The RECORD Volume XXXXV No. 1 Robert Kratz - Publisher January, 2004 President's Message by Martha Erwin For your easy reference here are your 2004 Elected Officers : President: Martha Erwin Vice Pres.: Dorothy & John Evans Secretary: Bob Phelan Treasurer: Shirlee Birsa Publicity: Bonnie Jo Zehrung Refreshments: Carol Giolitti Standing Committee Chairpeople: Arrangements: Milan Gregovich Decorations: Alfreda Young Kathy O'Toole Joe Gerhards New Dancers: Don Snodgrass News Paper: Bob Kratz NCSDA: Allen Wesdorf Soda: Jack Strickler Phone Contacts: Ted Turgeon The Calendar for the year is attached. There are several TBD = To Be Decided TBA = To Be Announced references and several blank lines to be filled in with your names when you volunteer to be the chairperson for activities the Club voted to include in this year's activities. That is one of the great strengths of this Club, it is a Club-run organization. You get to vote and decide and chair. Isn't that marvellous?!! It has kept us going as a club for 47 years. So, let my phone ring off the hook or my e-mail inbox get clogged with offers to fill in all those blank spots.. Some of the TBD's will unfold as the year progresses (Newer Dancer Classes, summer dancing) and some need immediate further thought and action as we gather collectively to decide and vote at the February meetings. You know those notices attached on the walls at the Center, Milan read them and called to say they request we be out of the building by 10 o'clock. Must be the janitor stays around until we have left? Thanks Milan and Don S. for a heads up on this request. A Thank-You from the Club to all who brought Newer Dancers to our classes on the 15th and 22nd. It's a beginning in the on-going process of building our club. I am looking forward to all these wonderful new friends to get acquainted with as we square up together. There will be classes in the future so keep finding those wonderful people who will become our square dance family of friends. See you Thursdays with our dance shoes on, Martha Birthdays Carol Giolitti 1/7 Inger Pedersen 1/8 Dorothy Evans 1/18 Tim Moon 1/19 Avis Walker 1/19 Anniversaries John & Avis Walker 1/4/58 Bonnie & Joe Zehrung 1/8/63 Ray and Pat Pardee 1/12/63 New Dancer Chairman Notes by Don Snodgrass Clutch Busters! Our new class begins this Thursday, Jan. 22. We need you to all show up, and be there on time to show our new dancers that we, as a club, will be there to support them in learning to square dance. Red and Green Red Light!, Green Light! A game we played as children. Red Light!, Green Light! Designates port and starboard on ships. Red Light!, Green Light! Which one do you want at a traffic signal? Red Light!, Green Light! The March Clutch Buster Hoedown!!! The Clutch Busters will provide dancing enjoyment for new and plus level dancers at this event called by the great Gary Kendall. We will be hosting the event at the Oak Park Center (our usual dance location) at 8:00 pm, so arrive early and bring that delicious food the CBers are know for. FOOD AND WORK ASSIGNMENTS ARE GIVEN ON THE LAST PAGE OF THIS PAPER. PLEASE, PLEAse,PLease, bring a nice wrapped door prize (something new that you would want to take home) Cost will be $5.00 per person ($3.00 per CB member). No round dancing or A-1 tip so wear your best dancing shoes and remember to keep visiting singles on the floor having a great time. Frank and Shirlee Birsa are hosting another exciting after party at their home after the dance. So come, relax and enjoy a great CB get together. Martha is in Charge With a pledge of more dancing time, shorter general meetings and an exciting new approach to Clutch Buster events, Martha Erwin took over the presidential reins of our club. Swept in by a unanimous vote, Martha presided over a less than 45 minute general meeting (including the annual event calendar) and slammed down the gavel on her first official day of office at the January 15, 2004 meeting. Cbers are looking forward to a wondrous 2004 under her leadership. Thank you Martha for taking the position. From your Official Halloween Headquarters- by Bob Phelan Guess the theme contest and clues: Clue 0: Definitely larceny. - December Clue 1: Your Cold logs. - January 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 0 correct guesses as of the December Newsletter Christmas Party What a wonderful Christmas party the CBers had this year. A big thank you to Martha Erwin who chaired the event, all those who provided the wonderful food and decorations and to Gary Kendall for calling Christmas dance music. A special mention and applause to Dorothy Evans who wrote and directed our august skit. She combined characters of The Grinch, Wizard of Oz's Dorothy and our ever loved Snow Man, Rudolph, Mrs. Santa, Santa himself and two dogs, one quiet and one, well... We further rang in the season with chimes, sang carols, held up signs and collected 190 lbs of food and $65 for the Contra Costa Food Bank. Merry Christmas to all, it was a good night. Beginner Class Five people attended the first of two starting week beginner dance classes. We will have our second "first" night this Thursday - a free night. The class went very well and everyone appeared to have a great time. Club members need to arrive by 7:15 to set up so the new dancer class can start at 7:30. They get at least one hour of dancing, so any delay comes out of our plus class time. Its time to talk to everyone you know, have known or want to know, about the wonderful world of square dancing. We are now down to only 40 active, paying members. Our caller, Gary Kendall, reported the Concord Stompers had 17 new dancers, almost all brought in by current members of their club. Who is this Clutch Buster 1. If I were a builder eveything would be taller and straight. 2. Half of what I do is on the other side of pitter. 3. When my partner parties, dress accordingly. 4. I've been late, but I'm worth it. 5. My favorite refrain of all the songs ever written could be "I am calling you, ou ou ou, ou ou ou. Answer on last page of paper Road Rally Don and Lois Lollich agreed to host another of their wonderful road rallies this year. The date will be March 21 so mark you calendars. More on this later. Spring Campout Terry and Lynn Leonard will host another exciting campout this year. Activities and extent of the outing will depend on the number of CBers and their friends who attend. Terry has to have the names of participants early so space can be reserved. We were not able to reserve the needed space last year because we did not sign up early enough. Watch for a sign up list at a square dance class near you. Garage Sale Club members expressed an overwhelming majority vote to hold a fund raising garage sale again this year. No one, however, volunteered their premises. So we need a volunteer to sponsor this event. We made over $800 last year and we could use the money. Bowling/Pizza Party Mary Gregovich (bowling hostess) and Avis Walker (pizza hostess) are chairing our annual Bowling/Pizza party this year at Diablo Lanes, 1500 Monument Blvd, Concord. Bowling starts at 2:00 pm so arrive by 1:30 to get your lane assignment, shoes and ball and be ready to go. Cost for bowling is $2.50 per game, and we will be bowling two games. Shoes will be extra this year. There will be prizes and trophies for the winners and fun for everyone. Avis will be signing up people for the pizza party, after the bowling. Please be ready to pay for your pizza order when signing up as Avis must prepay the pizzas when ordering them the day before the event. Otherwise we have to pay for the banquette room. The location of the Pizza party at 4:30 pm, following bowling on Pizza eating will begin at 4:30 at the Round Table Pizza Parlor, 85 Chilpancingo Pkwy, beside KMart in Pleasant Hill. News From the Alley Our astute bowling reporter, Avis Walker, is suffering from an acute case of computer nonfunctionitis and was not able to submit a bowling article this month. We assure the readers of this teriffic column that the bowlers had a great time and probably bowled 250 or above. So join this Bowling group every Tuesday morning at Diablo Lanes on Monument Blvd. to bowl and/or have lunch with them afterwards. A full activities report will, we hope, be here next month. 9 CBers Attended NCSDA Dance By 12:15 pm on January the Giolitti's living room was filling up. The Kratzs, Walkers, Alfedra Young and Joe Gerhards gathered there to car pool to the 53rd NCSDA Anniversary Dance featuring the areas 10 top callers. Each year clubs are poled to select the 10 favorite callers and once again our own Gary Kendall made the list along with Eric Henerlau, Dick Henschel, Bert Swerer and 6 other great callers. Dancing started at 1:30 pm at the Alameda Elks Lodge and continued until 5:00 pm, followed by a hot, delicious, catered buffet dinner. We heard unofficial counts of 17 to 21 squares at this festive occasion. Everyone had a great time, and the dancing cost only $3.50 per person. Perhaps next year we can make this a major club event. Its a great bargain and a great dance. Coffee Assignments by Carol Giolitti January: 08. Birsa 15. Bisson 22. Erwin 29. Evans February: 05. Gerhards 12. Gregovich 19. Kratz 26. Leonard March: 04. Lollich 11. Moon 18. O'Toole 25. Giolitti April: 01. Pedersen 08. Phelan 15. Roberts 22. Snodgrass 29. Strickler Call Chairman if ill or on vacation or need supplies.Carol Giolitti Soda Assignments by Jack Strickler January: 15. Phelan 22. O'Toole 29. Gerhards February: 05. Giolitti 12. Evans 19. Leonard 26. Gerhards March: 04. Kratz 11. Snodgrass 18. - - - - - -? 25. Hamblin A Christmas Story by Bob Kratz I suppose we celebrate Christmas like most families we all belong to and know. The season gathers family together and, for us, culminates on Christmas morning when everyone gathers around the tree and opens presents, after a minor haggling over who plays Santa. This year something new was added. After the presents were opened and Chris and I, our son, our daughter her husband and his parents all leaned back to enjoy the bounty, the family and the friendship we have developed. It was a good Christmas. Then our Daughter Debra and her husband Rob Sims rose from their chairs and announced there was one more present. Chris and I were to sit together, Rob's parents together and brother (our son) Robbie between the couples. Each group was given another present with instructions to open them all at the same time. It was a rather innocuous package, about 8 inches high, 6 inches across and two inches deep. As we felt the package and started to open it we determined it was a picture frame. The kids had another picture taken of themselves, good, we will find a place for it. When the surprise was unwrapped we saw the anticipated pewter frame, but one adorned with ABDC, a toy train a teddy bear, stars, clowns and balloons. Inside this unexpected frame was a homemade, computer generated certificate informing us that Congratulations! You are now the future Grandparents of Baby Sims. Due date July 14th 2004. Yes it was the greatest Christmas ever. We have since learned it will be a little girl. So, next time you see us, call us grandpa and grandma. We are ready. 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 Snodgrass Bob Phelan Carol Giolitti Jack Strickler Who is this Clutch Buster Gary Kendall 1. Gary is always trying to bring our club up to a higer level 2. Patter calls, of course. 3. April has clothing parties featuring Weekender Clothing 4. Gary works in various locations and is some times a little late for the beginning of class. But, we must admit, worth the wait. 5. Yes, Gary is our Caller. CLUTCH BUSTER HOEDOWN REFRESHMENT SCHEDULE RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT BEGINNER/PLUS MARCH 12 - 8:00 pm Oak Park Center, Pleasant Hill Gary Kendall Calling IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO YOU ASSIGNMENT PLEASE ARRANGE FOR YOUR OWN SUBSTITUTE OR FOOD EXCHANGES. THOSE WITH AN * AFTER THEIR NAME GET TO WORK AND BRING FOOD. WORK SCHEDULE: 7:45 - 8:30 pm Set up coffee: Giolitti 8:30 - 9:00 pm Set up food/supplies: Gregovich* 9:15 - 9:45 pm Replenish food/supplies: Roberts* 9:45 - 10:15 pm Replenish food/supplies: Birsa* 10:15 - 10:45 pm Replenish and Clean up: Leonard* 10:30 - 11:00 pm Clean and pack up: Giolitti SANDWICHES: One Loaf Cut Into Quarters 1. Birsa 2. Bisson VEGGIE PLATE & DIP: Large enough for 20 servings 1. Gregvich 2. Gerhards LARGE FRUIT PLATTER :Large enough for 20 servings 1. Erwin 2. Evans FINGER FOOD No chips: Large enough for 12 - 15 people 1. Kratz 2. Leonard* 3. Lollich 4. Moon 5. Roberts* 6. Snodgrass 7. Strickler* 8. Turgeon 9. Young 10. O'Toole DESSERTS; (Servings for 18 - 20) 1. Zehrung 2. Pedersen 3. Phelan 4. Walker PLEASE ALLOW OUR GUESTS TO GO FIRST BETWEEN 9:00 - 9:30. THANK YOU=