Nebraska 2009 State Convention Report
By Ace Hickey
WHAT A WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This sums up the experience for ten members of the Happy Times Squares who traveled to Hastings, NE for their state convention September 18th and 19th. Headliners, Deborah Carroll-Jones and Jon Jones, combined their virtuoso singing skills with humor and challenging dance calls to make the trip memorable for all, including seventy-six dancers from Kansas.
Friday night's dance was highlighted by an ice cream concert.
Dancers were treated to a forty-five minute concert by the Jones, including a wonderful rendition of "Jackson", a duet that was a favorite of Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash.
Saturday morning started early for Bob and Rosalee, Vern and Toni, Ace and Lareeda, and Dave and Pat as they entered a "for fun" competitive dance featuring eight squares. Though "for fun", it was still nerve rattling as no one wanted to be the one unable to hold the square together and the team did not want to let the folks back home in Kansas down by finishing last. Well, we didn't finish last, but a strong second, and you will have to ask members of the team for any further information regarding the competition. No one on the team felt responsible for the breakdown as none of us could figure out what we did wrong or how to fix the call that led to our elimination. Jon Jones joked that he could end the competition with the first call, and it was soon apparent that he could, had he really wanted. It was a good experience, and if more of these were held, as the one in Long Beach, they could be a lot of fun and the nerves could be eliminated.
Next up was a dance-by-definition led by Ms. Jones. Everyone had a good time and agreed that it was fun to test the brain over the muscle for a change. Ms. Carroll-Jones, a former Rose Bowl Parade Princess, sang a parody to "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", inserting Pasadena for Argentina, and included queen waves by the dancers as they promenaded around the square.
Mid afternoon Saturday, sluggish dancers were awakened by a rousing tip from Wade Morrow, 'Mister High Energy'. With ten squares on the floor, Wade lit the room up with his trademark slow-fast rendition of "King of the Road", followed by equally energetic "Sheik of Chicago".
The wild applause following his appearance had to feel great for Wade as well as Laura and Lydia, and is a testament to the amount of time and practice Wade has put into his calling, and the sacrifices the rest of the family have made. Look out Wade, Lydia may be next to take the microphone as two youngsters around her age took the stage with a near flawless tip with excellent timing. Who said there are no new callers coming on board!
After dinner, watching Nebraska lose in the final seconds, (how sad for us Jayhawk fans), the crowd was entertained one more time by the Jones. The last tip of the evening found us in a square including Arliss Douglass and Lydia Morrow, a senior member of the Happy Times Squares and our newest and youngest dancer. Unbelievably, our group was so tired that we skipped ice cream after the dance, but did have apple pie baked by Lareeda for the trip.
Though five hours from home, everyone agreed that it was a great weekend of dancing and fellowship. Nebraska was so impressed with the large number of Kansas people that they publicly challenged Nebraska dancers to head south next spring for our state dance. Deborah Carroll-Jones, a transplanted Californian with an acquired Texas drawl, and her native Texan husband Jon, thrilled the crowd for nearly 24 hours. Whenever the dance hall was open, they were part of the show, one in the mainstream hall and one in the plus hall. Everyone described them as entertainers as well as callers and we can't recommend them enough to our fellow dancers.
Convention photos can be viewed here