A Message From Our President

June 11, 2007

Dear Happy Time Squares:   Saturday Morning's Demonstration in the middle of the downtown "Tonganoxie Days" 2007 celebration was a hoot!   Tonya & Dave Ketchum arranged the demonstration opportunity for the Happy Time Squares, then followed that up with cool drinks and treats in their new home.   How's that for involved members?   Thank you, Tonya and Dave!

Involved members in the demo included our caller, Vic Perry, Frank & Betty Alexander, Dave & Barbara Neff, Tonya & Dave Ketchum, Ernie & Jan Dyer, Larry & Alice DeMoss, Wayne & Dolores Finch, Robert Mugridge, Arliss Douglass, Beth & Bob Shipp, Mary Crawford, Homer Welsh, Betty Lucas, Pat Baker, Mary K. Page, Carl Bahnmaier, Myrt & Marv Jones, Lloyd and Connie Northrop -- a total of 27 HTS members!   Pat, Betty & Wayne (& others) "worked the crowd", passing out our new Sept 17 SD class cards to observers and sharing comments on the enjoyment of square dancing.   Several later accepted invitation to do some simple SD steps; they had fun and left with smiles on their faces.   Hopefully we will see them again Sept 17.

The demonstration went very well under a full sun which quickly warmed up the cool morning.   We had a representative of the Tonganoxie Mirror newpaper take pictures and commentary for publication.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this enjoyable demonstration.

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Last evening's Happy Time Square had a trial dance at First United Methodist's "West Campus".   Pat & C.J. Baker, Bill & JoAnn Hundley were responsible for arrainging the opportunity.   Thanks, Bakers and Hundleys! The theme was a Hawaiian "Luau" dance, complete with leis, Hawaiin garb and Hawaiian decorations.   What a WONDERFUL TIME, with a grand turn-out of both guests and members!!   We had 47 guests and 72 members present.   The total of 119 comprised fourteen squares and seven spares!   Guests danced to Vic Perry's Calls.   Frequently we enjoyed twelve and even thirteen squares on the floor, signaling peak interest in our dance and cuing program, Judy Broers' Lines & Vernon Nelson's Rounds.   Vic, Judy and Vernon were very clearly heard with the facility's excellent accoustics.

Dancers arrived to receive leis, and to make entrance through grass decorations.   With inflated palm trees, good eats, and swinging and swaying dancers, it was a Lawrence version of an enjoyable luau.   Toni Nelson was in charge of the decorations -- thanks, Toni for a fine job!

Typically, the wonderful food treats were a big hit with every person.   Several of our guests complimented our cooks and chefs.

We had dancers from the our sister club, the Ottawa Promenaders, in addition to the K C Whirl-Aways, TNT, Docey Dandies, Frontier Twirlers, Kuntry Kuzzins, Buckles & Bows (back for their second visit), Lone Wranglers -- eight clubs in total. David & Sherry Hubbard, Chairs of the 57th National Convention attended, as did Mac McNall & Lavon Metzger, NEKSDA Publicity.   From our travels of the past winter, clubs who do not dance in summers are now coming to our air-conditioned dances, including the Docey Dandies during this dance, and Emporia's Blue Stem Swingers plan to attend our July dance.

Our next Happy Time Squares dance is July 14th, & has a theme of "Stars & Stripes" and will be in the North Side of Building 21 at the Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper, beginning with PLUS at 7:30 and Mainstream at 8:00 PM.   Bring your friends, as Vic, Judy & Vernon will provide a wonderful dance program! Also, Wally Kelly will Cue an Advanced Round during our Plus phase.   We'll have the airconditioners on and the fans out, anticipating your arrival!

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We will have a demonstration at Brandon Woods on June 28, from 7 - 8: PM.   Connie & I will be enroute to the National SD Convention, and so please volunteer and let Frank & Betty Alexander know you'll be happy to help.   Vic will call the demo, which is in an air conditioned environment with a very appreciative audience.   Having done this many times in the past, it is an enjoyable hour to notice the glee they have from our demos.

Lastly, the Buckles and Bows SD club of Junction City has traveled twice to HTS to dance and advertise their Saturday, June 16 "All Gospel Singing Calls".   The dance will be at the Geary County 4-H Center on Spring Valley Road, Junction City, with Pre-rounds & lines at 7:30, and Mainstream from 8 - 10 PM.   Bob Tucker and Sheldon Lawrence will Call, with Joyce Juhler Cuing Rounds.   They will also have at least two Plus tips.   They have our travel banner, and if we could have at least six members from HTS to travel to their dance which is this Saturday night, it certainly would be appreciated.   We greatly regret that we will be gone and cannot personally lead a travel to their event this next Saturday night.   I believe a part of having a successful SD program is reciprocating, and helping those clubs who have supported HTS.   If you are able to lead a Travel to Junction City, will you please contact Frank & Betty, and go forward with this?   Otherwise, we will work out something in Traveling when we return.

Connie and I will be away until July 5, and so please refer all HTS Adminstrative questions to Frank & Betty Alexander.

What a grand time we had last Saturday!!

                        -- Lloyd & Connie

"'Happy Times' Come From Square Dancing In 2007"