1. Scares and Squares–It’s a Wrap!
The Ramblers just completed another fabulously successful three-day fly-in at the Multnomah Arts Center. Our callers–Bronc Wise, Mike Kellogg, and Gary Monday–kept us on our toes for the entire weekend with an eclectic combination of traditional music, new songs, and creative choreography. Individually they were superb, and, when they collaborated, they were sublime. We had a wonderful turnout of our students, who danced beautifully. If you have photos from the weekend, please email them to rtramblers@gmail.com, and we will try to post them on the website.
By my calculations, about 2/3 of the current Ramblers membership helped out in some capacity over the course of the weekend. That statistic tells us two things: (a) it would be impossible to pull off an event of this magnitude without this support, and (b) we have an awesome membership. I am really proud to be part of this organization.
I don’t have space here to individually acknowledge everyone who helped out, but I would like to publicly thank once again those who took on an organizer role. These include:
Organizer In Chief: Ariel Shattan
Auction: Jan Thompson
Saturday Banquet: George Chow and Myron Boyer
Caller Arrangements: Rick Hawes
Sound: Scott Phillips
Lights: Ken Vannice
Decorations: Mark Clift and Clint Maurice
Registration: Tami and Pam Hazen; Nelly Kaufer and Cheryl Wilton
Friday Picnic: Tiffany Naemura
50/50: Ted Naemura ($326 gross!)
Sunday Brunch: Kendra Killian-Davis and Jan Kahn.
2. Upcoming Ramblers Dances. Remember that the Ramblers do not dance this Saturday, November 5. We will be dancing on the second Saturday, November 12, at the Milwaukie Grange, from 7:30-9:30. Ian Craig will be calling–we’re hoping our students will build on their experience at Scares and Squares by coming to the social dances.
In December, we will be dancing on the FIRST SATURDAY, that’s December 3, from 7:30-9:30 pm. The legendary Anne Uebelacker will be calling. Don’t miss this one!
3. Other Dances. A big crowd is anticipated this Saturday, November 5, at the Oaky Doaks trophy dance. As Scares and Squares clearly demonstrated, there’s no thrill quite like square dancing in a packed dance hall. It would be great to have a nice representation of Ramblers at this dance. It will take place at the Oak Grove Community Club, 14496 SE Cedar Ave, Portland 97267, with Mainstream dancing from 7:30-10 pm.
There will be a great opportunity to support the LGBTQ club in Eugene–Spin Cycle Squares–at their pre-Thanksgiving dance on Saturday, November 19. This dance will take place at the Emerald Square Dance Center, 2095 Yolanda Ave., Springfield, Oregon. The schedule will be Advanced Dancing from 3-4:30; potluck from 4:30-5:30; and Mainstream/Plus from 5:30-8. Kris Jensen–another outstanding caller–will be calling this dance.
4. Wednesday Classes. Please remember that our lessons are continuing on Wednesday evenings through December 14 (except November 23–the day before Thanksgiving), and angels are always appreciated. Hope to see you there!
SYIAS!