[Squaredancing] Spokane comment...

Wed Jul 2 00:52:35 EDT 2008

Sorry Folks,

My bad! I understand from a member of the NEC that they have a great  
facility, and terrific enthusiastic committee, and good leadership. Of course I  wish 
them nothing but the best.  After all, I will there if I am alive and  
walking. One of the Spokane people told me that they are getting the convention  
center for FREE! Powerful incentive! 

I have a couple of other remarks.  Square Dancing is not dying! I  remember 
when the movies "died" because everyone was watching TV.  I  remember when 
Major League Baseball "died" following the players strike. Several  other examples 
might come to mind, but in each case they got their act together  and made 
their activity attractive.  We have got to do that.  There  are literally 
THOUSANDS of people near every square dance club who NEED square  dancing. They are 
not dancing because we dancers have failed them by not showing  them square 
dancing. We must not fall into the trap of "all my friends" are too  old, and I 
have asked them. In that case you need some new friends.  I ask  my doctor, 
the druggist, my cop on the block, church members and everyone I meet  about 
square dancing. The dialogue goes something like this: 

"Who do you square dance with?  I mean what square dance club? "

"I don't.  Haven't since junior high."

(with great feeling and sadness) "I'm sorry! You are missing out on the  most 
fun there can be!" 

I tell how "they" kept square dancing from me for 50 years, but I found out  
about it and I was like a rabbit down a hole!  Never looked back. Not going  
to. When I had dinner tonight at a restaurant near where we dance, I talked to  
two waitresses about learnng to square dance.  When I was in the hospital I  
talked with everyone who came into my room about square dancing. Everyone is a 
 prospect! 

Now my pet peeve: Square Dancing is too Lily White."  We dancers have  failed 
Afro-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and every other group by not bringing  
them into this fun activity. We have got to get off ur butts and recruit.  

Jim

In a message dated 7/1/2008 10:28:28 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
Anniebplus at aol.com writes:

Not to  mention that a busload of people (if gas prices are as they now are)  

could take a side trip to see the fantastic laser light show on the back  of 
the  Grand Coulee Dam.  People come from all over the world  to see that.   
If I 
get to Spokane for the convention in 2012  you can bet I'll take that trip  
even though I've seen it every night  for 4 months back in 95.

Anne  

In a message dated  7/1/2008 5:38:59 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time,   
remremington at hotmail.com writes:

Hi  Everyone,
The  comment below caught my eye and I wanted to field some   questions:
> >Spokane, WA won the bid for the 61st National  Square  Dance Convention > 
>to be held in 2012.> > >  >> Doesn't  look as an attractive place, I think.>

Now  let me say at the  forefront, I am not intending to make this sound 
nasty  
to the writer or stir  up mud, but just to investigate a perceived  prejudice 
here.
Did people NOT  go to Wichita on a pre-judgment of  some kind that Wichita 
would be no fun? Are  casual comments like the  one above, (and it looks like 
it 
is based upon no  personal, accurate  information about Spokane,) intended to 
harm a location's  chances of  attracting dancers? It is always easy to make 
a 
disparaging remark   about someplace if you have no data and a prejudice. If 
I am 
wrong  here,  please correct me that you have been to Spokane, have 
researched  
Spokane or  have some first-hand knowledge of Spokane. 
Maybe this  is an indicator that  the Spokane 2012 Committee has its work cut 
out  for it to familiarize us  dancers out here to the area and the  
entertainment available outside of Square  Dancing, maybe?
This  all brings me to the real question I wanted to ask:  What makes a 
"good"  
location for a national square dance convention?  
Amusement  rides? Hollywood? Or a great climate, in a beautiful location  
with  
great facilities accommodating dancing? Or do we want/need  entertainment  
outside of square dancing? 
Does access to the City  make a difference? An  international airport is not 
enough? Amtrak  mainline not enough? Interstate  highways that come through 
the 
most  beautiful landscapes our nation offers not  enough? 
What does make  for a good NSDC convention sight?
Or would  having the most  entertaining Callers, Cuers and SD related 
entertainment be  adequate  regardless of location? I know that just to go to 
a dance 
within 15   miles of our home we look at the caliber of who is on the 
program. 
Is this  a  primary consideration for a National?
What would entice you  to  drive/fly/ride to Spokane Washington USA in 2012? 
(Or to  Louisville or Detroit  for that matter?)
Its a good enough place for  the U.S. Figure Skating  Championships to return 
there in 2010 after  having a terrific first visit in  2007 on their first 
event in  Spokane. 
Maybe we should give them, and the  other non-glitzy  locations, a chance to 
promote themselves before we bash  them,  however unintentionally? You most 
likely did not mean anything bad,  but  I’ve seen how comments like this can 
taint 
a topic before it  even gets a  chance to get off on a good foot. 

I’ve visited  Spokane for Expo 74, I  also have been there for other events 
over  the years too. I've driven through  there on the way to Glacier 
National  
Park, Yellowstone National Park and on  our way to Silverwood Theme  Park, 
not 
far from there. Somewhat to the south is  the Snake River,  and slightly west 
is 
the Columbia River and all of the  recreation  areas available in both 
locations. Surprisingly, there are a lot of   things to do within walking 
distance of 
the proposed location, a plethora  of  fun things to do and see in both short 
and medium drives. As well  as a ton of  great places along the trail coming 
and 
going. One could  have a fantastic  adventure which could fill much more than 
a 
week or  two of a vacation.  

Is it just that Spokane is not on the  "mainstream" American  pathway?

Now I speak of Spokane, because  I've been there. Louisville is  an unknown 
to 
me. Short of good  basketball, whiskey and horses, what's in  Kentucky? I 
think I’d need  to know more before expressing an opinion, one way  or the 
other,  
publicly.

Funds available, I would go to a National  because  of the Square Dance 
Program, and entertainment along the trail may  be  a draw, definitely, but 
should it 
be it the major consideration  compared to  providing exceptional Dance 
programs at the National  Convention?

Not  trying to be a purist here and say only the SD  events are important, 
but 
a  dissection of why we go the a National  and what we look for in the 
overall 
effort might assist planners and  dancers to evaluate the allocation of funds 
and time for a relative  unknown location like Spokane, Louisville, Santa Fe 
or  Portland.  
What do you think?

Rem Remington, (not from Spokane,  but  I have visited   there.)
.

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