THE SOONER THE BETTER. 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION OKLAHOMA CITY, OK JUNE 26-29,

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1 NATIONAL SQUARES E-MAGAZINE VOLUME 4 ISSUE 9 April 2013 THE SOONER THE BETTER 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION OKLAHOMA CITY, OK JUNE 26-29, WHAT S HAPPENING AT THE 62nd SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION GENE & BARBARA MORTON GENERAL CHAIRMAN The 62nd NSDC will be three days and four nights of dancing to some of the best callers, cuers and dance leaders in the world. But, there is also a lot more going on than just dancing, and that s what makes a National Square Dance Convention different from local festivals and conventions. For the past several years, a dinner and special event have been used to kick off the convention after the Opening Ceremonies. At the 62nd NSDC we will be seated on the arena floor for a catered bar-b-que meal, and you will remain seated at your tables for the Buddy & Beyond show by Jimmy Rogers. Dancers attending the show only will be seated in the permanent arena seating. The following Trail End dances are scheduled to start at 8:00 pm on Wednesday evening: Mainstream - hosted Grand Square Inc. featuring Tony Oxendine and friends; Plus - hosted by The ARTS foundation with Jerry Reed and friends; Advance - hosted by Fine Tune and Gold Wing Records with Rod Shuping and friends; Rounds - hosted by the 62nd NSDC Round Dance Committee Staff. These dances will be over around 10:00 pm and you will have had a fun filled evening. Education Seminars and Panels will start each day s activities at 9:30 am, then the Vendors, and Showcase of Ideas will open at 10:00 am. Clinics and the Showcase of Rounds will start the dancing at 10:00 am, Singles Hall at 1:00 pm and all the rest of the halls at 2:00 pm. At 5:00pm there will be a dinner break and evening dances will run from 7:00-10:00pm, with after parties from 10:00-11:00pm.

2 Only want to dance at night and don t know what to do with your daylight hours. Why don t you take one of the convention s tours and see a part of Oklahoma that you just never have taken the time to look at. There will be several tours available each day but they are booked up quickly so if you want to go on a tour, sign up early. How about buying a new petticoat or square dance skirt? There will be approximately different square dance vendors available for purchasing that special item. The National Executive Committee has relaxed the daytime dress code for National Conventions. You may now wear dressy casual clothes until 6 pm. AFTER 6 pm proper square dance attire is REQUIRED. What is dressy casual? They didn t exactly say, but men wearing tank tops or ladies in short shorts or halter tops will be asked to leave the floor. Be dressy, not messy. A convention badge is still required for entry into any dance hall. Registrations for the 62nd NSDC are now $50 each The Price goes up to $60 each May 1, Save a little money, register now and come play with us. Our friends at the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau have created a link so you can get a better look at downtown OKC. You can zoom in and out and move the map around. Did you know Joe Carter, Johnny Bench and Mickey Mantle were Major League Baseball Players from Oklahoma? Check out the street names around, Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. Explore Oklahoma City. &showheader=true&plugin=mappublisher&object=global&action=map DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION? We started square dancing in Everyone was always talking about the Nationals, so we decided to attend the Louisville Nationals in We sent in our registration, ordered our housing and off we went getting there in plenty of time to be there on Wednesday the opening day. We were at the convention center bright and early at 9:30 a.m., not knowing what to expect, we had no information, being newer dancers. We thought we would walk right in and go dancing! We walked through the great big doors and up to the big desk underneath the S for Scott. I noticed a gentleman from Franklin NC there to greet us and give us our packet. My first thought why was there someone from N.C. here helping? I thought everyone would be from Kentucky. We had worn our club badges, not knowing that we would be getting NEW badges for this dance. How cool. We immediately took our Oklahoma badges off and put on our spiffy new Nationals badge. The facility was very large but rather well marked, and we were somewhat disappointed not being able to dance on Wednesday. We went back to the hotel and went all through our packet for information, got our program book out and became very familiar with it. The program book contains the participating vendors, who is going to be calling,

3 times and where. We had danced some in North Carolina/Tennessee and were familiar with a few callers as well as the callers in our own state and district. We definitely wanted to make it to their calling times. We got the highlighter out to mark their names and times amongst other information. This was fantastic to get to see and dance to them! Our hotel was close to the convention center, and we had purchased the parking pass in advance. This is a good thing and well worth the money. In and out parking for one price the whole time. We got up early Thursday and off we went. My feet were hurrying faster than my body to get to dancing. We breezed right through into the plus room where we started dancing. So many people. You just go up and a square starts, and it is continuous dancing. When you get tired you just walk out of the square after thanking everyone. It was totally awesome to see this. I had never seen so many squares in one room. We got to dance to a caller from Japan and that was so cool. We listened very intently, but mostly followed everyone else; they seemed to have better luck dancing to a caller with such an accent. Then we went to check out all the rooms. Who knew there were so many different dancing levels and categories? There was a teen room (which we hadn t seen much of in our area), line dancing, contra dancing (which we had never heard of before), round dancing, and so much more. There was so much to see and do. There was a big table full of fliers inviting you to dances. I picked up some of these; there were even some from Hawaii. Wow. We then made it to the vendor area. Oh my, I know my eyes got as big as saucers, but Daniel probably got an instant headache. I had never seen so many vendors in one place, aisles and aisles of them. It took us several hours to go through all the vendors, but I would run dance some, then come back, wanting to take in as much dancing as I could. Some vendors were so busy it took a bit to get up to see their wares. Shoes, oh my goodness, so many beautiful shoes, and who knew petticoats came in so many vibrant beautiful colors! I could see them all in person, and touch them to see the quality and texture. It was just wonderful. 7 pairs of shoes, 3 petticoats and many dresses later, Daniel was a little lighter in the wallet, but this opportunity doesn t happen often I told him. Every day we went through the vendor aisles. I learned from this experience that it is best to be there the initial day to get best pick, and if you see anything you like, you better get it because if you go back it probably won t be there. We danced all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday from opening till closing out the after parties. We noticed there were seminars, clinics and panels, were not exactly sure what these were, or the difference in each, but it was outlined in the program book. They are educational from what we gather. We thought about attending all these, but we decided since it was our first Nationals we would dance as much as we could and maybe attend those next time. There was a sewing area, but I didn t attend that either. I don t sew, but I have been to these at state functions and they are always interesting and informative. I noticed buses kept going by our hotel and these were big chartered buses. We didn t know exactly how this worked, but after studying it there in Louisville, we believe this is a great route to go. They let you out at the front door of the convention center, then pick you up and take you right to your hotel. Friday and Saturday we had to park so far away and walk and after dancing all day and night we were almost crawling to our car. Another interesting thing was all the food vendors they had, from sandwiches to ice cream. Now I will tell you that nothing taste better than ice cream after getting hot from dancing! We also experienced dancing for the first time to a band, a real live band. That was more fun. You just jump in and out of squares. Another thing we had never experienced is single people coming up to your square and they would hold up a signal with their fingers and another single person would just jump in. We took in the fashion show and some of the exhibitions, and it had some spectacular dresses. The back drop was huge and beautiful. The exhibition we took in was of young people and that was so nice to watch! We really enjoyed that from the seating in the big arena where it was cool, as the weather was steamy outside. There is so much to see and do there is no way you can do it all. Sometimes there are several different events held at once. There is also a Showcase of Ideas filled with different items, from maps to lapel pins and recipes. We started not to go through this but it looked a bit interesting and I am glad I did. 13 different lapel pins, 2 buckeyes,

4 numerous maps, and some recipe cards were picked up here. To think people went to the trouble to set these displays up for our information, and some of the displays were from far away states. We were invited by other Okie s from our district to take part in the Parade of States. Well we didn t know what to expect on this, but we took their word and did it. We walked around trying to find the Oklahoma slot, and we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of square dancers from all over the states and overseas also. We stopped and chatted with the England group, with their British Flags and British hats, they were definitely here to have fun and made us just that more excited! It was thrilling to be part of something so big. Everyone was there with one common goal, to have fun square dancing. We took in the bid session and that was exciting to see. We were thrilled to know that Arkansas, so close to Oklahoma, will have nationals in We immediately signed up that day! We were going to participate in a few tours, but they were already full or had been canceled due to not enough participating. We learned from this to sign up before the convention, and that way you are able to take in that tour or help to make one complete without it being canceled. My thoughts on Louisville from a first timer: what a blast we had the whole time, how organized it seemed to be looking from the outside in, wear very comfortable shoes, and how dancing to a live band rocks. When we heard that Oklahoma was going to be holding the 2013 Nationals we were excited and immediately committed ourselves to helping some way. We want anyone coming to Oklahoma to have as good a time as we had in Louisville. In fact, if they have half as good a time as we had our mission will be accomplished. We have many friends who will be attending their 1 st Nationals here in Oklahoma and we can t wait. We know they will have the time of their lives! If you have never experienced the National Square Dance Convention, you really are missing something! Phelica & Daniel Scott Vice Chairman, Media Recognition Event 62nd NSDC TRAIL END DANCES The 62nd National Square Dance Convention and the Square Dance Programming Committee is excited to announce that we will be having four (4) Trail End Dances Wednesday June 26, 2013 following the Special Event Entertainment. The Trail End Dances will start at 8:00PM and run until 10:00PM. In Ballroom C the Chickasaw Hall, Round Dancing. Cuers for this evenings dancing will be the 62nd NSDC Round Dance Staff. In Exhibit Hall 1 the Mainstream Dance will be sponsored by Grand Square Inc. with Tony Oxendine and Friends. In Exhibit Hall 3 the Plus Dance will be sponsored by The ARTS Foundation their theme will be Trail End You2CanDance with Jerry Reed and Friends. In Exhibit Hall A & B the Advance Dance will be sponsored by Fine Tune and Gold Wing Records with Rod Shuping and Friends. Because these organizations are willing to sponsor these dances we are able to provide any dance level that you would like to attend. All of the halls are located across from the entrance to the Main Arena where the Special Event Entertainment will be held. Come enjoy the Special Event Entertainment and then dance with one of the fine group of callers that will provide you with whatever level you wish to dance for an evening of Fun, Fellowship, Friendship and Dancing.

5 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION CLINICS The Education Committee has been diligently working to ensure that we have a variety of clinics to meet the needs and interests of all dancers. We currently have 20 clinics scheduled for the 62nd NSDC in Oklahoma City. Making up those 20 are 6 Square Dance clinics, 9 Round Dance clinics, 3 Contra Clinics, 1 Line Dance clinic, and 2 Country & Western (C&W) clinics. All clinics will be held in the dance halls and will require dancer participation. The tentative schedules follows, but once you arrive at the convention, please check your program book which should capture any changes: SQUARE DANCE CLINICS: Thursday 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Mainstream DBD Presenter: Rod Shuping Exhibit Hall 3 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Intro to Advanced Presenter: Ken Ritucci Exhibit Hall 1 Friday Saturday CONTRA CLINICS Thursday Friday Saturday 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Intro to Challenge Presenter: Mike Seastrom Exhibit Hall E 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Intro to Plus Presenter: Mike Huddleson Exhibit Hall 3 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Smooth Dancing Presenters: Jon Jones & Deborah Carroll- Jones - Exhibit Hall 3 11:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Plus DBD Presenter: Jim Howard Exhibit Hall 1 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Intro to Contra Presenter: Betsy Gotta Meeting Room 9 & Meeting Room 10 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Intro to Contra Presenter: Lissa Bengtson Meeting Room 9 & Meeting Room 10 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. Intro to Contra Presenter: Eddie Ramsey Meeting Room 9 & Meeting Room 10 C&W AND LINE DANCE CLINCS: Friday Saturday 10:30 a.m. 12:00 noon Country & Western Couple/Partner Dancing Presenters: Jeff & Diane Hissong and Doug & Donna Riley Exhibit Hall D 10:30 a.m. 12:00 noon Easy Line Dancing Presenters: Jeff & Diane Hissong and Doug & Donna Riley Exhibit Hall D ROUND DANCE CLINICS: The daily schedule for the Round Dance Clinics has not been determined, but each clinic is tentatively scheduled to be held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. The proposed clinics and the presenters are listed below: Connecting A Figure Through The Phases Presenters: Tim Eum & Cindy Hadley Great Halls A & B (Seminole Hall) Foxtrot, The Passing Steps Presenters: Peter & Chama Gomez Great Hall C (Chickasaw Hall) Phase III 2 Step Presenters: Stuart Lewis & Faye Samborsky Great Hall D (Cherokee Hall) Quickstep On The Ceiling Presenters: Kristine & Bruce Nelson Great Halls A & B (Seminole Hall) Moving Into Latin Presenters: Sharon & Casey Parker Great Hall C (Chickasaw Hall) So You Want To Waltz Presenters: Barbara & Paul Connelly Great Hall D (Cherokee Hall)

6 Picture Figures Presenters: Rey & Sherry Garza Great Halls A & B (Seminole Hall) Leading And Following Presenters: John & Karen Herr Great Hall C (Chickasaw Hall) Teaching Figures Not Dances Presenters: Debbie & Paul Taylor Great Hall D (Cherokee Hall) We hope you not only plan on attending the 62nd NSDC in Oklahoma City in 2013, but we also hope that one or more of the clinics listed above will capture your interest and/or your curiosity. We have some fantastic clinicians lined up and we re looking forward to your enthusiastic participation. Once again, upon your arrival at the convention, please check the 62nd NSDC Program Book for the daily clinic schedules. These should be pre-ordered when you register. The 62nd will not print extra copies. Jon and Nelda Eaton 62nd NSDC Vice-Chairman Clinics GHOST RIDERS BAND The Ghost Riders Band will be appearing at the 62nd National Square Dance Convention. They will be in the Main Arena Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. All dancing during that time will be MAINSTREAM. The Ghost Riders Band is a live band from California. They have been playing for square dance groups and conventions since 1972 and have been featured at fourteen national square dance conventions. The band is made up almost entirely of square dancers turned musicians. Come and experience square dancing to a live band!

7 WEDNESDAY NIGHT SPECIAL EVENT JUNE 26, 2013 When attending other conventions we ve been asked about some of the events that will take place in Oklahoma City. First up is our Wednesday Special Event and Dinner. We ll offer two options in Oklahoma City. You can have dinner before the show and sit on the arena floor without having to change seats for the show. The second option is for those that want to eat somewhere else in Oklahoma City and just attend the show. Arena seating will be used for those that want to just attend the Buddy & Beyond show. Be sure and check the appropriate box on our registration form. Your tickets will be in your registration packet. Johnny Rogers performs History of Rock and Roll. Music of Buddy Holly, a young Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Ricky Nelson, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, CCR and many others. Johnny has a high energy show that is perfect for all ages, and all occasions. Don t forget, there will be dancing after the dinner and show. Help us spread the word, dinner, show and dance on Wednesday. The SOONER THE BETTER

8 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION QUILT GIVEAWAY One lucky winner will receive this quilt depicting Oklahoma s Native American culture. Raffle tickets will only be available when this quilt is on display. You will be able to purchase tickets during the 62nd National Square Dance Convention in Oklahoma City. The lucky winner will be announced on June 29th, 2013 at 9:00 pm in the Live Music Hall of the Cox Convention Center.

9 62nd National Square Dance Convention Proudly Presents Catch Your Dreams! Fashion Show Saturday, June 29, :00 PM Cox Convention Center Arena Plans are well under way for our Fashion Show. Models from various regions of the United States and worldwide will showcase both casual and dressy square dance attire. Please join us in the Cox Convention Center Arena for beautiful fashions and unforgettable entertainment. The show will last about one hour. More models are needed. If you would like to participate in our Fashion Show, please contact Belinda Alberry at (940) or Preference will be given to models who have not participated in the past three fashion shows. The arena is inside the Cox Convention Center. Wednesday night dinner and special event, main stream floor with The Ghost Rider Live Band each night and Fashion Show are just a few of the events held here.

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13 COMPARATIVE CONVENTION REGISTRATION STATISTICS 2004 Denver 2005 Portland 2006 San Antonio 2007 Charlotte 2008 Wichita 2009 Long Beach 2010 Louisville 2011 Detroit 2012 Spokane 2013 Oklahoma City June July August September October November December January February March April May Final Total REGISTRATION UPDATE Location Count Location Count Location Count Oklahoma 597 Oregon 37 Rhode Island 5 Texas 403 Georgia 36 Wyoming 5 Kansas 311 New York 32 Montana 4 California 211 Tennessee 32 Alaska 2 Missouri 146 Maryland 29 Delaware 2 Colorado 137 Pennsylvania 29 North Carolina 98 New Mexico 25 Washington 91 Alabama 22 Arkansas 89 Massachusetts 22 Ohio 89 Wisconsin 21 Illinois 75 New Jersey 17 Florida 64 Kentucky 17 JAPAN 27 Indiana 61 Mississippi 15 CANADA 18 Michigan 61 New Hampshire 12 AUSTRALIA 5 Iowa 56 Connecticut 10 GERMANY 5 Virginia 56 North Dakota 10 DENMARK 2 Nebraska 54 South Dakota 10 FRANCE 2 Arizona 47 Utah 10 PHILIPPINES 1 South Carolina 46 Vermont 10 SWEDEN 1 Minnesota 41 Idaho 8 Louisiana 38 Hawaii 7 TOTAL 3265

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15 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION STAKE YOUR CLAIM TO FAME SQUARE DANCE COMPETITION 2013 TEAM REGISTRATION FORM YOUTH: OPEN: By completing below, our Team/Square agrees: 1. We can only participate if we are wearing our 62 nd NSDC Badge and are wearing proper square dance attire for this Convention. 2. All members of this Team/Square are fully capable of dancing all calls at the Mainstream Level. 3. We must be in constant movement and if we break down, we will be allowed one (1) time of ten (10) beats of music to fix our square from our Square Judge. 4. We understand it is our responsibility to check that the Square Judge assigned to us is not from the same State as any of our Team/Square members or we will have to be disqualified. 5. We agree to stop dancing and leave the floor if our Judge gives us the black flag, even if some members of our Team/Square do not agree with his/her ruling. 6. We understand all the rules of the Competition and agree to have fun while participating in this event. 7. Early Competition Registration is available for any team who already has a set square of eight (8) people; they may their completed registration form to: 62ndvsdchair@sbcglobal.net before June 27, We understand that any youth squares that want to be in the open competition must have at least one (1) couple over the age of 18 on the Team/Square registration form to participate. All Team/Square Members must arrive no later than 12:00noon Friday, June 28, 2013 in the Main Arena. All eight (8) participants must be present to be assigned a Square Judge and numbers.

16 62nd NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTION STAKE YOUR CLAIM TO FAME 2013 Square Dance Competition Team Roster PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY TEAM NAME: (Team Captain) First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country: First Name: Last Name: City of Residence: State: Country:

17 "FUTURE NATIONAL SQUARE DANCE CONVENTIONS Website Location Date Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Jun 26-29, Little Rock, Arkansas Jun 25-28, Springfield, Massachusetts Jun 24-27, Des Moines, Iowa Jun 22-25, 2016 Registration Forms can be downloaded from ALL Convention Websites OKLAHOMA HISTORY CENTER A SHORT DRIVE FROM DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY The past comes alive at the Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma s state museum of history. At the Oklahoma History Center, discover the people and stories that make Oklahoma truly unique. From oil and gas to aviation, from the Dust Bowl to space exploration, from tornadoes to the Land Run, from Native American Indians to Route 66, there s a story of triumph and tragedy, hope and heartache, famous and infamous around every corner. The 215,000 sq ft Oklahoma History Center is a testament to the indomitable spirit that built Oklahoma. With four permanent galleries and a special exhibits hall, guests will explore the more than 200 hands-on interactives and 50 subjects that tell the stories of Oklahoma and its people. The history center truly has something for everyone, with special events that appeal to all ages. From Civil War Day to Rockabilly concerts, there is always something going on at the Oklahoma History Center. Open Monday to Saturday 10:00AM to 5:00 PM. A replica of the Winnie Mae airplane piloted by Wiley Post is suspended in the rotunda of the Oklahoma History Center above a view of the state capitol building.

18 REGISTRATION & HOUSING INFORMATION It is important to fill out and send in the Long Registration form before the Convention. The NEC requires every dancer to fill it out before picking up their Badge and packet. This will save you time in line. The registration fee is currently adults, $50.00; youth age 5-17 by 6/27/2012, $25.00, under 5 years Free There are a limited number of Program Books printed. The price is currently $10 per book. Daily schedules are included with the Program Book. In the Daily Booklets, the dancer can easily find information on the Callers scheduled in the numerous halls, the Round Dance Showcase of Rounds and their teaching schedule, and the schedule for Clogging, Line dancing, Contra workshops, and the Exhibitions. The Number of Conventions attended will be on your name badge. Only you know the number of Conventions you have attended. The National Square Dance database does not pass this information on to the next Convention. Follow the bright red arrow on the left side of the Long Registration Form and fill in your number of Conventions attended next to your name on the left side of the form. People often overlook the Dance Level area on the lower right side of the form. This information is important to schedule the halls and the callers for the dancers. If you have questions you can contact: Vice Chairman Registration or vcregistration@62nsdc.com FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE 62nd NSDC, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: 62nsdc.com. The SOONER The Better