We would not be dancing if it weren’t for the extra efforts of a few dancers who consistently go out of their way to make things happen, to welcome and encourage new dancers and to help keep experienced dancers engaged. The Daphne-Norma Leadership Award is one of the ways we recognize and honor these special people.

The award is presented each year in May, at Dance O Rama, to honor an individual or couple who have made an outstanding contribution to dancing in our area. Recipients are selected from nominations sent in by dancers like you.

This is an award for dancers from other dancers. It’s an opportunity to recognize service that stands out from others. Anyone can fill out and send a nomination, and nominations are saved over the years. The deadline for nominations is the end of February.

Now is the time to think about nominating dancers YOU appreciate for the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award. If you don’t take the time to nominate them, their contributions may go unrecognized.

Nomination forms, along with a more complete description of the award and its historical background and guidelines for nomination, are available online via the Awards page on the WNYF website, or by contacting the most recent recipients—Linda and Glynn English—at glynnenglish@earthlink.net. You’ve probably seen them at a dance or two…with the Daphne-Norma Traveling Candy Dish.

If that’s too much trouble, simply send an email to Linda and Glynn with the following information:

• Nominee’s Name(s)
• Your reasons for nominating them, as fully as you can express them
• Your name and club affiliation
• Your email address and phone number

It’s that simple!

The Daphne-Norma Leadership Award is the way that our dancing community recognizes a couple or individual dancer who has demonstrated leadership for an extended period of time, furthering the cause of square and round dancing. Think about contributions that have been made over past years as well as recently.

Leadership styles vary greatly as each person is different. But going that extra mile for the sake of other dancers, and of dancing itself, is something we want to recognize.

If you know someone who you feel stands out in his or her continuing service to square dancing and to others, please help us recognize and celebrate them. All it takes is for you to fill out a nomination form.

Your input is very important! Tell us about the person or couple you wish to nominate by completing and submitting the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award Nomination Form. The Sooner, The Better! Every single nomination is very important, so please don’t think that what you have to say doesn’t matter!

You don’t need to know their life history. The nomination form gives you the space to present what you do know about their contributions to square dancing. You can also ask others to help you fill in the information. If you have nominated someone in a previous year, please don’t hesitate to nominate them again this year adding to their record of service. Nominations are kept on file by the award committee, gaining weight as they accumulate.

Each year in March, a committee made up of previous recipients reviews the accumulated nominations. They typically choose someone who has received multiple nominations over several years. So, even if you have nominated someone in the past, you are encouraged submit a new nomination form this year to add cumulative weight to their nomination file.

Remember, the deadline for nominations is the end of February. If you have any questions, please contact the most recent recipient at the email address given at the bottom of the form. For 2024, that’s Linda and Glynn English, from the Cayuga Cut-Ups. Their email address is given above.

Submitted by Peter Emmel

On Saturday, September 21, 2024, Rick & Donna LaDonna, along with Debbie & Jeff Blood and Mary Jo & David Webster, presented the Circle of Service Award to Lorraine and Gary Granath.

The Award is presented to those individuals who for three or more years have contributed to the square dance community. Gary and Lorraine joined the Copy Cats after graduating in the 2016 class. They served as Copy Cats’ Refreshment Chairs. In this capacity, they attended every dance for their two-year term arranging for volunteers, organized set-up and clean-up quietly and efficiently.

Gary volunteered his carpentry skills and made a platform for our water jug, constructed a new travel holder for our Copy Cats banner and re-engineered one of our Copy Cats sandwich board signs. Both have helped with our Copy Cats Annual Holiday Dinners since 2019. They assisted in all capacities—serving on committees, buying supplies, set-up, serving and clean-up. Additionally, Gary and Lorraine served the Federation as co-secretaries for a two-year term and have served on the DOR Committee for many years. After they thought they could sit back and dance the nights away, they selflessly volunteered to rejoin the Copy Cats Board as Secretaries. Their love of dancing and their desire to keep our Club and Federation going shows in the thoughtful ideas they brought forth at board meetings. Gary and Lorraine have met all the criteria, and we were proud to present the Circle of Service Award to them.

On September 24, 2024, the LaDonna’s and the Blood’s presented the Circle of Service Award to Phyllis and Charlie Smeltzer at their home due to Phyllis’ illness.

Phyllis and Charlie have been members of the Copy Cats for many years. We personally have known them for more than 12 years. They are the most dedicated dancers and angels we have known. With few exceptions, they are present at every Copy Cats class session from September to May. On the dance floor, they are among the first to join a square and help the new dancers navigate the calls. They are always ready to step in to the breech wherever they are needed. They arrive early for classes (or dances) to help set-up and stay late to help with clean-up. In addition, they have taken some of our more challenging students under their wing. They are always smiling and social to both new and old members of the Club. Charlie is always seen supporting the Club by buying 50/50 and turkey raffle tickets. They always attend DOR where they usually place themselves in squares where dancers may be having problems. They support other Clubs in the Federation. They are often seen dancing at Bubel’s, at Cloverleaf Squares, and others, where they show the same support to students and new dancers as they do at our Club.

Additionally, they have been active in their community. He is a bus driver; she is a bus monitor. They are very family-oriented and enjoy spending hours with their children and grandchildren. They have been dedicated Civil War historical interpreters and dancers. They participated in historical reenactments at Gettysburg and at local sites to educate today’s youth about the Civil War. As a couple, they have been active participants in restorations and re-dedications of Civil War veterans’ graves. In addition, he has participated in “living history” regarding the Civil War at the Genesee Country Museum. They were interim class coordinators and members of the Copy Cats Board.

We were honored to present the Circle of Service Award to Charlie and Phyllis Smeltzer.

Addendum: Phyllis passed away on October 23, 2024. She will be sadly missed by the writers and the entire square dance community.

Submitted by Donna and Rick LaDonna

On November 24, 2024, Sharon Meyer was presented with the “Circle of Service Award” at a Cloverleaf Squares dance. Previous recipients Jeff and Debbie Blood presented it to her for her service to the square and round dance community. The award is given to dancers who have contributed significantly to the square and round dance Community for three years or more.

Congratulations Sharon! This is a well-deserved award for all your dedication and service to the Western NY Federation of Square and Round Dancers since we became involved. For more than five years you have been serving behind the scenes in many ways, including the Dance-O-Rama committee for more than five years; executing contracts for all Federation sponsored events (DOR, special dances, demos, etc.); as an appointed standing member of the Daphne Norma Leadership Award Selection Committee, our highest honor given to a dancer or couple; and as a staff member of the Promenader staff.

Sharon continues to make significant contributions through her responsibilities and the support and guidance she provides.

Congratulations also to Sue Sepkowski of the Silver Squares. On November 25, 2024, Sue was presented with the nationally recognized Circle of Service Award by previous recipients, Anne Granger and Don Naulin.

Sue is quiet, hardworking, unassuming dancer always asking, “What can I do to help?” and is there helping. Sue is the past president of Silver Squares and held the VP position prior to that. She was a Federation Representative for several years and on the Federation Board for a short time. Sue is square dancing contact for the Greece United Methodist Church for Silver Squares and was also the contact for the Federation’s post-Covid special summer dances.

Sue continues to help angel new dancers at other clubs, since Silver Squares doesn’t offer classes. Sue is a constant supporter at Federation events (DOR, demos, etc.) assisting with set-up, selling tickets and whatever else is needed. She is friendly, kind, and positive to all who come into contact with her. She is known to give up her spot on the dance floor if someone has not danced in a while. Sue continues to actively support square dancing in our area and is always there behind the scenes ready and willing to help.

Submitted by Jeff and Debbie Blood, Anne Granger and Don Naulin

Lately you have been hearing a lot about the Circle of Service Awards being received by our dancers for their dedication, service in support of our dancing community. These awards are being presented to dancers in recognition of their significant contributions to our dancing community over a period of at least three years. There are all kinds of ways dancers can contribute to square dancing over and above the dancing itself. Some stand out and are noticed immediately, while others are less noticeable behind the scenes helping square dancing stay alive and active. The flurry of awards since 2021 reflects an increased awareness of the “unsung” contributors in the dancing community.

The Circle of Service Award is a dancer award, presented only by dancers who have themselves previously received the same award. It is a nationally recognized award. The award consists of a framed award certificate and a proudly worn pin. The award began in 1985, to recognize dancers who for three years or more have made a significant contribution to the square and round dance community.

The Circle of Service pin shows the stellar hub of the circle formed by a pattern of arcs and symbolizes the importance of each such person to the total picture. The same circular shapes flow outward to stylize musical symbols. This linear interplay suggests the strong bond between square and round dancing.

Many of the recent awards have been received by members of our Federation clubs and Federation leadership who through their dedication and diligent efforts, brought their clubs back to the dance floor safely and kept dancing alive in Western New York following the Covid Pandemic. The intention of the Circle of Service Award is to honor and recognize those individuals or couples whose contributions too often go unrewarded.

Within the past few years, the Federation Board voted to pay for all the costs related to both the Daphne-Norma Award and Circle of Services Awards. Previously, it was the presenter who paid for the awards, pins, plaques, etc.

For a Circle of Service Award recipient to give the award to another person, they just need to contact Debbie & Jeff Blood, Co-Presidents of the Federation, to arrange for the framed award certificate and pin. The Bloods maintain the master list of all the Circle of Service awards given to our members, along with copies of all presentations. In honor and appreciation of receiving the award themselves, you will find several previous Circle of Service Award recipients attending these award presentations for others.

Submitted by Jeff and Debbie Blood

After ten years in its present on-line form, which were preceded by fifty-two years in hardcopy form, what you are reading now will be the final issue of my tenure as editor. Two years of searching has not brought forward a new editor to succeed me.

The “Club News” and “Photo/Feature” articles that have been the heart of the on-line Promenader will not be going away. They will continue to appear, but submissions will go directly to the webmaster.

To facilitate this, some aspects of the website may be revised over the next few months, and a new set of submission guidelines will be posted and distributed to club leaders and reporters.

This is a bittersweet transition for me, but the center of my life has shifted far away from the Rochester area and, maybe even from square dancing. Time will tell. Webmaster Sidney Marshall and former Promenader editor Betty Ludwick did a great job a decade ago, translating the Promenader’s traditional look and feel into the on-line era and blending it with Sidney’s pre-existing online database of schedule and other information.

I’d like to thank section editors Bonnie Allen (Schedules), Leon Smith (Club News) and Sharon Meyer (Class-Club events and Obituaries) for their assistance over the full decade of the online Promenader’s existence—sharing the quarterly workload to prepare submitted content for Sidney to post. I’d also like to thank a rotating corps of proofreaders who catch our typos and other rough edges before the final product “goes live” every three months. The currently active proofreaders are Carl Webster, Susan Thomas, Rick & Donna LaDonna, Jim Gotta, Jeff & Debbie Blood and Sharon Meyer.

I will remain available to help club reporters with the transition.

Submitted by Peter Emmel

Answering the call to help promote interest in square dance calling and cueing, the Western NY Federation is reviving the tradition by hosting an amateur calling and cueing event in June 2025. The Cloverleaf Squares’ “Roaring Tiger” trophy is coming out of hibernation and will be awarded to the most entertaining amateur.

Volunteer amateur callers and cuers are encouraged to participate. Please reach out to our WNYF callers and cuers for help and advice. They are fantastic and they encourage newbies to try calling and cueing. Experienced callers and cuers are glad to guide you on music selection or obtaining cue sheets, if need be.

Ron Brown, Mike Callahan, and Jim Gotta will also be calling and cueing at this Free Dance so please mark your calendar for Friday, June 20, 2025. It will be at the Perinton Memorial VFW, 300 Macedon Center Rd, Fairport, NY.

In March or April, we will be asking participants to register for this event so we can plan our dance program for the evening. We are looking forward to hearing our talented participants try calling and cueing.

So, please think about it and pick a favorite singing call or round dance tune. Then see one of our local callers for advice on getting what you need to start practicing.

We have heard from many past participants how much fun it is to step forward and take part in events like this—even for those who have no plans to ever become a caller or cuer.

Dancers, you play an important role in this too! Please make a strong showing to support and encourage our participants. We are looking forward to a fun evening of dancing with our members and recent graduates.

Submitted by Jeff and Debbie Blood

Our Halloween dance at Silver Squares is always a lot of fun!! Laughter, dancing, and food always make for a great afternoon. Mike Callahan, caller for Silver Squares, had our costumed dancers promenade in a circle and then everyone voted for the best costume. Joann Baxter, Diane and Richard Cundra won the contest!!

Submitted by Anne Granger

Silver Squares Dance Club had a “Crazy Hat” dance on September 30th. Four squares of people wore their crazy hats and danced to caller Mike Callahan. Lots of laughs and lots of fun!!!

Submitted by Anne Granger

The Silver Squares Dance Club Annual Soup and Sandwich dance was a hit! Six different soups, a variety of sandwiches and many desserts were enjoyed by all. Five squares of people not only ate but danced too. What a fun day!

Submitted by Anne Granger

Five squares of dancers welcomed in the Fall with a Pizza Party!! Monday afternoon is a lot of fun at Silver Squares Dance Club. We‘d love to have you join us!

Submitted by Anne Granger

Banner Stealing is always fun. Copy Cats members visited Silver Squares and took their banner back!

Don Naulin and Anne Granger, Presidents of Silver Squares, tried to keep the banner but no luck. Banner Stealing promotes good will and a lot of fun among clubs.

Submitted by Anne Granger