2024 Christmas Decorating at teh Emerald Square Dance Center

 

  2024 Christmas Decorating

On Nov. 30 a group of square dancers gathered once again to decorate the hall for the holiday season. There was a mixture of Whirl-A-Ways and Single Trees, and we managed to get quite a bit done in the two and a half hours that I was there. Melba came prepared with extension cords, two sided tape, scissors and extra decorations with hangers for the pegboard.. The tables in the dining area got decorated with the small Christmas trees Joy had brought in quite a few years ago now and many corners and the stage got groups of poinsettias. Lights and garland were added also with Christmas motif objects hung from the pegboard surrounding the used clothing area. It is all set now for the various clubs and other renters that use Hall A throughout the month of December. Thanks should go to Melba, Betty, John and Carolyn Pape, Scott and Gail Sandgathe, Janice Sugar, Ron Gates, Chris Brown, Margaret McVey and Roger Tendick, Chris Brown, and me Gaynor Hintz. Do try to make it to a dance or to the Single Trees potluck dinner Dec. 20 to see how lovely it all looks.

Happy Holidays,

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter

 

 

Judy Melendrez' Celebration of Life

          

 

 Today, Nov. 23 many square dancers joined Judy's family and co-workers and customers from Selco Credit Union for a beautiful celebration of her life re in Springfield-Eugene-McKenzie Valley .  The memorial was held at our square dance hall and featured a slide show which incorporated many photos of her life (she had many).  It was a wonderful chance to say good-bye and acknowledge the fact that she will be greatly missed by her home club and other members of her wide-spread community.  One of her granddaughters read a poem she had written for her grandmother.  That was very touching.  

 

It was so good to see many square dancers who no longer dance there to commemorate her passing.  She lead a long and fulfilling life but one still feels she had more life to live and passed too soon at the age of 84.

 

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter

 

Thanksgiving Celebration Dance

 Hi, just a few words to describe our Friday, Nov. 22 dance.  While the turnout was not great we had a really fun night dancing to Bruce Lowther and Sandy Harris.  Bruce put some good calls together for us.  We had one square for the plus tips and two for the mainstream tips with three on one occasion.   We had visitors from the Alliance clubs to the north of us, supporting Bruce.   While we do enjoy dancing plus, given the fact that we have quite a few newer mainstream dancers it might be good to consider changing the format of our dances so the newer dancers can be on the floor more.  We would like to see them get as much floor time as possible.  Many of them are now taking round dance classes too.  Good for them!  Our cuers will be happy to see more on the floor during the round dance tips.

This was the last dance for us in November.  We will only have one dance in December--our Christmas Dinner and Dance. on Dec. 20, the third Friday.  We will NOT have a dance on the 2nd and 4th Fridays that month.

In January on the second Friday, Jan. 10,  we will hold a New Dancer dance.  It should be a good one and we hope to welcome new dancers from our area as well as other areas.   Bruce Lowther will be calling and his wife, Judy Russell, will be cueing.  Come on out and join us!

Honoring Our Veterans

 

Honoring Our Veterans Dance

Last night Friday, Nov. 15, 2024 we held our “Honoring Our Veteran’s” dance. While it was a very small turnout, we still had a really great time dancing and honored the three veterans that attended with a speech given by our president, Melba Walker, who had been married to a veteran, her late husband, and a photo taken of all four of them (see below). We thank you for yur service. 

Many wore red, white and blue for the occasion. Thank you to Mark Wheeler who called a fun dance and to Sandy Harris who cued some fun rounds for us. They both tried to find songs in keeping with the theme. Below are some photos of the one square on the floor at that time (we did have two at one time and a six couple “square” too which was really different and fun.

We will have our Thanksgiving Celebration dance next week on Nov. 22. We hope to see quite a few dancers wanting to dance in preparation for all those calories on Thanksgiving Day itself.

In December we will only hold one dance ,our Christmas Dinner and Dance on the third Friday Dec. 20. We always have a potluck dinner with ham and rice prepared by our president this year. We sit down at 6:30 before our Christmas dance which starts at the normal time at 7:30. Hope to see many out to celebrate with us and check out our beautiful hall at Christmas time

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter 

 

 

 

 

 An executive decision was made that we will continue our 3rd dances for November and December drop the proposed 2nd Friday dances in Nov. and Dec.and only have our 3rd Friday dance in December.  We will start having 2nd and 4th Friday dances in the new year.  

 

So in November we will have the Honoring Our Veterans dance on Nov. 15  with Mark Wheeler calling and Sandy Harris cueing.  On Nov. 22 we will have a Thanksgiving Celebration (dance off those calories!) with Bruce Lowther calling and Sandy Harris cueing.  On Dec. 20 we will have our Christmas Dinner and Dance with a potluck dinner at 6:30PM (gather at 6 to put out the dishes and prepare the tables)followed by a dance at 7:30 with Darrell Kalmbach calling and

Christina Corelli cueing.  

 

We always start our dances with a plus tip at 7:30 followed by 15 minutes of pre-rounds until 8.  Mainstream with every third tip plus and rounds in between will be from 8 to 10 at the Emerald Square Dance Center at 2095 Yolanda.  Be sure to put our Christmas dance on your calendar or come to one of he other dances at the hall during the Christmas season as we always decorate to the hilt for the season. It is sure to raise your spirits. 

 

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter

Halloween Bash

 

Last night’s Single Trees’ Halloween Bash will stand out as one of the highlights of this season. While our turnout was small, the people who came really got into the spirit of Halloween, wearing all manner of costumes, very creative and fun as well as scary.

Roger Putzler called a well-paced dance for us with plus tips and mainstream tips. We had only one square for our plus tips and two for our mainstream tips. Christina Corelli was having voice problems from allergies but did a very nice job of cueing and choosing our favorites to dance to. While there were never many in the circle it was still a lot of fun.

Our president Melba Walker was also having voice problems due to laryngitis. She was however still game to put on a good show and had a remarkable costume on. She and her sister Joy had worked tirelessly to decorate for the dance but had to undecorate the same night as the hall was rented out the next day. What a shame that Spin Cycle Squares who dance on Sundays didn’t get to admire the decorations.

Three dancers won prizes. Christina would have won but as cuer they did not place her name in the running—she was very creative and came as a salt and pepper shaker. How clever. Our president should have won too—great costume.

We were all pleased to see two couples from the Corvallis area as well as one couple from the south of us. We also had visitors from our sister club the Whirl-A-Ways. Thank you all for coming to dance with us and make our dance so fun!

 

hERE ARE  SOEM PHOTOS THAT WERE TAKEN LAST NIGHT, Oct. 25.

 

 

 

It is unknown at this time if we will have two or three dances in November.  We may once again have a 2nd, 3rd and 4th Friday dance in November.  Check out the blog in a couple f weeks to see.

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter

Chini Feed and Western Hoe33down Dance

On Friday, Oct. 18 Single Trees held its 3rd Friday dance with K.C. Curtis calling and Sandy Harris cueing.  K.C. always calls an excellent dance for us.  A small but enthusiastic group of dancers attended this Chili Feed and Western Hoedown themed dance.  This reporter did not attend but thanks to a fellow member Renee VanDole found out about the highlights.

 

There were  two squares in attendance with a few more dancers on the sidelines.  Three pots of chili were set out for tasting along with small bread rolls and lots of cheese, sour cream etc. to top off a bowl.  Apparently not enough votes were cast to make a determination of which pot was the best.  But thanks to those who brought them:  our president, Melba Walker, fellow member Margaret McVey and one other..

 

This coming Friday's dance will be our Halloween Bash.  What will our V.P. and Treasurer Joy Pitts come up with this year?  There will be a photo corner filled with ghosts and goblins so bring your cameras.  Roger Putzler will be calling and Sandy Harris cueing. 

 

Here are some blasts from the past Halloween dances we've had:

Halloween contest winners in 2011.

 

Winners in 2014 (can you recognize Joy?). 

The woman who couldn't6 find her little dog.

Happy dancing, everyone,

Gaynor Hintz

Club Reporter