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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 1956)
ill Medford Tribune MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2i, 1956 , i - a X ' 1 -?-V S Ah r' E. Francis Cronin, known to his square dancing friends as "Fran' has been serving as caller and teacher for a series of square dances for young poeple sponsored by Medford loyal Order of Moose at the lodge hail on South Newtown street. Mr. Cronin owns his own transcription player, records and two amplifiers and of course wears the traditional caller's colorful satin shirt. Chicken Jn de Bread Pan Pickin' Up Dough Granny, Will Your Dog Bite? No Chile, No! By Olive Starcher It's do si do, allemande left and grand right and left at the Moose hall every Thursday night now for the young folks. A series of square dance lessons for grade school and junior high school young people, sponsored by Loyal Order of Moose, has been in progress for the past six weeks and last Thursday night the youngsters organized a club, Larry Scruggs was elected president, Donna Johnson, vice president, and Barry Scruggs, secretary-treasurer. The group will continue to dance each Thursday evening from 7 to 8 o'clock and at the end of each four weeks a party will follow. Club members named an entertainment and food committee to plan the parties, and also a discipline committee. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Cronin direct the dances, and Mr. Cronin serves 'as caller. Members of the Double H Square Dance club of the Moose lodge, and of Hilltoppers Square Dance club, to which the Cronins belong, have been assisting with the lessons for the youngsters. To begin the dances Mr. Cronin uses a grand march or mixer circles, and partners are selected in this fashion by chance. Other mixers are the "Heel and Toe Polka" and the "American Promenade," progressive dances which find new partners for the boys and girls.' He closes the dance session with a rousing mixer like "Oh, Johnny," the unofficial theme song of square dancers, with the kids singing lustily. Beginners are started on the simple dances and Mr. Cronin uses the patter type of calling to such "hoe down" tunes as the "Arkansas Traveler" and "Marmaduke's Hornpipe." The hoe down music provides the dance rhythm, and the caller provides his own melody. With the patter, the caller is better able to adjust the tempo of his instructions to the'beginning dancer while the basic steps and routines are being learned. Mrs. Cronin and the other assistants mingle with the dancers on the floor of the hall and are ready to lend a hand when a square gets "fouled up." Occasionally the caller stops and demands quiet, for 80 or more boys and girls can make the place sound like bedlam at times. tw 1 I f 1 , yw;, ); 1,'.' Wi.il y.j);;btl'LJjA'-'aHW9l't'j;'alalMiilia "J i i 4 Mrs. Cronin is shown assisting one square of the small dancers with one of the dance routines. In this square were Gary Stoats, Sheryl Converse, Bobby Yost, Sandra Myers, Kirk Watson, Lois Slessler, Steven Yost and Lynne Filers. Trained dancers from the lodge and other clubs also help. I j ; !k 4- .Vi , ?td Iri Partners are selected by chance, resulting sometimes in the tallest and the shortest dancing together. In this square were Bill Foust (tall, with back to camera) and (around the square to the left) Patricia Fagone,- Jimmy Foust, Patty Harris, Sharyn Hamm, David Jackson, Jim Thomas and Dorothy Colton. I 1 Photographer Bob Vroman took this picture while dancers were "threading the needle." Mark Lawrence (center) holds hands with Sandra Filatreau (at left) and Jackie Ayres," while Carolyn Foust "threads under" and Mike Dunphy (far right) completes the step. Also in the square were Linda Mulhn, James Rowden and Tommy Vickoren. i ,'J t iw. cA. t ' & 'iV "-'J I y 1 hii V L s - , ' J - K - - s 4 ; ys For the party which followed the fifth and final lesson of the series, the girls brought sandwiches, cookies and doughnuts, boys brought two dimes to buy two bottles of soft drinks, one for himself and one for his partner. Here DeWain Fein (at left) and Kathy Crosby eat while sitting on the edge of the stage and Jack Peek mokes himself comfortable on the floor. Partners were a matter of chance, with Mr. Cronin ending the lesson with a mixer circle dance. If any dancers are left over when the squares are formed, some drop out from time to time and make room for others. ' ' f To some of the youngsters attending the dance lessons it is a serious business and they concentrated on the instructions, seldom smiling. Others laughed and joked most of the evening and all seemed to be having a won derful time. Jim Kubalek (far left here approaches Judy Alder with a big smile on his face. Others dancing in this square included Tom Antley, Kathy Crosby, Joel Gregory, Donna Johnson, Jerry Chenault and Linda Garris. Judy wore a full corduroy skirt for the dance lesson, children for the most part wear school clothes, with cords and jeans and cotton shirts predominating among the boys.
