The 44^th New England Square and Round Dance Convention is almost upon us, and we are beginning to arrange carpools for those who don’t wish to (or can’t) stay at a hotel near Sturbridge. We are looking for both drivers and riders who wish to participate. Separate lists are being prepared for both Friday, April 26^th, and Saturday, April 27^th. A sign up sheet for drivers and riders will be at all our club activities for the next few weeks. Please sign up by April 15^th so we can arrange groups of riders to match the drivers and their preferred schedules and vehicle capacities.

If you cannot come to one of our activities but would like to carpool to the convention, please call me or email me at howard@hhbrown.com. Those wishing to participate in either the trail-in dance on Thursday evening or in the trail-out dance on Sunday should make their own arrangements.

The drive is around 95 miles each way, and we are suggesting a contribution of $5 to $10 per person per day to the drivers.

St. Patrick’s Dance

The St. Patrick’s dance on March 18^th was a treat for all who attended. Unpredictable weather kept attendance down to about 5 ½ squares, but the dancing, decorations, and food were as good as ever. Thanks to those who arrived early to help with the setup and to all who brought food. And special thanks to Corinne for cueing rounds between each square dance tip.

Cycle 1 Class Completion

The completion celebration for our Cycle 1 square dance class will be held on April 22^nd at the Horse Pond Fish and Game Club from 7:00 to 10:00 PM. Please plan to be with us to welcome our newest mainstream dancers. We will be having lots of finger foods, plenty of dancing, and much fun and fellowship. As usual the new mainstream dancers will attend free of charge, and current members will be asked for a donation of $5 for the evening’s activities.

After our Cycle 1 class is completed at the end of April, Corinne Renauld will be starting basic Cha round dance lessons at our Monday night workshops. No prior round dance experience is required! You do NOT have to have completed Phase II waltz or two-step to start these lessons. Lessons will start on May 6^th and will continue through July 29^th. The schedule for our Monday night classes will be continuation of the Cycle II square dance lessons from 7:00 to 9:00 followed by round dance lessons from 9:00 until 10:00. Square dance lessons will be $4 per person, and the round dance lessons will be $3 per person.

Annual Meeting

The BCS annual meeting will be held on Monday April 29 at the Horse Pond Fish and Game Club from 8:30 to 10:00 (following the Cycle 2 square dance class). The primary business will be to elect officers for the coming year. So far we have four volunteers signed up as nominees for next year’s board, but we still need at least four more members to complete the board. This is a great club, but it cannot run without your support. Most of us who have served on the board year after are stepping down. Please consider how much fun you have had with the club, and look over the board duties in the by laws and on the poster displayed at our activities. Then sign up! We really need your help.

NSSARDA Meeting

The two principal topics at the North Shore Square and Round Dance Association meeting on March 17^th were new banner raid/retrieval guidelines and a marketing study commissioned by Callerlab on the public’s image of square dancing.

• There will be no limit on the number of banners a club may give out provided they can make arrangements to retrieve their banners within a year of their being given out.
• Suggested minimum of 8 people to constitute a banner raid or retrieval.
• NSSARDA officers may choose to sign in with any single NSSARDA member club if that club needs help making up its 8 dancers.
• No dancer may sign in with more than one club at a single dance.
• Clubs may agree on other arrangements for banner exchanges outside these guidelines provided such arrangements are made prior to the dance in question.

Most dancers know that the public’s image of square dancing is often quite different from what we actually experience. Jim Mayo, president of Callerlab, presented a video showing "focus groups" discussing their perceptions of square dancing. It was no great surprise to find that many still think of square dancing as being an activity for old people and one requiring out-of-date frilly dresses, western shirts, and big belt buckles. Also, many still associate our activity with "rustic" barn dances, hoe downs, and twangy country music.

There was, however, one conclusion that many of us tend to overlook, although it is fairly obvious after the fact. All organizations today are having trouble gaining new members since so many people are unwilling to make long-term commitments. More than ever, people value their freedom to make spur-of-the-moment choices from the wide variety of activities available in our society. The idea of being required to attend regular classes for 20 weeks or so before even being able to fully participate in an activity is definitely unattractive to many people. Some people conclude from this study that we will have to fundamentally change the structure of our introductory programs to attract new dancers. Whatever conclusions you draw from this study, we at Border City are always looking for ideas on how we can encourage new dancers to try our activity. Please be creative, and feel free to offer your comments and suggestions to the Board.

We are continuing to look for a new location for our Monday night classes. Our contract with the Horse Pond Fish and Game Club has been renewed through the end of July, but we have not extended the contract into next fall’s dance season. So far the process of finding a new location has been more than a little discouraging. However, several new ideas were brought up at the last board meeting, and we will keep everyone advised as we get more information. As always, your suggestions as to possible locations will be welcomed. It would be even more useful if you have a good contact within a proposed organization. The most difficult part of finding a good place to dance is often finding a sympathetic representative from the proposed dance location!

Club Dues

As most of you are aware, the membership year in Border City is from July 1^st through June 30^th. Therefore, dues will be due by the end of June. Membership costs have not been increased this year and are summarize as follows: There is a mandatory $8 for the newsletter per family group and a $6 membership for each member of a family couple. Membership for the first child in a member family is also $6, and a second child may become a member for $3. Additional children may become members for free. Please remember that all prices for all club activities for teen members other than membership are half price. Teen dancers are considered full members of the club except that they may not hold club office if they are under the age of 18.

Next Board Meeting

Please feel free to join us at the monthly board meeting, which will be held on Tuesday evening, April 16^th starting at 7:00 at Mary and Dave Raymond’s house. As always, this will be an open meeting.

Presidents: Chris & Norma Howard