HAPPY HOPPERS NEWSLETTERdocuments.happy-hoppers.com/news/2015-12-Newsletter.pdf · The Silver Stars...

Happy Hopper Newsletter December 2015

www.happy-hoppers.com December 2015

HAPPY HOPPERS NEWSLETTER

Volume 57 Number 4

President’s Message

C astles, Castles & more Castles. That more

or less sums up our recent trip to Europe.

It was a great trip but we are glad to be home

and resuming our own little tradition of Square

Dancing. In fact we had hardly cleared the run-

way before we were off to Arlington with a

group of Hoppers for a visitation. Great fun

with a great group of Hoppers. (Okay, so the

drive up wasn't so great.) Kangaroos & Grass-

hoppers what a great combination. By the way, if

anyone has a stuffed toy grasshopper it would be

nice to have a club mascot that could travel with

members to various parts of the world as has the

Marysville Kangaroo. Just think of the stories we

could put together. Well, that's our story and we

are sticking to it.

Randy & Jackie

It’s Clothing Sale Night! By Liza Halpenny

T he Square Dance Center vibrates with

excitement on clothing sale night. Dancers

are met with racks and stacks of bright clothing,

expertly arranged earlier in the day by a dedi-

cated team of volunteers. Let the shopping

begin!

The ladies’ room becomes a dressing room,

body to body in its narrow confines, petticoats

and opinions flying. (I wonder what goes on in

the men’s room.)

Jackie, Emily,

and others

become fashion

consultants,

helping find

something to match, giving expert advice on

how to make adjustments, making sure no one

goes home empty handed.

Twice yearly the Hoppers offer this oppor-

tunity for new and experienced dancers alike to

find just the right outfit to express themselves, at

bargain prices. It is also an important fund-raiser

for the club, allowing us to pay our callers and

cuers, rent the building, and put on fabulous

dances. Our latest

clothing sale

brought in over

one thousand

dollars! All hail

the clothing sale.

Dresses, belts and all sorts of things were displayed during lessons on Nov. 16.


the coldest part of a hard dark

winter. But in the homes of the

burgers and merchants of the town, it was a

festive time of year. Light and laughter

poured from their gaily decorated windows.

Puddings and chestnuts warmed on the

hearth.

In the castle, the king and his court were

also warm and happy. There was feasting and

merriment every night. Beautiful clothes glit-

tered in the halls and choirs filled the air with

music.

But one of the king’s greatest warriors

looked out from the castle windows, across the

town, and saw the village of the commoners

huddled beneath the castle walls. It was dark

and gloomy. It had been a poor harvest; many

people were hungry. The snow lay deep about;

firewood was hard to find and harder to bring to

the houses. In the village it was not a happy

time.

The king’s man felt very bad for the villag-

ers. There was little that he could do. He had

only his sword and his horse.

So he set off on a mid-winter quest. Not

the most comfortable thing to do! He rode and

he rode, high into the mountains, high into the

craggy peaks, amidst the glowering firs and

howling winds. Until he found . . .the dragon!

“Dragon!” he cried. “I challenge you!”

Out of its liar came the dragon. A great,

golden dragon! Ancient and wise and surly for

having been called out of his nice warm den.

“Do you not know the first rule of drag-

ons?” grumped the dragon, with a glare.

“I do,” replied the intrepid arms man. “Do

not trifle with dragons, for they are subtle and

quick to anger, and you are small and crunchy.”

“I believe that’s about right.”

“Well, then?” asked the

dragon.

“Well then, I Challenge you.” replied the

morsel. “All know of your power and your wis-

dom. I challenge you to demonstrate your mer-

cy. Behold the village at the foot of the castle.

Note the misery of the common people there. I

challenge you to use that power and wisdom to

grant these simple folk a small measure of mer-

cy. Give them a bright moment of joy in this

dark winter. Do that, and you will be forever

safe from my blade.”

“While I do not fear you sword, Audacious

Tidbit,” said the Dragon, “it is a generous offer,

well intended. And I do grow weary of hearing

the rumblings of fear from the village folk. I

believe the fireside stories could use some

updating. I accept your challenge! Leave now

and let me ponder what to do. And I will give

you a gift, also. I will allow you to return to

your king’s halls . . . in one piece! “

The horseman quickly turned his mount, and

retraced his journey. Soon enough, he was back

in the midst of the festivities in the castle. But

he kept a close eye on the village to see what

would happen.

It didn’t take the dragon long to come up

with a plan. He gathered some supplies, took

wing, and swept down the mountain.

The villagers heard the rush of his wings and

huddled together tighter, thinking it was a great

wind come to chill them more. But they were

wrong!

Down each chimney, the dragon dropped a

great stone that he had held in his fiery breath,

and each house became warm as toast until the

snow melted away and the people could find

firewood again.

(Continued on page 8)


The fourth session of lessons begin!

Plus lessons 6:30 to 7:30, Basic lessons 7:30 to 9:00, Mainstream 9:00 to 9:30

Door hosts are Rod & Cindy Lunde, Kitchen helpers to be announced

Columbia River Dancers: at the Clark County Family YMCA. Plus dancing from

7:00 to 8:00 PM and Mainstream from 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. Cliff Nichols from

Salem will be calling and Debbie Combs from Battle Ground will be cueing.

The Silver Stars Square and Round Dance Club dances at the Hazel Dell Grange. Their

caller is Darrell Kalmbach, and their cuer is Dorothy Lowder, The format will be pre

rounds 7:00 to 7:30 P.M. Plus dancing 7:30 to 8:00 P.M. and Mainstream till 10:00 P.M.

Casual attire welcome and square dance attire is optional.

Single Trees Square Dance Club dance at the Emerald Square and Round Dance Center,

2095 Yolanda, Springfield, Oregon. The “Wild Cards” will be calling and Jackie Gale

will be cueing. Plus dancing from 7:30 P.M. to 8:00 and Mainstream from 8:00 to 10:30

P.M. Danny & Carol Williamson, our visitation chairs, rented a bus for this visitation. The

total cost for those taking the bus will be $25.00 per person which admission to the dance.

See Danny or Carol for more information.

B ryan & Katie Jones recently took a four day

trip to Branson, Missouri, and they thought

it would be wonderful if they could find a place

in or near Branson to square dance. Does that

scenario sound familiar? They did find a club,

and they had a great time square dancing with

the club once they arrived in Branson. Many of

you might ask, “How did they find the club?”

Of course, you might have guessed the answer is

found on the World Wide Web. Simply type in

the following: WWW.wheresthedance.com. to

find out what clubs are in the area where you

want to find a club. There are listings all over

the globe on this web site.

For local dances you might want to try

WWW.portlanddancing.com. This site lists all

kinds of dancing and also does not seem to

include all the square dance venues available in

the area. For example, the Happy Hoppers is the

only square dance club listed in Clark County.

http://WWW.portlanddancing.com


By H. Ken Westby, President of the Clark County Square Dance Center, Inc.

By 1977, interest in square

and round dancing had

been on the rise for several years

and attendance at square dances

in Clark County had been

increasing. Dances had begun to

outgrow the available space at

local Grange Halls and commu-

nity centers. Those halls are usu-

ally booked far in advance for a

multitude of other events. It

grew increasingly difficult for

the square dancers to reserve

suitable halls for special dances

with large attendance. A search

for suitable dance facilities else-

where in the area was unsuccess-

ful. Something had to be done.

That year, local square danc-

ers formed a private stock corpo-

ration to raise funds and con-

struct a large square dance cen-

ter in country surroundings

where many activities could take

place and with square and round

dancing taking precedence over

other uses.

Ground breaking began at the

site in July 1978. Square danc-

ers with a background in build-

ing construction and other skills

volunteered their time to oversee

the work, much of which was

done by square dancers. The

first "unofficial dance" was held

on an August afternoon when

the volunteer crew laid down

their hammers to take a break

after completing the subfloor.

The hall was substantially

completed in December of that

year, and a Grand Opening

square dance ball was held on

January 21, 1979 to celebrate the

Center's completion. The hall

was designed to allow ample

floor space on which 25 or more

squares could dance, a feature

none of the grange halls were

able to offer. Local clubs imme-

diately began to hold their regu-

lar dances and lessons at the

Center, with rental for the hall

primarily paying for expenses

and debt retirement. Over the

years the facility has been home

for as many as three area clubs

and the Evergreen Council,

although today only the Happy

Hoppers call it their home.

On April 17, 1979, the square

dance became the official Wash-

ington state dance. When the

pioneers came west, they

brought with them a dance

called the quadrille,

which means square in French.

Patterns in the quadrille formed

the origins of present-day square

dancing. The pioneers liked the

simpler term and so the square

dance was born. Popularity of

square dancing reached its peak

around 1980 and remained so

throughout the decade. Around

this time special square dance

license plates became available

in Washington for square danc-

ers to advertise their enthusiasm

for this wholesome activity. The

National Square Dance Conven-

tion was held in Seattle in 1981,

and the Clark County Square

Dance Center was one of several

facilities to host trails-end danc-

es across the state. It did so

again for subsequent National

Conventions held in Portland

and Spokane.

First-time visiting square

dancers from outside the Port-

land-Vancouver area always

regard this facility with a bit of

envy, often asking, “How were

you able to acquire this amazing

dance hall? I wish we had

something like this in our city.”

The answer is, of course, that it

began as a labor of love, and it

remains so today.

From 1982 to 1989 a non-

profit organization known as the

Fundoers was organized to help

promote local square dancing

and improve the square dance

center. The names of the many

supporters and members of the

group are engraved on the chair

railings that surround the dance

floor. They helped to construct

an elevated outdoor dance floor

located at the east end of the hall

and connected to the stage floor

by a sliding glass doorway. The

outdoor dance floor afforded

overflow space for large dances

and offered participants a chance

to dance in fresh air on warm

evenings. The Fundoers raised

funds for these purposes by

sponsoring regular well-attended

Bingo games on weekday eve-

nings at the Center. Attendance

from the area was excellent, and

the Center was soon able to



The Grasshoppers Visit the Kangaroos By Danny and Carol Williamson

T hank you to all the Vancouver Happy Hop-

pers who made the three and one-half hour

trip through heavy rain and terrible traffic for our

visitation to the Marysville, Washington’s Hap-

py Hoppers. The visitation was November 7th,

and the caller and cuer was our own Jim Hat-

trick. We had nineteen Hoppers drive up and

spend the night.

The presidents of the other Happy Hoppers

met our group at the IHOP restaurant and joined

our “dine out.” Rod and Bertha Davidson were

the models of hospitality and enthusiasm. All of

us felt very welcome and had different dancers

thank us all night for coming to visit their club.

November 7th was the first time Jim Hattrick

had called for the Marysville Hoppers since his

illness. Everyone was so excited to have Jim

back! We heard compliments all night on the

skill and humor of our club caller, Jim Hattrick!

It was a wonderful evening, and we all had a

fantastic time dancing with our sister club, the

Marysville Happy Hoppers. Of course though,

our group was the “Happiest Hoppers,” square

dancing with Jim and our new “Hopper Friends.”

Our next visitation is much closer! Please

join all of us Hoppers to visit the Columbia

River Dancers at the YMCA. Our visitation is


retire its debt. The Fundoers

also held other activities, includ-

ing potlucks, benefit dances, and

other fund-raising activities at

the Center.

During part of the year 1990,

The Spartans Drum and Bugle

Corps took over the Bingo oper-

ation at the Center. Then, in

November 1992 the Columbia

Fencing Foundation opened its

"Lucky 7 Bingo Games” at the

Center, but attendance was poor.

After a long struggle with

expenses and management prob-

lems the fledgling Foundation

operated rent-delinquent until

July 1994 and closed its opera-

tions in August. Loss of Bingo

rentals shifted a large part of the

Center's expense burden back to

the dances.

On August 14, 1997, roof

trusses with a 20-year latent

defect failed and the roof col-

lapsed on the dance floor during

a clogging class. Miraculously,

no one was injured in this cata-

strophic event. The Center was

closed nearly a year for rebuild-

ing. Insurance covered most of

the replacement costs, but a

commercial loan was obtained to

cover the cost of certain

improvements and upgrades

required by building codes.

Rebuilt with a significantly rede-

signed roof truss system, on July

19, 1998, a grand re-opening

ball was held to celebrate the

newly reconstructed Square

Dance Center.

Weekly square dancing

lessons on Monday evenings and

round dance lessons on Thurs-

day evenings are offered at the

Center. The “Royal Romp”, a

weekend-long square dance

event, is held at the Center in

early November each year. Tri-

Council dances and special

dances are periodically held

here. Zumba dance lessons are

taught to the sound of lively

Latin-American music three

days a week for fun and exer-

cise.

Westminster Presbyterian

Church holds its services at the

Center every Sunday. A local

gun club hosts a gun show and

swap meet on the second Satur-

day of each month. The Center

is occasionally rented to individ-

uals for weddings, receptions,

parties, reunions, dinners, meet-

ings and celebrations.

A seven-member board of

directors elected by the share-

holders oversees the operation of

the Center. The Center’s man-

ager handles bookings and rent-

als. Shares in the Center are

occasionally available for pur-

chase from shareholders who no

longer participate in dancing.

From time to time painting and

landscape maintenance is

required, and volunteer help

from any and all who share a

sense of pride in the appearance

of this unique facility is always

so greatly appreciated.

(Continued from page 4) About the

Clark County Square Dance Center


From left to right: President, Randy & Jackie

Amundson, and Visitation chairmen, Danny &

Carol Williamson receive a banner from Rod &

Bertha Davidson, the president couple of the Happy

Hoppers in Arlington.

The dancers participating in the visitation to Ar-

lington were, from left to right, in the front row:

Walt & Pauline Eby, Bob Hoisington, Danny

Williamson, Jean Tolstrup, Randy & Jackie

Amundson, Elsie Bartling, & Sandy Jensen. In

the back row: Shirley Hoisington, Jim Hattrick,

Carol Williamson, Gary Wells, Trish Walsh, Rex

Tolstrup, & Fay & Marc Kahn

Jim Hattrick called & cued dances. There was all kinds of dancing during the

Birthday party, including square dancing. Jim also taught a line dance.

Melissa cuts her birth-

day cake during a break

in the dance festivities.

planned for December 12th. The caller is Cliff

Nichols and the cuer will be Debbie Combs. The

Columbia River Dancers dance plus level at 7:00

to 8:00 P.M. and mainstream from 8:00 to 10:00

P.M. This will be a Fun Dance; come join us! Let

us know if you can be part of our visitation so we

can let the club know that we are coming. Our

phone number is (360) 903-8113, or talk to us at a

dance or at lessons.

Thank you so much, and we’ll see you in a

square soon.

(Continued from page 5) The Grasshoppers Visit the

Kangaroos


December Birthdays December Anniversaries

CELEBRATIONS

2015—2016 Happy Hopper Officers and Board Members!

Presidents: Randy & Jackie Amundson

Vice Presidents: Tom & Liza Halpenny

Secretary: David Whalen

Treasurer: Melody & Darrell Mitchell

PAC Delegate Gil Shoemaker

Evergreen Council Delegates:

Matt & Lise Driggers

Web Master: Lise (Matt) Driggers

Visitations: Danny & Carol Williamson

Newsletter: Rex & Jean Tolstrup

Club Reporter: Marc & Fay Kahn

Kitchen: Lew & Bev Poland

Caller/Cuer: Jim (Judy) Hattrick

4

5

16

18

22

28

28

30

Liza Halpenny

Bonnie Warne

Shirley Hoisington

Hon Rawitzer

Gayle Dettmar

Katie Jones

Dennis Lemke

Brian Harland

17 Walt & Pauline Eby

18 Jerome & Mary Fulton


Then, sweeping over the trees in the village,

he dropped golden chains, pearl necklaces, and

jewels in their branches. Everyone was able to

buy warmer clothes and good food.

The village became a happier place, and no

one ever feared their dragon again.

Now, you know this must be a true story,

because, even in this day and age, when dragons

and heroes are so hard to find, we still put glitter-

ing things on our Christmas trees, and we still

wish each other

“Merry Christmas, and for all, a good

Knight!”

(Continued from page 2)

The Christmas Dragon an outdoor person who enjoys hiking, fishing,

and hunting. Photography is another area of

interest. Gary says he likes to take pictures for a

purpose such as recording River City Rider

events. Often the pictures are given to the

people involved in the activity. Rounding out

Gary’s diverse interests are projects involving

electronics, computers, woodworking, and house

remodeling.

The square dancing community has been like a

family for Gary. He is interested in making sure

that this great activity continues and grows. To

him it is the people involved who are important

and who make it rewarding.

T he December spotlight is on Gary Wells,

the author of the short story, “The

Christmas Dragon,” published in this month’s

newsletter. Although Gary is a relatively new

member of our club, he has been dancing since

he was a teenager in Polk County. He was

introduced to square dancing when his 4-H club

participated in a social dance event sponsored by

the Polk a Dots Square Dance Club. He has

been dancing ever since and has been active in

club and council events in the Portland-

Vancouver area.

Gary has always enjoyed drawing and

writing stories. During his college years while

attending lectures in his field of study,

electronics, he would turn drawings of electronic

parts into cartoon-like characters. From there,

he wrote short stories about his characters. He

once entered a writing contest, but, sadly, he did

not win. That did not deter his interest in

writing, however. Some of his stories have been

published in newsletters such as our Hopper

newsletter.

Writing is not Gary’s only interest. He is

Spotlight on Gary Wells

by Jean Tolstrup

Our newest Happy Hopper is Bennett Hagan,

born October 13 to Crista and David

Hagan. Here we see him in his natural habitat,

surrounded by adoring fans while his parents get

a chance to

dance. Bennett

has danced his

entire life, until

about a week

before he was

born. We expect

to see him back

out on the dance

floor once he

knows how to

walk. Meanwhile

there are plenty of

loving arms to

keep him

safe. Welcome to

the world of

square dance, little

Bennett!

Our Newest Hopper by Liza Halpenny

Liza Halpenny took this photo of

the Hagan family on November

16. The center of attraction, of

course, is Bennett, accompanied

by his proud parents, Crista and

David Hagan.


UPCOMING DANCES & EVENTS

Newsletter Editor: Rex Tolstrup - Send submissions by mid-month to [email protected]

Happy Hoppers will be dark

Happy Hoppers Mainstream Splurge Jim Hattrick & Darrell Kalmbach calling / Dorothy Lowder cueing

Plus dancing from 7 to 8 PM / Mainstream from 8 to 10:30 PM

Bring finger food and unwrapped Christmas toys

Door: Rod & Cindy Lunde / Kitchen: Randy & Jackie Amundson

CCSDC

Happy Hoppers Christmas Dance with all singing calls

Jim Hattrick calling and cueing. Bring Christmas treats

Door: Brian & Dianne Harland / Kitchen: Ron & Emily Chase

CCSDC

Jan 2

Happy Hoppers Board meeting - All club members are invited.

Randy & Jackie Amundson’s home; meeting scheduled to start at 7:00 P.M.

Happy Hoppers Visitation to the Columbia River Dancers

Plus dancing 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. and Mainstream dancing to 10:00 P.M.

Cliff Nichols calling and Debbie Combs cueing

Clark

County

YMCA

Happy Hoppers New Years Eve Dance “The Wild West”

The Front Porch Trio calling & cueing.

A buffet dinner will start at 7:30 and plus dancing starting at 8:30 P.M.

See Randy or Jackie Amundson to volunteer to serve on a committee.

CCSDC

Happy Hoppers Regular dance

Jim Hattrick calling and cueing Bring finger food

Door: Elsie Barttling & Ed Hutchins / Kitchen: Dale & Nancy Smith

CCSDC

Happy Hoppers visitation to the Silver Stars

Darrell Kalmbach calling & Dorothy Lowder cueing. This will be the

Silver Stars first dance on their scheduled change to Friday night.

Hazel

Dell

Grange

Mid-Winter Festival 2016 ‘Sweet ‘16’’in Albany, Oregon

Featured caller is Matt Worley from Virginia

Featured cuers are Steve & Irene Brandt from Pennsylvania

Linn

County

Expo

Center


Halloween costumes were optional at the Tri-Council Council dance, hosted by the Portland Area Council.

The dance was held at the Clark County Square Dance Center.

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