Joann Baxter, member of Silver Squares & Batavia Silver Stars became involved in this program 10 years ago through a friend. The Copy Cats have also been involved in this program for several years but coupon donations have been sparse during the pandemic. The Copy Cats hope to continue supporting this program as dancing restarts in the Fall.

Participants in this program donate their unused coupons to our military through the “Support our Troops Troopons Program” (SUPPORTOURTROOPS.ORG). Joann indicated that “over the years several churches, senior groups, college kids and groups, hospital staff, and at least three square dance clubs have donated their coupons to us and we have been mailing them since 2010”.

The least amount of coupons we sent was in 2020, just 73 pounds. The most we sent was in 2014, 327.6 pounds. A group at Rochester Institute of Technology provided a formula to estimate of the value of the coupons. In 2014, we had $1,179,351.00 estimated face value for the donated coupons.

The coupons are valid in this program up to two months after their expiration.

Joann indicated “Our military families thank you for getting the word out about this program. Our support is making a difference”.

If you are interested in contributing coupons, they are currently being mailed to:

Support Our Troops, PO Box 70, Daytona Beach, FL 32115-0070.

The coupons can be mailed the cheapest way.

It is recommended coupons are separated into baggies marked:

Food

Pets

Household

Baby

Personal items

This makes it easier for volunteers at each Military Base PX or Navy Base Exchange to get the coupons where they need to go.

There is also a website(https://supportourtroops.org/troopons) that has some great information to share.

Debbie & Jeff Blood

The past few months, the Federation sponsored Free Summer Fun Dances on Saturdays June 5, June 19 and July 17. All three dances were very well attended. It was so much fun to see our square dance family together. Our callers and cuers did a wonderful job creating a fun way to welcome our dancers back to the dance floor.

On June 5, Jim Gotta called and cued at the Greece Methodist Church Pavilion at 1924 Maiden Lane in Greece. We had 59 dancers and 8 clubs represented. Members from the following clubs attended: Copy Cats, Village Squares, Silver Squares, Cloverleaf Squares, Shamrock Squares, Dalton Gang, Waterwheels and Belles & Beaus. Despite the 40 mph winds that made it difficult for Jim to call, we all had a wonderful time.

On June 19, Mike Callahan called and cued at the Greece Methodist Church Pavilion at 1924 Maiden Lane in Greece. We had 64 dancers and 8 clubs represented. Mike even called a Covid-themed singing call. Members from the following clubs attended: Copy Cats, Village Squares, Silver Squares, Cloverleaf Squares, Shamrock Squares, Grand Squares, Waterwheels and Penn Yan Friendship Squares.

The July 17 dance was moved inside to the Perinton Recreation/Community Center from the Perinton Park Pavilion. The rainstorms were unbelievable that week so for dancer safety, the dance was moved inside. Ron Brown and Dave Eno called and Chuck Meyer cued. We had 50 dancers from 10 clubs: Copy Cats, Village Squares, Silver Squares, Cloverleaf Squares, Shamrock Squares, Cayuga Cut-Ups, Dalton Gang, Southern Tier Wheelers, Grand Squares and Penn Yan Friendship Squares.

We want to thank everyone who volunteered and helped with the summer dances … whether you helped with set up, running extension cords, bathroom signage, dance signage, moving tables in the pavilion, checking in dancers, selling 50/50 tickets, cleaning up. Each person’s help was very much appreciated and contributed to the overall success of the Federation’s summer dances.

Jeff and Debbie Blood

Our first Federation Summer Dance was held in the pavilion at the Greece United Methodist Church. Over 50 dancers attended, enough for six squares dancing.

It was so nice to see everyone back on the dance floor on that warm and windy day. Jim Gotta did a great job calling & cueing. Dancers joined us from Copy Cats, Village Squares, Cloverleaf’s, Waterwheels, Grand Squares, Silver Squares, Penn Yan Friendship Squares, Shamrock Squares, Cayuga Cut-Ups were in attendance.

Jeff and Debbie Blood

Our second Federation Summer Dance was held in the pavilion at Greece Methodist Church on June 19. Over 60 dancers attended, with seven squares dancing.

It was so nice to see everyone back on the dance floor. The afternoon was warm, with a gentle breeze and no rain. We enjoyed dancing together from 3 to 4:30 pm, to Mike Callahan’s wonderful calling & cueing. Mike even called a COVID-themed singing call to welcome our dancers back to dancing. We had members from nine clubs attending: Copy Cats, Village Squares, Cloverleaf’s, Waterwheels, Grand Squares, Silver Squares, Dalton Gang, Belles & Beaus and Shamrock Squares.

Jeff and Debbie Blood

The rain—both forecast and real—forced a quick shift of venue for the Federation Summer Series dance on July 17 to the Perinton Rec/Community Center. Despite the disruption, at least 50 dancers attended—enough for six squares—from the following clubs: Village Squares, Penn Yan Friendship Squares, Silver Squares, Cayuga Cutups, Grand Squares, Shamrock Squares, Cloverleaf Squares, Copy Cats, Dalton Gang & Southern Tier Wheelers.

Thank you to Ron and Dave for calling and to Chuck for cueing. As you can see from the accompanying photos, everyone had a great time.

Jeff and Debbie Blood

On behalf of the Federation membership, we’d like to thank the Return to Dance (RTD) Task Force members for all their commitment and dedication over the past year to keep square & round dancing going in Western New York. A full year ago the RTD Task Force was formed. During the past year the RTD Task Force members monitored and surveyed their dancing membership, first in July last Summer and again this spring to see if and when in-person should be started again in Western NY. The task force closely monitored Covid safety guidelines and made recommendations to our club leadership, established zoom sessions for both square and round virtual dancing sessions, 3 Free Summer Dances (2 in June and 1 in July) and August’s DORish Dance. If not for this wonderful group’s dedication and support, we would not be back dancing & socializing with our dancing friends today.

When you see the RTD Task Force members, please let them know you appreciate their efforts.

The members:

Ron Brown, Mike Callahan, Peter Emmel, Dave Eno, Jim Gotta, Anne Granger, Donna LaDonna, Rick LaDonna, Phil LaRussa, Mary Martin, Don Naulin, Gil Porter, Eileen Webster, Debbie Blood & Jeff Blood

The RTD Task Force met virtually this past year to help keep square and round dancing active for our members. For those of you who either danced or watched or called/cued virtual square and round dancing, it really makes you appreciate returning to in-person dancing so much more!

Virtual dancing is definitely challenging for dancers as they dance with phantom dancers as well as callers and cuers who are dealing with internet variables and sound issues. We appreciated all who worked on this project. It helped to keep our dancing community connected while we all were in isolation. Thank you for all the coordination and effort behind the scenes.

Looking forward to Fall 2021 and beyond …

Our dance schedules are starting to fill up again. We are happy to report many of the clubs are starting up now or in the next month or two. Cloverleafs Squares are offering beginning classes in September. A few of the other clubs such as Silver Squares and Copy Cats will be waiting until January before offering classes.

Western NY Federation of Square and Round Dancers Inc

Our first Federation meeting will be a Zoom session on Weds. 9/8/21.

We also have a Zoom Presidents, Callers/Cuer, Federation Zoom meeting scheduled for Tues. 10/19/21. If you want to be invited to these Zoom meetings, just contact us via email: dfbjvbhome@aol.com or call us at 585-880-9161.

Debbie & Jeff Blood, WNYF Co-Presidents

We had a wonderful time today at the DORish Dance!

It was great being together with all our square dance friends. Our Callers: Ron, Mike, Dave & Jim and Cuers: Eileen, Chuck, Mark & Marlene did a fantastic job.

We had 9 to 10 squares for the mainstream announced plus dancing sessions. The callers ended the evening with a mic sharing session. It was awesome, to hear them blend their wonderful voices. Their camaraderie was so much fun to watch. We ended the evening with a large thank you circle.

Thank you to everyone who made today happen. We appreciate everyone’s help, setting up tables & chairs, sound systems, checking in dancers, selling 50/50, serving or cleaning up dinner and helping reset the facility when the dance ended. Overall, it was a fantastic day dancing with friends.

Debbie & Jeff Blood, WNYF Co-Presidents

The Daphne-Norma leadership award was established in 1977 by John Fink and Frank Salvaggio, in honor of their wives, Daphne and Norma. The purpose of the award is to show appreciation for extensive and sustained leadership over a number of years in square or round dancing.

The award has been presented 42 times over the years since then. The Daphne-Norma committee selected the next recipients early in 2020, but were unable to present the award at DOR 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. Then when both DOR-ish 2020 and DOR 2021 were also canceled, DOR-ish 2021 on August 21, 2021 became the first opportunity to present the award.

The newest recipients are Jeff and Debbie Blood. They graduated from Triggers in May 1980 and were co-presidents of the Triggers from 1994 to 1996. They took a 20-year break to raise their family and advance their careers. Debbie and Jeff returned to Square Dancing as members of the 2016 Copy Cats class. Since they graduated, they have been active dancers of Copy Cats, Village Squares and most recently Silver Squares.

As Vice Presidents of the Federation, they also reactivated the Federation’s Promotions Committee, promoting square dancing including news articles, demonstrations and promotional dances at the malls and Stone Dewey Family night events before turning it over to Amy and Kris Aeckerle to lead in July 2019. As Federation Vice Presidents and heads of the Dance O Rama organizing committee, they toured many facilities around the county looking for potential dancing venues, concluding the Perinton Rec/Community Center is the best choice for the annual DOR.

As if that weren’t enough, in the months since the committee made their selection, Jeff and Debbie—now as Federation presidents—have put in a tremendous amount of effort to keep square dancing alive and active through the pandemic. They established the Return to Dance Task Force to help guide club leadership back to dancing safely, and they organized the Federation’s series of free (outdoor) Summer Fun Dances.

When you see Jeff & Debbie, congratulate them on being the latest Daphne Norma recipients.

An important tradition of the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award is the candy dish that is passed from one recipient to the next. Whenever you see the candy dish at an event, you are reminded about the award, and the legacy of service behind it.

If you can think of anyone that is deserving of this award, please fill out the nomination form. They are available on the Federation’s website SquareDancingRochester.org or traveling with the candy dish to club dances and Federation events.

Nominations for the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award are accepted each year until the end of February. Please email nominations and/ or any questions to Debbie & Jeff Blood at dfbjvbhome@aol.com

The next Daphne-Norma Award presentation is planned for the May 2022 DOR on Saturday, May 14, 2022.

Submitted by Jim Gotta

On behalf of the Promenader and the Federation, Webmaster Sidney Marshall and I would like to welcome and express thanks to Rick LaDonna for diving into the deep end and taking care of this quarter’s website update and Promenader issue.

As CoWebmaster, Rick has worked under the hood with Sidney on the details of processing editorial content (i.e. news and articles) and especially of maintaining and updating the database of events, dates, venues, clubs, callers, fliers and other Federation items.

For this issue - September, 2021 - Rick has done the entire job with very little help from start to finish.

Submitted by Sidney Marshall and Peter Emmel