Editor’s Page

Welcome to the Winter issue of the Promenader—a quarterly publication of the Western NY Federation of Round and Square Dancers Inc. (squaredancingrochester.org)

In this issue

The “Photos & Features” section highlights activities of three area clubs that have resumed dancing—the Copy Cats, the Silver Squares and the Cayuga Cut-Ups. We know there are more, but these are the ones who sent us photos. One of these dances celebrated the marriage of Barb Mason and Bob Jackson.

There’s also a follow-up and “Thank You” from the Support Our Troops office for contributions to the popular Troopon program that local dancers have been participating in for many years. An article from the Copy Cats, follows the club’s history from its origin at Xerox in 1971.

Two articles urge readers to respond—one solicits nominations for the Daphne-Norma Leadership Award and the other asks dancers to contribute memories to Mike Sikorsky’s 50-year anniversary book.

Please don’t miss the “President’s Corner” message from Debbie and Jeff Blood, accessible via the “Federation” tab at the top of this page.

Club News

The COVID virus is still with us. Several clubs have not resumed, and those that are dancing are taking precautions. Before you attend a dance, check their flyer, or check with their club contact listed under “Clubs” on this website, or check their posting in the “Club News” section. Most are requiring full vaccination and some are requiring that masks be worn at least part of the time.

Virtual Dancing

Virtual dancing is still active with national and international callers, but our local sessions have given way to in-person dancing. A few clubs still gather regularly on Zoom, to keep in touch with those who are not dancing.

Federation Website

The WNYF website is beginning to look more normal, with News, Schedule and Flyer pages filling out.

Sidney will post flyers and changes to the schedule listings as soon as he can after he receives them. For fastest service, he recommends sending flyers and schedule change notices to both the Promenader (promenader@rochester.rr.com) and to him directly (sidneym@frontiernet.net).

In addition, for maximum distribution of urgent messages, clubs should also consider posting on the “SquareDancingRochester” group Facebook page.

In Memoriam

In this issue we say farewell to our friends Bill Dodge, Nick Haldoupis and Sally Emmel.

Editorial Comments

This is a very sad issue for me, personally, having lost Sally to cancer in mid-September. I will be back on the dance floor at some point, but it may take a while. Meanwhile, I’m staying in close touch with many of our dancing friends via Zoom and other electronic formats as well as in-person with occasional visits. I’ve just returned from my granddaughter’s wedding in Detroit and I’m traveling for Thanksgiving with family in New England and Christmas in New York.

I’m still concerned about COVID. Our local statistics are all going in the wrong direction, so there is clearly more virus circulating in our area than one would expect from the concentration of medical technology and education that resides here. Our demographic appears less at risk than younger folks, maybe because we are more careful and because more of us are vaccinated. Let’s not let our guard down prematurely. I don’t fear COVID, but I respect it. Viruses have been a part of life for eons and it behooves us to pay them the respect they deserve. That just means taking practical precautions and availing ourselves of protections ranging from behavior (distance and masks) to technology (vaccines and therapeutics). In addition to our own self-interest in staying healthy, I think we have a duty to our family, friends and the public at large to keep ourselves out of the transmission path as best we can. That doesn’t mean shutting social life down. It just means staying aware and taking precautions.

Peter Emmel, Editor

Quarterly Chuckle

A Little Senior Citizen Humor

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says, “Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle and I can’t figure out how to get started.”

Her neighbor asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”

The little silver haired lady says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.”

Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, “First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”

He takes her hand and says, “Secondly, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then,” he said with a deep sigh …

“Let’s put all the Corn Flakes back in the box.”