The RECORD Volume XXXXV No. 4 Robert Kratz - Publisher April, 2004 President's Message by Martha Erwin CB's agenda for March certainly qualifies as March Madness ! Thank You to: Mary G., Avis W. and there spouses, Milan and John for the great Bowling/Pizza Party. That black lei sure got around! Our Red Light/Green Light Hoedown was the best hoedown we've had in some time. Thanks to: Carol G. for organizing the refreshments; Cathy O, Alfreda, Joe and special helpers Liz and Bob for making Oak Park Center look like Spring had arrived, no mean feat for that room! And to Avis and John, and Don and Lois who greeted everyone at the sign-in table and sold them 50-50 tickets; to Jack S. for supplying us with enough chilled sodas of just the right kind for a warm evening; to All the CB's for bringing lots of food and jumping right in and getting the setup and cleanup done expeditiously; to Gary K. who called a great hoedown even if he was not feeling the best; to Bert S. who came at our request to give ailing Gary some back-up; to Frank and Shirlee B. for the well-attended After Party. Thank You to our Beginner's Chair, Don S. for taking care of our Newer Dancers as they started their 2nd 8-week session. It is a pleasure to get to know and dance with each of our Newer Dancers. Thank You to Lois and Don for THE Car Rally. Their charm held true and the weather was simply gorgeous. It's hard to believe they actually found rally roads we hadn't travelled before. Thank you to the Newer Dancers and CB's who attended the Beginner Plus Hoedowns in March sponsored by other clubs; the Martinez Swinger's Beginner Hoedown, the Diablo Singles Doubles Bert O'Swearer Hoedown: Mike Sikorsky 's dance in Fairfield. What nice representation from our Club. The CB's won the coffee for the most visitors from a club at the Martinez Swinger's Beginner Hoedown. Good Show! A comment made by more than one Newer Dancer: 'You sure have a lot happening, are you trying to woo us?' Sounds like a good idea, especially if it works. But the truth will out, that was just our usual calendar of winter time events, many just happened to migrate to the month of March this year. If I missed anyone who gave special support to all our March activities I'm sure you will let me know, right? It was a great month. Now we look forward to the events of April, the Garage Sale on April 17 hosted by Jack and Carol G, is the big event on our calendar. There are several April hoedowns with great callers listed later in this newsletter. Looking forward to seeing you with your square dance shoes on. Birthdays April Kendall 4/20 Wynell Snodgrass 4/22 Allen Wesdorf 4/27 Anniversaries Terry and Lynn Leonard 4/8/67 From your Official Halloween Headquarters- by Bob Phelan From your Official Halloween Headquarters- Guess the theme contest and clues: Clue 0: Definitely larceny. - December Clue 1: Your cold logs. - January Clue 2: It Slices, It dices, It shish kabobs too. -February Clue 3: Pittsburg has 'em. - March Clue 4: Moving across the board.- April If you're ready for a guess, contact - Dorothy Evans , Elizabeth Phelan or Bob Phelan. Spooky.... guessing....... There will be a pumpkin carving contest this year. There have been 4 correct guesses as of the March Newsletter. A Dual Anniversary Hoedown On Thursday, April 29 the Diablo Singles and Doubles will celebrate their 31st anniversary and 20 years of Bert Swerer calling for their club. We have been invited to attend, but at the general meeting it was decided the matter should be discussed with our new dance class members as this would interfere with their paid lesson time. Don Snodgrass with talk with them this Thursday. Stand by for an announcement. Garage Sale The CB Garage Sale will be Saturday, April 17 at the Giolitti's home, 68 Fordham Ct. Pleasant Hill. There will be a sign up list for set up on Friday afternoon, evening and for the actual event on Saturday. Jack will begin accepting items starting one week prior to the sale. Be sure what you bring is in good condition and has a chance of selling. 'One's man's junk is another man's treasure has its limits. Also any electronics, including computers, must have the donors name attached and you will be asked to take it back home if it does not sell as disposal of these items is restricted and costly. This is always a lot of fun and a great fund raiser for the club. New Date for Ice Cream Social Our spring ice cream social, chaired by Kathy O'Toole has been moved up one week to May 20. So save up those unused calories and prepare to dig in. Upcoming Hoedown Events by Martha Erwin Golden Doors – for ALL Newer Dancers, sponsored by NCSDA April 18, 2-5 p.m., Alameda Elk's Lodge, 2255 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda Buffet style dinner following the dance. See flyer for dinner reservation information. Fun Galore in 2004! sponsored by California State Square Dance Convention April 23-25, at Cal-Expo in Sacramento. Mainstream – Advanced levels. Special Events: Night at the Harness Races, April 22; Paddlewheeler Cruise, April 25. Square dance clothing Vendors. See flyers at Thursday workshops. Come Soar With Us In 2004, 51st Golden State Roundup. May 28-30, at Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton Newer to Challenge workshops, Round Dances. Vendors. See flyers at Thursday workshops. CB Car Rally XV March 21, 2004 by Don and Lois Lollich Sunday, March 21, the morning overcast cleared away, and at 12:30 pm the first of 14 cars with 55 people started out on the rally route. Amazingly 14 cars arrived at the Liberty Hotel without one panic envelope being opened. That is not to say that there were no wrong turns made, but everyone caught their errors and got back on track. Most of the participants probably did not realize that there were two sets of instructions. The first car went right our of the parking lot, the second went left, the third right etc. The two routes met head on at instruction 12 in an intersection on Clayton Road in Clayton. Four cars correctly answered 15 our of the 16 questions. Kendalls and Swerers car was the only one to spot Judy's place. We threw that one in because in a previous rally we asked the same question and several cars found it. The four winning cars were: Marlene, Sally, Ken and Frank; Bisson and Wallace; Woodard and Carmody; Phelan and Katich. Egon and Inger won in the single navigator class but also won the white cane for the least correct answers. We could have given out many Dummkoph Certificates as we had been prepared with a supply. The certificate is given for the inability to follow simple written instructions.The Delta Mendota Canal is not the California Aqueduct. The Liberty Hotel Restaurant donated a Certificate good for two people at their Sunday Brunch. Frank Smith held the winning ticket for that. Hope everyone had a good time. Next year Lois says the questions are going to be harder. Four 15 out of 16 indicates we were too easy this year. The Saga Of The Dead Battery And The Car Rally by Martha Erwin The passengers and gear in Car #11 were ready and waiting their turn to leave. Then Car #11 stalled! To the aid of the distressed rally goers came the welcome counsel of several who decided the battery was dead. The batteries in these new smart cars just do that, you know, just suddenly die. Go dead. Bob P. was quick to offer his jumper cables and car battery and Car #11 started right up! Hooray! ...only to stall. And stall. And stall. Not a good idea to go off to who-knows-where even if the car would possibly stay running. So passengers and gear were quickly moved to the other couple's car and off we went, dead last, and then some. What a wonderful afternoon spent driving the beautiful countryside, looking in vain for TTP and Judy's Place, and taking the canal road instead of the aqueduct road. Our navigator got us to the Liberty Hotel without having to open the Panic Envelope where we enjoyed a tasty dinner with marvellously good service. About 8 p.m. we arrived home. The late hour precluded getting a new battery but not being advisable to leave the car in the parking lot overnight, a tow truck was summoned. We went to meet the tow service and, just in case, turned the ignition - voila! the car started right up and didn't stall a bit - in fact, drove home without a hesitation. Upon reading the Owner's Manual it was found the reason the car refused to run was because it thought it was being stolen so it shut off the gas supply. Why it thought it was being stolen remains a mystery. Maybe all the excitement and anticipation of going on THE Car Rally and it just flipped out. Dumb Smart cars, anyway. The driver's of Car #11, wish to thank Carl, Diana L. for being so flexible and taking us in their car, on their first CB Car Rally. Their good company made a great day even better. Carl surely looked for TTP in his dreams all night! Fall Potluck. Joe Zehrung agreed to chair the October potluck supper. The event will coincide with our new dancer graduation for a gala event. More to follow. Beginner Class Most of the new dancers who started with us are still dancing and having a wonderful time. At our last general meeting the club voted to let the new dancers come for the entire summer at their current lesson rate of $20 per person. What a bargain. We hope a single charge, instead of a per night fee, will keep them more involved during this vacation time and keep them connected to our club. We will be dancing with the Diablo Singles and Doubles again this year and Gary and Bert will set up a red light/green light agenda to keep instructing and advancing our new people. Sounds like a fun summer. We will begin dancing at the Pacheco Center on June 10th. Spring Campout The Terry and Lynn Leonard Campout will be May 21, 22 and 23. Terry needs sign ups before May 1 to make reservations. Activities and extent of the outing will depend on the number of CBers and their friends who attend. There are several signups already so seeTerry or Lynn right away to secure your spot in this great CB event. CB Hoedown Our Red light/Green light hoedown on March 12 was a success in all respects. The decorations of birds, bees and gardens, supplied by Liz Phelan and set up by Kathy O'Toole, put Spring in the air and in our feet. Our own Gary Kendall arrived to call the dance feeling a little under par (he should have been home in bed) and some caring members of our club placed a surreptitious call to Bert Swerer who arrived to relieve a game but grateful Gary. The food was, once again, very good but with a slight over abundance of devilled eggs. Everything was gone by evenings end. The potted plant door prizes were readily snapped up by attendees and it looks like we actually made a couple of dollars on the event. Summer Dancing We will be dancing with the Diablo Singles and Doubles this summer as we have for the past few years. Our caller Gary Kendall and the DSD caller Bert Swerer are working out a program that will accommodate both our new dancers and all of us 'experienced&' dancers. Tentative date for starting the summer session is June 10th. News From the Alley by Avis Walker March 2nd found us arriving at the bowling alley to a lights out situation. We were able to handle it pretty well seeing as how the doughnuts had been delivered and the coffee perked before the power went out. Don Snodgrass, who is always prepared, brought in the flashlight from his car for anyone who needed to venture into the dark caves of the rest rooms. After a very nice, relaxing early morning chat the lights came on and the alley was up and running. Don Lollich took the first game with the high score of 150. The second game saw turkeys rolled by John Walker and Shirlee Birsa and Milan Gregovich stretched his into 4 in a row for an eagle. John took high game with a 191 that hasn't been topped since. I didn't get the scores of the last game as I wasn't bowling that day and found myself unsuccessfully trying to best Mary Gregovich in Rummy Tiles. I do however demand a rematch as after the game was over we found the tile I needed to go out on the floor. I did get Wynell Snodgrass' 3 scores as she came up to let Mary know that the former GG had bowled a 108, 138 and 127 for a average of 126 for the day. Way to go GG!! March 9th found Mary Gregovich bowling but she must have thought it was our bowling party as she would throw a gutter ball followed by a strike pickup making her eligible to write her name on two bottles each frame. None of the scores were terrible good that day but most bowlers seemed to be in the same ballpark with the first game scores of: Pat Pardee 159, John Walker 158, Milan Gregovich 157, Allen Wesdorf 155, and Bob Erwin 153. Don Snodgrass was the most consistent with a 132, 133,and 134 and again Wynell made her over 100 average with a 303 series. Pat Pardee took the second game with a 181 and I won't reveal the rest of the scores because they really were bad; but I will say she did a good job of beating all of the guys. On March 16th they had much better scores. Bob Erwin had a great day with a 499 series and took the first game with a 182. There were lots of strikes that game but no turkey. Pat Pardee had a good second place game of 178 followed by John Walker with a 168 and Don Lollich 166. Bob Erwin also took the second game with a 168 followed by John Walker with a 167 and the first turkey of the day. Don Snodgrass took the 3rd game with a great 162 game and Allen Wesdorf followed with a 155 after he picked up the 5-7 split by somehow ricocheting the ball off the 5 pin to knock over the 7 pin. Wynell Snodgrass again made her over 100 average with a 324 series. We all went to lunch at the new Buttercup Pantry on Clayton Road. March 23rd found Pat Pardee in the lead with the winning first game of 178. Bob Erwin took the 2nd game with a 156 and Pat Pardee again had the winning score in the 3rd game with a 165. The friendly but competitive trio of Bob Erwin, Allen Wesdorf, and John Walker all finished pretty close with series of 414, 410 and 409. Pat Pardee's total pins were 487. March 30th found Avis Walker back on the lanes bowling after 4 weeks of being a cheerleader because of a sprained back. Janet and Tom Lococo returned from Arizona and the A's Spring Training and we had a guest to bowl with us from the other end of the alley. Pat Rogers' friends were all absent that day and she said we always sounded like we had more fun so she came to see what was going on and stayed to bowl with us. Don Snodgrass started the day with a winning 153 with Pat Pardee right behind him with a 150. Allen Wesdorf took the second game with a 173 with Avis Walker in second place with a 168. In the third game Allen Wesdorf, Bob Erwin, Avis Walker and Don Snodgrass all bowled double strikes but John Walker was the only one to parley his into three in a row for a turkey and the winning score of 170 as well as the high series of the day of 461. We all met at IHOP for lunch and were glad to have Wally and Bill Everett and our favorite cheerleader Lois Lollich joining us That's it for March. If you are free on a Tuesday morning around 9:30 come on down and bowl with us or show up by 11:30 and go to lunch. Coffee Assignments by Carol Giolitti April: 08. Evans 15. Roberts 22. Snodgrass 29. Strickler May: 06. Giolitti 13. Walker 20. Turgeon 27. Young June: 03. Zehrung Call Chairman if ill or on vacation or need supplies.Carol Giolitti Soda Assignments by Jack Strickler April 08. Evan 15. Lollich 26 Zehrung 29 Moon May 06. Gregovich This summer the Diablo Singles will have the soda concession and we do not have to sign up for this duty. Contributors to the Record The following Clutch Busters have graciously contributed their time and talent in submitting articles and information to the Record this Month Editor Chris Kratz Contributors: Martha Erwin Don Lollich Bob Phelan Avis Walker Carol Giolitti Jack Strickler 20th Annual Fall Frolic Bob and Chris will be attending the Fall Frolic, featuring caller Mike Sikorsky in colorful Solvang CA, and will act as wagon masters if others are interested in making this a CB outing. This Swedish town/attraction is always a fun get away and on October 15, 16 and 17 you get Solvang and Mike. Sign ups will be needed soon to insure reservations for those bringing rigs, and those needing hotel/motel accommodations. Bob and Chris will be staying at the Flying Flags RV Park, 180 Ave of the Flags in Buellton. Price is $31.50 per night for full hookups. Flyers and a sign up sheet will be available at the Thursday Night Class. Upcoming Dances from Martha Erwin April 29, Thursday, Party Night Hoedown Diablo Singles & Doubles : Bert Swerer calling Newer Dancers/Fun Level Pacheco Community Center 5800 Pacheco Blvd., Pacheco 7:30 – 9:30 May 28 – 30 : Memorial Day Weekend, Golden State Roundup Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton Workshops for ALL Levels, Newer to Challenge Vendors July 9-11 California's Family-Fun Festival Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley Mainstream – A-2 Lots of Games Vendors