Volume 26 #2

The Scottish Country Dancer

September/October 2009

Articles in This Issue

The Brief		Keeping the Organization Strong
The Manager's Message		A Wee Bit of Scottish Trivia
Celtic Tap and Scottish Country Dance Class Information		Calendar of Events

The Brief

Suddenly, it is September! The vine maples and blueberries are already starting to turn, and the morning mist carries a hint of fall. And this means that classes are about to resume!

No, not algebra! Scottish Country Dance Classes! And there are now classes in many communities around Clark County, most nights of the week. See the article below for details... and be sure to sign up soon!

And coming up October 17th is our Fall Dance, a great way to start the "dance season", with a program of fun and easy dances, with music provided by three (count 'em - THREE) of our favorite musicians. Beginners and Old Hands: you won't want to miss this dance! See the Calendar for all the details.

The Manager's Message by Linda Mae Dennis

It was a lovely summer but it's over now. Just in time, too. I was about to get flabby. Although the pears, tomatoes, and zucchini threatened to overwhelm me more than once, I am very happy to report that I have pared, chopped, canned, dried, and frozen my way through all manner of fruits and vegetables this past month and am ready to get back to the important stuff. Dancing.

I'm very hopeful that we'll drum up many demonstration / performance opportunities this year to help defray the cost of what promises to be a very memorable Dinner Dance. As you probably already know, we have booked the Fairgate Inn in Camas for the event on the afternoon / evening of April 17th, 2010. It's that fabulous Georgian mansion on top of Prune Hill. I've had the pleasure of being inside twice now, and it is just lovely, and in addition, has a fantastic ballroom. This will be the 1st Dinner Dance for the RSCDS, Southwest Washington State Branch, as well as the 25th Annual Dinner Dance for the Vancouver USA, Scottish Country Dancers. An After Party is planned for, well, after, at Geri and Robert's house. It's all going to be great.

It will likely turn out to be expensive as well. So that all dancers can attend, we're trying to keep the cost for the evening reasonable. That means that the Branch will pick up the left over tab, and that means we need to do paid demonstrations as much as possible. If you have any ideas about where we might perform - retirement facilities, festivals, etc. - please discuss your ideas with Geri (Performance Team Leader) or Robert (Publicity Chair).

In addition, our usual fundraiser, A Scottish Afternoon, has no leader organizing it at the moment. If anyone would be interested in chairing this event, please let me know. If you have another idea for a different sort of fund raiser, please let me know that, too. Nothing says we have to do the same thing year after year.

Closer to now, the annual Fall Dance is coming up in October. The teachers' Committee has put together a program of particularly friendly dances. So in your usual charming manner, please invite and encourage new dancers to attend.

I am looking forward to another great year of Scottish Country Dancing, and hope you are too.

Celtic Tap and Scottish Country Dance Class Information by John Shaw

With so many Scottish Country Dance classes available, surely there is "something for everyone". You can check out the class list below for a place and time that fits your location and schedule.

You can always visit www.VancouverUSA-SCD.org for the latest SCD activities.

Vancouver, Marshall Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd
Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation 360-487-7100 www.ci.vancouver.wa.us/parks-recreation

Scottish Country Dance for Everyone, 65984, Wednesday 7:45-9:00pm, Elm Room, Sept 9 - 8 wk session

Beginning Celtic Tap, Tuesday 5:30-6:30pm, Oak Room, Sept 8 - 8 wk session

Intermediate Celtic Tap, Tuesday 6:30-7:30pm, Oak Room, Sept 8 - 8 wk session

Vancouver, Firstenburg Community Center, 700 NE 136th Ave
Vancouver-Clark Parks & Recreation 360-487-7001 www.ci.vancouver.wa.us/parks-recreation

Family Basic Scottish Country Dance, 65982, Friday 7:30-8:55pm, Aerobics/Dance Studio, 9/18-10/30, 7 wks, $37

Camas
East Clark County Community Education 360-954-3838 www.camas.wednet.edu/district/teaching_learning/community_ed.htm

Family Basic Scottish Country Dance, TBD
Contact Geri, 360-834-3757

Battle Ground, Maple Grove Primary School, 610 A SW Eaton Boulevard
Battle Ground Community Education 360-885-6584 www.bgsd.k12.wa.us/cmd/

Scottish Country Dance, Thursday 7:00-8:15pm, Small Gym, Sept 10 - 8 wk session
Contact Liza, 360-887-1888

Vancouver, Columbia Dance Center, 1700 Broadway

Level 3 Scottish Country Dance, 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30pm
Contact Marge, 360-892-4366

Kelso, Catlin Center, 106 NW 8th Ave
Longview Parks & Recreation 360-442-5400 mylongview.com/parks_rec

Basic Scottish Country Dance, 1^st and 3^rd Sundays 7:00-9:00pm
Contact Linda, 360-578-7893
Please call or email before coming, to verify there are no changes in date.

Stevenson

Basic Scottish Country Dance, Friday 7:00-9:00 pm, starts 9/18
Contact LindaMae

Keeping the Organization Strong by Marge van Nus

[For newcomers: the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society is a Worldwide Organization home based in Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to the practice and preservation of traditional Scottish Country Dances, among other things. -Ed.]

Now that we are an integral part of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, it is incumbent on us to become bona fide members. This is the Society which supports us through historical dance and music research; interprets those dances (at times reconstructing them); publishes books of dances, and produces musical CDs to accompany those books; oversees the traditional aspects of newly devised dances; organizes teacher education classes; conducts summer and winter 1- and/or 2-week courses for ALL dancers; holds seminars for musicians; publishes dance packets for public school gym class teachers;---- and the list goes on!

As full members, we have voting privileges concerning the direction the Society will take both now and in the future. Thus our Branch support is twofold: we have a direct voice in the Society's affairs; and our membership dues help finance the Society's undertakings. Also, all RSCDS Branch members receive the magazine Scottish Dancer published by the Society. (Since there is a reduced fee for a second person at the same address, one copy of the magazine is mailed per address. )

Associate Membership (Local Branch only, without vote) is provided especially for newcomers enrolled in

City/County Recreation sponsored Scottish Country Dance classes, or
Continuing Education classes in Scottish Country Dancing.

Junior Associate Membership (Local Branch only, without vote) is offered to anyone under 16 years of age.

A Wee Bit of Scottish Trivia by Marge van Nus

Things You Never Knew About Scotland;

1) As a boy in Scotland, inventor Alexander Graham Bell made a talking doll that said "mama". It was so convincing that neighbors began hunting for an abandoned baby!

2) In 1901 the Scottish company A.J. Barr developed a new caffeinated soft drink with an eccentric orange color. The formula for Iron Bru was kept secret, but the drink became quite popular. Today it is the best selling soft drink in Scotland, the only country in the world where another drink outsells Coca Cola.

Calendar of Events


Sep 8: Dance Classes Start All This Week! Scottish Country Dancing, Beginner, Intermediate, and Family; and Celtic Tap, Beginner and Intermediate! Check the Classes page for details. Classes are starting this week all over the county!
Sep 11-13: Fort Worden Weekend Workshop and Ball Sponsored by the Seattle Branch of the RSCDS, this workshop has been happening for the last 34 years and has become a well known Northwest dancing event. Inspiring musicians and teachers are brought here from afar to support and refine our dancing skills and provide us with some of the best Scottish music for dancing. Musicians: Calum Mackinnon, Edmonds, WA Lisa Scott, Portland, OR Keith Smith, Ardnamurchan, Scotland Ralph Gordon, Charles Town, WV Muriel Johnstone, Courtenay, BC Keith Smith, Ardnamurchan, Scotland Teachers: Pat Coyle, Niagara Falls, ON Dennis Wood, Nashville, TN Eileen Hsu, Bellevue, WA Bill Zobel, Courtenay, BC If you have any questions, contact their registrar by email at .
Sep 14: Portland SCD Classes Begin Tigard Grange 13770 SW Pacific Hwy., Tigard, OR. 7:30PM. $7 Beginners welcome!
Oct 3: 13th Annual SCD Workshop and Ball, Bend, OR Sponsored by the High Desert Celtic Society Teacher: Marian Stroh, of Reno Nevada Music: A Scottish Heart Location: Redmond Grange, corner of 7th St. and Kalama St., Bend, OR For more information, contact Susie at
Oct 10: Portland SCD Dance Party Tigard Grange 13770 SW Pacific Hwy., Tigard, OR. 7:30 pm. $7
Oct 17: Vancouver USA Fall Dance Abundant Harvest is the theme this year! Musicians:Lisa Scott, Linda Danielson, Leslie Hirsch Columbia Dance Center, 1700 Broadway, Vancouver. 7:30 - 11:00 pm Dance Program: Hollin Buss J RSCDS Bk 24 Hope Little's Strathspey S Goldring Graded Bk Society Piper R 10 Social Dances/Goldring The Piper Opener J Goldring Graded Bk The Enchanted Garden S World Around the Corner The Mountain Stream R Goldring Graded Bk Blue Bonnets J RSCDS Bk 3 New Abbey S Goldring Graded Bk The Homecoming Dance R RSCDS, 5 for 2009 Lady Catherine Bruce's Reel J Book of Graded Dances Grey Daylight S Let's All Dance, Too The White Cockade R RSCDS Bk 5 Costumes encouraged!
Apr 17, 2010: VancouverUSA 25th Annual Dinner Dance Please join us for an "auspicious" event: our first dinner/dance as the Southwest Washington State Branch of the RSCDS! At the beautiful Fairgate Inn Bed and Breakfast in Camas, Wa. The semi-formal evening will begin with an early catered dinner at 4 pm, followed by the dance which will conclude around 10 pm. The musicians for the evening will be Elke Baker, fiddle, and Lisa Scott, piano. Please save the date! We will post more information as things firm up.

Said the Englishman to the boastful Scot: "Take away your mountains, glens, and lochs, and what have you got?"
"England," replied the Scot.


	Do you have an item of Celtic interest you would like to see in print?
	You can contact me in any of the following ways:
	By mail:


	John Shaw
	PO Box 2438
	Battle Ground, WA 98604


	By email:

The Scottish Country Dancer is a bi-monthly publication of the Vancouver USA Scottish Country Dancers, a non-profit educational organization. For changes of address, please contact John Shaw, PO Box 2438 Battle Ground, WA 98604, . The editor reserves the right to alter or edit any material submitted for publication for reasons of taste, style, or clarity. All materials for publication should be sent by email to the editor at the address above, preferably in straight text. Deadline is one week before the end of the month prior to publication date. Editors of other newsletters may use or adapt any materials in the Scottish Country Dancer unless a specific copyright notice is included. Please credit author and original source.

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