;Bob&rdquo; Meagher than can be
  said in the facts summarized below. If I were writing his Performance
  Report for this big transfer, I think I would start out: &ldquo;Dear
  God: I am happy to recommend Robert P. Meagher for a new and heavenly
  body. I expect he will require very little cross-training to fit right
  in&hellip; and just knowing he is there will make me much less
  reluctant to leave when you call, and P.S.: he is a great square dance
  caller!&rdquo;

  -submitted by Dick Halstead

  Bob Meagher passed away on October 7, 2014, at the age of
  85. Predeceased by his brother, David and daughter, Carol; survived by
  his beloved wife of 63 years, Jeannette Meagher; his children, James
  (Patty), Patrick (Lynn) and Kenneth (Ellen) Meagher; sisters, Ruth
  (Howard), Tracey, June Kenney; and sister-in-law, Nancy Meagher; 8
  grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews. Robert
  was an employee at Case-Hoyt, Great Lakes Press and Quality Vision
  Int. He enjoyed square dancing and was a square dance caller and
  instructor.

  The family would like to express a sincere thank you to the staff at
  St. Ann&rsquo;s Nursing Home. Donations in his memory may be made to
  the American Heart Association.


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  Bob and Nancy Platt met at the Swinging Singles in 1977 and married seven
  months later. It was as is true in many love stories:
  &ldquo;love at first sight.&rdquo; And judging by the look in
  Nancy&rsquo;s eyes in the photo seen here, that love had only
  grown in their almost 40 years together.

  The same could also be said for many of us, in our admiration for
  them, as we watched Bob and Nancy deal with Bob&rsquo;s post-cancer
  diagnosis and treatment regimens. They were both inspirational as they
  continued to dance&hellip;and with never a complaint.

  We danced for many years with Bob and Nancy at the Emerald Squares,
  one of the earlier DBD clubs, and subsequently with them at the
  Southern Tier Wheelers, the Copy Cats, the Village Squares, and the
  Shamrock Squares. I know their history also included the Web Spinners
  and the Star Spinners. Nancy also mentioned how much Bob enjoyed
  festivals, and the abundance of friends. I for one will surely miss
  the special dimension Bob brought to dancing, and pray that our dance
  community has not seen the last of Nancy and her wonderful smile.

  Of course there was much more to Robert N. Platt and the extensive and
  loving family that he and Nancy produced. He also proudly served his
  country as a member of the US Coast Guard&mdash;and subsequently retired as
  an engineer at Kodak&hellip;finishing off his working years driving a
  school bus for the Williamson School District.

  Bob, to quote the official published obituary, &ldquo;Entered into
  his Eternal Rest: on Dec. 29, 2014.&rdquo; I personally
  do not see it that way. I know our Heavenly Father loves us, but an
  &ldquo;Eternal Rest&rdquo; is the last thing I would want or
  expect for Bob: with all that talent and energy, I am certain God has enough
  in store for Bob, as He does all of us, to keep us challenged and very
  busy &hellip; even for an eternity.

  Let&rsquo;s resolve to make sure that Nancy continues to feel loved by
  all of us.

  God Bless and God Speed Bob.

  Dick and Irma Halstead

  Your &ldquo;A&rdquo; Square Dance Friends


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  My inspirational friend and cancer survivor, Kay
  Anderson, told us on the way to a dance two nights ago that she has
  been doing 5K (3.5 mile) power walks, trying to get her time down to
  one hour, which works out to be pretty much exactly 17-minute miles.

  Of course, this is not just for fun and vibrant good health. Have you
  ever heard of &ldquo;The Myrtle Beach Marathon&rdquo;??? Well, Kay
  plans to fork up $38 for this great benefit, and get the FREE
  T-Shirt awarded to all who finish in less than an hour!

  Well, that is where we happen to be, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and for me that
  was like &ldquo;flinging down the proverbial gauntlet&rdquo;! I am just
  10 or 15 years older than Kay, and as luck would have it, from our place
  here at 1210 N. Waccamaw Dr., Garden City Beach, S.C., to the Surfside
  Pier, it is exactly 1.8 miles, and two times 1.8 = 3.6 miles. I have a
  built-in beach walk of the required distance.

  Of course, I have done that walk before, but never trying for a 17-minute
  mile. There was a &ldquo;youngish&rdquo; lady well ahead of me
  yesterday, who had passed me as I was photographing Irma up in condo
  1009 at the Royal Garden Resorts, and as I looked at my watch and
  turned to set out, the thought occurred to me to try to keep up with
  her or maybe catch and pass her. The thought also occurred to me:
  &ldquo;Man, we also want to go dancing tonight (Wednesday) with the Dixie
  Diamonds, and Thursday (tonight) with the Grand Strand
  Strutters&hellip;then Friday and all-day Saturday the South Carolina
  Festival, their version of DOR!&rdquo;

  I point out to you in Rochester Area Federation land that Kay and Andy
  Anderson are not just long-time joined-at-the-hip friends, they are,
  for those of you that frequent RAF Board meetings, the long-time
  Cayuga Cut Up reps &hellip; driving over an hour to get there.

  I am also including a picture here of Kay and Andy Anderson, and also
  Phil Eno and Marjorie Hill, and of Irma and me at that dance Monday
  night, with Joel Spivey, his wife in the center of the picture, all at
  the Monday Sand Dollar Squares.

  So, did I make it??? Yes, but did I make it back in less
  than an hour?

  Watch the news in early April for the results. Hugs all around!


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  In September 2014, Ron Brown attended the State Convention for Knights
  Templar of the State of New York (part of the Masonic fraternity) held
  at Lake Placid, N.Y., where he addressed the convention as Chairman of
  the Trustees and Grand Historian. He has served this state body for
  the past 38 years and has been a member for 48 years, and has written
  two books of a three-book series on the 200-year history of this fraternal
  organization.

  He was honored by the Grand Commandery of New York and was presented
  by the Grand Master of the United States of America with the title of
  Right Eminent Past Grand Commander of the State of New York. The title of
  Grand Commander is the highest title one can achieve in the state.

  It should be noted that only five members have been given this title in
  the past 201 years (since 1814). He is in good company with
  Gov. Dewitt Clinton and Jerome Cheney (Vice Pres. Cheney&rsquo;s
  cousin). The photo shows Ron being received with Grand Commander honors
  at his home Commandery in Pittsford, N.Y., in December.


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  On New Year&rsquo;s Eve, the Village Squares celebrated their 40th
  anniversary by welcoming 2015 with the Hip Boot Boyz playing to a hall
  filled with happy friends. Since ruby is the 40th anniversary
  gemstone, dancers were encouraged to wear red and, from the stage, the
  room looked like an ocean of bobbing cardinals.

  The evening began with Peter Emmel welcoming the dancers and
  recounting the history of the club from its beginnings in 1973 as the
  &ldquo;Rough Edges.&rdquo; After six months of dancing with Dick
  Casper, the edges were no longer rough, so in 1974 the club changed its
  name to the Village Squares. From its inception, Village Squares have
  been known for their theme dances and the themes have ranged from Hobo
  Nights and Barn Dances to Easter Parades and a formal dress Prom.

  Between tips, Tom Powers led a Village Squares version of &ldquo;Wait
  Wait&hellip;Don&rsquo;t Tell Me!&rdquo; with questions like,
  &ldquo;At which of the following venues did the Village Squares put on
  a square dance demo: Lollypop Farm, Strong Museum of Play, Burger King
  or the Pittsford Credit Union at Mendon?&rdquo; (Answer: All of them!)

  Next, George Dormer reminisced about some of the high (or low) points
  of 1974. Appropriately, one of that year&rsquo;s top songs was,
  &ldquo;The Way We Were.&rdquo; In August, President Nixon resigned; and
  in October, Ali defeated George Foreman at the Rumble in the
  Jungle. Gas was 55 cents and postage jumped from 8 cents to 10 cents.

  Throughout the evening in the front foyer a continuous slide show gave
  glimpses of the various activities and characters that have kept the
  Village Squares lively through the years.

  Acey and Deucey, the club&rsquo;s traveling pandas, watched the
  festivities from a corner of the food table and particularly enjoyed
  keeping an eye on the luscious anniversary cake.

  As the ball dropped at midnight everyone celebrated the New Year with
  hats, horns and noisemakers and wished the Village Squares another 40
  years of dancing.

  Sally Emmel
  1/29/2015


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  One of the criteria for receiving the <b>Daphne Norma Leadership
  Award</b> is an expectation of on-going service. Reading the following
  article about one of our area&rsquo;s most outstanding square dance callers
  and teachers, Ron Brown, whom I personally nominated for this award
  two or three times before he was selected &hellip; suggests the
  abundance of outstanding leaders we are so fortunate to have in our
  Rochester Area Federation.

  Before you continue to the article, let me remind you that all nominations
  for this award should be sent to Irma and me because we are the most recent recipients.
  Our address is:

  Dick &amp; Irma Halstead<br>
  2900 Harris Road<br>
  Palmyra, New York 14522

  We are currently in South Carolina; however, mail to our home address
  will automatically be forwarded here. We plan to be back into the
  Rochester area by the 1st of April, to begin the DOR 2015 Daphne Norma
  Selection process &hellip; together with the former recipient committee
  members &hellip; and to get the silver plate appropriately engraved for
  the new recipients.

  Irma and I are thankful to have had the honor of bringing the candy dish
  to as many clubs as possible this Honor Year, and proudly representing
  this group of outstanding leaders.

  <span style="color:red">URGENT&mdash;The deadline for nominations has been extended to March 15, 2015.</span>
  Look around you, and don&rsquo;t worry about details; the person(s)
  you are nominating may no doubt have previous &ldquo;votes&rdquo;/nomination letters,
  and you may add yours by simply explaining why <i>you</i> feel as you do. But
  it is important that you do it promptly! (There are more details in the AWARDS link on the RAF home page.)

  If you want to save a stamp, you may email us at: dickhalstead@gmail.com,
  and I will print your note for inclusion. Indeed, the most direct way to send in
  nominations is by emailing, so we encourage you to do so!

  Thank You &hellip; and read on about Ron &hellip; quite an
  accomplishment &hellip; and a well-deserved recognition.


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  Long-time Cloverleaf member Marion Kelly is responsible
  for most of the kind and loving memories found here. They are typical, I suspect,
  of the dancers and others who note the passing of Bill Owen
  with sadness, and thankfulness for his life of service to our dancing
  community and to mankind. For full details, see Rochester D&amp;C for December 28.

  Marion Kelly remembered how Bill&rsquo;s strong leadership and motivational
  skills rescued the Cloverleafs from dire financial trouble when he was
  in the first of his two presidencies, and was indeed instrumental in
  establishing precedents that now have established this premier club in
  our midst as a model for long-term success. He also hosted many
  social events at his Lake Road home, which he built in 1954. He
  enjoyed square dancing, round dancing, especially with Mark and
  Marlene Thone, boating, and fixing things. Bill was also active in his
  church and was a scoutmaster. He attended the picnic Cloverleaf
  Squares had following the car rally last fall.

  Bill graduated from Cornell University in 1949 with a B.S. in Mechanical
  Engineering. He worked at Eastman Kodak for 37 years. He had four
  children, and was predeceased by his oldest son, also named Bill.

  Marion Kelly summarized her memories of Bill with this
  observation: &ldquo;He was a kind man and would always help everybody in any
  way that he could. He will be missed.&rdquo;

  Dick Halstead and Marion Kelly


articleid: 26
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  If you have been dancing for more than just a few years in and around
  Rochester, just the mention of the Name Bob Ellis will conjure-up a
  host of fun memories, and probably a number of &ldquo;tips&rdquo; he gave
  you on how to remember some less-frequently-heard calls, like:
  &ldquo;Turn-and-Left-Through&rdquo;! When questioned as to what list that
  was on, I can still hear Bob saying: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what list it is
  on, but when I call it, everybody just does it&hellip;and if they
  can&rsquo;t&hellip;read up on it.&rdquo;

  If you happened to have difficulty with this, or even just plain old
  Right or Left Turn Through, Bob would be quick to teach you that,
  &ldquo;The Operative Word Here is <i>through</i>&hellip;and if you don&rsquo;t take
  a full step <i>through</i> after doing the arm-turn part&hellip;you are
  probably going to have difficulty with the call.&rdquo;

  Well, our dear friend won&rsquo;t be teaching us here anymore, nor will he
  in Zephyrhills FL.; his last heart attack on the morning of 16
  February, 2015 ended this dimension for this wonderful caller,
  husband, father, grandfather, and all the other things he was, known
  only to him and to his Creator&hellip;but the good news is, as God&rsquo;s children,
  I believe we yet have an eternity
  to continue learning and doing&hellip;and I look forward to sharing it with
  an ever-expanding list of people that I have come to know and to love.

  I pray that his beautiful wife Nancy takes comfort in this also, and
  especially all the good friends we had in the Emerald Squares. That
  was the club Bob got our square-dance week started off right with on
  Monday nights at the Masonic Lodge in Webster. Thanks again to
  Nick and Fran for their years of service there making sure the lodge
  was ready for us.

  Sadly we will still be away when his life will be celebrated locally
  at 2 p.m. at the United Methodist Church, 1 East Main Street in Clifton
  Springs, NY, on the 7th of March 2015&hellip;but I intend to send an email to
  all of my many friends that hopefully can make it and help pass along
  our condolences.

  Love you and miss you, Bob; and consoling hugs for you, Nancy!

  Dick &amp; Irma Halstead


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  The Day of Dance, Spirit of Women program, started five years ago in our
  area, sponsored by Thompson Health as a way to make more women aware of
  their heart health as well as health in general. It was held three years
  ago at the Canandaigua Primary School, and they charged admission for
  the screenings they performed. Our square dance community
  participated. Last year it was moved to Eastview Mall in Victor to
  attract a wider segment. We were invited to participate again to show
  how exercise can help both your mind and your body.

  This year it was held at Eastview Mall again and Wanda Miller was the
  emcee. There was a fairly good crowd considering all the cold wintery
  weather we&rsquo;ve had. Two squares participated, comprised of mainly
  Cloverleaf Squares, Copy Cats, and Village Squares. Tee-shirts were
  handed out along with many souvenirs from different participants.
  If you wanted to sample what acupuncture is, you could do that as well
  as talk to a Personal Trainer or have your blood pressure taken and
  have a cholesterol screening done.

  Sharon Meyer


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  The Dance-O-Rama committee has been working hard this year to bring a
  new focus to this year&rsquo;s dance event! We started with the
  theme. We looked at this from a new direction, realizing that there
  are many benefits of making this a recognizable event from year to
  year. Therefore, we have made the decision that we will now use one
  theme from year to year, and make this more of a &ldquo;dance
  festival.&rdquo; Our new theme is, Dance-O-Rama, Rochester&rsquo;s
  Annual Dance Festival. We are going to use the lilac logo, since many
  people associate lilacs with Rochester (as they do leaves for the
  Tumbling Leaves Festival).

  After searching for several years, the committee has also found a new
  venue. This year we will hold the dance festival at the Perinton
  Recreation Center on Turk Hill Road in Fairport (area). (Please note
  that there are maps on the back of the festival flyers.) We will have
  two dance halls, one snack/basket room, and the best news &hellip;
  (drum roll please) the entire facility is air conditioned!! This, as
  we all know, is something that has been needed for the comfort of
  all. This year we have made some adjustments as we planned for this
  venue, and we can continue to make changes as needed for the
  future. Please be sure to look for our new &ldquo;exit surveys&rdquo;
  letting us know what you liked, and what you might like to see in the
  future. These will be more formatted than the past comment cards that
  were blank. YOU can have a voice in planning for the future. We hope
  that bringing the festival closer to the central part of our dance
  community&rsquo;s geographic area will also help to bring more dancers in to join us.

  As we want this to have a true festival flare, we will be focusing on
  ALL dancers. We do want to acknowledge the accomplishment of our new
  graduates, and will plan to provide many opportunities for them to
  display, and build on, their skills. As we do this, we also want to
  celebrate and provide many opportunities for our experienced dancers!
  We realize we may not have been providing enough higher level dancing
  to entice a large number of our experienced dancers to join us. This
  year that changes! We have asked our callers/cuers to provide a level
  of dancing that meets the needs of those on the floor. We expect this
  will be in the actual level of dancing, as well as the variety being
  offered. If we have more experienced dancers on the floor, then we
  want the level to be enjoyable for THEM. Again, we will be reviewing
  the exit surveys for feedback for the following year. So, we hope our
  experienced dancers will be joining us to not only enjoy the day, but
  also to help us plan adequately for next year.

  Dance-O-Rama will take place on Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 2:00 to
  9:45 p.m. Please plan to join us to launch this new &ldquo;Dance
  Festival&rdquo; for the Rochester area. If you can, please bring some
  snacks to share, and while there will not be a meal served on-site,
  there will be information on the many area dining options
  available. Let&rsquo;s make this the biggest dancing event in years
  for our area!!

  I hope to see you in a square!

  Terry Pratt, President of the Rochester Area Federation


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  The idea was conceived over 50 years ago: Get all the dancers, from
  all the clubs, and have a day of dancing together! &hellip; And get
  the best callers and cuers around to make it happen.

  Over half a century of rich history behind us. Now it is your
  turn to preempt whatever else will be necessary to GET IT ON YOUR CALENDARS!

  Please note the CHANGE OF VENUE this year!

  This year we are dancing at the Perinton Rec Center, 1350 Turk Hill
  Road, Fairport, N.Y., and it is AIR CONDITIONED, so you don&rsquo;t
  have to &ldquo;Sweat the Weather&rdquo;!

  Our Callers, Mike Callahan, Jerry Carmen, Dave Eno, and our newest
  phenom, Gil Porter, together with our two awesome cuers,
  Alice Bubel and Mark Thone, are guaranteed to tickle your feet and
  your fancy. So don&rsquo;t come alone, call some friends, get some
  cars full, and have a &ldquo;HAPPENING&rdquo;! Bring your own square
  and make sure &hellip; and be sure and work the new dancers in too!
  You can make new life-long friends with that simple act of kindness.

  The price is just $10 at the door, but bring a few extra dollars, for
  the BASKET RAFFLE! Over its brief history, the money from
  this project has funded many of the activities that let us give back to you!
  The 50/50 this year will feature ONE MEGA DRAWING, and
  you could go home a winner. No matter, you will all feel like winners,
  just from the fun you will have had.

  The Daphne Norma Award will be featured during the opening ceremonies,
  and this year the Circle of Service Award may also be presented. You
  definitely do not want to miss this!

  I am including some pictures, some of past Daphne Norma recipients, but
  many candid shots from past DANCE-O-RAMAS. Check them out, I may just
  have caught YOU!


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  Rochester was once again well represented at the 2015 WASCA Festival
  in Alexandria, Virginia. Our photo shows 26 people (Two might not be
  from our area, but someone waved them in!) for the Rochester Area
  group, with four of them also being Callers/Cuers. We know there were
  a few more that did not make it for the photo, but it is so difficult
  to get everyone together at one moment.

  This year I noticed that a large percentage of the Rochester dancers
  were dancing in the Advanced and Challenge level dance halls. We
  really ARE a talented group!! If you have not attended this wonderful
  festival, try to put it on your calendar for next year. It is one of
  the best dance experiences in the Northeast. I talked with people that
  drove all the way from Florida to attend this festival, and they were
  not on their way back north. They were returning to Florida, some
  making a 14-hour drive back to their homes. The drive is worth it! We
  are just lucky that it is only a 6-1/2 hour drive from Rochester.

  If you need a little encouragement to help you make the decision to go
  to the WASCA Festival, let me see what I can do &hellip; there are
  always four or more halls dancing at any given time. They have a
  basket raffle that would amaze you (over 20 baskets
  available). Baskets included sporting event seats and other items,
  wine baskets, a Disney Hopper basket (four passes in the basket), gift
  cards to many chain restaurants, etc., and a large assortment of other
  wonderful baskets. There are meals served right in the area that
  serves as the social area, and many options in or out of the
  hotel. There are also many small areas to sit and just relax, as well
  as areas to gather with friends to play cards or whatever else you
  might choose to do. And last, but not least, they have ice cream
  available each night at 9 p.m.!! One scoop or two, and all the toppings
  you can imagine! So there you have a small list of reasons that
  should try to attend WASCA 2016. I have brought back many flyers with
  all of the information that you would need to register and will be
  passing them out to our area clubs, so be looking. I hope next year
  our group photo will include YOU!!!

  Terry Pratt, President<br>Rochester Area Federation


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  There were four lively squares at the CCR &ldquo;Beginners Ball&rdquo;
  dance on March 14, 2015. The callers, Jim Gotta, Ray Tompkins, Gil
  Porter, Ron Brown, Sid Marshall and joint caller/cuers, Mike Callahan,
  Jerry Carmen and Chuck Meyer, put the dancers through their
  paces. These dances help the CCR by serving as workshops for the
  callers and cuers. Your help in supporting these dances is
  appreciated.

  Since dancers also like to eat, there was no lack of delicious
  snacks to munch on.

  The next dance will be August 22, at the Henrietta Fire Hall. Bring
  all your new graduates and let them share in all the fun.

  Sharon Meyer


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  Bob and Jeannen had just returned from visiting their daughter in
  Austin, Texas, and Bob had decided to walk the quarter mile or so from
  their beautiful year-round home on Cayuga Lake, just below Union
  Springs, to check mail and get the paper. A neighbor passed him,
  wondering why he was sitting under a tree. A short time later the
  neighbor returned and found Bob lying there with his indomitable
  spirit having left his body.

  Many of you reading this will perhaps remember Bob and Jeannen as the
  loyal Club Reps for the Cayuga Cut-Ups at Federation meetings, or
  perhaps you may have danced with them at DOR, or any of the other big dances
  locally. Living in the Auburn area, they danced frequently in Penn
  Yan and Fulton, and never missed the now-annual Elaine Eno ALS
  benefit dance. While they served as club presidents, Bob and Jeannen
  did much to restore this club to premier status, attracting
  visitors with many big dances and a warm welcoming atmosphere.

  Born in Auburn, he was the son of the late Henry J. and Rena Stott
  Pearson. He leaves his wife of 56 years, Jeannen Warn Pearson; his
  daughter, Cynthia (John) Duchala; his daughter, Linda (Randy) Brink;
  grandchildren, Adelyn and Patrick Duchala; and stepgrandson, Mitchell
  Brink. Also surviving are a niece, Jackie Hale; and a nephew, Henry
  J. Pearson III.

  Bob was a proud veteran, and a retired mechanical engineer with IBM who
  enjoyed annual Outer Banks fishing trips with his old
  work pals. If you ever visited his home, it would soon be obvious,
  however, that the things he loved most were his family and providing a
  happy retreat for all of them where they could be together on the
  lake, enjoying every kind of sporting water-craft
  imaginable&hellip;and with Bob, probably petting his dog and
  smiling&hellip;pretty much content and at peace with himself and his
  Creator.

  God speed, Bob, you leave many in your wake who love you, and a
  heritage like few others ever so humbly attain.

  Until we meet again&hellip;

  Dick Halstead, Your Friend


articleid: 33
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  Recalling that Bob&rsquo;s wife, Lou, preceded him in
  death in a tragic accident in Florida several years ago, it is still
  difficult to think of one without the other. Now there is no longer
  that need.

  You may also recall that that same accident almost took Bob&rsquo;s
  life, but with rehabilitation he did return to us, and in typical
  form, was returning as best he could to our square dance community.

  Bob&rsquo;s square dancing &ldquo;history&rdquo; began with the
  Triggers, but also included the Cloverleaf Squares, where he met Lou
  in 1988. They were Vice Presidents and then Presidents of the
  Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus in 2000, 2001, and in 2002; and
  simultaneously Vice Presidents of the Rochester Area Federation from
  2000 to 2002, followed immediately by wearing Federation Presidents
  badges from 2002 through 2004.

  With this performance history, it was not surprising that they were
  the 2005 recipients of the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award<!--, shown here
  pictorially being presented to them by the 2004 winners, Betty and
  Andy Ludwig, our now retiring Promenader Editors. Also pictured are
  Bob and Lou with the original Daphne-Norma Winners-->.

  Their leadership accomplishments included setting many precedents that
  have gone on to benefit all of us. One thing I recall specifically
  that they did was to visit every club in the Federation, to assess
  personally every club&rsquo;s needs, ambitions, and opinions.

  Some of the notable actions that they brought to fruition were the
  establishment of the first Promotion and Development Team; a Back to
  Basics program; and successful sponsorship of a bill to have Square
  Dancing declared as our &ldquo;National Folk Dance&rdquo;!

  When I pray, for every single thing I ask for&hellip;if I ask for
  anything at all&hellip;I like to mention at least ten things that I am
  &ldquo;Grateful For.&rdquo; You might well consider being grateful for the
  life of Bob Stevens, as am I.

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter

  The following from his published obituary&hellip;

  Stevens, Robert E., Esquire Greece: April 21, 2015 at the age of
  84. He was predeceased by wife, Louise; his brother, William
  Stevens. Survived by his children, Dr. William Stevens, PhD., James
  (Sharon) Stevens, Debra (Terry) Lindsey and Joy (Tom) Bucella; sister,
  June (Ron) Parker; sisters-in-law, Carroll Stevens &amp; Gerry
  Souders; grandchildren, Forrest, Carl, Alex, Alison Louise,
  Emily, Peter Martin (Kristie) and Kiel; loving caregiver, Cynthia
  Kokangul; and many loved nieces, nephews and friends. Robert was a
  veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He received a degree in Labor Relations
  from Cornell University as well as his Juris Doctorate from the
  University of Buffalo. Robert spent most of his career in private
  practice in Rochester, NY and also served on the National Board of
  Arbitrators. Bob was Past Master of Clio Lodge #779 F. &amp; A.M. He
  was an avid reader whose loves included his family, golf, Ireland, his
  Saturday morning breakfast group, Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus, the
  lake, and oysters on the half-shell. He will be remembered as a wise,
  generous, and loving presence.


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  The 2015 Rochester Area Federation Annual Cabin Party, always held in
  coincidence with the Rochester Callers Co-Op Meeting at Buckland Park
  in Henrietta, was another success this year. Everyone enjoyed the
  sunny weather and balmy temperatures! Mark this down: Sunday the 12th
  of April&mdash;the first warm day since last fall!

  This is an annual get together for all the Federation Officers; the
  Federation Reps and the callers and cuers, and is typically a
  dish-to-pass event with the Federation providing the main
  course&hellip;no one ever goes away hungry, and even thirsts for
  information are satisfied. This year, as always, we concluded with
  some fun dancing: rounds and squares.

  Because of another commitment, I arrived a little late to take the
  group picture, so I think a couple or two may have left before I could
  get there. My apologies for that, so in comparing this year&rsquo;s
  pictures with some from the past, you can see who the &ldquo;Come
  Early, Stay Laters&rdquo; are&hellip;and sadly, a few who are no
  longer with us&hellip;

  Join the team, and make sure your club is represented next year.


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  On March 15, 2015, the Cloverleaf Squares celebrated their 45th
  anniversary at Archangel School with a Saint Patrick&rsquo;s Day theme
  and seven dancing squares, while at least one more was checking out
  the fashions or sampling the food choices.

  So many skirts, blouses, petticoats, men&rsquo;s shirts and many other
  choices were available, that it was hard to pick just one item.
  Everything was so well displayed on racks or tables that it made it
  easy to browse. There were many willing hands to make less work for
  everyone.

  The next opportunity to see what you missed and check out new items
  will be at the Promenader Dance on September 26 at the Archangel
  School. New dancers will be pleased to find a good selection from
  which to choose, and the prices can&rsquo;t be beat. Mark your
  calendar!

  Sharon Meyer


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  I&rsquo;m not sure where Ron Brown gets his information, but it
  certainly sounds plausible to me. On Tuesday evening the 23rd of
  April, he and the Copy Cats graduated the largest basic and
  Mainstream square dance class in New York State!

  The good news is, it CAN be done, and on top of that, it looks like it
  can be a lot of fun doing it! Check out the accompanying pictures! I
  do not see one pained expression any place!

  When Irma and I were &ldquo;recycled dancers&rdquo; in 1990, Ron Brown
  was our teacher/caller. That was a quarter century ago, sports fans!
  &hellip;and Ron had already been teaching two years prior to that.

  I know one key to that success is that he lures experienced dancers in
  as &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; by offering a FREE Plus Workshop before the
  class starts. It is so much easier to learn if you have a good corner
  who already knows what he or she is doing&mdash;or who can
  demonstrate a call from begining to end so that the new dancers can
  see how it is done. Remember how much more fun it is when those little
  frustrations are removed? lt helps remove the mystery of this success
  year after year. It is also germane that the class gave him gas credit
  cards as a thank you gift&mdash;remembering that even in this past
  severe winter, driving all the way from Cicero, near North Syracuse,
  he never missed a class. That breeds its own kind of loyalty.

  I have never met a more dedicated group, starting with all of the
  officers, but with special kudos to Class Coordinators Stephen
  Barkley and Karen Olmsted. And then, there are the Angels, which
  typically includes most of the rest of the membershp!

  But of course it is fun, it is healthy, and you can&rsquo;t beat the
  bargain. Show me another activity that packages all of that for a
  better price. Happiness Is Right Around Your Corner.



  Hey, it was a nice spring night, and the great &ldquo;duo&rdquo; of
  Mike Callahan and Mark Thone were calling and cueing. Check out the
  pictures&mdash;you won&rsquo;t find an unhappy face on the floor! I
  danced two tips with Brenda, one of the upcoming graduates, and I have
  to thank Ron Brown and all of the loyal Copy Cat Angels who have done
  such a great job with this talented new class.

  President Warren Olson even snuck in a quick business meeting by
  calling for a vote on their up-coming slate of officers, which include
  Rick Simmons and Dave Lense as co-presidents, and with Rick and Donna
  LaDonna as vice presidents. Predictably, with this great slate, there
  were no objections. The &ldquo;inside skinny&rdquo; is that Warren
  will be moving up to the RAF president&rsquo;s slot shortly, moving
  Irma and me out of the &ldquo;Past Presidents&rdquo; slot, and
  we&rsquo;ll turn over these prestigious pins to Terry and Joe Pratt.

  Our thanks to Terry and Joe for their three-year stint as
  Presidents. Our best wishes to all of these new leaders, and our
  thanks for the on-going leadership I am certain all will continue
  providing.


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  For those of us in the trenches it started at 12 noon and never
  really slowed down. Dance-O-Rama Chairman (it&rsquo;s always the VP&rsquo;s job)
  Warren Olson and his pretty wife Doreen already had all the
  preliminary work done, and President Terry Pratt was there too, as
  were all of us, including Jerry Carmen and Gil Porter doing all the
  sound set-ups. It was a little strange not being the single occupants
  and with much other activity going on. That is one well-utilized
  facility.

  If there were any issues, they were all solved by two o&rsquo;clock
  when the needle went down (now archaic term meaning the music
  started). In fact, I think we were dancing with one square well before
  opening time!

  I am happy to report for those of you unfortunate enough not to have
  been there, that until the ceremonies started, it was wall-to-wall fun
  and merriment right up until quitting time&hellip;and not many people
  left early.

  The big news was that Peter and Sally Emmel are now wearing the
  coveted Daphne-Norma Leadership Award pins, designed by
  Walt and Sally Baechle way back when this tradition just
  started. Expect them to be visiting you with the candy dish and
  plugging for your nominations for next year&rsquo;s recipient(s).

  Sid and Toni Marshall received the prestigious Circle of Service
  award. Read more about each of these in separate articles on the
  &ldquo;AWARDS&rdquo; page (Click HERE).

  The Copy Cats won the hotly contested Club Challenge Award plaque,
  with close to 90 percent in attendance. Among the accompanying photos is one
  of new VP&rsquo;s Rick and Nancy Simmons holding the plaque.

  I don&rsquo;t know who won all of the beautiful baskets, but I&rsquo;m
  sure the &ldquo;Fed&rdquo; came out a winner. The 50&ndash;50, which
  kept Irma occupied the whole day, sent Paula Schumacher back to the
  Shirts and Skirts in Fulton $242 richer! It was done in one drawing,
  not drawn out like last year, and had one very happy winner.

  And speaking of Fulton, years ago we were great friends with a couple
  from Fulton, Eric and Sandy Bombgren. We even went to nationals in
  Texas with them and danced on the River-walk there. They burned out
  somehow, but have now discovered the error of their ways, and we
  reunited at the DOR dance. I just added their picture. Take the ride
  to Fulton and dance with them.

  Pretty much everyone went home richer in terms of fun had at the best
  dance in the area all year, bar none! Thanks to everyone who came, and
  especially to all the callers and cuers, and the people who made it
  happen&hellip;which includes all of your efforts with the great
  baskets!


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  There is an old saying in Scouting: &ldquo;Once an Eagle Scout, Always
  an Eagle Scout&rdquo;! This truism, it seems, can also
  be said for Daphne-Norma Award recipients, as Ron Brown, another recipient of this award, was recently recogized
  in the last issue of the Promenader.

  Now the beat goes on as Eileen Webster has just received the
  SPOHNC-Rochester Champion Award at their recent Annual Celebration
  Dinner. The long acronym translates: Support for People with Oral,
  Head and Neck Cancer.

  Eileen was recognized for the many ways that she has given back to the
  group&hellip;including arranging three square dance demonstrations,
  and&mdash;with her promoting dancing as one of the most significant factors
  in her personal survival&mdash;maintaining a positive attitude
  throughout, with the loving support of her whole square dance
  family &hellip; which are many and certainly include Irma and me.

  More details are included in the article below from Wilmot and, to refresh your
  memories, I include some pictures from DOR 2008.

  Congratulations again Eileen, we share in your pride&hellip;and
  perhaps we should be thinking of an RAF&rsquo;s Most Outstanding
  Quarterly Emissary Award, to accompany these recognitions.

  Wilmot Cancer Institute
  <br>
  April 16 at 8:44 p.m.

  Eileen Webster, a throat cancer survivor who lives in Geneva, received
  the SPOHNC-Rochester Champion Award at the SPOHNC (Support for People
  with Oral, Head and Neck Cancer) Annual Celebration Dinner this
  evening. She was recognized for the many ways she&rsquo;s given back
  to the group, including volunteering on a survivor panel for the
  group, helping with past SPOHNC-Rochester Celebration Dinners,
  donating raffle items for the group and arranging three square dance
  demonstrations for the group. In fact, she credits square dancing with
  helping her get through cancer treatment.

  Her friends and family attended tonight&rsquo;s event where she
  received her award. &ldquo;This group is part of my joy. My joy is
  also the people who support me. Many aren&rsquo;t here tonight but it
  was so good to have a wonderful support system when I was going
  through my treatments,&rdquo; Eileen told the audience at the event.

  Eileen shared that she wanted to get involved with the support group
  to be able to help other people who are diagnosed with cancer and she
  encouraged group members to continue supporting other survivors of
  oral, head and neck cancers. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t get to the group as
  often as I&rsquo;d like anymore now that I live a little farther away
  but I hope all of you will continue to come, continue to bring new
  members who need the support and keep this great group going as long
  as possible,&rdquo; she said.


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  I am losing track of how many years it is now that Barb Green has been
  chairing the Basket Raffle Committee, but it seems every year with her
  at the helm it gets better and better, and this year with many other
  things going on, I neglected to get good picture coverage. Not to
  worry! I can go back to any fairly recent year and find a picture of
  Barb, doing her thing.

  Of course, as one of our most exemplary Daphne-Norma Leadership Award
  recipients, she knows how to do that and always finds plenty of help. Our
  thanks to Barb and to everyone who helped make this project a success
  again this year.

  Her report showing all of the winners follows:

  The basket raffle once again added a lot to the excitement of
  Dance-O-Rama! It didn&rsquo;t seem possible, but the themes were more
  creative than ever! The clubs seem to have more fun every year
  thinking of new themes and getting into the spirit. Thanks go to all
  who joined in the fun of creating the baskets and buying the
  tickets. Many returned two and three times to buy tickets. The winners
  are listed below, to let you know who claimed the baskets your clubs so
  generously donated. Thanks also goes to Marlene Thone, who drew the
  winning numbers!

  See below the 2015 Basket Raffle Winners!

  Batavia Silver Stars&mdash;Nichol Bolar/Kaitlyn McJilton&mdash;Copy Cats

  Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus&mdash;Sally and Peter Emmel&mdash;Village Squares

  Cayuga Cut-Ups&mdash;Terry Pratt&mdash;Copy Cats

  Champagne Whirl-A-Ways&mdash;Eileen Brock&mdash;Cayuga Cut-Ups

  Cloverleaf Squares&mdash;John and Josie Baccoli&mdash;Copy Cats

  Copy Cats&mdash;Paula Schumacher&mdash;Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts

  Dalton Gang&mdash;Phyllis and Charlie Meltzer&mdash;Copy Cats

  Grand Squares&mdash;Joe Pratt&mdash;Copy Cats

  Seneca Silhouettes&mdash;David Webster&mdash;Copy Cats

  Shirts and Skirts&mdash;Nichol Bolar/Kaitlyn McJilton&mdash;Copy Cats

  Village Squares&mdash;Bob Schlenker&mdash;Village Squares

  Waterwheel Squares&mdash;Elizabeth Beauter&mdash;Copy Cats

  You will see two names next to two of the baskets. At the time of
  departure, the destinations of those baskets had not yet been
  determined. Jane and Nichol were still trying to agree on where the
  baskets would permanently reside, each trying to convince the other
  two of the three to stake their claim! Nichol had given her tickets to
  Kaitlyn, one of the new graduates, to place in the baskets of her
  choice. What a great welcome to the dancing community for Kaitlyn! We
  must remember to ask for &ldquo;the rest of the story&rdquo; when we see them.

  Barb Green, Basket Raffle Chairman


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  &hellip; At least it was supposed to have happened that way. However,
  when the two award-winning couples were to be escorted to the podium
  for recognition, Sidney and Toni were not in the house. Sidney
  returned later in the evening and was presented with the award, but
  Toni is missing from the pictures taken that evening.

  Unlike the Daphne-Norma Award, which has a long history of being
  presented annually at DOR, the Circle of Service Award is presented
  only rarely and in accordance with strict guidelines. This is a very
  prestigious award given to a person or couple who has been an
  active part of square dancing and has unselfishly volunteered their
  time and talents to the benefit and promotion of square dancing within
  the Federation.

  It happened this year, when the Daphne-Norma Selection Committee,
  consisting of the three most recent recipients (Irma and me, Barb
  Green, and Chuck and Sharon Meyer), were faced with a dilemma. Note
  that Sally Baechle and Betty and Andy Ludwick are permanent,
  non-voting &ldquo;advisors&rdquo; whose insight and long-term
  perspective always prove very helpful. Note also that Daphne-Norma
  Award recipients are chosen based on nomination letters received from
  dancers in the RAF community.

  Our dilemma this year was that, of the three finalists, two couples in
  our agreed judgement warranted recognition this year, and with
  thoughtful reflection, the answer was clear: The Daphne-Norma Award would go to
  Peter and Sally Emmel, who had provided the leadership that made our
  online Promenader &ldquo;happen,&rdquo; while the Circle of Service
  Award would go to Sid and Toni, who provided the computer and web
  master skills (read &ldquo;Genius&rdquo; here) to get it done.

  Our thanks, best wishes and congratulations to both couples.

  - Dick and Irma Halstead, Roving Reporters


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  Well, as it has been every year for many years, the competition for
  this award has been &ldquo;Hot and Heavy,&rdquo; with some receiving
  many nominations over a period of years, and with some always being
  edged out by the merest of margins. If this were the Golden Globe
  Awards or the Oscars, the contestants would all be
  &ldquo;hawked,&rdquo; and the runners-up would thereby receive some
  measure of acclaim; but here, not! For you backers of other
  &ldquo;worthys:&rdquo; do not give up, but persist in your
  submissions. All are carried forward, but updated nominations carry
  much weight; persist!

  Like Peter and Sally, there are others who have served as club
  presidents for many years and have been the driving force behind some of
  our more successful clubs&hellip;all with long lists of community
  service projects and offices beyond the club level, but quite frankly,
  what set Peter and Sally apart, just as it did Sid and Toni Marshall
  for the Circle of Service Award, was the Herculean effort it took to
  rescue our beloved Promenader.

  Peter and Sally Emmel led the charge to keep the Promenader
  viable. This of course in addition to their continuing work with the
  Village Squares, and Peter&rsquo;s full-time work and travel
  demands. Peter has especially exhibited the leadership qualities of
  devotion, perseverance, and willingness to do whatever needs to be
  done. He has recruited when possible the talents of the community,
  encouraged always, and jumped in to do anything still needing doing.

  When an initial group of Promenader supporters met after a square
  dance demo at the June 2014 Osher picnic, Peter took the helm in
  brainstorming, organizing, and moving forward. Early on, he recognized
  the need to get Sidney Marshall on board, and the
  Emmel-Marshall-Ludwick team began to meet regularly (sometimes several
  times a week). It was apparent from the start that many logistics
  problems needed to be solved, and that many hands would need to be
  involved.

  Working with the Federation officers, defining the new processes, and
  getting a new editor on board were among the challenges. And in true
  leadership fashion, when a suitable online editor was not yet in place
  as deadline for the first online issue loomed, Peter agreed to take on
  the mantle of interim online editor. In this position, he has
  continued to encourage, smooth feathers, liaison, and
  communicate. Betty and Andy Ludwick commented, &ldquo;We know, as past editors,
  that a person of lesser leadership qualities could not have handled
  the full scope of the challenge Peter took on. The task is
  formidable. He has accomplished it with endless
  effort, determination, and willingness. The Online Promenader exists
  in large part due to Peter and Sally being part of our square dance
  community.&rdquo;

  I am sure that I speak for all of us as we wish Peter and Sally well,
  and especially as they refill the Silver Candy Dish, and take it as
  they visit other clubs&hellip;promoting not only square and round
  dancing, but also promoting the Daphne-Norma Award itself, as it
  serves to inspire even greater leadership among us.

  For Irma and I, who hand over the reins for this duty, and return to
  just taking pictures and grinding out copy as &ldquo;The Roving
  Reporters,&rdquo; I point out and apologize for a reduced schedule of
  &ldquo;Roving&rdquo; this past year, as Irma continues the training
  regimen for her new knee.

  Enjoy the many pictures. Take a close look: I may just have captured
  YOU among our honorees here.


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  Sidney and Toni Marshall have a long history of service to square
  dancing, and especially within the Rochester Area Federation of Square
  and Round Dance Clubs. They are long-time hard-working members of the
  Callers Co-Op of Rochester and many area clubs, at which Sidney has served as a caller,
  and they have both served in various leadership positions, or simply as dancers, always
  willing to find someone that needs a partner, and making certain that
  &ldquo;solos&rdquo; get a chance to dance.

  The Shamrock Squares A1 and A2 Club recently presented Sid and Toni
  with a Lifetime Membership Award, the first ever presented, and well
  deserved, since having Sid&rsquo;s Advanced Dancing &ldquo;Feeder Club&rdquo;
  offered FREE, or at very minimal cost as required to cover expenses,
  has produced an ongoing stream of new dancers at this level.

  Sid has been developing his talents over a great number of years. He
  has attended three Caller Schools and persevered in cultivating these
  skills to the point that he is now a recognized &ldquo;Expert&rdquo;
  at both the A1 and A2 Advanced Dancing Levels.

  Now, the thing that really sets Sidney apart from the rest is his
  professional expertise as a computer engineer and website developer!
  It is Sidney, and his &ldquo;can do&rdquo; attitude and expertise that
  have saved the day for the RAF website and the Promenader.

  As soon as Peter Emmel, Betty Ludwick, and the rest of the Promenader
  crew come up with ideas and concepts to save us key strokes in getting
  the content we want quickly and easily from our new Promenader, if it
  is at all possible, Sidney soon has it implemented.

  Having said this, no matter what level of expertise one brings, there
  are countless hours of hard work involved, and an on-going commitment
  that has taken much time away from an always-understanding Toni.

  Sidney and Toni bring &ldquo;Service&rdquo; to a new level with their
  actions, and we can imagine no more worthy recipients for The Circle
  of Service Award. Wear your new dangles proudly.

  Dick and Irma Halstead, Roving Reporters and most recent Circle of
  Service Award recipients.


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  Things must be going well for Mike and Wanda Callahan, they used to
  call their &ldquo;Shamrock Squares&rdquo; their &ldquo;Bread and
  Butter Club.&rdquo; That is because we danced year around so in the
  summer months, when dancing slowed down and clubs took a vacation, we
  could be relied on to feed the Callahans.

  Now they winter in Arizona!

  OK, so it&rsquo;s just for a month, it is still a nice vacation
  &hellip; and in addition to some neat new twists to his calling, he
  has now brought back a guest caller from Tucson, AZ, and, judging by
  the accent, via New Jersey!

  Our thanks to Mike and Wanda for treating us to Rick Gittelman and in
  the process, giving themselves a chance to dance&mdash;and to show
  their appreciation. Our four Plus squares included several callers:
  Gil Porter, Sid Marshall, and Harry Slocum.

  Sidney&rsquo;s most recent &ldquo;Graduating Class,&rdquo; due to join
  us next week on May 19, should swell our numbers to five
  squares, possibly even six when all the stars get aligned right. The
  good news for Gil Porter is that Gerry Schwarz is one of that number,
  and he will finally have a regular dance partner. Not to worry, we
  have several ladies capable of wearing &ldquo;BOY&rdquo; signs
  &hellip; and happily that number now includes pretty Nancy Platt, a
  great person and dancer.

  I don&rsquo;t know when Sidney will be starting another class, but if
  I were you, I would be keeping an eye and an ear out for that golden
  opportunity. Many dancers have to drive great distances for an
  opportunity to learn &ldquo;A&rdquo; Dancing, or as is more
  often the case, have NO OPPORTUNITY!

  We are a fun club, and similar to round dancing, Advanced dancing is not &ldquo;INSTEAD
  OF&rdquo; regular dancing, it is &ldquo;IN ADDITION TO.&rdquo;

  Check out the pictures, there may just be some people you would like
  to dance more often with &hellip; and we would love to have you.

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter


articleid: 44
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  Tuesday the 19th of May was &ldquo;Move-Up Night&rdquo; for Sid and
  Toni&rsquo;s latest Advanced Dancers, and they were welcomed with open
  arms by all the Shamrock Squares&mdash;Mike and Wanda
  Callahan&rsquo;s Historic &ldquo;Bread and Butter&rdquo; Club. I
  don&rsquo;t know if Sid and Toni bought it or if they made it
  themselves but everyone enjoyed eating the celebratory cake
  especially after being made just to admire it for the first three or
  four tips.

  Actually Toni cut the cake just after we got all of Sid&rsquo;s class members
  and &ldquo;Angels,&rdquo; from our club together for the picture,
  which appropriately also includes Mike and Wanda, and Sid and Toni. I
  am not one hundred percent certain exactly where the cross-over point is
  between new members and Angels. However, I do know that Gerry
  Schwartz, and Paul and Jan Weitz are numbered among
  &ldquo;Newbies.&rdquo;

  Although several members were missing, we still rounded out at five
  squares, with only three or four people cycling through the sidelines.

  There is always more to learn, but my take is that Sid has done
  another great job of bringing folks up to speed &hellip; and Mike, as
  usual, was a careful nurturer, cueing them through the toughies.

  Our thanks again to Sid and Toni for all that they do.


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  One of the many Dance-O-Rama highlights is the annual parade of
  graduates. These are our new dancing friends who have completed the
  past season of Mainstream Square Dancing classes at clubs in our
  Federation.

  Many established dancers already know the new dancers&mdash;from
  serving as class angels or from the season&rsquo;s many
  &ldquo;class/club&rdquo; dances. But the annual parade is their
  official welcome into the Rochester-area dancing community.

  The June Promenader issue is our opportunity to congratulate this
  year&rsquo;s graduates by name.

  <b>2015 Square Dance Graduates:</b>

  <b>Champagne Whirl-A-Ways</b>
  <br>Cindy &amp; Don Dykes
  <br>Kim &amp; Larry Dykes
  <br>Rose &amp; Kirk Mishrell

  <b>Cloverleafs</b>
  <br>Jerry Barker
  <br>Lori Burton
  <br>Richard Faulkner
  <br>Matt Fleig
  <br>Jan Gardner
  <br>Elaine Golding
  <br>Marie Gorse
  <br>Beverly Hopson
  <br>Carl Luger
  <br>Paul Tavernier
  <br>George Tsanis
  <br>Laurie Vock
  <br>Brenda Wideman

  <b>Copy Cats</b>
  <br>Kristopher &amp; Amy Aeckerle
  <br>Kathy Aeckerle
  <br>Brenda &amp; Carl Beechner
  <br>Donna &amp; Paul Berardicurti
  <br>Connie Borkhuis
  <br>Lori Burton
  <br>Richard Faulkner
  <br>Linda &amp; David Fillers
  <br>Kim &amp; Jon Hess
  <br>Abbi Lasch
  <br>Cindy Lindquist
  <br>Kaitlyn McJilton
  <br>Cherilynn Miller
  <br>Bill Slater
  <br>Peggy &amp; Dave Stockmeister
  <br>Paul Tavernier
  <br>Laurie Vock

  <b>Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts</b>
  <br>Randy Carlton
  <br>Nancy Curtis
  <br>Joanne Czajkowski
  <br>Theresa Darling
  <br>Loren Preston
  <br>Sylvia Preston


articleid: 46
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  Oh, What a Night! Dance-O-Rama 2015 was a great success. The
  Federation has established a permanent theme this year:
  Rochester&rsquo;s Square Dance Festival. We introduced the Lilac on
  our new dangles: after all we are in Rochester! And
  to top it off, we moved to a new Eastside venue at Perinton Recreation
  Center on Turk Hill Road.

  We don&rsquo;t have the exact numbers, since Mary Ann Lane, the
  Federation treasurer, got the accounting done and then went on a
  well-deserved vacation visiting family. However, based on some basic
  math we estimated 244 attendees this year, which is up from last
  year. Financially, between baskets and entrance fees, the Federation
  cleared about $1300 this year. Oh, what a night!

  We did receive about 30 feedback surveys, overwhelmingly positive. The
  new venue proved to be very comfortable once we got all the rooms
  situated. We have already made an application to use the same venue
  next year on May 7, 2016.

  We can credit much of the success to the callers and cuers who worked
  with us to develop the dancing program this year. We would like to
  expand on some of the offerings next year, possibly offering
  workshops, maybe including a DBD introduction, and enhancing the Round
  Dance Party. We are already hard at work contacting callers and cuers
  for next year and should be able to issue a flyer by the end of the
  summer.

  Thank you to everyone who served on the Dance-O-Rama Committee this
  year. We are looking forward to a great 2016 Dance-O-Rama.

  Warren Olson<br>
  Federation President


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  Dancers in our area have traditionally shown outstanding support for
  causes that they believed in. One of these has always been the
  Promenader, supported over the years not only by its loyal subscribers,
  but by a full floor of squares at the annual Promenader Benefit Dance.

  Now, however, with expenses so dramatically reduced in the new
  electronic format, it&rsquo;s hard to see why the Promenader needs a
  fund-raiser. A better idea would be to re-direct that spirit of
  support toward a different cause&mdash;one that needs more help than
  ever.

  Let&rsquo;s continue to fill the floor at the Promenader dance, but
  let&rsquo;s re-direct the proceeds toward helping our clubs recruit
  new dancers.

  What better way to kick off the new dance season than by getting back
  together with our dancing friends from other clubs to celebrate the
  activity we love&mdash;especially if by doing so we are at the same
  time contributing to expanding the dancing community!

  The RAF is setting up a fund to reimburse costs that individual clubs
  incur in their new dancer recruitment activities. Proceeds from the
  next Promenader Dance will be donated to this fund. Recent experience
  by the Cloverleafs and the Copy Cats has shown that multi-media
  promotion leads to increased beginner class participation. If clubs
  could afford more promotion, then we can expect more new
  dancers. That&rsquo;s the purpose of this fund, and the Promenader is
  pleased to be able to contribute to it.

  For details on the 2015 Promenader Dance, please click <a href="../flyers/Promenader2015.pdf">HERE</a> to view
  the flyer. I almost forgot to mention that this is also a chance for
  dancers to browse our inventory of square dance fashions. The price is
  always right: an optional donation.

  Peter Emmel, Interim Editor


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  Oh What a Year!

  Welcome back to all the vacationing dancers. We are looking forward to
  a great new dancing season to begin in September! I know a few
  clubs have been dancing and instructing all summer long, and for those
  who have attended, that will show in your dancing skills come
  September when we get back to normal schedules.

  Fast-forwarding ahead, the Dance-O-Rama committee has been hard at
  work through the summer. After positive comments on our new venue last
  May, we decided to go right back there next May 7, 2016. We have a
  great caller/cuer line up. Mike Callahan, Dave Eno, Ron Brown and Brad
  Diebert are going to be the callers. Mark Thone and Jerry Carmen are
  the cuers. We have added another dance hall for this year in hopes of
  offering a little more room. The schedule is being worked on at the
  time this is being written, and I am looking forward to a great &ldquo;mini
  festival&rdquo; as we move toward offering a little more variety.

  But, first we must get there. We have a series of Open Houses
  listed. At last count, there are 14 listed starting September 3 and
  running through October 12. If you have a flyer, make sure it shows up
  on the website for everyone to see and copy. It would certainly be
  wonderful to see another 50 or more graduates march into Dance-O-Rama
  next spring! We all know it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance
  to get people interested in dancing, but once they try it, they are
  usually hooked.

  Please bookmark the RAF website on your computers and smart phones as
  you will not want to miss any of the action this season. All the club
  news is on the Promenader portion of the website, all the flyers, and
  &mdash;most important&mdash;the calendar. There are many special
  events listed, including the demos that clubs currently have scheduled, and of
  course we have some out-of-town guest callers coming in. In my book,
  nobody should miss the opportunity to dance with a new caller.

  We have a lot of dance opportunities
  coming this year, and I look forward to meeting you in a square
  sometime soon.

  Warren Olson


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  The only couple that I know that remember all 55 years of
  Mike Callahan&rsquo;s square dancing history among us are Ted and
  Ruth Phillips; and they were members of the Teen Club at the time.

  Looking back at Mike and Wanda&rsquo;s now 40-year celebration of
  their Shamrock Squares club, and with years of old <i>Promenaders</i> at my
  fingertips, I felt &ldquo;prompted&rdquo; to look back through my own
  historic picture files and share some select few of them with
  you&hellip;in the hope that you might just happily smile in
  remembering some of the good square dancing friends that are no longer
  with us.

  So, with just these few words of introduction, take a few moments to
  scan through the pictures, and for those of you that know or knew
  them, let your hearts be gladdened by the special
  &ldquo;knowings&rdquo;&hellip;and make a point of telling people like
  the Callahans how much you treasure all that, through them, we continue to
  enjoy. You might also count the times you discover our treasured
  friends, Ted and Ruth, and tell them, too&hellip;

  Happiness Is Right Around &ldquo;Your Corner&rdquo;&hellip;


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  The support was resounding, and Vol. 1, Issue 2 was in the mail the
  next month, November 1962, and already wearing the PROMENADER
  name. Grace Boyer made the winning name suggestion, selected from over
  50 entries. Grace was a member of the Irondequoit Squares and the
  Swinging 8&rsquo;s. She walked away with $5.00 worth of prizes for her
  efforts.

  Of course we are talking about the beginnings of the publication you
  are now reading: The Promenader!

  I am including the first issue here, and hopefully the second issue
  also, once we work out the mechanics for doing it. In any event, the
  two make some very interesting reading and paint a portrait of dancing
  then&mdash;not so different from now.

  Read on. You might find some refreshing ideas.

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter/Federation Historian


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  Actually I had feared that a &ldquo;Half Century of Promenader
  Issues,&rdquo; a full set, Plus extras, might extend wall-to-wall in
  my downstairs second office/workshop!

  The good news in terms of &ldquo;manageability&rdquo; is that as you
  can see, they all fit nicely on my father&rsquo;s old office desk that
  I now use as an overflow work area, and &ldquo;Man Cave&rdquo;!

  Irma&rsquo;s worst fears as expressed in her first reaction were:

  &ldquo;What are we going to do with all of them?&rdquo;

  Alas! All has now been peacefully allayed. As you can see, the full
  set, from the last published issue in 2014 on the extreme left in the
  picture, to the very first issue mailed out in October of 1962, covers
  just a little over three feet of desk space, and includes the stack
  of &ldquo;Extra Copies&rdquo; stacked flat behind my right
  shoulder. The two black and one grey plastic containment open boxes
  add stability&hellip;needed especially for the early four-page plain
  paper stapled issues.

  My plan is to devise a way, working with Sid and Peter, to copy these
  issues and make them &ldquo;Historic Documents&rdquo; under the
  HISTORY TAB in our website. These first two issues are very revealing
  in terms of how our Promenader came to be, who was involved, and
  even the Promenader title itself. I envision just scanning them.
  However, we will see how enlightening talks with Peter and Sidney
  resolve this.

  My quick survey revealed that the first editors were Lew Dietz and
  Bill Bibler, with Bill continuing until September, &rsquo;68 and Lew until September &rsquo;69, when Carl and Anita
  Warschkow took over these duties until February, &rsquo;71. On a personal note, Carl and I
  worked together at then RF Communications. I have not explored
  all the interim editors, but I do know that Carl
  and Elaine Mallaber were editors for four years until Betty and Andy
  started their tenure with the September 1998 issue, and were still at
  the helm with our last printed issue ending in 2014.

  One last observation before I end this for now, hoping to have piqued
  interest to the extent that we may soon have a small committee to work
  with me in recovering historically interesting information&hellip;such
  as, how many know the clubs that were active then: it is all in there,
  including club officers and a wealth of other information. The clubs
  then were: Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus; Country Twirlers; EKC-O Squares; Fiddle A
  Rounds; Genesee Dancers; Irondequoit Squares; Swinging 8&rsquo;s; and
  the Rochester Rollaways.

  For anyone interested, we will happily offer access to these files at
  any time we are home. Heated in winter/air-conditioned and humidity-controlled
  year around&hellip;but during January, February, and March we are away for
  the winter!

  Dick &amp; Irma Halstead, Roving Reporters and Federation Historians


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  Bill Bibler &amp; Lew Dietz, first editors
  Sept. 1962 &ndash; Oct. 1962

  Grace Boyer won the naming contest Nov. 62

  Bill Harvey (wife Norma) was first business manager, announced in June &rsquo;63
  He did subs. ed. duties too.
  Until Nov. 65

  Just Bibler &amp; Dietz carried on.

  Ken &amp; Mary Sorensen were Circulation Managers since 12/67<br>
  9/68&mdash;Bibler resigned.<br>
  New staff member: Jeanne Perkins<br>
  So staff was Dietz, Sorensens, &amp; Perkins

  Perkins last mentioned in 12/68 to 1/69

  Dec.&ndash;Jan 68&ndash;69 first combined winter issue&mdash;previously there were 10 issues, with June July August combined<br>
  Jeanne Perkins resigned from assisting with publication<br>
  Record number of new class couples&mdash;241

  June July Aug. 69&mdash;Dietz and Sorensens still the staff, but announced new editors starting 9/69:
  Carl &amp; Anita Warschkow and Lash &amp; Pat LaRue

  Starting 10/70, until summer &rsquo;71, Bob Rushforth was listed as staff artist.

  Starting 2/71, editors are Lash &amp; Pat La Rue, and Joe &amp; Ruth Bonjorno.

  Starting 9/71, editors are Joe &amp; Ruth Bonjorno, and Dick &amp; Betty Weber.

  Starting 12/72-1/73, editors are Dick &amp; Betty Webber, and George &amp; Audrey Mura.

  Starting 9/73, editors are George &amp; Audrey Mura, and Marve &amp; Kay Falls.
  At least thru 2/74.

  Starting 9/74 editors: Marve &amp; Kay Falls, and Jack &amp; Joan Hennekey,
  News items to Falls, subscription notices to Hennekeys

  //Summer 75 issue announced 1100 subscriptions//

  Starting 9/75, editors are Jack &amp; Joan Hennekey, with Jerry &amp; Dotti Willer as co-editors

  Sept. 75, Carolyn Hungerford welcomed on staff
  Hennekeys&rsquo; last issue was summer 76; thanks to Carolyn for typing schedules

  Starting 9/76, editors are Jerry &amp; Dotti Willer, and Paul &amp; Florence Frost.

  Starting 10/76 until 1/83, Hal Abberger&rsquo;s &ldquo;A Square Around Town&rdquo; appeared regularly. His first appearance in the Promenader was in Sept., 1962, the first issue&mdash;he was club reporter for the Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus.

  Starting 9/77, editors are Paul &amp; Florence Frost, with Bill &amp; Judy Wilcox as co-editors.

  Starting 5/78, editors are Bob &amp; Maryln Dailey, with Frank &amp; Julie VanDeusen.
  Thru May 1980.

  Starting summer/80, editors are Russ &amp; Doris Jenkins, still with VanDeusens as subsc. eds.
  Starting summer/81, Arlene &amp; Nick Caputo are subsc. eds.

  Starting 2/82, editors are Nick &amp; Arlene Caputo, with Angie &amp; Alice DeFelice as subs. eds.

  Starting winter 82-83, Arlene F. Caputo editor without Nick.

  Starting 2/83, editors are Bob &amp; Maryln Dailey, with subscr. ed. Angie &amp; Alice DeFelice;

  Promenader appreciates:<br>
  2/83: ad layouts by Hal Kilthau, proofreading by Jan Kilthau.<br>
  3/83: benefit dance Bob &amp; Nancy Ellis, ads Hal Kilthau, cover Chuck Prister.<br>
  4/83: pasteups Rota &amp; Orlo Hoadley, ads Hal Kilthau.<br>
  Summer/83: pasteups by Hoadleys, cover by Kilthaus, guest editorial by Frosts.

  Starting summer/84, editor is Cay Jackson, co-editor Joan Stanford (thru summer/85). And subs. eds. Still DeFelices.

  11/84: added an advertising editor: Emma Nolan, thru summer/85.

  9/85: editor Cay Jackson, subs. eds. DeFelices;
  Typist Joan Sanford, layout &amp; pasteup: Joyce Ford &amp; Terry Veniskey.

  Starting 9/86, editors are Bob &amp; Maryln Dailey, subs. eds. are DeFelices, layout &amp; pasteup is Rita Hoadley.

  2/87&mdash;History of the Federation and the CCR.

  The 1987 and 1988 issues (thru 9/88) have caller profiles by Ruth Harris, and (thru 1989) club profiles (thru 5/89), and square dance shop owner profiles, too.

  3/87&mdash;Orlo again listed as proofreader

  4/87&mdash;graduation prayer, also definitions of &ldquo;what is&hellip;&rdquo;

  Summer &amp; 9/89&mdash;DOR canceled, and Rubelka Romp held to offset the loss.

  Starting summer 1990, Daileys still editors, but Nancy &amp; Bod Lang are new subscription editors; proofreading still H. Orlo Hoadley, but Rita Hoadley retired as layout &amp; pasteup.

  Great recipe on back cover Dec./Jan. 1991.

  Late &rsquo;80s &amp; early &rsquo;90s: Ron Erlich and Jerry Carmen generate a lot of opinion pieces and letters to editor.

  Starting 10/91, editors are Joan &amp; Jerry Sanford, still with Nancy &amp; Bud Lang for subs., and H. Orlo Hoadley for proofreading.

  In 11/91, Judy Rockafellow listed as typist; in 12/91-1/92, Rita Hoadley back on for layout &amp; pasteup thru 4/92. Judy listed as &ldquo;typist/layout&rdquo; starting 5/92. Duane Rockafellow added to Judy&rsquo;s typist/layout listing starting 9/92.

  2/93, first appearance of John Zierle&rsquo;s Chef&rsquo;s Corner<br>
  Last appearance: Feb./Mar.&rsquo;04. John passed away on 1/24/05.<br>
  Pat Flynt&rsquo;s &ldquo;thread the Needle&rdquo; also appearing around this time.

  In 10/93, Dorothy &amp; Bob Woodams started as subscription editor; all other staff stayed the same.

  Starting 9/94, new editors are Carl &amp; Elaine Mallaber; other staff: Dorothy &amp; Bob Woodams still subscription editors, Bill &amp; Mary Ann Lane are proofreading.

  Starting 3/98, Bill Lane no longer listed&mdash;he passed away on 1/15/98.

  Starting 9/98, editors are Betty &amp; Andy Ludwick, Dorothy &amp; Bob Woodams still subscription editors, new proofreaders are Phyllis &amp; Gene Esseltine.

  Starting 9/01, Ken &amp; Kay Georgers were business managers.

  Starting 12/02-1/03, Dick &amp; Irma Halstead began as Roving Reporters.

  Dorothy Woodams&rsquo; last issue as subscription editor was Aug./Sept. 2008. She died in an automobile accident on 8/18/08.

  Starting 10-11/08, Anne &amp; Mike Herne took on the job of subscription editors.

  Starting with the 2-3/12 issue, the E-Proofreading team took over the proofreading.<br>
  First members: Ann &amp; Mike Herne; Sharon &amp; Chuck Meyer.

  With the 4-5/12 issue, the E-Proofreaders were: Mike Herne, Sharon Meyer, and Susan Thomas.

  With the 6-7/12 issue, a fourth E-Prooreader was added: Peter Emmel.<br>
  With that issue, the Roving Reporters began to be listed on the staff list: Dick &amp; Irma Halstead, 9-1/2 years after they began reporting.

  12/12-1/13 issue: Roving Reporters Dick &amp; Irma Halstead added on the role of Log-In Editors; and Jane Avery was listed as an E-Proofreader for this issue only. She later switched to helping with the Promenader Dance.

  2-3/13: new Dance Schedule editor: Bonnie Allen.

  8-9/13: Sid Marshall added to the staff list of E-Proofreaders, although he had been checking the copy online for a number of issues prior to that.

  Summer 2014: two new staff members&mdash;Sharon Meyer as Class/Club editor; and Jane Avery as Promenader Dance Coordinator.

  Fall 2014: Cindy Adams added to list of E-Proofreaders.

  Winter 2014-15 was the first online issue, with Peter Emmel as interim online editor. Rest of staff listed online.


articleid: 55
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  Rochester area recipients:

  Walt and Sally Baechle&mdash;March, 1987, by Duke and Doris McCleskey, vice chairmen of the National Square Dance Convention.

  Al and Lois Tenny&mdash;in Oct. &rsquo;1987, they were honored at a party with 12 squares. See Promenader mailbox 12/87&ndash;1/88.

  Andy and Marge Hamlin&mdash;presented by Al and Lois Tenny.

  Chuck and Gerry Prister&mdash;presented by Walt and Sally Baechle

  Vogel&mdash;

  Ed and Sybil Briggs&mdash;presented by Vogels

  Ken and Kay Georger&mdash;Feb. 21, 1998, at Country Twirlers dance.

  Bill and Bobbi Shepherd&mdash;in 2000, by Walt and Sally Baechle, at USDA meeting in Baltimore.

  Bill and Edith Thomas&mdash;Feb. 23, 2002, presented by Ken and Kay Georger.

  Betty and Andy Ludwick&mdash;May 8, 2004; presented by Kay and Ken Georger at the Country Twirlers.

  Rita and Ken Tucker&mdash;Oct. 1, 2004; Ed &amp; Sybil Briggs presented to them
   At a Surprise Recognition Dance in their honor; First Baptist Church in Penfield.

  Bill and Ann Uebelacker&mdash;April 29, 2006, presented by Ken and Kay Georger on behalf of the Country Twirlers.

  Don Hunger&mdash;May 18, 2010 Federation meeting; presented by Sally Baechle.

  Irma and Dick Halstead&mdash;Sept. 28, 2013 at the Promenader Dance, presented by Betty and Andy Ludwick and Kay and Ken Georger.

  Toni and Sid Marshall&mdash;May 3, 2015, D.O.R., presented by Irma and Dick Halstead.


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  The Cayuga Cut Ups have a long history of bringing in great
  national callers, like Johnny Preston, who just returned from
  thrilling square dancers in Europe. So if you missed the Cut Ups Dance on Aug. 13 at
  the Apple Station in Cayuga, NY, then maybe you caught up with him at one of the Boo
  Bull dances at the Henrietta Fire Hall on Aug. 18!

  I didn&rsquo;t get an accurate count of squares at the Cayuga dance, being busy
  dancing myself, but the place was packed with exhuberance and smiling
  friendly faces. It would have been hard to find someone NOT smiling!

  I also point out that when other callers show up to dance, you know we
  are dealing with an exceptionally talented caller. Among the pictures here, you
  will find: Ron Brown, Dick Schweitzer, Gil Porter, Keith Harter, and Richard
  Rosenfield&hellip;also professional cuers, Lisa and Geoge
  Treichler, Jeannie and Keith Harter, and Eileen and Carl Webster.

  Prompting me also to remember that Mark Thone has his own devoted
  following and had the floor full of round dancers between
  tips&hellip;making it a perfect night for dancing.

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter


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  I cannot remember ever entering the Washington Irving School without
  receiving a smiling, hugging welcome from Sybil Briggs. And pretty
  much the same can be said for visiting the Village Squares or Country Twirlers, or for
  attending any Rochester Area Federation meetings over the past many
  years. Almost the same can be said for the Southern Tier Wheelers. The
  list could go on and on. The Rochester Area Federation has lost one of
  its most outstanding leaders, and for many of us, a dear friend.

  You may recall that Ed and Sybil were the 2001 Daphne-Norma Leadership
  Award recipients. Earlier, though it was somewhat less publicized, this
  couple also received the Circle of Service Award for their work in
  revitalizing Rochester&rsquo;s travel club, the Circul-8-tors. This
  goes back a few years, but as chairpersons of DOR for seven straight
  years, they returned this centerpiece of our calendar into
  profitability at a time when it was thought to be failing.

  Sybil and Ed were officers of the Southern Tier Wheelers when we
  joined in the early &rsquo;90s. That was in the days when there was a
  &ldquo;Waiting List&rdquo; to join. The club had more than 150 members,
  and they would not all fit on the dance floor. Happily, Irma and I were
  approved in a month, and I know we have Ed and Sybil to thank for
  that. Like Irma and me, Ed and Sybil served for many years as NSDCA
  North East area representatives, an area that covers all states north
  and east of Virginia, with the one exception of Pennsylvania.

  Of course, going back to the early 1960s and with their former
  spouses, Millie Briggs and Fred Northrup, we find that they have been
  members and officers in many clubs, including the Village Squares, the
  Country Twirlers, and the Victor Swing-A-Longs. Sybil was at one time
  president of the Lilac Squares. She and Ed also round danced with the
  Seneca Silhouettes. Who can forget the pork roast/barn dances that
  Sybil and Fred Northrup hosted through the &rsquo;80s and early &rsquo;90s in
  Bloomfield, which she and Ed continued until they moved to Chili. The
  barn had a specially rebuilt floor to make the dancing comfortable and
  safe.

  We all extend our condolences to Ed,
  and share in his loss. &hellip;but our trials here merely fit us for
  an eternity with those we love.

  Dick Halstead


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  The monthly magazine <i>American Squaredance</i> carries a regular
  column called &ldquo;Callerlab Viewpoints.&rdquo; The topic in the
  current issue (Volume 70, Number 9 &ndash; September, 2015) covers a
  very timely topic, so we present the column below in its entirety
  (with minor changes to adapt it to our area):</p>
  <h3>Callerlab Viewpoints, by Mike Seastrom</h3><p>
  <i>The following has been edited from &ldquo;Square Dance Nebraska
  &mdash;Ideas.&rdquo; A special thanks to Mike Bramlett for sharing
  some great information on the subject of how to be a good angel.</i>

  Is your halo on straight? It is important that as many club members as
  possible come to the class as &ldquo;angels.&rdquo; What are
  &ldquo;angels&rdquo;? They are the wonderful people who volunteer
  their time to ensure that new dancers have the best possible learning
  experience.

  &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; provide new dancers with their first real look at
  a club. How &ldquo;angels&rdquo; behave and treat new dancers, other
  &ldquo;angels,&rdquo; and visitors will affect class members&rsquo;
  decisions regarding whether or not to join your club.

  &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; are also role models. No matter what the
  instructor and club try to communicate to the students regarding
  etiquette, attitudes, or styling, class members inevitably take their
  cues from what they see &ldquo;angels&rdquo; doing. So it is important
  that &ldquo;angels&rdquo; be extra careful to be good role models.

  Smile, be enthusiastic, and enjoy the dancing. Be friendly, courteous
  and gentle. This is sometimes easier to say than do, especially if it
  has been a long day. Let&rsquo;s be honest; some of us have personal
  agenda, perhaps disagreements with club policies, or less than cordial
  relationships with specific club members. These issues are out of
  place at new dancer events and must be put aside.

  Although most of us do the right things instinctively, the majority of
  the time it can&rsquo;t hurt to reiterate certain points. The
  following advice for &ldquo;angels&rdquo; has been extracted from
  several sources, including articles in square dance publications and
  handouts prepared for other clubs.</p>
  <h3>&ldquo;Angels&rdquo; Are Not Teachers</h3><p>
  This is perhaps the most common misconception that can cause
  problems. The primary teaching function of an &ldquo;angel&rdquo; is
  to teach by example and be in the right place at the right time. One
  important thing you can do is establish hand holds after every
  move. Not only does this help students maintain their orientation in
  the square, but it&rsquo;s also a very good habit for every dancer to
  develop.

  It is always tempting to explain something your square is not getting,
  and the new dancers will often ask you to do this&mdash;<b>but you must
  resist</b>. It diverts the student&rsquo;s attention from the teacher and
  one of the most important things for a new dancer to learn is to
  listen to the teacher/caller. Sometimes you can clarify a simple point
  for students between tips; this is fine, but not while the caller is
  at the microphone.

  Another difficult point is just <b>how much help</b> you should give in
  getting dancers into the right place. Dancers, after all, must learn
  to do the moves on their own. To gently guide someone through a
  maneuver, if they have a momentary lapse of memory, might be okay and
  sometimes one can help by indicating nonverbally where a person should
  go. Just remember that we accomplish little by pushing or pulling a
  dancer through an action when he or she doesn&rsquo;t know what was
  supposed to have been done.

  It is better to let a square break down rather than to use force
  getting people into the right place. A broken down square is an
  indication to the instructor that dancers are having problems. Be sure
  the teacher is aware of problems. Raise your hand if necessary and ask
  the teacher to explain something if your square is having trouble.

  But be careful not to embarrass any dancer by the way you ask for
  help. It is much better to say that &ldquo;the square is not getting a
  certain move&rdquo; rather than saying &ldquo;Steve is not getting a
  certain move.&rdquo;

  Encourage students. Let them know that all new dancers make mistakes
  and that things get better with practice. Also, &ldquo;angels&rdquo;
  make mistakes too. It is good to admit to them cheerfully, as it makes
  the students less tense about their own mistakes.</p>
  <h3>Club Styling</h3><p>
  Club styling is always a major source of contention. It is important
  new dancers learn the calls with standard CALLERLAB styling; that is,
  without the added flourishes that are done in certain areas. The
  teacher will introduce these regional differences at appropriate times
  after the calls are mastered. &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; must use only the
  styling which has been taught to the class.

  This is not always easy. How many remember to Swing Your Partner
  without a Twirl at the end? It is really very important not to
  introduce more confusion into a new dancer&rsquo;s learning
  experience. Some students are going to want you to teach them how
  it&rsquo;s done before they have mastered the call, but you should
  resist the temptation.</p>
  <h3>Some Random Additional Advice</h3>
  <ul>
  <li>Square Up With Everyone, not just a few friends. Seek out the new
  dancer who is having difficulty and ask them to dance with you. Make
  sure than new dancers are not sitting out because &ldquo;angels&rdquo;
  are dancing.
  <li>End Conversations Promptly when the teacher begins a tip. If you are
  not dancing, keep your conversations far away from the dance area.
  <li>Cheerfully Lend A Hand if you are asked to help set up or clean up,
  help with refreshments, or take attendance.
  <li>Watch For security problems, accidents and dangerous situations like
  spills or debris on the floor.
  <li>Notify The Instructor if there are problems with the sound.
  <li>Don&rsquo;t Complain about the hall, the floor, the caller or anyone
  attending the class.
  <li>Don&rsquo;t Criticize students or other &ldquo;angels.&rdquo;
  </ul><p>
  Remember:</p>
  <ul>
  <li>Your name badge.
  <li>You are an example to the new dancers and an ambassador for your
   club.
  <li>Have fun! &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; are a key part of whether a new
   dancer joins your club.
  </ul><p>
  (For American Squaredance subscription information, send email to:
  AmericanSquareDance@gmail.com)


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  If you can find yourself in one of these pictures, it means you made
  it to this once-in-a-lifetime event. Thanks to all who shared our 40th
  anniversary with us. It was a truly memorable evening.

  For openers, Mike Callahan shared with us how the club came to be
  named Shamrock Squares&hellip;and the person responsible for the name
  was there to dance with us: Joan Engelbrecht. It also gladdened my
  heart to have Fran Holladay with us too&hellip;so I got to sit between
  two pretty ladies: Irma and Joan! Sadly, for the group picture I had
  to use the one without me in it. When I knelt in front of Wanda, I
  completely blocked her out.

  Forty years ago, in 1975, there were no &ldquo;Advanced calls&rdquo;
  as we know them today. However, the inventive Mike Callahan recognized
  the need for something new and challenging that would fill in his
  Monday and Tuesday schedule and generate the income stability of a
  &ldquo;year-round&rdquo; square dance club.

  Recall also that this was the &ldquo;heyday&rdquo; of square
  dancing. TV and &ldquo;go-watch-your-kids-play-sports,&rdquo; and whatever else is
  now keeping people away, were less of a factor then. Callers and
  dancers were anxious to expand to A1 and A2, and they did.

  By the second get-together, Joan Engelbrecht had submitted the winning
  name for this new club, and there were soon Monday and Tuesday night
  sessions, with Monday night being an A1 club and Tuesday night being
  an A2 club. Callerlab had come into being, with outstanding callers of
  the era in leadership roles, including Ed Foote of Pittsburg,
  Pennsylvania, and Mike Callahan of Rochester.

  The Monday night A1 club soon dissolved, as all of the dancers had
  moved up to A2, and it became known simply as an Advanced Club. A1
  clubs are not uncommon in popular winter-over places like Florida, the
  Valley in Texas, and of course the Mesa area of Arizona. However, they
  do need a continuous feeder group to survive, and these places satisfy
  that requirement.

  In any event, Wanda and Mike announced that they planned to hire Ed
  Foote for their 40th Anniversary Celebration and attempted to contact
  all former members for their catered Dinner-Dance, and you can see by
  the accompanying pictures that everyone who could possibly make it
  did. Our typical three to five squares swelled to almost eight!

  If you would like to join this happy family of dancers, you are just a
  few calls away&mdash;and Sid Marshall&rsquo;s excellent instruction
  can solve that for you. We dance at the Pieters Family Life Center,
  where we enjoy air-conditioned comfort all summer. We are a
  &ldquo;Caller Run Club,&rdquo; with no annual fees. If you dance
  regularly, you can get a new Green Shamrock Squares Badge.

  I leave you with a little Ed Foote humor:

  &ldquo;Want to get a bargain engagement ring for your
  sweetie&mdash;just in case it doesn&rsquo;t work out?

  &hellip;Buy her a &lsquo;Sham&rsquo;rock!&rdquo;

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter

  PS: For a three-page list of &ldquo;Tips for Advanced Dancers&rdquo;
  by Ed Foote click
  <a href="../flyers/Foote-A2-Dancer-Tips.pdf">HERE</a>. Many of the
  general tips on page one are applicable to dancers at every level, so
  I thought it would be a good idea to share this with everyone.


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  Everything can be &ldquo;challenging&rdquo; if you don&rsquo;t know
  the definition or the language of square dancing. I can remember when
  Irma and I were first learning to dance and something as simple as
  &ldquo;Tag the Line&rdquo; made my head swim. Now that we have
  visited Rochester&rsquo;s only Challenge Club, wearing our
  &ldquo;Roving Reporter&rdquo; hats for this article, we find ourselves
  ready to join them. Hey, I need the brain exercise!

  The club meets every Wednesday and dances from 7:30 to 9:30, and
  sometimes on Fridays, depending on the expressed wishes and vote of
  the members. With so few members and no &ldquo;official&rdquo; club
  status as far as I could tell, things are kind of dynamic, and yet
  they seem to have a great communication and rapport with each
  other. Inasmuch as they meet in Fran Holladay&rsquo;s home (see Thomas
  M. Holladay obituary in this issue), she acts pretty much as the
  coordinator to determine everyone&rsquo;s wishes and availability for
  the next session.

  Do NOT think this is a fly-by-night operation however. The club has
  been in existence for over 40 years according to Joan and Ted,
  members since day one I believe, and they are the ones who pointed out
  this fact to us. Tom and Fran Holladay built the house in the early
  1990s, and Tom insisted on the floating hard-wood dance
  floor in the roomy basement and triple-wide driveway specifically to
  accommodate the club.

  Tom and his first wife, Janice, had a long history of dancing at every
  level and they traveled widely&mdash;wherever the great dancing
  was. Tragically, Janice was diagnosed with cancer in 1988, and died
  just nine months later in 1989. Tom and Fran both worked at Xerox and
  met as part of a devoted noon-hour walking group, and when love and
  wedding bells rang anew, Fran found herself on the fast-track to
  Basic, Mainstream, Plus, and Challenge.

  So with this no-cost dancing facility, there are no dues, and lessons
  to tapes are free. However, Mike Callahan calls there every other
  Wednesday and, I believe, charges just the very modest $4 per person. What a
  deal, and we are already long-time friends with everyone, even the
  others not shown here like Jim and Laurie from Avon.

  I do not feel comfortable putting a private address in here. However,
  I can say that their home is within a mile of the Arboretum in Webster,
  just off Phillips Street on Wildmere, if memory serves me
  correctly. Anyone wishing more details can call or email me. I am sure
  the club would welcome you as they have us.

  On that note, we thank Mike Callahan, Fran, and all the club members
  for their kind welcoming, and for their patience with us as we enjoyed
  learning some new calls and dancing concepts. Now to download
  the C-1 definitions&hellip;


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  Tom had not danced with us at the Shamrock Squares for the past few
  years, and as a consequence, he had fallen off many of our
  square-dancing world &ldquo;radars&rdquo: thus I apologize for the
  lateness in writing this. Of course, Tom&rsquo;s absence from the
  Shamrock Squares was not willful, as he suffered the early onset of
  Alzheimer&rsquo;s and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease, which ultimately brought about
  his demise.

  Absence from the Shamrock Squares, however, was not absence from
  dancing. When Tom and Fran designed their new home together in the
  early 1990s, the home included a spacious basement with a
  floating wooden floor: specifically to accommodate his Challenge
  dancing group&hellip;such was his love for dancing, and such was his
  love for all of us. In doing so, according to his doctors, this
  activity prolonged his life and did much to stave off the ravages of
  these insidious diseases.

  Courageously, and honoring the selfless wishes of husband Tom, wife
  Fran continues to host the Wednesday night Challenge Dance Club,
  perpetuating its over 40-year history.

  Although we had danced with Tom and Fran for many years at Mike
  Callahan&rsquo;s Shamrock Squares, when confronted with writing this,
  and finding the Ph.D. after his name in his published obituary, I
  suddenly realized that I did not really &ldquo;know&rdquo; him at all!

  Talking to Fran, I discovered that Tom had attended Berea, a
  Christian-based college in Kentucky for people needing financial
  assistance. Berea provided work opportunities to pay for tuition. I asked Fran
  if she could give me a little background on Tom&rsquo;s square dancing
  history, this was her answer:

  &ldquo;He actually started square-dancing in high school as he came
  from a dry county, and there wasn&rsquo;t much else to do. In college and
  university there wasn&rsquo;t much time for extracurricular activities, so he
  didn&rsquo;t get back to it until the &rsquo;70s (up north, family man with
  kids). He loved the challenge of anticipating the moves in his head
  before they were called. I&rsquo;m sure all callers and really good mathematical
  minds have the ability to continually calculate. Some can be annoying
  with this exceptional gift but you would never have suspected it with
  Tom. Even though he could have done a wonderful job, he never had an interest in calling.&rdquo;

  Tom did everything he could to promote dancing by supporting whatever
  level. He and Janice (his first wife) were dancing as high as C4 and
  traveled as far away as California to dance. &ldquo;His traveling was not
  just for conventions and weekends; he traveled weekly&mdash;throughout
  every season, year after year&mdash;to both Buffalo and Syracuse just
  to support those groups. In his treasure of things, I found 14 club
  badges in addition to literally hundreds of convention ribbons,&rdquo; added Fran, who continued,

  &ldquo;The plans for building our house always included emphasis on being
  able to accommodate dancers. On the few occasions I got bored or
  annoyed with having our house as the dance place, he always had a way
  of &lsquo;softly&rsquo; bringing me around to ensure the promotion of dancing
  continued.&rdquo;

  Tom&rsquo;s doctorate was in Physics, and before you think, &ldquo;Ho
  Hum,&rdquo; know that he retired from Xerox, and holds the patent for
  halftones. Halftones are pictures! You know those things we easily
  send back and forth today&hellip;that before Dr. Thomas
  M. Holladay&rsquo;s contribution to the world, you could not do with
  the ease we do in digital format today.

  In an eternal perspective however (that&rsquo;s the one that we all
  eventually face), after reading the pages-long plaudits about this
  man, I find he could easily have been prideful; but he was not, and
  even though he was the most expert dancer that I have ever known, he
  was always helpful and kind&hellip;and content to let the caller do
  the teaching. He exemplified all the points of the Boy Scout Pledge of
  Honor, and the Scout Oath and Law. Of course, he was an Eagle Scout
  and he lived his too-short life in guileless obedience to all of these
  principles&hellip;not for show, but just because he was a kind and
  just man, practicing the Golden Rule&hellip;this was exemplified when
  his church asked for volunteers to open their home to a Vietnamese
  boy: his actions culminated in sponsoring and raising six such young
  lives over a span of 15 years. That is putting your money and
  your love where your mouth is.

  Try not to picture a man of wealth spending to do all of this: Tom
  owned very few cars, fixing them all himself. Compounding the problem,
  think of all the &ldquo;clunkers&rdquo; required to transport all of
  these people all of the places they needed to go&hellip;and then think
  of the endless teaching and learning experiences trying to pass along
  these self-reliance talents to your children. His score is reflected
  in the life-long respect of an adoring family&hellip;and all of us,
  his square dance family.

  I note that Fran did show up at Mike and Wanda Callahan&rsquo;s
  Shamrock Squares 40th Anniversary Party, making all of this
  possible&hellip;and while a man like Tom can never be replaced, we
  can all pay him the honor of emulating the selfless life he led.

  Our condolences to Fran and to all of Tom&rsquo;s family and friends. We have
  lost a national treasure in this man of many talents who took such joy in serving others.

  Dick Halstead, Roving Reporter, Friend


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  Open House season is now over and classes are in full swing. It is
  shaping up to be a good year. We are certainly excited about our
  upcoming dance season culminating in Dance-O-Rama next May. We have
  been doing our homework and expect another great dance which will
  again be held at Perinton Recreation Center on Turk Hill Road in
  Fairport.

  Part of the reason our federation exists is &ldquo;to provide
  information and promote interest in Western Style Round and Square
  Dancing.&rdquo; With that idea in mind, the federation is now offering
  TWO programs to aid our clubs in this endeavor.
  </p>
  <ul>
  <li>We have an advertising stipend of $60.00. This is available to
  every club one time each calendar year. It is very simple. Just send
  in receipts for your advertising program along with the ad and
  RAF will send up to $60.00 to help with your program.
  <li>New dancer recruitment and dancer retention grant program. Again
  any club can take advantage of this opportunity one time per calendar
  year. The club should fill out a simple business plan (found on the
  RAF website) at least six weeks prior to the event. The plan should
  outline your marketing plan, and how you will measure your
  success. This business plan should be sent to the federation president
  by email: raf_pres@squaredancingrochester.org. This grant is good for
  up to $125.00, and again your receipts are required to start the
  payment process.
  </ul>
  <p>
  RAF is very excited to be able to offer these programs to aid our
  clubs in attracting, teaching and keeping dancers.

  Also you will notice we now have email addresses for the RAF officers:

  President (Warren Olson): raf_pres@squaredancingrochester.org

  Vice President (Jim Gotta): raf_vp@squaredancingrochester.org

  If you need to contact us, please start using them.

  As the holiday season will soon be upon us, the clubs are gearing for
  a lot of great dances. I see in looking over the flyers that we will
  certainly have several opportunities to break bread with our fellow
  dancers and then dance the evening away. Many are class/club dances and, with
  that in mind, it will be our first opportunity to mingle with our new
  class people. Please try to get around and visit the different clubs
  this holiday season. What better way to say THANK YOU than to be
  with your fellow square dancers.

  Happy Holidays


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  For a great number of years the Promenader Dance meant going through
  our Square Dance closets and looking for good serviceable items to
  donate&hellip;and maybe at the same time fantasizing about bargains
  that we might find at this highlight of our dance calendar, second
  only to DOR.

  Well, as six or more squares worth of us dancers now know, that has
  all changed with our new FREE ONLINE version. While there is a
  certain nostalgia, reflecting on the camaraderie of the sorting
  parties, I certainly did not miss the loading and lugging stuff that
  didn&rsquo;t sell to our basement and wherever else, and I am certain
  that Jane Avery does not miss that either.

  Thank You Jane for finally resolving everything associated with the
  clothing donation, and especially for your pre-planning of this event.

  Jane Avery has made arrangements with the manager of the Ridge Road
  Salvation Army Thrift Store to set up and maintain a used Square Dance
  Clothing section. Because this is a special section in the store, DO
  NOT drop clothing off at the back door where donations are usually
  left. You must bring the clothing in the FRONT DOOR and go directly
  to the counter and tell the clerk that you have SQUARE DANCE CLOTHING
  TO DONATE. If possible ask for the manager Elaine and make sure they
  understand that it is Square Dance Clothing to go in the special
  section. Some of the people there know what to do with it. It is
  best to wait until someone takes it and understands what it is.
  Otherwise, you can call Jane Avery at 585-690-3161 to make arrangements
  to drop the clothing off at one of our dances and someone there will
  take care of it. The participating store is The Salvation Army Thrift
  Store at 3790 West Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14626 (just west of
  Sam&rsquo;s Club).

  As the attached pictures suggest, the Promenader Dance was a fun evening. Many thanks to
  our great staff for the excellent rounds and squares&hellip;and to
  Mary Ann Lane and Sharon Meyer, who manned the desk all evening with
  backs and legs that needed resting and healing.

  Our thanks also to Peter and Sally Emmel, and to Betty and Andy
  Ludwick for their on-going efforts. I note that Peter&rsquo;s fertile brain
  is yet busy conceptualizing perhaps a new creative format, hopefully
  bringing the &ldquo;Promenader Benefit Dance&rdquo; event more in line
  with our new and greater need for new dancers. This year&rsquo;s net dance
  proceeds of $238 went to help fund the RAF grant program to help support
  clubs in their recruitment and retention efforts.

  Perhaps the answer is as simple as creating an awareness that
  happiness is right around your corner&hellip;as is a healthy longevity
  in dancing.


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  Following a very successful basket raffle from the 2015 Dance-O-Rama
  the Federation has reviewed its advertising programs. The purpose of
  these program is to assist all of our clubs who want to grow and
  remain strong through the addition of new dancers. The cost of
  advertising has always been a major stumbling block for many
  clubs. The Federation wants to support all the clubs with advertising
  that will attract new dancers for classes, as well as provide funds to
  assist clubs in retaining existing dancers.

  The Federation is offering two programs. The first is a $60.00
  reimbursement. Any Club can use this one time per calendar year for
  any advertising it chooses to do. Any appropriate advertising
  qualifies for this reimbursement, including radio, print advertising,
  posters, lawn signs, just to name a few. The club carries out their
  program, and once it has been finished, all they need to do is send
  receipts and a copy of the ads to the federation president for
  reimbursement to the club up to $60.00. (The preferred submission
  method is via email to raf_pres@squaredancingrochester.org) Please
  note: This is a reimbursement program&mdash;the Federation will pay
  you, NOT your vendors.

  The second program, is a Grant Program. This program could be used for
  recruitment or dancer retention events, and can be used one time per
  calendar year. This has an upper limit of $125.00 and can be used in
  any number of ways that assist the club in recruiting new dancers or
  retaining recent graduates. The Federation has provided a simple
  business form on the Federation portion of the website along with
  instructions: Click <A href="../announcements.html">HERE</a>.
  This should be filled out and submitted to
  the Federation president (raf_pres@squaredancingrochester.org) for
  approval at least 6 weeks prior to your event. After the event has
  occurred, provide the president with your proof of the activity along
  with any receipts and a summary of the event for reimbursement to the
  club. Again the Federation will not pay your vendors.

  These are very exciting programs and it is important that ALL of our
  dancers help the Federation in the funding of the programs. This is
  currently done through four sources of money. First is the Basket
  Raffle at Dance-O-Rama; second is the Promenader Dance; third is any
  Memorial Gifts to the Federation and finally any undesignated gifts to
  the Federation. As with all funds, money can run out so it is very
  important that these sources be continually refilled, and the best
  part is that dancing revolves around most of them.

  Warren Olson, RAF President


articleid: 65
type: text
content:
  With this Winter, 2014, edition of the Promenader we are transitioning
  from a &ldquo;hard-copy&rdquo; print publication to an online format,
  perpetuating a valuable news source that has been in existence since
  1962. Our online presence will be as part of the website of the
  Rochester Area Federation of Round and Square Dance Clubs (RAF) at
  squaredancingrochester.org.

  The immediate catalyst for this change is the fact that the former
  editors, Betty and Andy Ludwick, were unable to continue producing the
  print version, with no one available to take over the editorial duties
  in that format. But this change is also an inescapable shift
  reflecting the way communication happens in our world today.

  Over the past several years we have been steadily enlarging our use of
  the Internet. All of our copy is already received from reporters
  electronically, via email. Our section editing and proofreading
  likewise happen through email messaging. And we have been sending the
  completed pages to the commercial printer in electronic form. Only the
  printed copies sent to readers by U.S. mail existed in hard-copy form.

  Meanwhile, the RAF website (squaredancingrochester.org) has been
  updated in recent years to make available online more of the
  information traditionally found in the printed Promenader.

  So, our becoming an online publication is not so much a
  &ldquo;change&rdquo; as it is a next step in the direction that we
  were already moving.

  This past summer, when it looked like the Promenader might not
  continue at all past Betty&rsquo;s and Andy&rsquo;s departure, a group
  of interested dancers got together to consider what it would take to
  make this transition, and to take the first steps to bring it
  about. Since then, Betty and Andy have provided graphic design and the
  web site has been re-engineered to accommodate the Promenader look and
  news content.

  We hope the finished result will please readers and viewers and remind
  them of the former printed version, while greatly broadening the
  horizons of what we can communicate to dancers and the general public
  about our dancing world.

  As to organizational changes, a three-person committee that is more
  closely linked to the RAF will oversee Promenader activities, while
  the existing staff of dedicated section editors and proofreaders will
  remain in place to continue publishing ePromenader content. Peter
  Emmel will act as Interim Editor of the online Promenader until a more
  permanent volunteer is on board. The Promenader email address
  (promenader@rochester.rr.com) will also continue. And, of course we
  still depend on the conscientious corps of Club Reporters who submit
  news and information in time for each issue.

  The publication cycle will remain quarterly at least until we get the
  format settled, at which time we will consult with readers, reporters
  and staff to review that policy and determine whether it should be
  changed.

  An important consideration from the start has been to preserve our
  connection with readers who do NOT have access to an electronic
  edition and therefore need a paper copy. All sections of the new
  ePromenader are easily printable from most computers and tablets, and
  (along with several club presidents) Peter Emmel has agreed to make
  hardcopy arrangements for anyone who needs them. (Contact him by
  leaving a voice or text message at 585-732-1004 or writing to him at
  24 High Hill Drive, Pittsford, NY 14534.)

  For further details related to the paper-to-electronic transition and
  how the &ldquo;ePromenader&rdquo; comes together, please refer to a
  separate article of &ldquo;Frequently Asked Questions&rdquo; elsewhere
  in this issue.

  The new format won&rsquo;t be perfect. We welcome constructive
  feedback from readers. Our top priorities are to make the content
  complete and accurate and as accessible as we can. But in order to get
  it on-line in a recognizable "Promenader" style by December 1, we have
  had to make numerous choices and compromises. With patience and
  feedback, the format will evolve to serve the needs of the dancing
  community.

  Comments should be sent to promenader@rochester.rr.com, with the word
  "FEEDBACK" in the subject line so that it will not be ignored.

  Sincerely,<br> Betty &amp; Andy, December 1, 2014


articleid: 66
type: text
content:
  Welcome to the second online edition of the Promenader. We invite you
  to visit often, and take advantage of the fresh seasonal updates,
  which we post on the first of March, June, September and December.

  After publishing the first issue on our newly updated RAF website in
  December 2014, we breathed a collective sigh of relief &hellip; and began
  listening to your feedback, both online and in person.

  The response was overwhelmingly positive, with kudos to the
  development team and the publication volunteers. A few errors were
  spotted and immediately corrected&mdash;exercising one of the many
  benefits of our new online existence. And let&rsquo;s not forget the many
  club reporters who take the time to gather and submit their club
  information.

  For those who are interested, statistics of the first issue may be
  found by clicking <a href="../printingstatistics.html">HERE</a>.

  A small number of readers reported trouble with navigation, but in
  most cases this was due to their lack of familiarity with some of the
  ins and outs of web browsing in general. We are doing our best to make
  navigation instructions clear, but if you see ways to improve them,
  please let us know via email to promenader@rochester.rr.com.

  The email notifications we sent out on December 1 did not reach all
  registered subscribers. In a dozen cases this was due to errors or
  omissions in our address list. The rest could due to &ldquo;spam&rdquo; filters
  blocking or re-directing our email, but we currently have no good way
  of knowing for sure. However, here&rsquo;s a way for you to help with that:

  If you know someone who believes they are on the subscriber list but
  did not receive an alert email from us, please ask them to contact us
  via email to promenader@rochester.rr.com. Their email should tell us
  that they did not receive our alert email. If they don&rsquo;t receive a
  reply from us in a few days, they should send another email, that I
  will answer from my personal email&mdash;which should hopefully get around
  any spam filter.

  The most significant &ldquo;problems&rdquo; reported by readers had to do with
  printing. A particular issue was the fact that, unless one spent a lot
  of time on formatting, printing certain sections required a large
  amount of paper and ink. Several club presidents went to the trouble
  of printing selected sections (mainly: Club News, Features and
  Schedules) and put them out on the flyer table for members to browse
  during dances. Even though this affected a relatively few people, it
  was a big enough headache that it&rsquo;s worth addressing in detail.

  It turns out that by figuring out the scale settings that work best
  on your system, you can greatly reduce the number of printed pages and
  still get a clearly readable result. It&rsquo;s still a lot of pages, but
  it&rsquo;s the only option for those who wish to share hard copy with
  club-mates. (Another alternative for some might be to bring a
  WiFi-enabled tablet device to dances and let others browse online.)

  To make printing easier, we have found a way to save folks the trouble
  of working out the scale settings on their own. A few days after the
  publication date of each issue, we plan to post print-optimized PDF
  versions of each section for readers to download and print.
  They will be posted to a free on-line file service called
  Dropbox. We will post links to these files in the FAQ page that covers
  printing. (Click <a href="../printpdfs.html">HERE</a> to go to that page.)

  Clicking a link on that page will result in a PDF download of the
  corresponding Promenader section. The downloaded file will be
  pre-formatted to give you what we think is the best trade-off of type
  size and page count for that section. You may print the file or simply
  keep it for future off-line reference. Printing these PDF files will
  not require any special settings.

  Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. We hope you will
  share any thoughts you have about improving the Promenader or other
  parts of the website. We continue to make progress on the publication
  process to lighten the load on volunteers. We also plan to add
  features to the Federation side of the site, so we hope you will come
  back often to browse.

  Peter Emmel
  <br>2/18/2015
  <br>Interim editor of the Promenader
  <br>email to: promenader@rochester.rr.com
  <br>voice mail: 585-732-1004


articleid: 67
type: text
content:
  Welcome to the Summer, 2015, Promenader. There are several items in
  this issue that deserve your special attention. I&rsquo;ll get to
  those below, but first I want to tell you about our plans for
  &ldquo;re-purposing&rdquo; the annual Promenader Benefit Dance.

  Expenses for the online Promenader are far less than they were for the
  paper version, so a fund-raiser to benefit the Promenader is no
  longer urgent. However, rather than cancel this dance, it seems
  much more appropriate to continue this traditional
  &ldquo;kick-off&rdquo; to the new dancing season &hellip; except with
  the proceeds re-directed to a more compelling cause, namely new dancer
  recruitment.

  I hope that this new focus will be supported by you&mdash;the
  dancing community&mdash;as part of the vital process of attracting
  new dancers to our clubs. Past Promenader benefit dances have drawn
  over 10 squares. Let&rsquo;s bring at least that number of dancers to
  the floor in support of new dancer recruitment.

  How will this work? The RAF is establishing a fund to be used in
  support of individual clubs&rsquo; recruitment efforts&mdash;such as
  advertising, Open House events and beginner dance parties. (The RAF
  will soon provide details of how this fund will work.) We plan to
  donate the proceeds from the 2015 Promenader Dance to this fund, which
  will reimburse clubs for their recruiting efforts.

  Please join us for the &ldquo;re-purposed&rdquo; Promenader Dance! It
  will be held on Saturday, September 26, at the Archangel School (see
  schedule pages and flyer in this issue).</p>
  <h3>Comments on the 2015 Summer Promenader</h3>
  <p>Many clubs take a summer break to avoid dancing in the heat, but there
  is still plenty of dancing to be found&mdash;in air-conditioned
  halls! Also, several clubs host summer picnics. Take a look at the
  schedule pages in this issue to see what&rsquo;s offered.

  Classes are also available in Plus and Round dancing. Read the Boo Bull
  and Copy Cats club news and look up their schedules (sorted by club)
  to find out where these are being held. (In the
  near future, we plan to expand the Class/Club Dance section to include
  a listing of area classes at all levels.)

  Dance-O-Rama 2015 was a big success. You&rsquo;ll find photos and
  commentary from our Roving Reporters in the &ldquo;Photos &amp;
  Features&rdquo; section, as well as a brief write-up on the Federation
  page. You&rsquo;ll find more DOR photos on the Federation Facebook page at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Square-Dancing-in-Rochester-NY-Area/111544005549353" target="_blank">Square Dancing in Rochester, NY Area</a>.

  The RAF reports that feedback sheets turned in at the event were
  overwhelmingly positive. The DOR committee is already planning next
  year&rsquo;s event, so if you didn&rsquo;t fill out a feedback sheet,
  please take few minutes now to send your feedback and suggestions to
  Warren Olson at: warren@sherwoodspecialties.com.

  Articles in this issue also cover the awards that were presented at
  DOR 2015. One of these&mdash;the Circle of Service Award&mdash;is a national
  award. In reviewing the archives we have not been able to locate a
  record of local recipients. If you have any information that could help
  us put together a list of past Rochester area recipients, please let
  us know (promenader@rochester.rr.com). We would like to add it
  to the Federation website.

  There are updates to the list of Club Presidents &amp; Contacts, as
  well as improvements in navigation ease. In the Federation section,
  there are updates in the officer listings and meeting schedule.

  In other Promenader business, I&rsquo;m pleased to announce that,
  beginning September 1, 2015, our advertising rates for
  non-RAF-affiliated entities will be reduced and simplified. Ads and
  flyers from RAF-affiliated entities will continue to be posted free of
  charge, and &ldquo;Special Event&rdquo; listings for any entity will
  continue to be $5 per event, but non-RAF ads &amp; flyers will drop to
  a $10 per issue, and will include a listing in the Special Events
  section.

  Peter Emmel
  <br>5/30/2015
  <br>Interim editor of the Promenader
  <br>email to: promenader@rochester.rr.com
  <br>voice mail: 585-732-1004


articleid: 68
type: text
content:
  Welcome to the Promenader for Fall, 2015. After a summer off, or of
  dancing in air conditioned halls, perhaps in far away places,
  it&rsquo;s time to reunite with our Rochester area friends and kick
  off a new dancing season.
  </p>
  <h3>New Dance Season</h3>
  <p>
  It&rsquo;s also time to welcome last season&rsquo;s graduates and help
  them assimilate into our clubs, and time to meet a fresh group of
  prospective new dancers at club Open House events and beginner
  classes.

  This month we highlight club Open House events by listing them on the
  main home page - below the navigation buttons. It might be below the
  edge of your screen when you get to the home page, so if you
  didn&rsquo;t notice it, you can click <a href="../index.html#openhouse">HERE</a> to see it.
  </p>
  <h3>Speaking of Classes</h3>
  <p>
  We plan to put class listings in a prominent place as well, but this
  will take another week or two to get organized. Class listings will
  most likely be incorporated by expanding the &ldquo;Class/Club&rdquo;
  section. We&rsquo;ll send around an announcement when this happens.
  </p>
  <h3>Speaking of Angels</h3>
  <p>
  One of the most important things that established dancers can do to
  support and encourage new dancers is to serve as angels during classes
  and workshop tips. The September issue of American Squaredance
  magazine carries an excellent article on how to be a good angel. Every
  established dancer should read this, so we have reproduced it in the photos and features section of this
  issue of the Promenader.
  </p>
  <h3>Promenader Dance</h3>
  <p>
  Please don&rsquo;t forget to put the Promenader Dance on your calendar
  (September 26) and talk it up around your club. For a look at the
  flyer, to see our great line-up of callers and cuers, click <a href = "../flyers/Promenader2015.pdf">HERE</a>.
  Used square dance fashions will no longer be available at the dance. Unsold fashions from prior years
  have been donated to the Salvation Army Thrift Store, where they are available for purchase.
  (3790 West Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14626&mdash;just west of Sam&rsquo;s Club).
  New donations will be accepted by Jane Avery at the dance.

  All proceeds this year will go toward reimbursing clubs for
  costs associated with recruitment of new dancers.

  Come dance with your friends and help us recognize the efforts of our
  Promenader volunteers, knowing that the proceeds will help support new
  dancer recruitment.
  </p>
  <h3>Promenader History</h3>
  <p>
  With help from Betty and Andy Ludwick, Dick Halstead has accumulated
  the full set of printed Promenaders, beginning with an &ldquo;open
  letter&rdquo; appeal for support, dated September 18, 1962. Issue
  number one is presented in full in the first of two articles Dick has
  submitted this month. (The articles are <a href="../articles/articles-2015-09.html">HERE</a>.) Dick plans to pull
  historical tidbits from this archive to begin &ldquo;populating&rdquo;
  the History pages of the Federation website. He would appreciate help
  from a few volunteers, who can contact him at dickhalstead@gmail.com
  &hellip; or find him on the dance floor.
  </p>
  <h3>New Website Host</h3>
  <p>
  For various reasons we are moving the RAF-Promenader website to a new
  hosting service. This will have no effect on what you see or how you
  access the site, but it will hopefully clear up the intermittent
  problems that some of you have been reporting over the summer. The
  move will be made during the first week of September and, hopefully &hellip;
  nobody will notice.

  Peter Emmel&mdash;Interim Editor


articleid: 69
type: text
content:
  This issue marks the beginning of the second year of an all-electronc
  Promenader. The feedback has been interesting. I suppose it&rsquo;s no
  surprise that those who have commented on it either love it or hate
  it. People who are in the middle don&rsquo;t bother commenting. It&rsquo;s also no
  surprise that those who hate it are still mourning the loss of the
  paper version and are not happy about having to use an electronic
  device to access it now.

  Most clubs are now printing a &ldquo;table copy&rdquo; of the club news and other
  articles, as well as multiple copies of the flyers, so hopefully our
  content is not totally inaccessible to those who do not access it
  online. We are mailing paper copies of selected sections to about 12
  people who do not have any other way to access it.

  Those who love it appreciate the easy access it gives to dance
  schedules and other useful information about what&rsquo;s going on in the
  dancing community. If you see ways that we could improve the
  Promenader or the website, please be sure to let us know.
  </p>
  <h3>Classes
  </h3>
  <p>
  In this issue we had hoped to improve our presentation of class
  schedules, but that proved to be a more complicated challenge than we
  had thought. In addition to clearly identifiable classes, there are
  many clubs that blend instruction into their regular dances. As a
  result, the first draft of class listings looked almost like the full
  schedule of dances&mdash;adding to confusion rather than reducing
  it. So, we are still in the process of working out how to present this
  aspect of dancing.
  </p>
  <h3>Promenader Dance and support for club Recruitment &amp; Retention
  efforts
  </h3>
  <p>
  As you&rsquo;ll read in the Promenader Dance article found in this issue,
  the September Promenader Dance raised $238 for the RAF recruitment and
  retention grant program. This program is described in an article by
  Warren Olson in the Promenader section.

  If your club would like to receive support from this program, please
  read Warren&rsquo;s article and look in the Federation pages for the RAF
  <a href="../articles/president-2015-12.html">President&rsquo;s message</a>
  and for <a href="../announcements.html">instructions &amp; form</a> to fill out.

  For next year, plans are afoot at the RAF to re-imagine the Promenader
   dance&mdash;making it even more appealing as a &ldquo;Welcome
   Back&rdquo; dance for established dancers and recent graduates to
   re-connect on the dance floor.
  </p>
  <h3>Site Map Pages Added</h3>
  <p>
  A new page introduced with this issue is a <a href="../sitemap.html">Site Map</a>
  that lets you see the entire website structure and point directly to the page you want,
  without having to navigate through multiple pages. In addition, the
  <a href="../schedule/danceschedules.html">Dance Schedules</a> link near
  the bottom of the Site Map page lets you pick your favorite &ldquo;view&rdquo; from the entire
  dance calendar&mdash;past and future&mdash;in one look. This is a very
  handy way to reduce navigation steps and avoid waiting for intermediate pages
  to open. The link to the Site Map is located among the bullets above the buttons
  on the main home page.

  Peter Emmel, Interim Editor


articleid: 70
position: b
type: text
content:
  As I sit looking out my window this cold snowy February Day &hellip; Oh &hellip; Wait &hellip; Its 2016 &hellip; The temperature hit 60 yesterday and the only snow to be seen is in some leftover piles by driveways. I just want to let all the snowbirds know it really isn&rsquo;t so bad in Rochester in the middle of this winter. Well, with the middle of the winter comes a great number of dancing opportunities. It is very easy with our great new website to check out these opportunities&mdash;

  Just go to: http://squaredancingrochester.org &hellip; but, of course, if you are reading this you have gotten that far already. Go to the &ldquo;Special Events&rdquo; tab and there you have the front page from our &ldquo;Paper&rdquo; Promenader. I just checked, and as of today&rsquo;s issue it prints on 4 pages of paper so you can hang it on your refrigerator with every other important upcoming event.

  So now moving along the special events list you will come to May 7th, 2016. This is truly a special event for our Federation&mdash;It is the 58th Dance-O-Rama 2016. We will be dancing at Perinton Recreation Center again this year. Dancing starts at 2:00 pm and runs through until 9:45 pm. We have Four great Callers this year, some of whom you probably already know: Dave Eno, Brad Deibert, Mike Callahan and Ron Brown. And for you Round dancers we have Mark Thone and Jerry Carmen. So, seriously, you rarely get to dance to a better staff than that. This year we have added a third hall, which will feature an A2 Session with Mike Callahan, followed by a Round Dance Party, which will be followed by a Line Dance Session with Jerry Carmen. And these are just in the third hall. We have more going on in Halls A & B, so check your schedules.

  We will again run our Club Challenge Promotion. The rules are simple. The club with the highest percentage of members attending will win $50.00. We do include all class members in the count, and the official club count comes from your fall insurance participation. So, which club will it be this year? Tickets have been recently distributed, so make sure you buy your ticket and show up at the dance.

  It&rsquo;s time to get practicing for the next dance. We shall meet in a square soon.


articleid: 71
type: text
content:
  Saturday May 7, 2016, marks the date for the 58th Dance-O-Rama to be held at Perinton Recreation Center on Turk Hill Road. Last year was the first club challenge, won by Copy Cats, which I still find amazing. This challenge is very simple. After everyone registers, we divide the number of club attendees into the reported number of members in the club, so if your club has 25 members and 24 attend Dance-O-Rama, then you have a 96% attendance rate. As we said: It&rsquo;s pretty simple.

  This year&rsquo;s Dance-O-Rama has even more to offer than last year. Of course we have a Mainstream hall; we also have a Plus hall; and we will offer an A2 segment and a line dance segment, and finally a round dance party. With more to offer, we will be dancing in three rooms this year, and we have lined up a great calling and cueing staff. Callers will be Dave Eno, Brad Deibert, Mike Callahan and Ron Brown. Our cuers will be Mark Thone and Jerry Carmen.

  As in years past, we will be having our great basket raffle, with proceeds going the Dance Retention fund. We will have three 50/50 winners this year. Where can you go for $10.00 per person and have such a great time for 8 hours of fun and friendship with a little exercise along the way? Mark your calendars for May 7, 2016, and plan to come for at least some of the day. Or, better yet, plan on staying all day. See you there!

  Warren Olson


articleid: 72
position: b
type: text
content:
  Who are Chip Kellogg and Sue Yara? One clue is that they are both
  wearing the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award pin, so you know
  they&rsquo;ve been active and respected in the square dancing
  community. Another clue is that if you are a dancer living within a
  couple hundred miles of Rochester, there is at least a 99% chance
  that the badge you are wearing was made by Sue&mdash;as indicated by
  the CS Engraving sticker on the back. If you&rsquo;ve been dancing in
  our area for long enough, there&rsquo;s a good chance you&rsquo;ve
  danced in a square with Chip and Sue. And if you&rsquo;ve been
  dancing even longer, then you recall Chip&rsquo;s unique calling
  style.

  Chip retired from calling some years ago, after serious health issues
  that he successfully addressed through life-style changes and the
  magic of modern medications. Sue has recently announced her own
  retirement after many years of providing most of our various badges
  and commemorative presentations. It seeed like a good time to check
  in on these two and re-visit their many years of service to our
  square dancing community.

  Irma and I visited Chip and Sue at their farm in Walworth, just
  inside Wayne County. Heading East on 441, then north at the big bend
  and just two houses up, I found Chip &ldquo;doing the
  chores&rdquo;&mdash;a term familiar to anyone on a farm with animals
  to care for. I don&rsquo;t know this first hand, but I suspect that
  Sue also does her share of those chores, though at the time of our
  visit she happily entertained us until Chip came in, farmer boots and
  all.

  Let&rsquo;s start with Chip. Back in the early 70&rsquo;s, when Irma
  and I were relative &ldquo;newbie&rdquo; dancers with the Wayne
  Westerners, Chip was usually our caller. The word amongst us newbies
  was that Chip was a tough &ldquo;take-no-prisoners&rdquo; caller. He
  insisted that we should know all calls from every
  position&hellip;which most of us did not!

  Nevertheless, Chip was a very popular caller, and we often found him
  calling in Newark, Canandaigua and other places. Of course, Chip was
  in fact a great caller and teacher, and was recognized, together with
  Sue, with the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award &hellip; which, as many
  of you know, is not bestowed lightly.

  Sue has earned her accolades, as well as our love and respect from
  her many years of providing our Rochester area clubs and the RAF with
  all of our engraving needs&mdash;badges, dangles, awards, pins, and
  whatever else we&rsquo;ve needed.

  I took the accompanying photo of Chip and Sue as they were being
  recognized by the Copy Cats, another of Chip&rsquo;s long-term
  &ldquo;gigs,&rdquo; &hellip; and I believe that they have been
  similarly recognized at many other clubs over the years, especially
  at clubs with long histories, such as the Village Squares and the
  Country Twirlers.

  On behalf of all of us in the dancing community, we offer our thanks,
  prayers, and best wishes for yet many more enjoyable years in
  retirement. We&rsquo;d be proud to again find Chip and Sue at DOR,
  when our historic leadership is traditionally recognized.


articleid: 73
position: a
type: text
content:
  Harriet was born July 4, 1920 in Perry, NY and died January 24, 2016. She is survived by her daughter Kim (Sam) DeLuca, step grandsons Anthony DeLuca and Michael DeLuca, several other relatives and her beloved dog, Chi-Chi.

  She was a dancer her whole life and a very lively one at that. Her parents had 2 dance halls in the southern tier when she was growing up and she started dancing at age 9 and didn&rsquo;t stop until about age 90. She was a member of Silver Squares Dance Club with her long time dance partner, Leo Gaesser, for over 20 years. Harriet was always early to the club&rsquo;s dances and helped wherever needed. She was a very gracious lady and got along with everyone. She and Leo also danced at many dances throughout the area. They also did ballroom dancing at the Greece Community Center.

  She will be sorely missed by the Silver Squares members and especially Leo who will be turning 100 on April 8th.

  Submitted by Sharon Meyer with information from Ruth Uhrenholt


articleid: 74
position: a
type: text
content:
  Bob passed away January 21, 2016 at the age of 72 in the presence of his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Joanne, daughters Deborah, Kelly, and Sheryl and several grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as 3 sisters, 2 brothers and 1 brother-in-law plus many nieces, nephews and cousins.

  Bob was a US Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War. He retired from Eastman Kodak after 25 years and then worked for Nothnagle for 15 years. He was active with Spiritus Christi Church and volunteered for many organizations. He was involved with square dancing at Cloverleaf Squares where he and Joanne met. He was President of the club in 1997 and in 1999 was appointed by Bill Owen, the then current President, to head up a new Vision Committee to work on solutions to suggestions given by the membership such as attire for dancers, changing dues, dance scheduling & getting a nominating committee for getting new officers every year. When the National Singles Convention (DAR) was going to be held in Rochester in 2006, he and Joanne were treasurers for that event. They were avid round dancers and danced in the early years with Bill Saintey and Brian Adams and most recently with Mark and Marlene Thone on Monday nights for many years.

  Bob and Joanne liked spending time in Las Vegas every year and they both enjoyed horseback riding and usually spent time at a dude ranch in the mountains twice a year. They visited the Grand Canyon recently and went out on the glass walkway. Their last trip was a memorable trip to Alaska.

  Submitted by Sharon Meyer with information from Mary Lou Altman, Marlene Thone, and Joanne Everts


articleid: 75
position: a
type: text
content:
  Mark your calendar now for a new all-clubs event on Saturday, September 24, 2016. Two separate initiatives have converged to develop the &ldquo;Fall Friendship Ball&rdquo; dance-and-dinner event. Hopefully, this &ldquo;welcome back&rdquo; dance will become a regular feature in the fall schedule, replacing the popular Promenader Dance that has occupied that late September spot for so many years.

  Dancing will tenatively run from 2PM to around 5PM, followed by a catered buffet dinner at 6pm in the same venue. The early timing should enable dancers from a wider area to enjoy this event. Courtesy of the RAF and a staff of top-notch callers from our area who are volunteering their time, the dance will be free of charge. The dinner will be offered at a subsidized price estimated at $12 per person. Watch for a flyer to be posted soon.

  This event will be a great way to kick off the new season. It will give established dancers a chance to renew their dancing acquaintances and to welcome the summer&rsquo;s Plus class graduates. It will give returning &ldquo;second-season&rdquo; dancers&mdash;regardless of whether or not they attended Plus classes&mdash;a chance to ease into another year of dancing in a festive and welcoming setting. The format will feature &ldquo;announced&rdquo; tips to provide a mix of Mainstream and Plus dancing.

  American Legion Post 256, in Canandaigua, was chosen as the venue (454 North Main Street). The hall is inexpensive and there is plenty of room for dancing and for an on-site catered meal. Hopefully the early timing will make up for the extra distance, and the Canandaigua location should make it more accessible to our many Finger Lakes area clubs. Hopefully, this will foster inter-club friendships over a wider area and in a more conducive setting than the former RAF Cabin Parties.

  The dance will also serve a fund-raising purpose. According to RAF president Warren Olson, &ldquo;There will be no charge for the dance, but we will encourage people to purchase 50/50 tickets, and we will put out a jar for voluntary donations to the RAF&rsquo;s Dancer Recruitment and Retention Fund.&rdquo; In this way the new event will carry on a tradition from last year&rsquo;s Promenader Dance of supporting club efforts to bring in&mdash;and keep&mdash;new dancers.

  Let&rsquo;s all plan to come out for the Fall Friendship Ball, where we&rsquo;ll dance and dine with old friends and new!

  Peter Emmel
  (Click <a href="../articles/editor-2016-03.html">HERE</a> to read the Editor&rsquo;s Message and see how this idea developed.)


articleid: 76
position: a
type: text
content:
  In the &ldquo;Photos and Features&rdquo; section of this issue you&rsquo;ll find a Roving Reporter article about Chip Kellogg and Sue Yara. You might not know Sue, but chances are that you dance wearing a badge that she made. (Look for the CS Engraving label.) And if you&rsquo;ve been dancing long enough, you&rsquo;ll remember Chip&rsquo;s unique calling style and laid-back demeanor.
  </p>
  <p>
  In the same section there is also an article describing a new all-clubs dance and dinner event planned for September 24, 2016.(See further down this page for additional details on how this idea developed.) There is also a reminder about the reward offered for the club with the highest percentage attendance at this year&rsquo;s Dance-O-Rama.
  </p>
  <p>
  Sadly, you will also find obituaries for Bob Everts and Harriet Austin.
  </p>
  <p>
  In the Federation section, the President&rsquo;s Corner page includes an update from Warren Olson on Dance-O-Rama, 2016, and other RAF initiatives. Also, in the Federation&rsquo;s RAF Documents section you will now find a copy of the Constitution and Bylaws.
  </p>
  <h3>Special Thanks To Jim Gotta</h3>
  <p>
  You wouldn&rsquo;t know it from looking at the RAF/Promenader website, but nearly all the content in this Promenader cycle has been formatted and posted by Jim Gotta. Jim took the time to work with webmaster Sidney Marshall and learn the mechanics of maintaining and updating the site. Over the past few weeks Jim has filled in while Sidney was traveling. So, please join Sidney and me in thanking Jim for this valuable contribution. We&rsquo;re lucky to have two such dedicated and competent people to maintain this important database and clearing house for area dancing information.
  </p>
  <h3>Anyone can submit a Promenader article</h3>
  <p>
  Putting this issue together has revealed just how dependent we are on our Roving Reporter, Dick Halstead. When he and Irma are in town and actively dancing, we receive a steady stream of lively articles about the dance events they attend, each one accompanied by interesting photos of Rochester area dancers enjoying one another&rsquo;s company.
  </p>
  <p>
  However, when they are out of town, or out of circulation convalescing from one of the medical challenges that life puts in our way now and then, well, we notice. The Promenader inbox gets noticeably thinner.
  </p>
  <p>
  With that thought in mind, I&rsquo;d like to do two things. The first is to say &ldquo;Thank you&rdquo; to Dick for his important contributions&mdash;past and future. The second is to remind our readers that anyone is welcome to submit an article and/or photos to the Promenader. (Send text and JPG photos via email to <a href="mailto:Promenader@rochester.rr.com"> Promenader@rochester.rr.com</a>.)
  </p>
  <p>
  The only rules are that your article should be something of interest to dancers in our area, and it should make a positive contribution to dancing. News or interesting observations are most welcome, but opinions will also be published if they make a positive contribution. We do proofread and &ldquo;lightly&rdquo; edit submissions for punctuation, grammar, and clarity.
  </p>
  <h3>RAF Secretary</h3>
  <p>
  At the February RAF Board meeting I learned that the RAF is looking for a new secretary since John Benesch is stepping down after three years in the post.
  </p>
  <p>
  I know. It&rsquo;s hard enough to fill club leadership positions, so what&rsquo;s the point of trying to pull yet another volunteer out of such a small pool for a role in such a &ldquo;distant&rdquo; organization?
  </p>
  <p>
  That&rsquo;s a good question, and hard to argue with, but keeping our dancing programs alive depends on more than just club-level organization. There are activities that need to be organized across all clubs. Coordinating these activities depends on a few people who give a small extra portion of their time each month to that purpose.
  </p>
  <p>
  The role of secretary is one of the best for someone who is new to the RAF organization since it does not require decision-making or problem-solving. It only requires attendance at monthly meetings (Sep&ndash;May) to take notes and circulate them afterward, and to circulate the agenda for the following month.
  </p>
  <p>
  It&rsquo;s a great way to get to know the dedicated folks who take care of dancer insurance, maintain the website, organize all-clubs events like Dance-O-Rama and the new Fall Friendship Ball, and work in other ways to promote square dancing in our area.
  </p>
  <p>
  As with any board position, the secretary also takes part in discussions and votes, so it&rsquo;s also a great way to bring your club&rsquo;s voice to the the RAF Board.
  </p>
  <p>
  If you care about the vitality of organized dancing in our area and have a small amount of time each month to devote to a role outside your own club, please contact Terry Pratt or Warren Olson. (Click <a href="../whoswho.html">HERE</a> for their contact information.)
  </p>
  <h3>Daphne-Norma and Circle of Service Award Nominations</h3>
  <p>
  Most of us know folks in our area who deserve special recognition for outstanding leadership and/or service to the dancing community. You can help them receive that recognition by nominating them for one of the awards listed on the AWARDS page of the website. Please take time to click <a href="../awards/awards.html">HERE</a> and read about the Daphne-Norma and Circle Of Service awards, and to download and submit a nomination form. The deadline may be past, but nominations remain active from year to year, so its never too late to recommend a deserving person.
  </p>
  <h3>Path to a New Area-Wide Dance Event</h3>
  <p>
  One of the &ldquo;Photos & Features&rdquo; articles in this issue describes a new RAF-sponsored annual dance that will debut in September. The dance is tentatively named the Fall Friendship Ball, but other suggestions are welcome.
  </p>
  <p>
  This new event is the result of two different &ldquo;re-imagining&rdquo; processes that began last spring and have now converged.
  </p>
  <p>
  One group of callers and dancers began re-imagining the Promenader Dance. Given that the Promenader is now self-sustaining on a small fraction of its former budget, it became clear that its traditional late-September fundraiser dance date could be better used for other purposes than raising money to support the Promenader.
  </p>
  <p>
  The question was whether it should become a &ldquo;Dance Party&rdquo; for new recruits or a &ldquo;Welcome Back&rdquo; dance for folks returning from summer vacation and Plus classes. There was a wide range of opinions on this, with strong supporters of both concepts, but they boiled down to two main conclusions.
  </p>
  <p>
  The first conclusion was that a Dance Party for new recruits would have to be scheduled (and VERY carefully designed) to support and enhance&mdash;rather than compete with&mdash;individual club Open Houses and beginner classes. It would need to be scheduled either before any Open Houses or after all beginner classes have started. Otherwise it would interfere with clubs&rsquo; individual activities and partially defeat its own purpose.
  </p>
  <p>
  Therefore a late September date would be just about the worst time for such a dance. An August dance party was tried some years ago and it proved hard to draw support from established dancers. As for a later date, it&rsquo;s hard to find one in October/November that doesn&rsquo;t conflict with important club dances.
  </p>
  <p>
  The second conclusion was that a &ldquo;Welcome Back&rdquo; dance could be a great way to kick off the new dance season. It would give established dancers a chance to renew their dancing friendships and to welcome the summer&rsquo;s Plus class graduates. For this purpose, the format could be a mix of Mainstream and Plus, and since it would not be geared toward new dancers there would be no interference with new dancer recruitment by individual clubs.
  </p>
  <p>
  In fact, the dance could retain its fund-raising role by donating net 50/50 and any other proceeds to the RAF Recruitment and Retention Fund, as was done with last year&rsquo;s Promenader Dance proceeds. Late September would be the ideal time for a &ldquo;Welcome Back&rdquo; dance.
  </p>
  <p>
  Separately, another group was in the process of re-imagining the RAF Cabin Party that has traditionally been held in the early spring. The Cabin Party was originally conceived as a time to gather the leaders of all RAF clubs for the purpose of recognizing their contributions to dancing in our area and encouraging them to get to know their counterparts from other clubs. It was an afternoon event that included a potluck lunch, followed by a business meeting and then a few dance tips with a team of CCR callers. For various reasons, attendance has been declining in recent years, with some clubs only represented by one person or couple and many not represented at all.
  </p>
  <p>
  This group, in thinking about how to revitalize the Cabin Party, was very impressed by a dance and dinner event they attended last June in Middleburg, PA. The dancing ran from 2:30&ndash;5:30, followed by dinner in the same hall. It was a lot of fun and successfully promoted the kind of inter-club mixing that the RAF has tried to achieve through the annual Cabin Party. The group set out to find a venue and date to hold a similar event here that could accommodate all clubs. Several suitable venues were identified, but the process slowed down over the question of a date: A spring date might be too close to DOR, and a fall date would be too close to the Promenader Dance and other club dates.
  </p>
  <p>
  When these two separate threads bumped into one another at the September RAF meeting, the conclusion was obvious: Blend the two proposals into one &ldquo;Welcome Back&rdquo; event on Saturday, September 24th. Canandaigua American Legion Post 256 was chosen as the venue, where the hall is inexpensive and there is plenty of room for dancing and for an on-site catered meal. The dancing will tentatively run from 2PM to around 5PM, followed by a social break and dinner at 6PM. Hopefully the early timing will make up for the extra distance, and the Canandaigua location should make it more accessible to our Finger Lakes area clubs.
  </p>
  <p>
  Please click <a href="../articles/articles-2016-03.html">HERE</a> and scroll through the &ldquo;Photos and Features&rdquo; section to an article with a more complete description of the new event, which is tentatively called the &ldquo;Fall Friendship Ball&rdquo; &hellip; but other suggestions are welcome. To make a suggestion or offer to help, contact Warren Olson or send email to <a href="mailto:Promenader@rochester.rr.com"> Promenader@rochester.rr.com</a>.
  </p>
  <p>
  Peter Emmel, Interim Editor


articleid: 77
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content:
  The decade of the 60&rsquo;s saw many newsworthy events capturing the
  headlines locally. Most have been forgotten. But at least one category
  remains today. It may have decreased in popularity but its list of
  faithful participants still remains. As a spin-off of the old barn
  dances of Americana, a new rage of casual but patterned dancing called
  Western Square Dancing was born. Although not the first group in the
  area, Lima Grand Squares, which held its first dance in March, 1961,
  ranks as one of the oldest. Its founders were four couples from the
  Lima area, but membership soon grew to include other local couples as
  well as dancers from as far away as Victor, Geneseo, Batavia, and
  Wellsville. Drawn together by a love of dancing, socializing, and
  having fun, participants first met for a weekly session of
  lessons. After &ldquo;graduation&rdquo; dancers became full club
  members and were also welcomed at other clubs in the area as well as
  clubs throughout the USA. The club met in the basement of the Lima
  Town Hall and so became known as the Lima Grand Squares. All walks of
  life were represented, from students to professors, from housewives
  and farmers to mechanics and realtors.

  Since the basement proved too warm for summer dancing, it was decided
  to hold dances from June to September at a barn in East
  Bloomfield. When seeking a design for the club badge, members
  affectionately chose a picture of this structure for the club&rsquo;s
  identifying symbol and it remains so today. Their dance schedule
  included dinners, barbecues, socials, themed dances, and costume
  parties as well as the square dancing and Lima Grand Squares soon
  became known as the friendliest club around. They even chartered a bus
  occasionally to take them to visit other local clubs.

  Don Stumbo was Lima Grand Squares&rsquo; first caller and he remained in
  that role for 14 years. Other callers included Gary Bradt, Dick
  Casper, Will Herzog, Jerry Carmen, and Gary Bubel. Since 2005, we have
  been privileged to have as our caller, Mike Callahan, who himself has
  recently celebrated 55 years of square dance calling.

  Due to a gradual decline in local members, the club first changed its
  name to Grand Squares of Lima and then to just the Grand Squares. They
  continued to use the Lima Town Hall as their dance site for many
  years. In the late 1990&rsquo;s they danced for a few years at Lima
  Elementary School, moving in 2001 to Roth Middle School in Henrietta.

  We can&rsquo;t claim to have any of the original members still
  dancing, but we do have several present dancers who have memories of
  the way things were many years ago. We plan to celebrate these
  memories by inviting past members and present dancers to join us on
  Thursday evening, April 28, at Roth Middle School for our Anniversary
  Gathering.

  For more information contact the Stahls at 585-533-9241 or
  stahlsinrush@rochester.rr.com.

  (Download PDF flyer <a href="../flyers/GS-2016-04-28.pdf">HERE</a>)


articleid: 78
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content:
  Fifty years ago, when he was a student at the University of
  Massachusetts, Jerry Carmen joined the Heymakers, an on-campus square
  dance club. Later, when the club&rsquo;s caller graduated, a few of
  the its members tried their hand at calling to take his
  place. Naturally, Jerry soon became the club caller and the rest is
  history.

  After graduating from UMass, Jerry brought his mechanical engineering
  degree&mdash;and his bride Betty&mdash;to Rochester and a job at
  Eastman Kodak&rsquo;s Elmgrove plant, where he remained through its
  spin-off to ITT. At ITT, Jerry&rsquo;s title changed from Senior
  Research Scientist to &lsquo;Space Engineer.&rsquo; What a fitting
  title for a caller!

  Jerry&rsquo;s first professional job as a club caller was with KOLLARS
  &rsquo;N&rsquo; KUFFS, a Batavia club for teenagers. Jerry soon became
  the caller for EKCO SQUARES, LIMA GRAND SQUARES, SPINNING WHEELS,
  SWINGING SINGLES, WEB SPINNERS, JERRY&rsquo;S GEMS, AND JERRY&rsquo;S
  FUN SHOP.

  In 1989 the VILLAGE SQUARES faced a financial crisis and Jerry came to
  their rescue. He continues to be the club&rsquo;s beloved caller and
  still seems to get pleasure out of watching us break down when he
  throws in one of his occasional tricky, some might say sneaky, calls.

  Jerry began cueing for round dancers in the 70&rsquo;s at SPINNING
  WHEELS and SWINGING SINGLES. He and Betty Carmen learned to cue at the
  same time. Jerry now also cues at Village Squares and currently has a
  Monday night round dance class at the Penfield American Legion. He
  will be a cuer at this year&rsquo;s DOR and frequently is guest cuer
  at other area clubs. He also leads line dancers in Henrietta, Gates,
  and Chili.

  To celebrate Jerry&rsquo;s Golden Anniversary, the VILLAGE SQUARES are
  hosting a FREE dance at Washington Irving (now Archangel) School in
  Chili on Saturday, May 14, from 7&ndash;10pm. Ron Brown, Greg Marling, and
  Gil Porter will be calling square dances, Will Herzog will lead line
  dances, and Bob Schlenker is returning from Florida in time to cue
  rounds.

  Everyone is invited to celebrate Jerry&rsquo;s 50th year of square
  dance calling&mdash;free of charge. If you or your friends have ever
  enjoyed dancing with Jerry, you should come to the Archangel School on
  May 14 and help us thank Jerry for his 50 years of dedication to the
  activity we all love.


articleid: 79
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content:
  Another great dancing year is starting to wind down, but not without
  some fanfare. We have been preparing for the 58th annual Dance-O-Rama
  on May 7, 2016. (As of this writing, we are finishing the final last-minute details of
  printing schedules, flyers, direction sheets and everything else that
  makes Dance-O-Rama a great success.) I would like to thank our
  diligent committee led by Jim Gotta, Terry and Joe Pratt, Barb Green,
  Sharon and Chuck Meyer, Mary Ann Lane, Dick and Irma Halstead, John
  Benesch and myself for all the behind the scenes work it takes to host
  a major dance.

  But we must keep in mind that no matter how hard we work, it is
  the dancers that make the dance turn into Dance-O-Rama. This year is
  no exception as we welcome 76 new dancers into our dancing
  community. This is a wonderful achievement by our hard-working
  clubs. Now comes the fun part for all these new dancers, and that is
  getting to know the clubs they have joined as well as dancing at other
  area clubs and developing new friendships. These graduates will be
  presented with an introductory letter from the federation detailing
  our website, a free dance card to all federation clubs, and the
  Silver 25 club booklet, as well as a listing of all our federation
  clubs and their dancing times. It is very important that all of our
  clubs extend a warm welcome to the new dancers as they visit. Make
  sure you get them dancing. Now I do realize most of our clubs are
  Plus-level clubs; however, we each must look at ways to dance more
  Mainstream (which can be very challenging) to present the new
  graduates an opportunity to dance while they learn the Plus-level
  calls&mdash;after all, learning all the Plus-level calls does take some
  time.

  Finally, since developing new friendships is one of the keys to square
  dancing, the federation has decided that, since the Promenader does not
  require the financial influx it used to require for printing and
  mailing costs, we can use the time slot in September for a
  repurposed dance. We have aptly named the dance on Saturday September
  24, &ldquo;The Fall Friendship Ball.&rdquo; We will dance
  from 2:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., followed by a buffet dinner at 6:00 p.m.
  The dance is free, and dinner will cost $12.00 per person. There is
  a flyer on the website and it should be available at all clubs.
  Reservations are required for dinner and can be paid to your club
  federation representative or mailed to Peter Emmel.

  First and foremost, this dinner and dance are intended to establish new friendships, and
  welcome back all of our dancers from their summer lives. The dance
  format will be alternating Mainstream and Plus tips and of course there will be
  rounds between the tips. The federation will use proceeds from
  50/50 and a free-will contribution box to add money to our Dancer
  Retention Fund. You may remember that this fund was established to
  assist clubs in their efforts to develop new dancers as well as any
  programs to retain dancers (please don&rsquo;t be shy with your
  financial support). So please mark your calendars for September 24 and
  get your reservations in early.

  Please enjoy your summer, and dance as often as the opportunity
  presents itself so you don&rsquo;t get too rusty. But above all have
  fun and develop new friendships as we all dance in a circle of
  friendship.


articleid: 80
position: b
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content:
  Thanks to Federation VP Jim Gotta and his Dance-O-Rama Staff, and also to
  President Warren Olson and to all the loyal Federation officers and
  club reps who took part in putting all of this together. And
  let&rsquo;s not forget all the club volunteers who manned the
  tables. OK, and where else do the kudos go&nbsp;&hellip; Oh yes!

  The Basket Raffle is a major undertaking for every club and a major
  contributor to the success of Dance-O-Rama in financing the Federation&rsquo;s
  efforts to keep our area on the cutting edge of what is happening in
  and for square dancing in our area. A big thanks to all&nbsp;&hellip;

  Much of what we do at Dance-O-Rama is aimed at officially welcoming our new
  members/graduates to the square dance community. Judging by their
  numbers&mdash;76 graduates&mdash;our area clubs did a great job of
  recruiting and teaching this year. Jerry Carmen had his work cut out
  for him directing the Grand March! Thanks Jerry, for another great
  job. And thanks to all of you club angels who helped them get there
  and had fun in the process.

  Judging by the accompanying montage of pictures, I would say we earned
  gold stars in that effort. Check out the smiles and happy faces.

  Of course, this year&rsquo;s professional staff of callers and cuers,
  responsible for keeping those smiles present, did just that! Our
  special thanks go to Brad Deibert from Pennsylvania, who has been
  calling and dancing since he was 12 years old in Colorado. Then of
  course, we also had our own national caller, Mike Callahan, and others
  who could easily fit that category, like Jerry Carmen&mdash;celebrating 50 years of calling and cueing this year! And thanks
  also to Ron Brown and Dave Eno, whose classes produced many of the
  dancers on the floor.

  I&rsquo;ll single out Mark Thone for special thanks&nbsp;&hellip; for showing
  up as our &ldquo;cuer extraordinaire&rdquo; with his eyes still
  evidencing his recent surgery. I apologize for not getting his
  picture, but maybe he&rsquo;s grateful that I did not.

  Most of all, we thank all of you dancers who filled our three dance
  halls. In particular, I thank Dietlinde and Brenda for dancing with me
  while Irma is still nursing her ailing knee.

  Dance-O-Rama 2016 may now be in the history books, but it will live in our
  memories for many years to come&nbsp;&hellip; and I hope the accompanying
  pictures help&nbsp;&hellip;


articleid: 81
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content:
  I want to thank Sidney Marshall for organizing the Open Microphone
  Hour, which actually lasted until the graduates&rsquo; line-up at
  6:45! With Irma unable to dance, we did not arrive until
  shortly before 5:00 to take pictures and gather background
  information. As it worked out, this gave me only about an hour
  before squaring up. Thanks to Sid&rsquo;s efforts, I got to dance to Jim
  Gotta and several others.

  I also want to thank my dance partners: Dietlinde, for the early
  squares, and also Brenda for later in the Plus hall.

  Thanks also, Sid, for all you do with our new electronic Promenader to
  make it happen&nbsp;&hellip; and for Toni and Irma&rsquo;s patience in
  putting up with both of us.


articleid: 82
position: c
type: text
content:
  For Peter and Sally Emmel, the happiness comes from knowing that all
  went well; that the Big Secret is finally out; and that for the rest
  of the evening they can just enjoy the dancing. They have our well-deserved
  thanks for a great year of carrying the coveted candy dish to promote
  the nomination process.

  Then, for Carol Ann and George Stahl of the Grand Squares, there is
  the happy surprise of receiving this recognition and joining the long
  line of leaders who have, over these many years, exemplified all that
  is best for dancing and dancers.

  Over the past half century, the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award has
  become our most prestigious award, instituted in memory of the two
  initial leaders largely responsible for creating our Federation and
  even the concept of Dance-O-Rama itself: getting area dancers together from all
  clubs for a special day of dancing to special callers and
  cuers.

  This award is not bestowed lightly. It recognizes leadership sustained
  over a significant period of time, and the expectation of continuing
  into the future.


articleid: 82
position: f
type: text
content:
  The handsome new commemorative plaque that Carol Ann is carrying will,
  I am certain, have a prominent special place in their home, while the
  silver tray will be engraved with the names of next year&rsquo;s
  recipients and passed along at next year&rsquo;s
  ceremony&nbsp;&hellip; happily surprising a new winner: Caller? Dancer?
  Couple?

  Whom do YOU think it should go to? Downloadable nomination forms are
  available online from the &ldquo;Awards&rdquo; page. Address them to
  Carol Ann and George. Do your homework, and be assured that the most
  deserving person or couple will win. Nominations are reviewed and the
  selection is made in the spring by the three most recent
  recipients. For next year these will be: George and Carol Ann; Peter
  and Sally, and Irma and me. Betty and Andy Ludwick, and Sally Baechle
  act as long term &ldquo;Advisors&rdquo; to keep us on track but cast
  no ballots.

  In the meantime, Carol Ann and George will be keeping the candy dish
  filled and visiting as many clubs as they can; and, just by being there
  with you, they will be demonstrating the leadership that won them the right to do
  it.


articleid: 82
position: j
type: text
content:
  The honorary receiving line is made up of past recipients of the
  Daphne-Norma Leadership Award. This line can be very dynamic given the
  vagaries of life. Sally Baechle, shown standing next to Irma, is the
  earliest recipient who was in attendance. She knew Daphne and Norma
  and along with her husband, Walt, established many of the traditions
  that live on in Rochester square dancing. Note also the mix of
  callers/cuers and dancers. Jerry and Betty Carmen are at the far
  end with Mike Callahan, and Ron Brown is in the foreground. I
  also point out that Eileen Webster, although now a professional cuer,
  was elected on her own merit as an outstanding leader. Newer dancers
  may not recognize Ken Georger in the foreground next to Ron. For many
  years, Ken and his wife Kay were Mr. and Mrs. Square Dancing in our
  area. They were long-term presidents of the Country Twirlers and also
  business managers for the Promenader. It would be impossible to
  summarize their significance to square dancing in Rochester here other
  than to say they would have few if any peers.

  Joining these ranks is no small accomplishment, and we happily add
  Carol Ann and George to our circle.


articleid: 83
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content:
  Sifting through the histories of past Daphne-Norma Leadership Award
  winners, especially those of this year&rsquo;s winners, George and
  Carol Ann Stahl, leads one to think: &ldquo;Wow, they should have had
  that a long time ago!&rdquo;

  True! And therein lies the problem, and the answer to it&nbsp;&hellip; and
  this year is no different from many in the past.

  Most of you know that your nominations are carried forward from year
  to year. They are kept as long as they are viable considerations,
  often over a period of several years. After Irma and I won the award
  two years ago, and thus became &ldquo;privy&rdquo; to these files, I
  was surprised to learn that we had been nominated several times over a
  10-year period. Thankfully, some of you never gave up on us and in
  2014 we somehow rose to the top.

  The point I want to make here is that if you know a worthy
  candidate&mdash;caller, dancer, whomever&mdash;persist! The selection
  committee made up of the three most recent recipients must make their
  decision based on your submissions, and of others that share your
  opinions.

  Pick almost any long-term successful club within the Rochester Area
  Federation and you will find at the helm people deserving of this
  award. We need look no further than the clubs of our two most recent
  recipients: The Village Squares and the Grand Squares. The Village
  Squares could easily have folded over 10 years ago had Peter and
  Sally Emmel not agreed to remain at the helm&nbsp;&hellip; for over a decade
  of outstanding and effective leadership.

  Along with this article I am asking Peter to publish his and
  Sally&rsquo;s &ldquo;Citation to Accompany the Award&rdquo; as read by
  Peter at the Dance-O-Rama Awards Ceremony. It really says it all, citing not
  only their long-term club leadership, but also their function as club
  representatives at Federation meetings and various other activities. I
  know that Carol Ann&rsquo;s smiling face can be found in virtually
  every Cabin Party group picture, all the way back to when Irma and I
  became your Roving Reporters, which is crowding 20 years now!

  I understand that the Cabin Party tradition will now be a thing of the
  past. This was an annual gathering of club representatives and
  officers as well as the sitting Federation officers, and was held in
  conjunction with the annual Callers Co-Op meeting to facilitate
  communication.

  Having been away for the winter, and with Irma&rsquo;s recent leg and
  knee problems restricting our activities, it was good to be back in
  time to cover Dance-O-Rama, and get the associated pictures, and offer our
  heartfelt congratulation to Carol Ann and George. May your lives,
  and square dancing, continue to be blessed by your leadership and
  friendship.

  We love you and wish you a busy year, carrying the silver candy dish
  to all of the dances that you can, and everywhere exemplifying your
  love of dancers and dancing, promoting our activity, and soliciting
  nominations for the 2017 Award.

  Love You and Best Wishes


articleid: 84
position: a
type: text
content:
  On Sunday, March 13, 2016, the Cloverleafs celebrated their 46th
  anniversary.

  In March of 1970, a group of young adult square dancers decided to form
  a square dance club on the west side of Rochester. They gained the
  sponsorship of the Chili Recreation Department, which supplied a place
  to dance at the Chili Town Hall. The club became known as Cloverleaf
  Squares and their first caller was Bruce Shaw. After returning from
  military service, Mike Callahan became the instructor for the class
  lessons. He and Wanda met there. Not long after that, Mike also assumed
  the role of club caller, and he continues in that capacity today along
  with being our class instructor. The club has danced at many locales over the
  years, but the current venue on Chili Avenue is not far from its
  original location.

  Cloverleaf Squares was the host club for the Single Square Dancers,
  USA Dance-A-Rama weekend that was held in Rochester in 1988 and again
  in 2006.

  Over the years many friendships have been formed. Plenty of healthy
  exercise and numerous hours of fun times have been enjoyed. Cloverleaf&rsquo;s
  dances, as well as other social activities, allow time to enjoy the
  fellowship among members. Square dancing is an activity that can be
  enjoyed locally as well as throughout the world.


  Thank you to Carl DeGraff for the historical information.


articleid: 85
position: a
type: text
content:
  Let Tuesday, April 19, 2016, go down in the record book: The Copy Cats
  did it again, and for the second year in a row! Graduating the largest
  Western Square Dancing class in New York State. Count them in the
  group picture; twenty-six new dancers: Karl Aeckerle, Debbie Blood,
  Jeff Blood, Nancy Burdulis, Lee Comelia, Carlos Chapek, Pam Chapek,
  Jean Dibble, Gary Granath, Lorraine Granath, Sue Eddy, Judy Kleine,
  Mary Jane Kosel, Phil LaRussa, Jim Lasch, Tracy Lasch, Mary Martin,
  Dennis Morrissay, Dennis Rogers, Marilyn Rogers, Jackie Rogers, Royce
  Rogers, Mary Slough, Jet Thomas, Shirley Thomas, and Evan DeSmith.


  Club Caller Ron Brown and Class Presidents Karen Olmsted and Stephen
  Barkley are included at the left in the same picture. But pictures can
  only do so much. To capture the real &ldquo;flavor&rdquo; of the
  event, you would have to sit awhile at each of the tables, talking
  with the graduates, the club &ldquo;Angels&rdquo; and the officers,
  who week-in and week-out carried the load.


  As I grabbed pictures and sat briefly at tables with old friends, what
  I heard was not about the delicious pepperoni pizza and/or the
  smorgasbord of goodies, great as they were, rather it was about
  recapturing the eight months worth of special moments: the new
  friends, the new loves, the new skills, the new-found energy and love
  of life, all sparked or kindled anew through the magic elixir of
  dancing in general, and square dancing in particular.


  All dancing and musical movements have been proven therapeutic to body
  and brain; however, dancing in a square with a circle of friends adds
  benefits far beyond the proven norm for music or dancing alone! The
  social aspect also has been proven, in concert with the learned
  movements, to stave off dementia and even Alzheimer&rsquo;s as new
  neural &ldquo;threads&rdquo; are created!


  What a sales tooI this can be for health conscious Baby Boomers now
  peopling our ever more &ldquo;youngish&rdquo; retirement
  community. Whatever the secret is, the Copy Cats, with Ron Brown
  teaching (supplemented by Jerry Carmen on occasion) seem to have found
  it. I hasten to point out that involving seasoned dancers with fun
  tips for them also is another key factor, as it allows them to do more
  than provide a ready supply of partners for solos. Having a seasoned
  &ldquo;angel&rdquo; as your corner makes it more fun for everyone.


  But enough of the words for now. Take a moment to enjoy the
  pictures. Most of them are self-explanatory, especially if you
  recognize Class Presidents Karen Olmsted and Stephen Barkley, and
  Club Presidents Rick and Nancy Simmons, and Dave
  Lense. VPs are Rick and Donna LaDonna, and oh yes: it was Mary Jo
  Webster who organized the treats, if my notes are correct.


  Congratulations to the new dancers in all classes everywhere, and
  all the clubs like the Copy Cats, that have provided us with such
  exemplary leadership.


articleid: 86
position: a
type: text
content:
  Leo Gaesser passed away on Easter Sunday at the age of 99, a few days
  short of celebrating his 100th birthday. He is survived by two sons,
  Donald and Robert; three grandchildren, and several great- and great-great-grandchildren.

  Leo was a long-time square dancer who danced with Belles
  &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus and Silver Squares with his faithful partner,
  Harriet Austin, who also recently passed away. He always had a smile
  on his face and was friendly with everyone. It was a delight to be in
  a square with him.


articleid: 87
position: a
type: text
content:
  We&rsquo;d like to welcome everyone to the 58th Dance-O-Rama, and extend a
  special welcome to our enthusiastic new dancers. We&rsquo;re proud
  that you are joining the square dance community and we know that you
  will enjoy this wonderful activity and the many new friendships it
  will bring you for years to come.

  The Daphne-Norma Leadership Award has a long history. It began in 1977
  when Frank Salvaggio and John Fink decided to establish a square
  dancing award in the Rochester area in honor of their wives, Norma and
  Daphne. The purpose of the award is to recognize and show appreciation
  for extensive and sustained leadership within the square dance
  community over an extended period of years.

  Last year, Sally and I were honored to receive this award. We&rsquo;ve
  enjoyed taking the Daphne-Norma candy dish around for the past year,
  to bring attention to the award and encourage nominations. The candy
  dish has visited many Rochester area clubs, several of them more than
  once! Sally&rsquo;s motto is &ldquo;All chocolate all the time&rdquo;
  and my challenge has been to get the candy dish to each dance without
  it being emptied on the way.

  As we pass the candy dish on to the 2016 recipients, we hope that they
  will have as much fun with it as we have. We&rsquo;re also passing
  along some &lsquo;getting started&rsquo; candy. Good luck saving it
  until the next dance!

  We would like to thank everyone who took the time to submit a
  nomination for this award. This year there were several deserving
  nominees for the committee to choose from. Nominees who are not chosen
  will remain in consideration for future years.

  We now ask all the Daphne-Norma recipients from previous years who are
  in the audience tonight to come forward and form a receiving line to
  congratulate the 2016 recipients. We thank all of you for your
  continuing contributions that have kept square dancing alive and well
  in our area over the years.

  We&rsquo;d now like to tell you a little about the 2016 recipients of
  the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award. They are enthusiastic ambassadors
  for square dancing. They consistently support dances at other clubs
  and their creative outfits frequently add a real flair to the dance
  floor. They have been active square dancers for many years and have
  been presidents of their own club since 2003.

  They always arrive early to set up for their dances, lugging in the
  coffee pot, water jugs, refreshments and putting out the large
  sandwich board sign by the road each week. Then they stay late to
  clean up after each dance and carry everything home again. For many
  years they&rsquo;ve planned their vacations and work schedules around
  their club&rsquo;s dances. They are welcoming and friendly,
  encouraging new dancers and remembering former members and including
  them in club activities. Every summer they open their home for a
  very popular Club Picnic, and they help organize an annual Barn Dance.

  As their club&rsquo;s RAF representative, SHE is a constructive
  contributor at Federation meetings and helps with the important task
  of organizing the Federation&rsquo;s dancer insurance.

  They both are also active in their community and in their church. HE
  was a member of the Rush Volunteer Fire Department and SHE joined the
  women&rsquo;s auxiliary. SHE frequently assists with the care of an
  elderly neighbor. Are we giving you enough clues?

  When we re-read their nomination letters for the Daphne-Norma Award we
  were struck by the fact that three people had used exactly the same
  phrase: &ldquo;They are the glue that holds our club together.&rdquo;

  For decades they have embodied the spirit that square dancing
  represents, and we are honored to present the 2016 Daphne-Norma
  Leadership Award to: GEORGE and CAROL ANN STAHL.

  These pins are yours to keep and wear proudly as the recipients of the
  2016 Daphne Norma Leadership Award.

  This plaque is for you to keep to always remember today.

  As this year&rsquo;s recipients, your names are engraved on the
  Daphne-Norma silver plate.

  Now for the fun part of the award. We hope you enjoy taking this
  candy dish to dances as much as we did.

  Congratulations to you both.


articleid: 87
position: c
type: text
content:
  1987 Jerry &amp; Betty Carmen
  <br>1990 Mike &amp; Wanda Callahan
  <br>1994 Sally Baechele
  <br>1999 Ken Georger
  <br>2006 Tom &amp; Liz Chrzanowski
  <br>2007 Ron Brown
  <br>2008 Eileen Okolowicz Webster
  <br>2009 Carl &amp; Shirley DeGraff
  <br>2012 Chuck &amp; Sharon Meyer
  <br>2013 Barb Green
  <br>2014 Dick &amp; Irma Halstead


articleid: 88
position: b
type: text
content:
  &hellip; and Irma wasn&rsquo;t the only one; hundreds of celebrants packed the
  dance floor and the side lines to honor our iconic caller,
  cuer, teacher and beloved friend!

  We were a little late arriving because of another commitment and had
  to park in the very last row, which was otherwise also filled. We have
  been to a great many dances at the old Washington Irving School on
  Chili Avenue, and for many grand-scale events; however, I have never
  in my life seen the parking lot this full. If this is a measure of the
  esteem in which this man is held, he has no equal.

  Inside was the same thing. There were people there that could no
  longer dance, but that came just to honor this man, Jerry Carmen,
  beloved by so many.

  For the past 50 years Jerry Carmen has been entertaining us; on
  this night, Saturday the 14th of May, 2016, it was his turn to sit back
  and let all of us entertain and honor him, doing our best to thank him
  and Betty for all they have done for us over the past 50 years:
  calling, cueing, teaching, entertaining&nbsp;&hellip; whatever he was
  asked to do. He has been the &ldquo;Go-To-Guy,&rdquo; for whatever was
  needed: setting up the sound system at DOR; directing the new
  graduates in their Grand March; providing special lessons to help us
  upgrade our skills, providing calling services, even when it was for
  him a losing proposition!

  The special quality that Jerry brought to the plate has been his positive
  attitude. Even when challenged to teach a blind person with a
  seeing-eye dog to dance, his attitude was: &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just try
  it and see how it goes.&rdquo;

  It worked, and one of the most poignant moments in the evening full
  of special moments, was when Karen Vetter and her guide dog, Cody,
  came to the front and sat down with Jerry to recall that experience
  that added the special dimension of square dancing to her life.

  I am also thinking of our Geneva &ldquo;A&rdquo; Club, where Jerry
  always showed up, driving all the way from Rochester; often for just
  one square, even in the days when gas hovered around $4/gal! The point
  is, everyone there had something they wanted to thank Jerry for, and
  showed up, pre-empting whatever else on this Saturday night to do it.

  We were all &ldquo;New Dancers&rdquo; at some point during the last
  50 years, and for many of us, freshly graduated and wanting to hone
  our Mainstream or Plus skills, the Village Squares and their key
  leadership team headed by Peter and Sally Emmel and their loyal core
  of support officers provided the ideal platform. Jerry provided the
  special calling skills&nbsp;&hellip; such that if you danced there
  regularly, you could head out to conventions with confidence, knowing
  that you could dance.

  Several years ago Jerry started a Sunday Afternoon &ldquo;Mainstream
  DBD&rdquo; club and soon had a loyal following. Some of the best
  dancers in the area frequented that club, and over the years there
  have been many others. Wherever the need was, Jerry was always the
  willing caller.

  When you review the pictures that I hope to include here, you will
  also see a very young looking Ron Brown getting his big break with the
  Hip Boot Boys. You will see Western Squares integrated with Eastern, or
  plain old &ldquo;Barn Dancing&rdquo;&nbsp;&hellip; Remember that Jerry
  started calling before there were structured Basic, Mainstream, and Plus calls.

  Many of you perhaps do not realize that with Ron Brown driving all the
  way from Cicero, northeast of Syracuse, to teach the Copy Cats
  record-breaking classes, that there are occasions, given the vagaries of our
  Upstate NY weather, that he needs a reliable alternate. I note with
  great pride on behalf of our esteemed friend that Jerry Carmen has
  always been there&nbsp;&hellip; and if not calling, just acting as an
  &ldquo;angel,&rdquo; providing a partner for &ldquo;solos.&rdquo;

  Square dancers are indeed special, loving, caring people. Have fun for a
  few moments and see if you can find yourself in the many pictures
  here&nbsp;&hellip; some of them plagiarized from a slide show the Village
  Squares put together, but most my own, taken over the years,
  just because he is a great caller, teacher, and friend.


articleid: 89
position: c
type: text
content:
  It is with deep sadness we inform you that Edgar &ldquo;Luke&rdquo;
  Whitcomb passed away on April 30, 2016. He is survived by his beloved
  wife of 43 years, Maryls Cornwell Whitcomb; his children, Deborah
  J. Schlenker, Robert W. Schlenker&nbsp;III, Randall J. Whitcomb,
  Andrea (Daniel) Whitcomb-May, Amy Schlenker Mangieri, and Anita
  Whitcomb VanNeil, along with seven grandchildren and five
  great-grandchildren.

  Luke served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958, stationed in
  Nuremberg, Germany. He was a graduate of the University of Rochester and
  a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After a successful career in manufacturing
  management, Luke was delighted to become a professor at Monroe
  Community College where he taught mechanical technology and
  statistical quality control for 15 years, retiring at age 71. Luke was
  extremely proud of the four-bedroom home overlooking Lake Ontario that he
  designed and built from the ground up. He was a former president of
  the Williamson Flying Club and a deacon at the First Baptist Church of
  Macedon. He was also a builder of radio-controlled airplanes and an
  avid round and square dancer.

  Luke and Marlys met and danced at The Andridge House, a roadhouse
  near the Williamson Airport. Luke invited her to go flying the next
  day, and the rest is history.

  Clubs that Luke and Marlys belonged to include: Swinging Singles,
  Circulators Club, Web Spinners, Rimon Squares, Copy Kittens / Copy
  Cats, Cloverleaf Squares, Village Squares, Shamrock Squares, Grand
  Squares, Southern Tier Wheelers, Round Towners (round dancing).

  Luke also thoroughly enjoyed being an Angel, helping new dancers
  learn the calls and share the enjoyment of Dancing. In his last few
  days he and Marlys attended the Grand Squares 55th anniversary dance
  (pictured), where he spoke about feeling well enough to get back into
  dancing in the fall.


articleid: 90
position: b
type: text
content:
  Sally Baechle offered this poem to be read as part of the opening
  ceremonies at DOR this year. Sally has been the long-time United
  Square Dancers of America representative on our Federation Board. In
  the attached picture, Sally, as a recipient, is shown making a Circle
  of Service Award presentation at a Federation meeting a few years
  ago. Many years ago, Sally and her now-deceased husband Walter, were
  honored as square dance representatives in the prestigious Rose Parade
  in California. Sally also serves as an advisor on the Daphne-Norma
  Award Committee.

  Our thanks to Sally for her many years of service to our square dance
  community, and for her offering us this very appropriate rhyme.
  The following is a transcription of that prayer.


articleid: 90
position: d
type: text
content:
  May you dance as long as you want to,<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and want to as long as you can.<br>
  May your toes never stop tapping<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to the beat of a Square Dance band.<br>
  I wish you a smile on your corner,<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and a partner that can really swing.<br>
  And each hand a handclasp of friendship,<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;as you right and left grand the ring.<br>
  May you never forget the struggle<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;when your lessons are finally through.<br>
  May you always reach back with a helping hand<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that someone extended to you.<br>
  May you never become a dancer<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;that knows all and there&rsquo;s no more to learn.<br>
  In the midst of the muddle, come out of the huddle:<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;could be that YOU made the wrong turn.<br>
  And as long as you&rsquo;re dancing&mdash;enjoy it<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and the friends that you make &rsquo;fore you&rsquo;re done.<br>
  With a smile and a song, promenade along,<br>
  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&rsquo;cause you square dance, my friends, for FUN!!!

  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Author Unknown


articleid: 91
position: c
type: text
content:
  On April 28, 2016 about 70 enthusiastic supporters helped Grand
  Squares celebrate 55 years of square dancing. We were pleased to have
  some new dancers as well as many more seasoned ones. Several past
  members were also invited, and we were happy that Andy Shubert and Luke
  and Marlys Whitcomb accepted the invitation to join us even if just to
  watch and visit.

  There have been many changes since its beginning in 1961 as the Lima
  Grand Squares but through the years the club has tried to maintain the
  spirit of friendliness that characterized the earlier days. However,
  just as a married couple cannot exist in a vacuum, a square dance club
  needs many contributing factors to survive. Over the years several
  dedicated callers have provided us with the music and the moves. We
  definitely could not have survived without them. Our past callers
  include Will Herzog, Jerry Carmen and Gary Bubel, and now Mike
  Callahan is doing the honors.

  Many clubs from the past are no longer in existence and Grand Squares
  itself has had a few rocky years. When a depleted treasury almost
  caused an early end to our dance season, the Federation gave us some
  extra funds to see us through. On another occasion, Mike graciously
  accepted a reduced fee so we could keep our regular number of dances.

  On the positive side, we&rsquo;ve been blessed with a strong core of
  dancers, club members and guests, who have supported us by coming to
  dance, and thankfully we have MaryLou, Barb and Terry who step in to
  dance the man&rsquo;s part when we have a shortage. (Lately it is George and
  Dick dancing the woman&rsquo;s part when we have a female shortage.) And we
  can&rsquo;t forget the individuals who have, over the years, given extra
  time and effort to be officers. They have built the foundation upon
  which we function today. Special thanks to Ray and Donna McCagg, who
  have been our secretary and treasurer for the past 10 years. We would
  not be here today without their help.

  To a lesser extent, a club needs local support, since we do have to
  dance somewhere. Our move to Henrietta has been graciously supported
  by the Rush-Henrietta School district. Sue in the office helps to
  secure our dance nights and has even found us alternate places or
  rooms when construction or scheduling conflicts have arisen. The staff
  of custodians have willingly moved tables and set up chairs so we
  could dance and then put them back again when we finished.

  So, to everyone who has done their part we thankfully say &ldquo;Happy
  Anniversary&rdquo; and many more!


articleid: 92
position: b
type: text
content:
  About five years ago, the State Fair finance management was picked up
  by the State of New York in Albany. As a result they made all of the
  department superintendents employees of the state. We were required to
  clock in and out when working.


articleid: 92
position: d
type: text
content:
  The time that I had to clock in during Fair hours was approximately
  three hours. (The time required to put on the dance itself.)

  A stipend was provided to my department for services and was a flat
  fee. As far back as I can trace, the stipend has existed for at least
  the past 20 years at the level it was initially set at. There have
  been no increases. At 2.2% inflation the fee should now be double what
  it was 20 years ago.

  From this fee I paid the caller, cuer, mailings, advertisements in
  magazines, promotion travel, etc.

  Each year for the past 13 years I have spent approximately 60 to 70
  hours preparing and planning for the State Fair Dance.

  In April I received a letter from the management team at the State
  Fair stating that they were reducing the stipend/fee by 67%. This
  reduction left not even enough to pay for the Caller and Cuer.

  In essence the fee being offered did not even make minimum wage
  requirements of the State of New York before expenses as stated
  above. The fee was approximately 0.1% of the department budget. What
  are they doing?

  I met with the Department Manager and then the State Fair
  Director. They stated that they can only pay $200 for this activity
  because I am only working for three hours. I refuse to work as a
  professional in this capacity at a compensation level that is well
  below minimum wage. Note, according to the Fair Director, I was not
  the only Superintendent reduced in pay. I therefore am apparently not
  the only one being abused.

  In my view the management team at the State Fair is out of touch and
  have no idea what they are doing. They had no idea I was paying for
  postage, advertising, mailing costs, or fees for callers and cuers,
  etc.

  As a result of the current situation, I refuse to work 70 hours for
  $2.86 per hour. All of the work to make this a success was done off
  the clock. I intend to protest this with Albany. Albany controls the
  contracts and processes the Superintendents as State Employees. All
  contracts are signed and sent to Albany.

  They further offered to &ldquo;allow&rdquo; us to dance at the
  Fair. My interpretation again is that they have no idea what they are
  doing. This has been a Square Dance for the dancers of the State of
  New York and not just a demonstration of dancing. They appear to be
  incapable of understanding that and are totally unaware of what the
  past three Superintendents have been doing to make this event
  successful. They apparently see it simply as three hours worked.


articleid: 92
position: f
type: text
content:
  THERE WILL BE NO MORE SQUARE DANCING AT THE FAIR. I
  refuse to be taken advantage of or abused by this management
  team. This will undoubtedly end a tradition that I believe it is safe
  to say has existed at the fair since the 1840&rsquo;s. Square Dancing
  has been the fun activity of choice for many decades. I&rsquo;m sorry
  to see it end in this way, but I don&rsquo;t see how it can continue.


articleid: 93
position: b
type: text
content:
  One of the many Dance-O-Rama highlights is the annual parade of
  graduates. These are our new dancing friends who have completed the
  past season of Mainstream Square Dancing classes at clubs in our
  Federation.

  Many established dancers already know the new dancers&mdash;from serving as class angels or from the season&rsquo;s many
  &ldquo;class/club&rdquo; dances. But the annual parade is their
  official welcome into the Rochester-area dancing community.

  The June Promenader issue is our opportunity to congratulate this
  year&rsquo;s graduates by name.

  2016 Square Dance Graduates:<br><br>
  <b>Batavia Silver Stars</b><br>
  Fran Harmon<br>
  Joyce Jewell<br>
  Nelson Perry<br><br>
  <b>Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus</b><br>
  Roy Baird<br>
  Tom &amp; Ronni Camiolo<br>
  John &amp; Barb Corman<br>
  Phil LaRussa<br>
  Mary Martin<br>
  Ed &amp; Susan Orlando<br>
  Judi Schoomaker<br>
  James Speares<br><br>
  <b>Cayuga Cut-Ups</b><br>
  Bob &amp; Jeanne Hering<br>
  Chris &amp; Pam Kelley<br>
  Joe &amp; Donna Manning<br><br>
  <b>Champagne Whirl-A-Ways</b><br>
  Delores Danzer<br>
  Leroy Graff<br>
  Brenda Finnerty<br>
  Don &amp; Sandy Jones<br>
  Pete &amp; Sharon Houghtaling<br>
  Anthony Parez<br>
  Betty Towne<br><br>
  <b>Cloverleaf Squares</b><br>
  Melissa Coleman<br>
  Louise Cook<br>
  Sue Eddy<br>
  Bud &amp; Elaine Eggebrecht<br>
  Mary Jane Kosel<br>
  Ron &amp; Maureen Reidel<br>
  Sue Sepkowski<br>
  Carol Wachtman<br>
  Linda Williams<br>
  Wendy Williams<br>
  Joan Young<br><br>
  <b>Copy Cats</b><br>
  Karl Aeckerle<br>
  Jeff &amp; Debbie Blood<br>
  Nancy Burdulis<br>
  Carlos &amp; Pam Chapek<br>
  Lee Comella<br>
  Evan DeSmitt<br>
  Jean Dibble<br>
  Gary &amp; Lorraine Granath<br>
  Judy Kleine<br>
  Phil LaRussa<br>
  Jim &amp; Tracey Lasch<br>
  Mary Martin<br>
  Dennis Morrissay<br>
  Dennis &amp; Marilyn Rogers<br>
  Royce &amp; Jackie Rogers<br>
  Jet &amp; Shirley Thomas<br><br>
  <b>Dalton Gang</b><br>
  Dan Egle<br>
  Courtney Haynes<br><br>
  <b>Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts</b><br>
  Dave Bingham<br>
  Ginger Jacopelle<br>
  Barb Race<br>
  Rose Rhinehart<br>
  Henry &amp; Jessica Shank<br><br>
  <b>Silver Squares</b><br>
  Anne Granger<br>
  Judi Oliveri<br>
  Jim Speares


articleid: 94
position: a
type: text
content:
  At this year&rsquo;s Dance-O-Rama ceremonies the Rochester square
  dancing community welcomed at least 76 new graduates who have
  completed the Mainstream class program at their respective
  clubs. These are the folks who persisted through nine months of
  bombardment with new words and new moves and survived the weekly
  awkwardness of stumbling through class with strangers who gradually
  became friends. Now what???

  The stock answer used to be that the next thing to do after Mainstream
  graduation is to start attending one of the summer dancing programs
  that teach the next level&mdash;the Plus calls. That&rsquo;s a
  great option for those who are ready.

  But for many it might not be the best bet. If you don&rsquo;t
  feel all that proficient with many of the Mainstream calls, why jump
  into a whole new set of calls? Well, the stock answer to that used to
  be that you have to learn Plus because nearly every square dance club
  in our area dances at the Plus level.

  Sounds pretty daunting, doesn&rsquo;t it? All the fun and enthusiasm
  you built up over the past nine months seems to run into a wall at
  this time of the year. But that&rsquo;s not really how it is.

  Actually, there is plenty of Mainstream dancing throughout the summer
  and the coming year. Your class and club leaders have probably already
  explained what they have in mind for you over the summer. But if your
  club takes the summer off, then your leaders can tell you where to
  find dancing at the level you want&mdash;Mainstream dancing,
  Mainstream workshop or Plus instruction/workshop.

  We at the Promenader haven&rsquo;t yet found a good way to clearly
  identify and present all the class options on the website, but the
  list below shows a few of the possibilities.

  NOTE: You&rsquo;ll find details on each of these suggestions in the
  schedule pages of this website by clicking the &ldquo;<a
  href="../clubs.html">OUR CLUBS</a>&rdquo; button on the RAF Home
  page, then clicking &ldquo;Schedule&rdquo; beside the name of the
  club you are looking for. Also, read their <a href="../articles/news-2016-06.html">Club News</a> for more
  information about each club&rsquo;s summer plans. Browse the
  &ldquo;<a href="../thumbnails.html">Ads &amp; Flyers</a>&rdquo; section for details on individual
  dances (shown in chronological order). Click the quarter-page flyer
  image to view or print a more readable full-page version.

  Weekly Summer Mainstream Workshops and Plus instruction:
  </p><ul>
    <li>Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. in Henrietta at Cloverleaf Squares (Mike
      Callahan and others calling &amp; teaching)
    <li>Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. in
      Henrietta at Boo Bull Squares (Gary Bubel calling &amp; teaching)
  </ul><p>
  NOTE: Both Mike and Gary have told me that Mainstream practice is
  included in their summer programs, and that you will be welcome for
  Mainstream practice, even if you are not there for the Plus
  instruction.

  Also Note: The Henrietta location (Fire Company #1, 3129 E. Henrietta
  Rd) is air conditioned.

  Weekly Summer Dancing, Mostly Mainstream, with Announced Plus tips

  (see later in the article for what that means):
  </p><ul>
  <li>Monday afternoons at 1 p.m. in Greece at Silver Squares (Mike Callahan
  calling)
  <li>Monday evenings at 7 p.m. in Batavia at Batavia Silver Stars (Bill Ryan
  calling)
  </ul><p>
  Individual Summer Dances that welcome Mainstream Graduates:
  </p><ul>
    <li>Saturday, June 4, 2&ndash;10 p.m., Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts ALS Dance in Fulton (Dave
      Eno)
    <li>Saturday, July 30, 7 p.m., Copy Cats Mainstream Beach Party Dance,
      Henrietta
    <li>Saturday, August 13, 7 p.m., Callers Co-Op Summer Sizzler in Henrietta
      (Multiple area callers)
  <li>Friday, Aug 19, 7 p.m., Grand Squares Barn Dance in East Bloomfield
      (Mike Callahan)
  </ul><p>
  (This is only a partial list, based on what I know from a few clubs
  who answered my email. Please check back now and then for updates to
  this article, since I suspect I will be adding items to this list as I
  hear of them.)

  Come fall, you will have several options. Many of the area&rsquo;s
  clubs are planning to adopt a policy of alternating Mainstream and
  Plus tips. That will give all graduates a chance to enjoy the company
  of their new friends and dance regularly through the coming year,
  regardless of whether they completed a Plus class or not.

  Graduates of a Plus class will find that in addition to regular club
  dancing there are workshops&mdash;often held during club
  dances&mdash;that help with troublesome calls. Mainstream
  dancers will also find many dancing opportunities.

  You might ask why there are not more Mainstream clubs in our
  area. Mainstream clubs have been started many times over the years,
  only to fold soon afterward or evolve into Plus clubs. That&rsquo;s
  because of something you will learn about yourself. If you are like
  most of the graduates who have gone before you, then after a season or
  two of Mainstream dancing (which I&rsquo;m told comprises 68 calls)
  your body and brain will want more variety and challenge. You will
  want to learn more calls so that you can take part in the Plus tips
  with your new dancing friends.

  There&rsquo;s nothing magical about Plus calls. They are all based on
  the same fundamental movements you have already learned. it&rsquo;s
  just that a given Plus call combines the movements in different ways
  and expands the variety of positions from which you do them. They give
  your mind an added challenge and reward you with a higher level of
  satisfaction at the end of a breakdown-free tip.

  And while we are revealing secrets, there are a few things you should
  know about those &ldquo;Plus Clubs.&rdquo; First of all, not all Plus
  clubs dance at the &ldquo;full-on&rdquo; Plus level. There are many
  that dance a more relaxed mix. Maybe in the September Promenader we
  can expand on this, but four clubs have told me that they purposely
  maintain a relaxed mix. They are the Batavia SIlver Stars, the Belles
  and Beaus, the Grand Squares and the Silver Squares. Even if you join
  the club whose class you attended, it&rsquo;s a good idea to travel to
  other clubs to get extra dance time. It&rsquo;s not
  &ldquo;disloyal&rdquo; to your home club. In fact many area dancers
  belong to multiple clubs.

  The second thing to know is that every Plus club does plenty of
  Mainstream dancing, but it&rsquo;s often mixed in with the higher
  level. If you are a Mainstream dancer, you should look for flyers that
  advertise &ldquo;Announced Plus&rdquo; tips or &ldquo;Alternating
  Mainstream and Plus&rdquo; tips or &ldquo;Announced Mainstream&rdquo;
  tips. Those are clues that tell you roughly how much Mainstream you
  can expect. Here&rsquo;s the decoder: Announced Plus means mostly
  Mainstream; Announced Mainstream means mostly Plus and Alternating
  means half and half.

  The third thing to know about Plus clubs is that their squares often
  break down on Mainstream calls! That&rsquo;s because nobody is
  perfect, and it doesn&rsquo;t take perfection to make dancing fun. In
  fact&mdash;and I&rsquo;m sure you noticed this in your classes
  too&mdash;some of the most hilarious moments in dancing start
  with a breakdown of some sort that snowballs and eventually melts down
  into fits of laughter.

  The final, and maybe most important thing to know about clubs at any
  level is that they REALLY want you to stay with dancing and share the
  fun and lasting friendship that it fosters. It&rsquo;s natural for you
  to feel hesitant, coming in as a novice into an established group of
  friends and proficient dancers. You naturally fear that you might be
  spoiling their fun by breaking down their square. But for every
  established dancer who is bothered by your inexperience, there are ten
  others who are glad to see you up and dancing and who will bend over
  backwards to welcome you and help you fit in. Your dancing skills will
  grow with time and experience.

  I remember Sally&rsquo;s and my first year after classes. We did not
  feel at all comfortable with at least half the calls we had supposedly
  learned, and we broke down our share of squares. But every now and
  then, at the end of a tip, George Dormer would lean across and say in
  his quiet way: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s good dancing.&rdquo; What a lift
  that gave us! I was sure, even at the time, that he said this to every
  new couple, but it pumped us up for the next tip and kept us coming
  back week after week.

  It&rsquo;s dancing that makes you a better dancer and more
  confident. If you don&rsquo;t have George to encourage you, find some
  other way to motivate yourself to keep dancing. And be sure to pass
  along the encouragement to next year&rsquo;s crop of new dancers, when
  you become the experienced one and someone else needs encouragement.

  Square dancing is a social activity. The dancing gives it a unique
  structure and adds a healthy dimension of physical and mental
  dexterity, but it&rsquo;s secondary to the social connections among
  dancers in your club&mdash;and between clubs.

  You&rsquo;ve already formed friendships with club members who have
  joined your class as angels, and in some clubs you have been mingling
  all year with the whole club. Don&rsquo;t let doubts about your
  dancing ability keep you from deepening those friendships in the
  coming year. Keep dancing&mdash;at any level&mdash;and
  your skill and confidence will continue to grow.

  There&rsquo;s plenty of Mainstream dancing between now and fall. Your
  new friends are hoping you will keep dancing and join them in the fall
  for a new season of dancing.

  I especially urge you to greet the rest of us at the Fall Friendship
  Ball in Canandaigua on September 24th&mdash;with (&hellip; wait
  for it &hellip;) Alternating Mainstream and Plus tips! Nobody will be
  left out. (Click <a href="../flyers/federation-2016-09-24.pdf">HERE</a> for the flyer)

  The dancing will start at 2 p.m. and is free of charge. Buffet dinner
  starts at 6 p.m., costs a subsidized $12 per person and requires a
  reservation. Take a moment to clip the coupon from the flyer and send
  in your dinner reservation.


articleid: 95
position: a
type: text
content:
  Welcome to the summer, 2016, edition of the Promenader, in which we
  make up for the relatively thin content of the winter issue.


articleid: 95
position: c
type: text
content:
  Roving Reporter Dick Halstead is back on the beat after a winter break
  in warmer latitudes. In this issue he covers Dance-O-Rama from all
  angles: Its dancing, its raffle baskets and its organization &amp;
  execution, with kudos to its MCs, JimGotta and Sidney Marshall; its 76
  graduates listed by club; its Leadership Award ceremony and a profile
  of its 2016 recipients; and the &ldquo;Prayer for Beginning Square
  Dancers&rdquo; provided by Sally Baechle and read at the opening of
  ceremonies.

  Dick also covers the Copy Cats class graduation, in which 23 new
  square dancers were recognized&mdash;surely the largest
  graduating class in the state&mdash;and Jerry Carmen&rsquo;s
  50th Anniversary as a caller.

  Speaking of Anniversaries: Sharon Meyer submitted an article on the
  Cloverleafs 46th and Carol Ann Stahl submitted one on the Grand
  Squares 55th. This issue also carries our first international ad of
  the electronic Promenader era: The Napanee Pioneers celebrate their
  50th anniversary with Tim Crawford calling on October 22 in Napanee,
  Ontario.

  Ron Brown explains why there will be no more square dancing at the NY
  State Fair and Peter Emmel provides a Guide for Graduates that covers
  summer dancing and beyond.

  In the Federation section, RAF President Warren Olson shares his
  thoughts on DOR 2016, welcomes our new graduates, and invites us all,
  new and old dancers alike, to the Fall Friendship Ball on September
  24.

  To the list of useful links on the RAF Home Page, we have added
  &ldquo;Callerlab KnowledgeBase.&rdquo; This will take you to a
  repository of &ldquo;information useful to Modern Western Square
  Dance leaders and callers.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s filled with ideas for
  promotion and development of square dancing, including articles from
  clubs around the country describing their successes and failures.

  In Memoriam: in this issue we remember Leo Gaesser and Luke Whitcomb.


articleid: 95
position: e
type: text
content:
  What follows is a fresh take on a topic that has occupied the minds
  of dancers, club leaders and callers for many years. It is based on
  numerous conversations I&rsquo;ve had, especially in the past few
  weeks. It focuses on retaining more of our graduates through two
  relatively simple ideas and leads to steps that clubs and callers can
  take right now to increase the number of 2016 graduates who stay with
  square dancing instead of dropping out in their first post-graduate
  year. Our clubs have already done the hard part by attracting and
  teaching 76 new graduates in 2016. Now its up to us to make sure they
  continue to have fun dancing.

  The square dancing community nationwide has been wringing its
  collective hands over a steady decades-long decline in the number of
  dancers attending events at all dance levels and in all regions of the
  country. Various reasons have been put forward for this, and
  initiatives have been launched to counteract it, but still it
  continues.

  Here in the Rochester area, a recent emphasis on recruitment has
  resulted in two successive years of significant increases in the
  number of Mainstream graduates. Retention figures are harder to
  assemble, but there is clearly room for improvement. The remedy
  doesn&rsquo;t sound very hard, in fact it sounds like
  fun. That&rsquo;s the subject of this rather long but, I think,
  worthwhile summer 2016 message.

  Remembering the old adage about getting the same results if you keep
  doing the things the same way, there are several discussions going on
  among dancers and callers&mdash;nationally and in our own
  area&mdash;about doing things differently. One initiative
  centers around recruitment and retention of new dancers, while the
  other centers around re-vamping the mechanics of teaching and
  classes&mdash;the class cycle time, the number of calls taught
  in each cycle, and the structure of a typical class session.

  To succeed in either of these areas depends on callers, club leaders,
  and dancers getting onto the same page and coordinating their
  efforts. Those who have been dancing for a few years are
  understandably skeptical that this latest go-round of innovation will
  work out any better than previous go-rounds that resulted in either a
  lot of talk with little action or a brief pickup followed by a return
  to the long-term downward trend. They&rsquo;ve seen this before, but
  is that really the way it has to be?


articleid: 95
position: g
type: text
content:
  We in the Rochester / Finger Lakes area are doing some things right
  and I think we may be seeing the beginnings of a genuine
  turn-around. This year, area clubs graduated 76 new Mainstream
  dancers. That&rsquo;s up from about 50 in 2015. Continued recruitment
  success at that rate produces a graduate pool amounting to 10% to 15%
  of the current area-wide club membership. If each of those graduates
  is still dancing five years from now (i.e. if the retention rate were
  100%), then square dancing in our area would be growing at a very
  healthy pace.

  However, retention has not been so successful. I don&rsquo;t know the
  exact numbers, but I believe that roughly 80% of graduates (4 out of
  5) either don&rsquo;t return in the fall or drop out during the
  following year. That&rsquo;s a big number! And it&rsquo;s one that I
  don&rsquo;t think we need much of a committee to figure out what to do
  about.


articleid: 95
position: o
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content:
  My view is that we should let new dancers advance at whatever pace
  they choose. We should not make them feel like failures if they
  don&rsquo;t complete the Plus program in their first year. We should
  help keep these new dancers dancing by providing consistent
  opportunities for Mainstream practice without stigmatizing it. There
  are many ways to do this, but the approach I like best is for area
  clubs to establish a policy of alternating Mainstream and Plus
  tips. Depending on the mix of dancers at a given event, the balance
  can be tilted slightly toward one or the other, but there should be
  several tips at each level.

  From recent discussions with several area club leaders and callers, I
  can report that there is a move in progress for at least some clubs to
  explicitly adopt an alternating-tip policy and also to be more precise
  in stating on flyers and listings what level of dancing their events
  offer to dancers. Some even plan to post a flippable sign at the
  caller&rsquo;s table, telling dancers what level the next tip will be.

  For this to work toward improved retention of graduates, clubs will
  need to be consistent about it and ask their guest callers as well as
  their regular callers to abide by the spirit behind it. The essential
  idea is to provide &ldquo;safe&rdquo; practice opportunities for new
  dancers so that they can take part and &ldquo;belong&rdquo; in the
  ongoing club dance program, even though they may not be currently
  pushing to learn Plus.

  The following may or may not be true, but as I understand the history,
  the terms Mainstream and Plus were originally adopted so that dancers
  would know what to expect from simply looking at a dance notice or
  flyer. Clubs and callers need to make sure that flyers continue to do
  that important job, by specifying the appropriate term on the
  following scale: &ldquo;Mainstream&rdquo; or &ldquo;Mainstream with
  Announced Plus Tips&rdquo; or &ldquo;Alternating Mainstream and
  Plus&rdquo; or &ldquo;Plus with Announced Mainstream Tips&rdquo; or
  &ldquo;Plus Dancing.&rdquo;

  I personally think that if there are ANY Mainstream dancers at your
  event, the bias should be in favor of Mainstream tips and FUN. Plus
  dancers who complain should be reminded that your club can&rsquo;t
  survive on its existing Plus dancers alone. An 80% dropout rate after
  graduation means that for each couple who stays with your club, you
  have to recruit and teach five other couples who will disappear within
  a year. The value of retaining graduates is obvious.

  By focusing on encouragement from established dancers and adding
  reliable Mainstream tips at regular dances, we should be able to turn
  some of the post-graduate dropouts into dancers by giving them an
  extra year or two to practice. That&rsquo;s a win for all.


articleid: 95
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content:
  What can explain an 80% dropout rate by the end of the following year?
  Is it the heavy load of learning Plus calls over the summer
  that&rsquo;s so discouraging? Is it the frustration that graduates
  feel when they emerge from Plus classes lacking confidence in their
  dancing? Is it that most of the encouragement they&rsquo;ve been
  receiving from established dancers evaporates after classes are over,
  when established dancers revert to their established friends or focus
  on a new crop of Mainstream class members, leaving Plus graduates to
  make their own uncertain way? And what about those who opt not to even
  try Plus classes? What options do graduates have for continued dancing
  after graduation? (For more on this, see my article elsewhere in this
  Promenader issue.)

  I think that we, established dancers, need to remember how the dancing
  world looks to a new dancer. There are two kinds of barriers to
  overcome: the technical barrier posed by the mechanics of dancing and
  the social barrier of entering an already established social
  group. Different people navigate those barriers in different ways and,
  if we want more to to get over them, then we, established dancers, need
  to work on lowering the barriers.


articleid: 95
position: k
type: text
content:
  If you are an established dancer, just think about why it is that you
  continue to dance. Most likely, it&rsquo;s two reasons: (a) because
  it&rsquo;s fun and (b) because you have built rewarding social
  connections with other dancers in your club and at other clubs. How
  much fun would dancing be if you didn&rsquo;t have those connections
  to look forward to at every dance? Not much, I think.

  So, retention might be more about social connections than about the
  dancing. We should all cultivate welcoming and inclusive attitude. We
  should get to know the folks in our classes and continually encourage
  them to keep dancing despite confusion and breakdowns.

  The most important contribution an established dancer can make toward
  keeping new dancers coming back is constant encouragement. The most
  destructive thing an established dancer can do is criticize or avoid
  new dancers. Remember that it only takes a small amount of rejection
  to undo a ton of encouragement. Instead of avoiding new dancers,
  invite them into your square. Encourage them. Help them. Make them
  feel good about coming out to dance.

  Many clubs understand and emphasize the social aspect of square
  dancing and have taken steps to bond with their class members. Every
  club that I know of has arranged special events that let their
  graduates know how much they care about them and that serve to nurture
  their interest in staying. Also, and maybe more importantly,
  established dancers in every club that I know of become personally
  involved with their class by serving as angels, helping them learn the
  calls and getting to know class members socially in the process.

  If you are an established dancer, please do whatever you can to
  encourage class members, graduates and returning new dancers. If you
  are frustrated by the gaps in their dancing proficiency, keep your
  frustrations to yourself and help find ways to turn your frustrations
  into positive steps to encourage and promote improvement. Remember
  that for you a breakdown is an inconvenience, but for a new dancer it
  is a personal embarrassment that contributes to whatever feelings they
  have of not belonging in our square. It&rsquo;s up to you to
  counteract that with words of encouragement and, perhaps by
  strengthening your own dancing, to where you can help prevent some of
  the breakdowns.


articleid: 95
position: m
type: text
content:
  Most graduates have only been dancing for a year. They were doing
  other things with their time before they came to Mainstream class, and
  it doesn&rsquo;t take much frustration to make it an easy decision for
  them to drop dancing as &ldquo;too hard&rdquo; or &ldquo;no fun&rdquo;
  and go back to doing what they were doing before or move on to try
  something else.

  Many callers and club leaders are convinced that the way to cut down
  the frustration barrier is to simplify the dancing. In some areas of
  the country Mainstream is the dominant level. But in our area every
  simplification attempt that I&rsquo;ve heard of (such as forming
  Mainstream clubs) has ended up either folding or evolving to the Plus
  level. The explanation I&rsquo;ve heard is that once they get
  comfortable with Mainstream dancing, people inevitably seek the added
  challenge of advancing to the Plus level or beyond. Another possible
  explanation is that callers get bored and pull dancers forward by
  introducing &ldquo;more interesting&rdquo; calls, but I&rsquo;ll leave
  that debate for others.

  (As an aside, callers and most established dancers know that the
  degree of difficulty is not always in the calls. It&rsquo;s also in
  the sequencing and in the left-right dancer positions&mdash;half sashayed or not. A &ldquo;non-standard&rdquo; Mainstream tip is
  much more likely than a &ldquo;standard&rdquo; Plus tip to break down
  an entire floor or experienced dancers.)

  Addressing the dance level, and the mechanics of managing it to get
  the best outcome, is a responsibility of club leaders and
  callers. Dancers should be able to tell what to expect at any
  particular dance from looking up a club&rsquo;s schedule listing and
  its flyers. Think of a new dancer deciding whether to come to your
  next dance. Will it be fun for them, or will they be standing around
  in broken squares or sitting on the sidelines being ignored?


articleid: 96
position: a
type: text
content:
  Thanks to all who made the Basket Raffle a great success once again
  this year! It seemed as if everyone had fun creating the baskets,
  competing for them and, most of all, winning them. Winners are listed
  below. As you can see, there are a couple of winners we didn&rsquo;t
  &ldquo;catch&rdquo; when they picked up their baskets, or information
  was lost in the excitement. We are still perfecting our process for
  basket retrieval. It&rsquo;s fun for folks to know who the winners
  were. If you won one of these baskets, please e-mail your name, club
  and which basket you won to bgreenanc@gmail.com. Thanks again for
  participating!

  Batavia Silver Stars&mdash;Ed Austin&mdash;Silver Squares<br><br>
  Belles &rsquo;N&rsquo; Beaus&mdash;Dean Rich&mdash;Batavia Silver Stars<br><br>
  Cayuga Cutups&mdash;(did not catch name)<br><br>
  Champagne Whirl-A-Ways&mdash;(did not catch name)<br><br>
  Cloverleaf Squares&mdash;Eric Bomgren&mdash;Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts<br><br>
  Copy Cats&mdash;Ron &amp; Mary Griffitt&mdash;Franklin Squares (PA)<br><br>
  Dalton Gang&mdash;Rick &amp; Nancy Simmons&mdash;Copy Cats, Village Squares<br><br>
  Grand Squares&mdash;Royce Rogers&mdash;Copy Cats<br><br>
  Seneca Silhouettes&mdash;Joy Bookmiller&mdash;Batavia Silver Stars<br><br>
  Shirts &rsquo;N&rsquo; Skirts&mdash;Donna &amp; Rick LaDonna&mdash;Copy Cats, Village Squares<br><br>
  Village Squares&mdash;Terry &amp; Joe Pratt&mdash;Dalton Gang<br><br>
  Waterwheel Squares&mdash;Fred Ventura&mdash;Village Squares<br><br>
  <br><br>
  Federation Mother&rsquo;s Day Hydrangea&mdash;Sharon Meyer&mdash;Cloverleaf Squares<br><br>
  <br><br>
  Pennsylvania Convention&mdash;Eileen Webster&mdash;Cloverleaf Squares


articleid: 95
position: q
type: text
content:
  If you&rsquo;ve read this far, then you probably have an opinion on these
  matters and I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s worth hearing. Please drop me a note via
  promenader@rochester.rr.com or my personal email
  pemmel@frontiernet.net.


articleid: 97
position: c
type: text
content:
  The occasion was the Copy Cats annual Summer Picnic at the Arboretum
  on Schlagle Road in Webster. Irma is shown here together with Ron
  Brown, our friend since 1990 when we became &ldquo;recycled
  dancers&rdquo; with the Wayne Westerners where Ron was early in his
  calling/teaching career, a career that has now brought hundreds,
  perhaps even thousands of square dancing friends together. Also
  pictured with us is Nancy Simmons. Happily, Nancy and Rick Simmons,
  current co-presidents of the Copy Cats, are included in that number,
  as are literally hundreds of others in places around central New York
  where Ron&rsquo;s magic tonsils and teaching expertise,
  bring this extraordinarily healthy and happy dimension to our lives.

  And yes, that is a cane that Irma is holding. Her complete
  knee-replacement two years ago has proven problematic, and
  worsening. We now hope for restorative surgery to correct the problem,
  and still hope to return to dancing; but many prayers must be answered
  to make that happen.

  I did get to dance one tip with long-time-friend Dee Wickman after
  the program that included games in the afternoon, a great meal, a
  fashion show, and Jim Gotta calling.


articleid: 97
position: f
type: text
content:
  Richard La Donna forced me to not show a full picture of him in his
  wedding gown, so I acquiesced, and only show this socially acceptable
  portion.


articleid: 97
position: i
type: text
content:
  Also accepting kudos are other hard-to-recognize (fortunately for
  some) very talented Copy Cat thespians.


articleid: 97
position: l
type: text
content:
  Well, that&rsquo;s enough of that, and with my apologies to those not
  included; however, our thanks for a hilarious interlude between
  cleaning up and dancing.


articleid: 97
position: s
type: text
content:
  We arrived at three in the afternoon and hotly contested games were
  already in progress as shown. Actually the games were for the most
  part quietly progressing amid conversations of family and sharing
  summer experiences; simply sharing &ldquo;life&rdquo; as good friends
  do. One is not a dancer very long before the realization that the
  following &ldquo;definition of dancing&rdquo; is in fact true:
  &ldquo;Square Dancing is Friendship put to Music&rdquo;! True, True,
  True&nbsp;&hellip; we have life-long loving relationships that we
  treasure with our square dance friends. Observe.


articleid: 97
position: u
type: text
content:
  I like to focus on faces, as they are the truest evidence of the
  elation of what one is experiencing. Note how the the focus of the
  faces shift when presented with a situation when tough decisions have
  to be made: Eating! Faced with more food than one could possible
  eat&nbsp;&hellip; well true for at least some of us. What would you
  decide on?&nbsp;&hellip; One shot is from the beginning, the other is
  from the ending: Note the plates and the faces in between.


articleid: 97
position: w
type: text
content:
  One gets the impression that eating is serious business! &hellip; and
  it is! Make wise choices in all that you do, with only an occasional
  excess for those &ldquo;special occasions,&rdquo; that there always
  seem to be too many of in our precious summer times.

  By the time you read this, and hopefully enjoy the pictures, we will
  be back into the fall season, when square dance clubs all over in our
  area will be promoting our beloved activity&nbsp;&hellip; somehow the
  myriad benefits of this &ldquo;life-extending&rdquo; activity seem to
  be the best kept secret in the world! And, what we are doing here is a
  sort of missionary work: Why should we be the only people having all
  the fun! It is only because of the great love we have for our sisters
  and brothers that are somehow outside looking in.

  Join us! As you can see elsewhere in the Promenader, there are clubs
  all over, and great callers like Ron, and Mike, and Dave, to name just
  a few locally that pop into my head right now, are just
  waiting to tell you: &ldquo;OK, square up. Say &lsquo;Hi&rsquo; to your
  corner&nbsp;&hellip; let&rsquo;s have some fun!&rdquo;


articleid: 98
position: b
type: text
content:
  Banner stealing is a great way for dancers from different clubs to get
  acquainted and for clubs to support one another by increasing
  attendance at regular dances.

  In our area, banner raids were popular for many years but died out
  when too few clubs could muster enough raiders or retrievers to
  support it. However, news of a recent raid in Batavia by the Copy Cats
  indicates this lively tradition is being revived. So, we thought now
  would be a good time to remind everyone how Banner Stealing
  works. It&rsquo;s not a sneak attack; The &ldquo;thieves&rdquo; come
  in, pay their door fees, socialize and dance; A banner changes hands;
  Nobody gets hurt.

  Here&rsquo;s how it works:

  1) Since not all clubs are able to support Banner Stealing, clubs
  interested in participating should register with the Rochester Area
  Federation (email to promenader@rochester.rr.com), where a list will
  be maintained online on the &ldquo;FEDERATION&rdquo; page. Registered
  clubs should also have at least one &ldquo;Traveling Banner&rdquo;
  available to be stolen.

  2) To steal a banner, the &ldquo;Stealing&rdquo; club must bring at
  least four couples who pay the visitors&rsquo; fee at the
  &ldquo;Host&rdquo; club&rsquo;s dance. Exception: Smaller and less
  mobile clubs may meet the &ldquo;four couples&rdquo; level by either
  (a) including up to two &ldquo;allied&rdquo; couples (from other clubs
  than the Host club), or (b) by prior agreement with the Host club,
  accumulating any combination of smaller &ldquo;serial raids&rdquo;
  that add up to four couples over a three-month period. Remember, the
  spirit here is to encourage dancers to get around to other clubs, so
  actually, any arrangement that works for both clubs is fine!

  3) A representative of the Stealing club must advise the Host
  club&rsquo;s president at least 48 hours in advance. If more than one
  club is planning to steal the same club&rsquo;s banner, then the first
  club to notify the Host club takes precedence.

  4) To actually earn the right to take home the banner, the raiding
  party must demonstrate its dancing abilities&mdash;and its
  good humor&mdash;to the Host club in a demonstration tip of
  the Host caller&rsquo;s choice. In the case of serial small raids,
  it&rsquo;s up to the Hosts and raiders to agree on a suitable
  demonstration of skill and good will. Exceptionally large raiding
  parties of eight couples or more have been known to return home with
  the Host caller&rsquo;s shirt, but naturally this would have to be
  arranged in advance with the Host club.

  5) It is the responsibility of the Stealing Club to safeguard the
  stolen banner, display it at their club dances and return it only to
  its owner club.

  6) To retrieve a stolen banner, the owner club must bring at least
  four paying couples to a dance hosted by the Stealing club. Stealing
  the new Host&rsquo;s banner at the same time, requires an additional
  four paying couples, and 48-hour advanced notification to the new Host
  club president. (Exceptions for smaller clubs can be arranged with
  club leadership, as noted above.)

  7) If a banner has not been retrieved within a reasonable time (three
  months of the dance season), the Stealing club is allowed to bring it
  back to its owner club, with up to four couples admitted as non-paying
  guests. The owner club&rsquo;s president shall be notified at least a
  week in advance of the planned return.

  8) Banner stealing and retrieving are restricted to regular scheduled
  club dances only. Special dances with a guest caller are subject to
  approval in advance by the Host club&rsquo;s president.


