Editor’s Page

Welcome to the Spring issue of the Promenader—a quarterly publication of the Rochester Area Federation of Round and Square Dance Clubs. (squaredancingrochester.org)

In this issue

The “Photos & Features” section is a little thin, reflecting the COVID-suppressed world we have lived with for the past year and are all heartily weary of. The cold weather has deprived us of many of the outdoor gatherings we enjoyed up to around November, and the year-end surge sent us back to our home bubbles.

One article focuses on the story of Karen Vetter, who did not let her lack of sight be an obstacle to her learning and enjoyment of dancing. She and her series of guide dogs were active members of the Village Squares from 1993 to the late-aughts. Her obituary is also in this issue.

To capture general news from the area, we introduce “Heard on the Street” with an assortment of tidbits. This section also includes an update of the winter article on COVID safety guidelines, updated to reflect the growing availability of vaccines.

Please don‘t miss the “President‘s Corner” message under the Federation tab. Debbie and Jeff are working hard to help us get through this unique gap in normal social life.

Club News

Club news in this issue is limited, since many clubs have suspended activities during the COVID-19 pause. But take a look to see how some are coping with the isolation.

Virtual Dancing

The Federation-sponsored “Virtual Fun Dances” began in January and are providing monthly opportunities for square dancing (2/ month) and for round dancing (1/month). The “Heard on the Street” article includes a schedule through June.

RAF Website—Breaking News Section

With dance schedules torpedoed by COVID-19, the “Breaking News” section on the RAF Home Page is our primary repository of up-to-date schedule information. When clubs notify Sidney Marshall (RAF Webmaster—sidneym@frontiernet.net) of a schedule change or other short-notice announcement, he posts it immediately under a banner titled “Breaking News” on the RAF Home Page (squaredancingrochester.org).

Sidney will also post flyers as soon as he can after he receives them.

In addition, for maximum distribution of their messages, clubs should also consider using the “SquareDancingRochester” Facebook page.

In Memoriam

In this issue we sadly say farewell to far too many beloved dancers and friends. You‘ll find obituaries for Walter Boughton, Ed Briggs, David Fisher, Bob Frendak, Bernie Heroux, Peela Hooke, Chip Kellogg, Bill Mishoe, Patricia Smith, Karen Vetter

Editorial Comments

To listen in on what callers around the country are thinking about recovery from COVID, I‘ve been monitoring the American Square Dance Magazine (for callers) and the “Social Square Dancing” Facebook page (mostly callers). The discussions are lively!

There is a strong sentiment for a program called Social Square Dancing (SSD) that consists of 50 calls and can be taught in 12 weeks, so two sessions can fit in one season, with dancers from the first session returning as angels for the following session. These 50 calls are roughly comparable to the Mainstream program that has been the first season of our local program for decades.

To get an idea what this is about, you can read Gene Turner‘s article included in our September, 2020, Promenader (http://www.squaredancingrochester.org/articles/articles-2020-09.html)

Quarterly Chuckle

Quotes from Steven Wright:

1. I‘d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize!
2. Borrow money from pessimists—they don‘t expect it back.
3. Half the people you know are below average.
4. 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
6. A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
7. A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory.
8. If you want a rainbow, you‘ve gotta put up with the rain.
9. All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand.
10. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
11. I almost had a psychic girlfriend, … but she left me before we met.
12. OK, so what‘s the speed of dark?
13. How do you tell when you‘re out of invisible ink.
14. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
15. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
16. When everything is coming your way, you‘re in the wrong lane.
17. Ambition is a poor excuse for not having enough sense to be lazy.
18. Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now.
19. I intend to live forever … So far, so good.
20. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?
21. Eagles may soar, but weasels don‘t get sucked into jet engines.
22. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
23. My mechanic told me, “I couldn‘t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.”
24. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
25. If at first you don‘t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
26. A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
27. Experience is something you don‘t get until just after you need it.
28. The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
29. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
30. The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard.
31. The sooner you fall behind, the more time you‘ll have to catch up.
32. The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.
33. Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don‘t have film.
34. If at first you don‘t succeed, skydiving is not for you.
35. If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work?