Our Haxtun Life Blog: Guys and Dolls Square Dancing

Our Haxtun Life

Guys and Dolls Square Dancing

There are places in the world where adults hold hands, spin each other around, and laugh as freely as children! I found one of those places Wednesday night at the Community Center in Haxtun where the Guys and Dolls square dancing group was holding lessons.

I was blown away that over forty people were there! All age ranges! Men were even there in strong numbers.

The gentleman in this picture is Miller Kelley. He was the caller for the evening, as I believe he is for every lesson. He would walk everyone through a few different moves and then he'd play some music for them to dance to as he called out the steps. He really impressed me when he sang Doris Day's "Secret Love" and called at the same time - talk about multitasking!

The woman beside Mr. Kelley is Mary Ann. She's one of the members of the Guys and Dolls group. Of the folks gathered Wednesday night, about half were new to square dancing and half were graduates of previous classes.

There are about 18 weeks of lessons each year and then a graduation. Last night was only the second lesson of the year, but they all looked like old pros to me!

Are you getting winded just looking at these pictures? I know I was sweating and all I was doing was pushing the camera button! These folks go for about two hours each Wednesday night. It sounds like a long time, but I sat there watching for an hour and barely realized the time flying by. Many members consider this exercise and I believe them!

Don't worry, it's not all work. They take snack breaks and chat a little while, too.

I learned something important that night: square dancers are harder to catch in a picture than a squirmy baby! The best time to snap their photo is when they're promenading . . .

Luckily, they promenade a lot . . .

So, here's the good news and the bad news. The bad news is that they discourage new people from starting lessons now that they're so far into them. But the good news is that they have lessons every fall!

More good news is that there is a square dance open to the public on Sunday, Oct 18 at the Holyoke Vet's Hall from 4-7pm! Anyone is welcome to join them.

For more info about the Guys and Dolls Square Dancing Group or about the upcoming dance, call Winston or Mary Ann at 970-774-6573.