Well things might be looking up but there are still some hurdles to jump over and hoops to get through. The pandemic continues and every two weeks our Governor has changes for each County. Check for the updates frequently and act accordingly. We don’t want to be out of compliance with the guidelines. If you are thinking of opening your dance venue to hold Round or Square dancing, please take a look at the Federation Guidelines that are posted on the Federation web site (https://squaredance.gen.or.us/). They are a compilation of the State directives related to our activity. They can be downloaded as a PDF file. Thanks to Tim Keck for his effort in making sure we have some data to follow in beginning dancing again. This will open up the info that you seek. Read it all. The last three pages are examples of waivers for your use when you start dancing. These are required for reading and signing in for the dances so that everyone is aware of their responsibilities and is a good way to track contacts if there is an outbreak from the dance. If you have any questions please contact Timothy Keck (tjkeck@outlook.com) if you need further information.
Social Square Dancing (SSD) is a new buzz word being talked about and a lot of the state’s callers and other dancers are getting involved. SSD is a short course (12 weeks) teaching mainstream. Get as much information as you can and discuss this with your club and caller. Choosing to use the SSD teaching method is a group decision and it would be a good idea if some of the other clubs in your area consider it, if your club wants to do it. Here is a link for more information http://callerlabknowledge.org/?s=SSD.
We are all in this together and whether or not if you received the vaccine, I know we all miss the social aspect that dancing provided.
Swing Your Partner
Gary Clark, Federation President
As the vaccination rate starts to improve, we are getting closer to restarting square dancing. If I were a betting man, I'd bet most clubs will be operating again in September. As I mentioned last month, when your club decides to open up again, let me know. We will all have to relearn our habits of creating and distributing flyers. I can make that a bit easier by "filling in" your regular dances in advance, but I don't want to start that until most clubs are running again.
Click here to find out how to get your information into the OFN, including dances, lessons, photos, flyers, advertisements, and caller/cuer information.
We have set up an email mailing list to notify people when a new edition of the online OFN is available, and for other important news about the OFN. To subscribe to this mailing list, just fill out this information:
Here is a useful article about the COVID restrictions, written and maintained by Federation 2nd Vice President Tim Keck, with useful pages from the State of Oregon and from USDA: https://ofn.club/content/2021-05/Covid%20Guidelines%20(210505).pdf .
The next Federation meeting will be a Zoom teleconference on May 16, 2021, at 9:00 AM. The results of the officer elections for 2021-22 will be announced.
There will be no Oregon Summer Festival in 2021. Washington's Summer Festival is scheduled for June 17-19, 2021, in Everett, WA.
Mid-Winter Festival 2022 is scheduled for January 28-30, 2022, at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany.
The Silver State Festival, a favorite of Oregon dancers, is having a virtual festival on Saturday, May 8, with all 2-couple dancing, using their regularly scheduled callers. Sounds like a fun idea. Here's the flyer. You can register for free at (https://tinyurl.com/SilverStateFestival2021).
The latest news about the National Square Dance Conventions® is located in the National Squares magazine, produced by the NEC. You can find the latest issue here: (http://nsdcnec.com/flipdocs/NatSqOnline/Natsq1120/index.html)
The 70th National Square Dance Convention® will be held in Jackson, Mississippi, June 23-26, 2021. This event is still scheduled to happen.
The 71st National Square Dance Convention® will be held in Evansville, Indiana, June 22-25, 2022.
The 72nd National Square Dance Convention® will be held in Mobile, Alabama, June 21-24, 2023.
The 73rd National Square Dance Convention® has just been awarded to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for June of 2024.
All clubs in the Oregon Federation are required to maintain their status as non-profit corporations with the State of Oregon. The Secretary of State's office mails out a renewal notice about a month before your registration expires every year. The following clubs expire this month:
May 3 -- Country Cut-Ups
May 6 -- Whirl-A-Ways
May 8 -- Timber 8's
May 15 -- Bachelor N Bachelorettes
May 15 -- River City Dancers
May 26 -- South Coast Council
Download a complete list of the Federation club dances this month, all sorted by date and city.
Everything in the When & Where is extracted from the state directory information. If you find that your club information is wrong, you can fix that by going to the directory information area and fixing your data.
You can download this list of callers and cuers who are available and ready to call or cue a dance for you.
Callers:
Cuers:
The Tualatin Valley Council has chosen the May Round of the Month: "Thinkin' of a Rendezvous", Phase II+1 Two-Step (strolling vine), choreographed by ron & Georgine Woolcock, music by Johnny Duncan. Set speed to 50 RPM.
[Download your cue sheet here] (https://www.roundalab.org/CuesheetsDL2/THINKIN%27%20ABOUT%20A%20RENDEZVOUS%2C%20Woolcock%2C%20R%26G__2%2B1.pdf).
For more information on the Round of the Month, please contact .
July 21 (3rd Wed)
January 9 (2nd Sun)
April 8 (2nd Fri)Click a thumbnail to download the flyer.
Click a thumbnail to see the full-sized picture.
Click a council name to go directly to that section.
The one after this one in May will be July 31, 2021.
Christina Corelli, Secretary of CCCA
Keep on calling, cueing and teaching for FUN
We dance in Hall B at the Emerald Square Dance Center in Springfield which is located behind the big building at 20th and Yolanda. We dance to recorded music and top-notch callers.
This reporter had the opportunity to do some virtual advanced dancing with a friend to assess whether I needed to take lessons again or not. I then went down on the second Friday in April and danced at the Pear Blossom Festival to Charlie Robertson’s fine calling. We did an hour of advanced, mixing and mingling with dancers from as far away as Seattle. What a blast! I don’t need to take lessons again after all (HA, HA!). Of course that evening Charlie was calling easy A-1. Still it was great fun and I am anxious to get back to dancing advanced with my friends here at the ESDC.
Hope all of you are doing well and getting back out there as well.
Gaynor Hintz
Club Reporter
We were sorry to hear that Bill Gale, Jackie’s husband, had to have open heart surgery. He is doing well I understand but won’t be back dancing just yet.
We just recently learned that two of our members tested positive for COVID but only have mild symptoms and will soon be out of quarantine. I’m sure they’ll be out dancing with us on the 14th of May.
Please pass the word to your dancing friends to come dance with us in May.
Gaynor Hintz
Vice President and Club Reporter
We hope to be able to rent the hall's parking lot again for socially distanced meetings when the weather gets a little warmer. It gives us a nice chance to see our friends and get caught up.
Our caller, Tim Matteson, lost his mother recently. He had been taking care of her for quite a while. She was on hospice but a short time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tim. He and his mom were very close.
Hopefully, we'll be back to dancing soon.
Christina Corelli
Member-at-Large of Spin Cycle Squares
We had a club meeting in April to vote for Federation officers, to decide what to do about club officers, and to plan a special dance or two. We will also decide later when to ask for dues to be paid.
We are enjoying having Randy as our cuer and appreciate Debbie accompanying him when she can. She has been busy training a new puppy. Marilyn Schmit
May 15 (3rd Sat)
We have danced three times and have had a blast each time. There have been 4-5 squares on the floor. We sanitize hands before each tip and have pool noodles available for more distancing.
We are looking forward to dancing without the face coverings whenever that happens. In the meantime, we will have fun safely. Hope to see you on a dance floor soon.
Sheila Machado
May 14 (2nd Fri)
At a mere $10 a couple, we’re going to lose our shirts on this dance, but do we care? Not in the least! Having fun is priceless!
It’s a dance designed for people who have wanted to get back to dancing, noticed that everything else has opened up, and wondering why we have not also opened up. Here’s your big chance to return to dancing, all at a risk level that is likely less than going to the grocery store. So make your reservation and enjoy a great evening of our favorite hobby.
Jim
May 1 (1st Sat)
Jim
Chaps and Petticoats joined the Maplewood Grange general meeting on March 28th to discuss opening up the Grange, to Square Dancing, under Moderate Risk COVID regulations. In addition to the COVID regulations, local granges follow the Oregon State Grange (OSG) mandates, and OSG is under advisement of the National Grange.
Maplewood has opened to small-numbered meetings, and discussed adding additional events to the calendar. The Grange agreed to resume rentals for non-contact sports based on maintaining State COVID regulations (including areas to be cleaned before and after, 50% occupancy, masks and/or shields worn, separation maintained, maintaining adequate ventilation, plus the signing of a waiver). Local granges must wait for the risk regulations to open up for Square Dancing, a contact sport.
On a positive note, Portland Area Council (PAC) is having a 5th Friday ROUNDS (only) dance on April 30th this month at the Oak Grove Community Center. A reservation is required, due to the hall occupancy limitation...see flyer in the Oregon Federation April News under Portland Area Council to reserve.
Happy Feet,
Betty Chipps
May 29 (5th Sat)
Our members have kept in touch by Zoom meetings and phone calls. Members have also been busy with building repairs, re decorating and painting.
We look forward to the day when we can return to the life we once knew and enjoyed. It has been over a year since we have danced. Will we still remember? Well, just remember that when you get into the square, you will not be alone. There will be seven other dancers there all helping each other. When the time comes, don’t be afraid to try again.
We will be sure to let everyone know when we begin holding dances again.
Carol Mendenhall
Meanwhile, we are anticipating the return of nicer weather by planning some Ramblers Zambles around Portland. This is a fun way to catch up with club members’ news, while helping with conditioning after our long layoff.
We had an entertaining “Name that Rambler” contest in April. Contestants had to answer 5 questions, and then had to try to guess the identity of the Rambler based on their answers. We had 20 contestants for this game. The questions were:
1. What time zone were you born in?
2. Who is your all-time favorite actor (any gender)?
3. What is your all-time favorite movie?
4. What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
5. If you had a completely free afternoon, how would you spend it?
One perspicacious participant correctly identified 10 Ramblers solely through the information elicited from these questions. Astonishing! The winner won a free one-year Ramblers membership. And we all learned something new about our fellow members—and will have lots to talk about when we meet again!
Wishing good health and good squares to all!
Jeff Knapp
President
Hope to see you soon!
Please stay safe and healthy, keep wearing those masks.
Hope to see everyone soon
Dean & Sherrie.
The topic of requiring vaccinations to attend a dance was discussed without resolution. It is possible that a "Social Club" may be able to legally require those in attendance to be vaccinated but at this point no one knows for sure.
The current slate of TVC officers was unanimously approved to continue for the June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2022 year, as follows: Mike Sinclair, President; Jan Amerson, Vice President; Andis Garuts, Secretary; Tammy LeBlanc, Treasurer.
There is some round dancing starting up on a limited basis. The Hoedowners are holding round dance workshops on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month, with a limit on the number of couples who can attend. Sunset Promenaders will begin rounds for its club members by invitation beginning in May. The Seaside Sashay in October is still tentatively scheduled to take place.
Ferrous Steinka
One good note is that we are anticipating that we will be celebrating our 7th anniversary dance. We have already scheduled Adam Christman. So mark down Saturday March 12, 2022.
Anyone who is on Melissa’s email list, which includes all of the CRD’s, will be getting a email message of what is going on. So look for it coming soon.
Stay healthy.
Nick Johnson
Considering the problems associated with getting together to nominate new club officers and the voting which follows, it was decided to continue the current slate of officers for an additional year.
We have scheduled a face to face (with masks) club meeting on June 1st to be held at our dance venue, Aloha Grange. Currently the OHA restrictions require the Grange to limit attendance to 25 persons. We will not be dancing, just a club meeting followed by a social period with some cookies.
Can’t wait to see all our friends together again!
Sally Duyck
May 1 (1st Sat)I was reminded how important square dancing can be in our lives when this past weekend my husband noticed an obituary for ninety-one-year-old Gordon G. Green Jr. in the Oregonian. Here was a man who was a USMC fighter pilot, an engineer for U.S. Corp of Engineers, an active member of his church but when his two children wrote their father’s obituary, they mentioned how he was “happily wearing bolo ties when square dancing with Mom at the Aloha Grange”. Think of all the happy memories for the Green family. I want to get back to making those kinds of memories for all of us.
What’s coming up besides crocus, daffodils and tulips? Our round dances on the second and fourth Saturday of the month; practice or brush up 6-7pm, music 7-9pm. Singles are welcome but you must dance alone for the evening. Masks and social distancing required. Square dancing will return when it is allowed and does not violate the OHA guidelines for the Aloha Grange.
Can’t wait to see you in person!
Krystal Laas
May 18 (3rd Tue)Club officers have agreed to continue for another year, so no changes there. Our word for the day on the zoom call this week was Ballybrack. It is an Irish slang word that means to fake the death of an obscure relative or acquaintance to avoid an engagement. The term was coined after the Ballybrack football club team claimed one of their players had died to avoid a match. One of the lesser-important words, I think.
Marie Clem
Because our club hasn’t had meetings since last summer, we haven’t had a chance to discuss SSD but that will be on the agenda soon.
Chris Poole
We are also planning a May 15th round dance for our club!
Dan Browning
This reporter is feeling very hopeful about the future. Us and most of our friends and family have had their vaccines.
It’s almost dahlia planting time at our house, with veggie plants soon after that, it really gives your spirits a lift to see things growing and producing.
Stay safe & don’t let your guard down just yet. Hoping for the day we hear “Square 'Em Up”!
Kathy Degman
Everything else continues to be on hold until this pandemic improves. We still enjoy seeing each other monthly on the Zoom "Gabfest" and catching up.
Gloria Davis
Carolene Siebert
Well...there is lots going on in beautiful southern Oregon! We have begun to have some dances and are excited to be out on the dance floor again. We are requiring that people wear masks and that they bring their own snack as we are not sharing food right now. The Buckeroo Barn is encouraging everyone to get their vaccine, and as encouragement, if you bring your vaccine card you will be admitted to one dance free. If we can get to 90% of our dancers vaccinated, we will be able to lift the mask requirement.
We dance the first and third Saturdays from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. These are updated times and have recently changed, so please make note. We are also starting a “no experience” dance from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm on our regular dance nights. Come join the fun and help introduce square dancing to a whole new group of dancers!
Our Birthday Dance in April was a lot of fun! We had two and a half squares dancing to the wonderful Scott Zinser and Rikki Lobato. Coming up in May, we have our Craft Fair on the 7th and 8th, and our Barn Sale on the 21st and 22nd.
Mark your calendar now for the Buckeroo Round-Up weekend scheduled for June 11th-13th. This year we will welcome Dan Nordbye as our caller and Julie Stiers as our cuer. It is always a highlight of our year and helps us raise money to support our beloved barn.
Happy dancing,
Robin
Angi Sue
May 28 (4th Fri)
May 29 (5th Sat)