The Record Volume L No. 9 October, 2006 Tom Sandow Publisher President’s Message By Bob Phelan As you all know by now, we had one heck of a turn out for the new dancer classes. 24 for the first 2 classes, and for the first full 8 week session sign-up, we had 21. We have more women then men so we need to get the guys out there on the floor with the beginners. The annual picnic was a great success. Be sure to thank Joe and Alfreda when you see them. Upcoming is our Plus Hoedown, we need everyone’s support so please try to be there. Then we move on to our next big event, the Halloween Party of course. More about that in The Record later. November brings us our next pot luck and then Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Before you know it, we’ll be watching some play at the Christmas party. And you know what? I only have two of these messages left. Then I get to pass on this wonderful job to the next SUCKER, I mean PRESIDENT. September was pretty busy and it’s going to get busier the rest of the year. See you all on Thursday…….. Bob BIRTHDAYS: Kathy O’Toole - 10/30 ANNIVERSARIES: Giolitti - 11/1/1958 Note: Birthday and Anniversary listings run from newsletter date to newsletter date not 1st of month to 1st of month. 50th Anniversary Party By Dorothy Evans 50 years is a long time. Some of our members weren’t even the proverbial twinkle in their father’s eye in 1956, while for others, 50 years is their entire adult life. As for me, I was a little kid in a wispy ponytail with roller skates on my feet when our founding fathers and mothers met for the first time to form the club we hold so dear today. Little did they know the magnitude of what they were starting. Little could they imagine the hundreds of people who would take such pleasure and pride in the club they were forming. And so to honor our past and celebrate our achievement, a monumental party was planned. John Evans and Joe Gerhards co-chaired a committee of Bob and Liz Phelan, Tom and Sue Sandow, Kathy O’Toole and Herb Yonge, Alfreda Young and Dorothy Evans. Countless hours, lots of food and a few bottles of wine later, the huge celebration was taking shape. The meeting room was rented, invitations were in the mail and reservations were coming in fast and furiously. At last it was party time! On party night, as I stood at the check-in desk in my fancy new dress and incredibly uncomfortable heels, it was such a joy to meet so many former members. Before they were just names on a list, but now they were real, all with a warm smile on their face and wonderful memories to share. For some, because of advanced age or poor health, it was a great effort to be there, indicating what an important part the club played in their lives. The women all looked beautiful in their lovely dresses and the men were so handsome in their suits, especially Dick Kerr who donned a tuxedo. The room was decorated like a Clutch Busters hall of fame. Every nook and cranny was filled. There were boards that reminded us of what life was like in 1956 (songs, movies, politics). Next to them were more boards covered with pictures of current and former members. Throughout the room, dress forms held former club outfits. On the wall, a creation of a road, complete with trees and cute cars, held members’ typed special memories for “Memory Lane.” Another table held past presidents’ Clutch Buster belt buckles. Helium filled gold balloons hung from the ceiling and a beautiful arch was set up as a backdrop for taking pictures of everyone to commemorate the occasion. Of special mention, Lois Lollich offered to document our club’s history which was quite an undertaking. She reviewed 50 years of minutes, pictures and correspondence, all culminating in an incredible set of albums that are now treasured club keepsakes. Gary Kendall volunteered to be our D.J., entertaining us with all types of music from big band to rock, country and even the chicken dance. And, what would any dance party be without jumping up and down to “Shout” and arm spelling “YMCA.” Everyone had a great time. As people left, they joked about seeing each other again in another half century. But all joking aside, it’s nice to think that maybe 50 years from now Clutch Busters will be celebrating their 100th anniversary using pictures of this wonderful occasion as decorations for their party. The Big Finish By Tom Sandow There is supposedly a show business adage about saving the best for the last and having a big finish. I think the Clutch Busters have done that in our 50th year. We had a big start too. The Anniversary Party was terrific! Lots of friends, past and present; and lots of laughing, talking and dancing. Ladies looking beautiful in their dresses and the guys… (what’da ya want from me? I wasn’t looking at the guys. But I know there were guys there). Then there was the picnic at Joe and Alfreda’s beautiful home. What a great spot for the picnic! The food, as always was great. Many thanks to all the chefs for their tasty dishes. And special thanks to Tracy for toiling over the grill - the results were great! Many thanks to Joe and Alfreda and Tracy and Lisa for working so hard to produce such a wonderful picnic. Great job, guys! Finally, our 50th Anniversary Hoedown. What a great dance that was! Scott Byars kept the energy high all night whether he was on the stage or on the floor round dancing. He and Erin did a super job. And, as usual, all of the CBer’s came through with tasty dishes for our guests - if anyone went away hungry it was their own fault. Many thanks to Erna for her wonderful decorations; to Diana for her leadership with the refreshments; to Tracy and Lisa for all their work getting the hall ready (half hitches?); John and Avis for manning the door all night….; and to everyone else who worked and contributed to make the dance a fitting finale to the first 50 years. Hoedown Food By Diana Lorentzen A big THANK YOU to all of you. As usual, you provided an abundance of delicious food for our 50th Anniversary Hoedown. We received several compliments from our guests. Also, thank you to those of you who helped with set-up and clean-up and all the times in between to keep the food replenished. New Dancer Class By Don Snodgrass On September 14th we started the New Dancer class and had a good turnout. The 2nd night we had a similar turnout, but we had about ½ returns from the first class and ½ from new people. On September 28th we collected the $20.00 from those coming in. There were 20 people who paid and have apparently committed to staying through at least the first set of class sessions. A total of 38 people responded to our publicity and we now have a class size of 20 dancers, including 10 ladies and 9 men, a surprising distribution. There are 6 couples, so that is a good sign. In addition to our Halloween Party, which will be free for them, we have scheduled the “Get Acquainted” potluck on November 9th. Angels are needed to introduce these dancers to the Club. We have had inquiries about square dance clothing, so if you have clothes to donate, please bring them any night. We will have price lists. Be warned though that not all clothing put out will sell. Please make an effort to get acquainted with these people and help them to learn the dancing. One big help will be to assure that there are no squares of all New Dancers. We want these people to be good dancers and welcome them into the club. Alternate Workshop Locations and Dates By Tom Sandow Please note that our Thursday night workshops will be held at alternate locations on the following dates. Angels: please make sure that our newer dancers are aware of these changes. Thanks. Oct. 19 - Clutch Busters Workshop Alternate Location, The Farm Bureau Hall, 5554 Clayton Rd, Concord Nov. 2 - Clutch Busters workshop Alternate Location, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord (Corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Alberta Way) Nov. 16 - Clutch Busters Workshop Alternate Location, The Farm Bureau Hall, 5554 Clayton Rd, Concord News Bulletin For Friends Of Bob And Terry Healy By Avis Walker The Healy's Granddaughter, Alexandra Sophia, was born Sunday, 9/17, at 10:20PM. Alexanda who weighed 8.04 pounds 19 1/2" is the daughter of Healy's son Shawn. Granddaughter, Mother and Father are home and all are doing well. Bob and Terry were able to meet Alexandra via their new family web cam as soon as she arrived home from the hospital. Terry has made sure that both her son and daughter now have web cams so she can keep in touch with all three granddaughters and the cousins can stay in touch as they grow up. This was good planning seeing as how Terry and Bob could not get down here from Washington until the week following the birth. Oh the things we modern grandparents do to keep in touch. Their time here was spent primarily ohhing and ahhing over the new addition to the family. They sent a big HELLO to all their friends in the Clutch Busters and are sorry they missed the Anniversary Party and did not have the time to visit more of you. Hugging Submitted by Erna Beutel Hugging is healthy. It reduces stress and induces sleep. Hugging is invigorating, rejuvenating and cures depression. Hugging is the original miracle drug. Hugging strengthens the body’s immune system. Hugging is all natural. It has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients and is 100% wholesome. Hugging is practically perfect. Hugging is equipped with inexhaustible moving parts. Hugging has no batteries to wear down, has low energy consumption, high energy yield, is inflation-proof and non-fattening. Hugging requires no monthly payments and no insurance payments. Hugging is a no-deposit, theft-proof, tax exempt, non-polluting, environmentally sound, renewable resource. Hugging is fully returnable, even when over-used. Satisfaction is guaranteed. News From The Alley By Avis Walker I believe the last bowling news article I did was up till the end of July as I missed the Sept. issue so I’ll try and hit the highlights for August and September for you. August 1st was NO TAP Tuesday and we had the pleasure of meeting Allen Wesdorf’s great nephew Clint who was visiting from Oregon. It seemed to be the biggest pleasure of the day as the only 200 hundred game of the day was John Walker’s last game of 234. The high roller of the day was Wally Everette when her 511 scratch series gave her first place money of $8.00. On Aug. 8th we had Don Snodgrass back with us, at least for lunch, after his pacemaker replacement surgery. The following day he was planning to be off to watch grandson Dan in the Blue Devils National Competition and then on to Florida for a vacation stay. The only decent bowler that day was visiting Tyler Pardee with a 550 series. On Aug. 15th there were only 8 bowlers and John and I were absent. I’m told that Don Lollich took the high game of the day with a 161. On Aug. 22 Don Lollich rolled a very nice 145 game only to be aced out by John Walker by 2 pins. John also had the high game of the day with a 193 scratch score. We all went to Carrow’s for lunch where we shared a hot fudge Sunday dessert in honor of the Snodgrass’ anniversary. John and I were absent on Aug. 29th and Sept. 5th as we had to go to my sister in Tennessee. On the 29th Allen Wesdorf had the only turkey and high game of 188. Sept 5th was NO TAP Tuesday and Bob Erwin was the high roller that day with a 571 scratch series which earned him men’s first place and $8.00. Allen Wesdorf picked up the 5-7 split only to be copied by Don Snodgrass and Wally Everette when they did the same. Sept 12 found John and I back and Ken Wygal back on the lanes after recovering from his heart attack. Allen Wesdorf had the high game of the day with a 184. Sept. 19th seemed to be the day of ties. Not very high scores but lots and lots of tied scores. It’s strange how that happens sometimes. My thought on this is everyone waits until you are having a really good game and then copies it. I think Don Snodgrass would agree with me. John Walker, Allen Wesdorf and Don Snodgrass tied for high score in the first game at 159. John Walker took high game in the second with a 172 while Don Snodgrass, Milan Gregovich and Allen Wesdorf tied for 2nd high game. In the third game Don Snodgrass and Pat Pardee tied at 177 while Avis took high game of the day with a 186. We all retired to CoCo’s for lunch to recover. September bowling ended on the 26th with Don Orton and Ruth returning from Hawaii and Ken Wygal leaving for an extended rivers trip thru Canada and Eastern U.S. We had the pleasure of the company of Pat and Bill Scott and Jack Bree on the alleys. Avis Walker had a really good day and took high score for all three games with a 161, a 164 and a 177. In the last game Allen Wesdorf had the only turkey of the day and Avis picked up the 7-9 split to make her day complete. We all went to El Tapatio for lunch and a good visit with the Scotts and Jack Bree. We are now looking forward to the arrival of Joan and Ron Trujillo for the month of Oct. and some more fun bowling. Come on down and join us some Tues. Wandering Californian is NO TAP CHAMP in Montana By Avis Walker According to an article in the “Valley Journal” from Flathead Valley, Montana there is a new craze hitting the Senior Bowlers Circuit there. Ron and Joan Trujillo, Traveling Snowbirds, lucked into a no-tap format that was being tried for the first time in the Fun Seekers Senior League at the Sportspage Bowl. Joan was all aglow when she learned that they were going to play her favorite California style bowling game, NO TAP, and promptly demonstrated her expertise with a sizzling 194-226-220=640 series. These scores gave her ladies high game, high series, and high average of 213. The article goes on to tell that husband Ron did well with 151-186-185=522 series. There were only 4 men in the league that had a higher series than Joan and one of them only by 8 pins. Do you think we should send and information letter about a innocent looking senior who goes to Laughlin, AZ every January to compete in a National NO TAP Tournament and travels to the Concord, Pleasant Hill, CA area twice a year to compete with friends at NO TAP every month and then travels to Montana to take first place in a newly discovered way to compete at bowling. Hmm do you suppose that Montana has been exposed to a ringer??? Way to go Joan!!!! There was some interesting trivia in this article also. Did you know that there is an American Bowling Congress? It was formed in 1895. For the first 13 years ABC awarded medals for the three highest individual games rolled in the nation. Before 1908, no one ever received an award for a game greater than 298. Then crisis struck when A.C. Jellison and Homer Sanders, both of St. Louis bowled 300 games in the same season. Perplexed with the problem of having only one gold medal and unwilling to duplicate the award, the ABC decreed that they had to bowl a playoff. Jellison, who won the gold, is recognized as the holder of the record for the first perfect game in ABC history and Sanders received a silver medal and a place in trivia history. Oh so close to fame and glory and yet so far. Police Ingenuity Submitted by Erna Beutel Police aren’t perfect, but this cp comes close to winning the ingenuity award. A driver did the right thing, stopping at the school crosswalk even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman behind him went ballistic, pounding on her horn and screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to drive through the intersection with him. Still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looker up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, “I’m awfully sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. Then, I noticed the “What Would Jesus Do” license plate holder, the “Follow me to Sunday School” bumper sticker, the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk, and the “My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter” decal on your back window…. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car.” From your Official Halloween Headquarters Guess the theme contest and clues: And the Answers are ………… Clue 1: Did you pass stones? - January You know to build that Castle. Clue 2: Rack em’ up - February It’s a nice torture device, don’t you think? Clue 3: 51, 53, 57 - March Looks like Middle Ages to me. Clue 4: That sure looks like an uncomfortable belt - April I think a chastity belt would chafe a little. Clue 5: Sometimes it’s just torture- May The executioner in the dungeon was over heard saying this. Clue 6: You can only move them one space at a time. - June The King on a chess board can only move one space a turn. Clue 7: Where’s the utensils? - July They didn’t use them much back then, if at all. Clue 8: Let the games begin - August Like jousting, and that sort of thing, for the King and Queens pleasure of course. Clue 9: Surly, you Joust. - September I think we covered that already didn’t we. There will be a pumpkin carving contest this year. There were 8 correct guesses as of the September Newsletter. And the Theme is…….. Medieval Times, Middle Ages 400-1400’s Here are some web sites if you want ideas: Good web site for ideas - http://www.starcostumes.com/browse.asp?id=12&source=Go-Medievil Maps - http://historymedren.about.com/od/maps/a/atlas.htm games/history - http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Medieval.html#Fun Torture devices - http://www.fidnet.com/~kawlaw/medieval.html http://www.corkscrew-balloon.com/misc/torture/21.html Lost and Found Found at the 50th anniversary party was a Celebrity beige clutch purse with gold stitching. If this purse is yours, please call Dorothy Evans at 754-8117. Coffee By Sue Sandow Here is the coffee sign-up list for the Oct. 12th thru Sept. 28th: Oct. 12 Open Oct. 19 Sandow Oct. 26 Snodgrass Nov. 2 Pedersen Nov. 9 OPEN Nov. 16 Sandow Nov. 23 Dark - Thanksgiving Nov. 30 Birsa Dec. 7 Leonard Dec. 14 Sandow Dec. 21 Dark - Christmas Dec. 28 Dark - New Years Thank you to everyone for your help. Sodas By Jack Strickler Here is the soda sign-up list from Oct.12th thru Dec. 28th, 2006: Oct. 12 OPEN Oct. 19 Sandow Oct. 26 Snodgrass Nov. 2 OPEN Nov. 9 Sandow Nov. 16 Phelan Nov. 23 Dark - Thanksgiving Nov. 30 Kennedy Dec. 7 Leonard Dec. 14 Christmas Party Dec. 21 Dark - Christmas Dec. 28 Dark - New Years Duties include picking up the sodas and soda ice chest along with the empty can pail and the garbage pail on the date you signed up for and then returning them (with ice and remaining sodas in the chest) the following week. Thanks to everyone for signing up! Upcoming Events OCTOBER Oct. 13-15 - SCVSDA Jubilee, Santa Clara Fairgrounds ******A T T E N T I O N********** Oct. 19 - Clutch Busters Workshop Alternate Location, The Farm Bureau Hall, 5554 Clayton Rd, Concord ******A T T E N T I O N********** Oct. 21 - Martinez Swingers 43rd Anniversary Hoedown, 7:30-11:00pm, Martinez Adult Education School Oct. 26 - Clutch Busters’ Halloween Party Oct. 28 - Keeway Swingers, 8-11pm, Walters Jr. High School, 39600 Logan Dr., Fremont NOVEMBER Nov. 1 - Clutch Busters’ Board Meeting - 7:30 PM ******A T T E N T I O N********** Nov. 2 - Clutch Busters’ General Meeting - Nomination of 2007 Officers -Clutch Busters workshop Alternate Location, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 1092 Alberta Way, Concord (Corner of Ygnacio Valley Rd. and Alberta Way) ******A T T E N T I O N********** Nov. 3 - Delta Squares Newer Dancer Hoedown - 8:00 - 11:00 p.m. September Mainstream and Plus tips 1141 Laurel Road Laurel School Multipurpose Room Laurel Road & O'Hara Road Nov. 4 - Skirts & Flirts 11th Annual Black & White Ball, Bancroft Middle School, 1150 Bancroft Ave., San Leandro Nov. 10/11 - Frolicking Fall Festival - Red Bluff, CA ******A T T E N T I O N********** Nov. 16 - Clutch Busters Workshop Alternate Location, The Farm Bureau Hall, 5554 Clayton Rd, Concord ******A T T E N T I O N********** Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving - Dark DECEMBER Dec. 1 - Martinez Swingers Newer Dancers Hoedown Dec. 6 - Clutch Busters’ Board Meeting - Sandow’s home 7:30 PM Dec. 7 - Clutch Busters’ General Meeting - Election of 2007 Officers Dec. 14 - Clutch Busters’ Christmas Party Dec. 21 & 28th - Dark for the holidays Dec. 31 - Pleasanton Singles and Pairs New Years Eve Dance 8:30 - 12:15 St. Phillip Lutheran Church, Dublin CONTRIBUTORS TO THE RECORD Thank you to the following people who contributed their time and effort to the creation of this newsletter. Editing: Sue Sandow Articles: Erna Beutel Dorothy Evans Diana Lorentzen Bob Phelan Sue Sandow Jack Strickler Don Snodgrass Avis Walker