Here’s What's Happening... |
You may want to save this issue because it is the last one we will be
printing commercially, and distributing via second class mail at the
Post Office.
The current general editors are unable to continue on, and have not
been able to find new recruits to take over.
But this publication has been published for over 52 years, and should
not be discontinued just because no one is available to do it. We
still want to provide you with access to Rochester area dance news. We
have expanded our editorial staff over the past few years with the
intention of easing the burden on new general editors. But, since no
one has stepped forward to edit the printed version, we need to try a
different solution.
This summer, a panel of interested dancers began exploring the
possibility of “going online” with the Promenader. A major advantage
we have in our area is that there exists a Federation website already
in place. Much of the information contained in the Promenader is
already on this website. We began to look at how an online
Promenadercould be part of this website. The current editors, Betty
and Andy Ludwick, are working with Web Moderators Sid Marshall and
Peter Emmel, and the Promenader Panel to design and implement making
this the home base for the Promenaderpublication.
One important aspect of this online publication with be its
printability. We want to make it possible to print pages, or whole
sections of the publication, from the website. It will of course not
look exactly like these printed pages, which are all produced at once
by a commercial printer. This is because each browser has its own way
of rendering pages for printing. So how it looks will depend on what
software/hardware is used. But we will try to make all necessary
information printable in some form, whether via a dancing friend, a
club reporter, or a Federation communications person. Although the
online Promenaderis free, please remember that printing pages involves
some expense. So you will need to make arrangements and pay any
printing and first-class mailing costs involved. The Promenader Panel
members and Federation board are still working out the logistics of
this change.
But we hope that for most readers, the format that will work best will
be viewing it on the FREE website. We are attempting to make it as
“user-friendly” as we can, and viewable on as many different
platforms/devices as possible. Without the limitations of physical
printed pages, we expect to be able to expand the amount of
information we can include. Free online access, as well as free ads
for Federation clubs, should increase and enhance the marketing
efforts of both small and large clubs.
Then, starting in December 2014, those of our readers who have
internet availability will be notified and encouraged to view the
Promenaderon the Federation website. Our subscription process will
consist of signing up to be notified.See the following page for
specifics.
Here’s How It Will Work: |
Patience and good will, as the task ahead is formidable.
An email or in-person subscription from you if you wish us to notify you when new information is available.
A message from you if you need help with paper copies of any part of future Promenader issues.
Email: promenader@rochester.rr.com (Use SUBSCRIBE as the subject of
your email.) There is no charge for an online subscription. Please let
us know your name and club in this email.
In Person: Come to the Federation meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17 (or
subsequent ones), held at the First Baptist Church of Rochester, 175
Allens Creek Road (corner of Clover Street), starting at 7:30 p.m.
All are welcome! Or sign up at the Promenader Dance on Sept. 27.
By Phone or Snail Mail: You may reach a member of our Promenader
Transistion Team, Peter Emmel, by phone at 585-732-1004. (If Peter
doesn’t answer, please wait for the beep and leave him a voice
mes-sage with your name, phone number, and the best time to call you
back. You can also write to him at 24 High Hill Dr, Pittsford, NY
14534, stating your wish to remain a Promenader subscriber even though
you lack internet or printer access. Please also include your club
affiliation, if any.)
Our full-page advertising rates for now will stay as they are ($30) for non-RAF groups. All clubs affiliated with the Rochester Area Federation will be able to place PDF flyers in for NO CHARGE. Club news and dance schedules will also continue to go in FREE. The only charge will be for a listing in the SPECIAL EVENTS section, which will stay at a cost $5 for all. Contract advertisers will be contacted individually.
We expect to test out a sample website during the fall months, and “go live” with our new online Promenader before Dec. 1. When it is ready, we will notify all subscribers who have signed up. Before the next issue comes out, we hope to have a communications person in place at the Federation, and plan to send out a flyer to clubs about this.
IN ORDER TO BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL ABOUT THE NEXT PROMENADER...
BE SURE TO:
RESUBSCRIBE before Nov. 15 by emailing us:
promenader@rochester.rr.com. Put SUBSCRIBE in the subject box.
OR sign up at the Promenader Dance on Sept. 27, 2014 (see page 24).
OR at a Federation meeting (see page 6).
squaredancingrochester.org
Summer Fun |
Ok, it has been a really fun summer: Lots of great dancing, like the June Jamboree; trips; cruises; even a Tractor Dance...again (thank you, Ron)! But lets not forget the fun picnics. I caught Top Powers doing the “Dogs,” and Roger VanPatten with the spatula...and Tom Mallory just savoring the moment. Inside were cards, whatever...mostly just people being with people whom we have come to love...and you can’t find a better example of that than Liz, Barb and Irma.
So now, lets get serious: classes are starting and I know that the Cloverleafs and the Copy Cats have some very ambitious plans...so if your club is not having a class, check out their flyer and grab a carfull of unsuspecting friends and GET THEM STARTED ON THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES!
Be sure to caution them though: Do Not Do This unless you seriously
want to live 10 to 15 years longer; be healthier than you ever thought
you could be, and are ready to add a new and fun dimension to your
lives...and something you can do together with your spouse or special
friend. AND, if you don’t have either of those, square dancing is
FDA-approved as the absolute best place to find one!
We can’t wait to square up with you.
ALS Benefit Dance |
Dave Eno and the Fulton Shirts ’N’ Skirts, as always, donated all of
the proceeds from their 5th Annual ALS Benefit Dance to the ALS
Research Fund. Kathy Lahey, the area representative, thanked Dave and
the club for the over $2,000 donation.
This year’s dance was held at the air-conditioned Polish Home in
Fulton, N.Y., on Saturday the 7th of June, from 2-10 p.m. I am happy
to report that, even though the Shirts ’N’ Skirts are our easternmost
club, and over 100 miles for some of us, we were well represented and
helped make the event another fun and financial success.
For most of us, ALS is not even on our radar; few people know about
the disease; it is typically referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” to
make it recognizable. Dave Eno, his father Phil, and the Fulton Shirts
’N’ Skirts are working closely with Kathy, doing all they can, not just
to generate research funds; however, also to create awareness, and to
somehow give meaning to, and as a tribute to his mother and our never
to be forgotten friend.
On behalf of the Shirts ’N’ Skirts and the Enos, our thanks to the
Rochester Area Federation. Don’t miss the 6th Annual ALS Dance next
year. We need YOU!
So When Is the Last Time You Danced to Tim Marriner and... |
For those of you working on your Century Club, Red Bates big Tumbling
Leaves Festival at Bennington College is rapidly approaching
Oct. 17-19, and Red assured us over the 4th, at his annual Rocky’s
Weekend, that our reservation at the Best Western is all set - and we
have the Party Room! I always recommend the meal package at the
College also. Can’t beat the deal...and like everything else with
square dancing, it’s the people: friends, and making new ones!
One thing to note for you newer dancers, there are halls for every
level, Mainstream right on up. A great opportunity to hone your
skills; learn new ones; and make life-long friendships. Don’t miss the
boat on this one...and on the way, view some of the prettiest fall
scenery on the planet.
If you check out the flyer, there are six great “Big Time” callers and
two great cuers. We danced with the MacKays, who were cueing the 2+2s
at the 4th of July Weekend with Red, and guarantee you will love
her...and if you are a “solo” lady, her husband Robert hates to just
watch!
Of course, you don’t have to wait until October to dance with Red,
“Mr. Smooth”; he will be at Watkins Glen in September for the Penn Yan
Friendship Squares biggie...and I point out that “Walk-Ins” are
welcome. Check out the deal on their flyer.
Tell your friends about all the fun you are having, and don’t forget
to add:
“Don’t Envy a Square Dancer. Be One!”
In Memoriam - John Statts, 2 Oct, 1919 - 13 July, 2014 |
Another of Americas, “Greatest Generation” passes...and if you knew
John as I did, you would hardly expect this diminutive man to have
been the war hero that he was...but when he told me that he had been
assigned to the 47th Bomb Group flying A-20s, then classified as a
Medium Bomber, you would have immediately known that you were talking
to a very lucky man, and your respect for him would take a Quantum
Leap! To be here, alive, and talking to me in the mid 1990s, at Mike
Callahan’s Shamrock Squares, was certainly defying the odds.
Until I talked to his wife of 31 years, Christine, to get material for
this article, I had not known that both of their previous spouses had
died, and they had met dancing with Bob Ellis’ Diamond Squares, and
were married in a “Square Dance Wedding” a few years later, in
1983. Curiously, they and the Diamond Squares then danced at the same
church on Culver Road where we danced for years with Mike Callahan’s
Shamrock Squares...and also, earlier, with the Circulators.
When WW2 started in Europe in 1939, John was twenty years old and
positioned to experience the whole thing: Through the African
Campaign, Italy, and Germany. In those days there were no defined
deployments - your orders read: for the duration and six months!
Do not misunderstand: I do not downplay the heroes of all of our wars,
and that includes everyone, whether draftee or volunteer; whether male
or female. When you have answered your nation’s call, you know what I
mean...and you also know what I mean when I say: John deserves your
snappiest salute.
Christine lives at 104 Church Hill Road in Henrietta, and can be
reached at 585-334-5095. We hope to find an occasion soon to call and
take her out to lunch; send a card...some expression of our love and
best wishes.