Editor’s Page

Holy smokes! Can it really be spring already?

Welcome to the spring, 2017, edition of the Promenader.

In This Issue

In the Club News section you will find specific news and notes about upcoming events from each of the square dance and round dance clubs in the Rochester area.

The Ads and Flyers section contains thumbnail images of all available event flyers in chronological order. To see a full size version of any flyer, just click on its thumbnail image. Near the front are flyers from clubs that show all their special dances on one sheet.

The usual snowbirds disappeared to the south again this year, to avoid our so-called winter. (As I write this in February the forecast shows highs for the next four days all above 60!) Many of our “birds” local are having fun dancing down south, as seen in the photo from the Space Coast Fiesta in the Photos and Features section.

In the Federation section, RAF President Warren Olson introduces two exciting new “area-wide” dances with national callers and highlights several other special dances in the coming months. Click HERE to read his message.

Anyone scheduling a dance should look at the online calendar and make sure the date is available. One of the primary goals of this website is to make schedule information accessible for planning by area clubs and callers. Schedule conflicts hurt both events and cause unnecessary stress—financial and otherwise.

There have been numerous fun dance events in the past three months, but without Roving Reporter Dick Halstead on the beat there is a noticeable shortage of photos and commentary.

Please help us get stories and photos of your club’s activities published here by taking pictures and sending them with a description of the activity and participants to promenader@rochester.rr.com.

I know there are interesting dance-related things going on that others would like to hear about. So, please send us a few pictures and tell us something about what your group is doing. If your club hosts a special dance or has a special caller, send us a few photos and tell us the story.

If you are looking for festive snack ideas, don’t miss the marvelous creations that Jackie Rogers brought to the Village Squares Valentine’s Dance. See them in the Photos and Features section.

In Memoriam: In this issue we remember Julie Field and Andy Shubert.

Website Additions

Clubs needing insurance forms for special events or venues can now find links to them in the Federation’s Forms section (Click HERE and then scroll down to the “RAF/USDA Insurance Forms” section.)

Just below the insurance section is a link to a graphic that explains the ECMA “Dancer Down” formation and guidelines for dancers in case of a MEDICAL EMERGENCY during a dance.

In the winter issue we began including the names of each club’s Federation Representative in the Club Presidents and Contacts listings. If your club’s representative is not listed or has changed, please let us know by sending an email to Promenader@Rochester.rr.com.

Also, don’t forget that the RAF Home Page carries “useful links” including the Finger Lakes Area Council (FLAC) for news from our Upstate NY neighbors to the southeast.

And, as always, you will find complete Rochester-area’s dance listings in our Schedules section. Each listing includes a Google Maps link and a link to any associated flyer.

For a quick look at special dances, scan the Calendar of Coming Special Events, located in the lower section of the Promenader cover page.

Rochester Area Federation

In Federation news, Jim Gotta will be advancing to the RAF presidency this year, leaving a vacancy at Vice President. I hope you will consider this opportunity to “give back” to square dancing, the activity that gives so much to you. Click HERE to jump to the Federation page for further details.

Editorial Comments

In the winter issue, I mentioned there was talk about the Federation facilitating the return of national callers to our area. This has been difficult in recent years because it takes a substantial number of dancers to cover the expense and none of our clubs are rich enough to take the risk of losing big money if attendance falls short.

Thanks to a push from persistent area dancers Barb Green and John Wright, and to Warren Olson’s leadership at the RAF, an arrangement has been worked out to bring national callers Gary Shoemake and Ken Bower to an “all area” dance on June 8. You can read more about this dance (and others) in Warren’s RAF President’s Corner article and you can download the flyer.

I think this is a great idea, and I especially like the way the RAF is promoting attendance by all dancers—recent grads as well as established dancers—by issuing discount coupons to members and grads of each RAF-afiliated club.

Peter Emmel, Editor