Feed your soul! The 19th annual Hot August Nights Square and Round Festival is in the books and we had another success!
After a four-hour nap this afternoon, I’m revived enough to write this blog post. Here’s how the weekend went.
Preparing on Friday
We met Sheri Pastian, the new treasurer, at the Wells Fargo at 10:15 am to add her to the checking account. From there we went to her house and loaded up the supplies for Hot August Nights. Then we had a jovial lunch at Panda Express and met the rest of the committee at the danc e hall to prepare for the weekend.
This year we had only six of our eleven-man committee, but these six worked smoothly all weekend. It was amazing. We blew up beach balls for the Beach Party we do every Friday night. We did minimal decorating with two clusters of helium balloons on each side of the stage. Also, we put up schedules and other necessary signs. Ready or not, here they came!
Our first event started at 3:00 PM—the Welcome dance. Mike Hogan started the afternoon off, and dancers enjoyed him as usual. Mitchell and Chelsea Thompson cued the rounds and warmed the floor up.
Then we broke for dinner.
Friday Night
Our Beach Party square and round dance party has started Hot August Nights for nineteen years and no one gets tired of it. People came dressed in shorts and beach attire and a laid-back attitude.
What a fun night we had dancing to Mike Hogan and Mitchell Thompson. Because of my nerve damage, I didn’t dance every tip and every round dance, but I did a couple tips and more rounds than I thought I could, but when the music started to a favorite round, it was hard to not jump up!
Dancers greeted us warmly and asked lots of questions about our move to Panama. Their care and concerned warmed my heart.
As usual, we ended the evening with root beer floats. I love this because people sit and visit and make new friendships and rekindled old ones. Laughter and hugs filled the hall.
Saturday—Daytime Fun
Saturday morning started off with a rounds workshop and then an introduction to waltz. I helped at the registration desk and had a fantastic visit with members of our committee. The round dancers dominated the morning, and usually I would have been on the floor learning the level four cha-cha Mitchell and Chelsea taught. Again I had to refrain from overdoing.
During lunch we enjoyed a hearty conversation with our staff about promoting square and round dancing and their future. Mike, Mitchell and Chelsea shared personal experiences and wisdom. I love this time we’ve created each year to sit and talk with professionals in the field about the two activities I love!
After lunch Mike Hogan started the afternoon off with thirty minutes of High Energy square dancing. I couldn’t participate, but what fun it was! As the time went on, he increased the speed of the music, so the dancers ended up dancing at 150 beats per second.
Watch how Mike stood while calling one of the high energy tips: https://youtube.com/shorts/Rh4dVdv-5eA?feature=share
He ended the session with one of my favorite songs, Fisherman’s Luck.
Then we enjoyed an hour of singing calls where we had the pleasure of hearing Mike’s beautiful voice. The afternoon ended with an hour and half of plus workshop. I was able to dance a little and enjoyed the review of different square dance calls and the challenge.
Lin and I ended the afternoon by taking Mike and Denise Hogan out to dinner and talking square dancing more. However, they are close friends of ours, so we enjoyed more conversation about our lives and families.
Saturday Evening
I love Saturday evening at our Hot August Nights dance because our committee wears our beautiful club outfit made by Mary Jo Smith. I hadn’t worn a square dance outfit for over a year, so it was a pleasure, even though I’ve gained weight and my pettipants fit too tight!
Early in the evening, we celebrated three birthdays with one man celebrating 89 years! I love the tradition of the birthday celebrants standing up and the other dancers lining up and giving them a hug and a kiss! What fun!
Most of the dancers dressed up for the evening, so it was a kaleidoscope of colors. What a wonderful evening we had with great dancing and lots of laughter. I didn’t dance as much as Friday night because my leg hurt. I visited with friends and enjoyed the music and the calling.
Later in the evening, I did danced one tip where the men wore our petticoats. Usually I have an extra petticoat for Lin to wear for this traditional craziness, but they’re all packed up, so when we got into the square, I took mine off right there. When the music started, the hilarity started because some of us changed dance positions dancing the opposite one. I have never laughed so hard in my life—good, clean fun!
For one of the tips, Mike did the calls and Chelsea sang the song—an Adele tune—and it was awesome! https://youtube.com/shorts/8s0sAM2YplQ?feature=share
The night again ended with root beer floats. Mike and Denise entertained a group of us with their disastrous story of their time Mike called for us last and their rental car nightmare. Yes, it was funny today, but not then, I’m sure!
Sunday Morning Fun
Traditionally Sunday Morning at Hot August Nights is a blast, and it was this morning. Because everyone is tired yet exhilarated by the weekend, the dancers come ready to have fun for the short hour and half session.
This morning, we did scatter promenades, air raid and much more as people laughed and enjoyed the time left in this magical atmosphere of a weekend festival.
Mike, Chelsea and Mitchell continued to inspire all of us with their talents and friendship.
When the time ended, we all received lots of hugs and well wishes. After we cleaned up, we had our traditional feedback meeting where we listed the Pluses for the weekend, the Deltas (what needs improvements) and then the remedies. Mike and Denise joined in, and we gained from their objective observation.
To celebrate our triumph, we ended up at Fuddruckers for lunch and more friendly conversation. I will never forget my farewell to Denise. She said, “Longtime friend” which I loved. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to them because of our deep relationship.
So, folks who don’t square and round dance—you are missing out on deep friendships built on a love for an activity that feeds your soul!
If you’re interested in learning more about square dancing, here’s the place to go: https://livelivelysquaredance.com/
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