NORTH ALABAMA COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER -- February 1997

CAJUN/ZYDECO NIGHT continues at Gorin's (101 Washington Str) every fourth Wed ( coming up Feb.26):7-9 PM;instruction:7 to 8. Get on the mailing list for Cajun/Zydeco Connection of Huntsville -call 882-2627.

BOB WHITE'S non-traditional band. "The Lonesome Lovers," will be performing at the Kaffeeklatsch on February 8th. Come and hear them and support our dance friends!

WINTER WEATHER POLICY ALERT

Bad weather cancellations will be announced in two places:

 

  1. WLRH on the afternoon of the dance (or earlier)
  2. on Bryan's Web page ( http://www.pobox.com/~bwalls/NACDS.html)

Check these sources out if conditions are doubtful, and if all else fails, call Katrina (536-1397), Amanda (883-7453), or Harry (772-0820)

BEGINNING CALLERS & DANCE BAND MUSICIANS: Blue Moon time is approaching. Contact Harry (772-0820) if you'd like to call, or Chuck (534-4047) if you'd like to play. The first two Blue Moons were a great success! This is your chance to try it out. Call soon: There's talk of a practice session beforehand...don't miss out on it!

FAREWELL TO BURRITT On Dec. 28 Fred Beckett's Huntsville Barn Dance Co. held the last Burritt dance (at least for now). The church was packed, which made dancing difficult, but the music, by Edwin, Karen, Ed & Elsie, was super,and Fred did a great job calling. The high prices which Burritt is asking starting in 1997 make the little church a poor choice for our dances: In order to cover the cost of the band, the caller, and rental of the space, we need to take in more admission donations than the church can comfortably accommodate. One could raise the admission donation requested by a few dollars and set a limit on the number of people admitted, but for now, that doesn't really seem in keeping with the spirit of NACDS, at least not our regular dance series. Fred is urging dancers to write Burritt and express our disappointment at the end of country dancing at the church there. Thanks to all the NACDS members who worked so hard to make these dances happen over the years.

A Few Comments about the KNOXVILLE DANCE WEEKEND (Feb.14-16) from a long-time dance gypsy:

The Knoxville weekend is great! It is usually very crowded with up to about 400 folks. The hall is long and skinny with the band mid-way on the long side, so lines are many and short. This dance brings lots of good dancers from Atlanta, Charlotte, Asheville, Nashville, Louisville and points farther.

The Campus Inn is the only convenient commercial place to stay. It's a bit of a dump, but they have a monopoly on hotel/motel rooms within about four miles of the dance. They are a cold block-and-a-half from the dance. Lots of good food within walking distance - several coffee houses and ethnic places. An off-campus bookstore is right across the street from the Campus Inn for those who enjoy that kind of stuff...

Check availability of dance slots for the weekend at http://funnelweb.utcc.utk.edu/~tkoosman/kcd.html.

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FROM NACDS PRESIDENT AMANDA KAY:

[The next Steering Committee Meeting will be Sun. Feb.2, 3-5PM at Bryan Wall's house (4304 Holmes Ave.)] On the agenda, so far:

(a) Selection of a nominating committee for our next slate of officers

(b) Group insurance

(c) Upgrading our sound system

(d) Review of by-laws

(e) Dance quality improvement (always!)

(f) Panoply & Big Spring Jam updates [AMENDED 1/26]

Please notify Amanda of anything else you'd like to add to the agenda. ***********************************************************************

NACDS NEEDS *YOU*!!!

Would you like to take a more active role in helping us have the best dances possible? We welcome your involvement! We are in the process of forming a *nominating committee*; this committee will take nominations for our various offices. If you are interested in serving as either a member of the committee or as a full-fledged *officer*, or have questions about what either entails, please contact me, Amanda, at 883-7453. Nominating committee membership is a short-term job, probably no more than a month or two, while being an officer is for a full year, with the privilege of being able to vote on certain business matters discussed at our steering committee meetings.

Membership in this *steering committee* is easy: Just come to our next meeting! (See above.) It's the best way to have a voice in the group.

Other ways you can get involved and help the group might include helping out in the following areas. Just contact the good folks whose names are listed, for whatever jobs you're interested in helping with!

*our "greeting table" (Kimberly Hart and Linda Meier);

*sound system set-up (Steve Nix, our Property Custodian & righteous guitar-player, ably assisted by conscientious Ron Franz and fantastic fiddler Bob White);

*publicity (Carol Mebane, our steadfast Faith actualizer and liaison);

*newsletter (Katrina Coupland, at whose house our meetings have generally been held);

*dance planning & hosting (caller Harry Delugach heads this committee, consisting of Steve, Carol, Chuck Weber, Daniel Schenker, and me);

*clean-up (Harry);

*dance calling (Harry).

These folks should be listed in our current directory, if not the Huntsville phone book; or, you can call me, and I'll put you in touch with them.

In addition to the above-named folks, the following have also put in a lot of time and effort, this past year, in helping ensure that our dances are successes. Please take a moment to express your appreciation to all of these hardworking people!:

*Marcy Robinson, beginners' workshop teacher and Big Spring Jam liaison; fiddler Chuck Weber, who hammered together our by-laws and has, with Steve, Harry, and other fine people, helped make our "Blue Moons" a success; Natasha Kunin, who, with Carol Mebane, put together a videotape for us, so that we could apply to perform at Panoply this Spring;

keyboardist Elsie Peterson, our V.P. and Secretary, who takes marvelous minutes; Bryan Walls, our judicious treasurer; Roger Coupland, videographer and advisor; and me, your modest president.

Please let me or Katrina know if I've left anyone out, and accept my sincere apologies if I have done so.

---Amanda

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IS IT TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP? Check your mailing label for the year and month when your membership expires. If your time is approaching, make your check for $8.00 payable to Katrina Coupland and mail to 3604 Mae Dr., Huntsville, AL 35801 for a one year renewal; or pay at the next Eastside dance. (You don't have to wait till the last minute: we tack early renewals onto the end of your current subscription). Comes with $1 discount for each family member on all NACDS dances (excluding the Christmas Dance), and is honored by some other dance groups.

North Alabama Country Dance Society

Editor: Katrina Coupland 3604 Mae Dr.
Huntsville, AL 35801

 

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