Friday March 3, 2006, much thanks to all who made this night a good time. We had over 34 couples on hand includingabout 6 couples of non dancers. The Metro Fiddlers did an outstanding job and Dottie did her normal job of putting thedancers old and young , the proficient and the non dancers through their paces. An excellent lunch was served at theconclusion of the night with the normal results, all went away filled and food was still left over to take home.Collection at the door was $ 700.00 and the 50/50 took in an additional $ 17.50.

         On 7 March, 2006, the Metro Merry Makers/OceanWaves invited all their members and the square dancecommunity to join them for an evening of Birthdaycelebration.
         Roy and Jean Sewell both celebrated their 85thbirthdays in March. This special couple have made manyfaithful friends since beginning their square dance career in1986 with the Metro Merry Makers.
         Both Roy and Jean have been a vital part of theirdance clubs. They travelled and supported other specialdances and fund raisers. They have been members of the"banner stealing" squares and always ready to enjoy thefun activities of the club.
         Being a retired chartered accountant, this made Roythe very person to hold the position of treasurer of theMetro Merry Makers. Roy also was on the financecommittee of the Square & Round Dance Federation ofNova Scotia and he held the position of chairman offinance for 10 years.
         Jean and Roy could be found at all the specialdances with camera in hand. Jean has been the MetroMerry Makers/ Ocean Waves historian for 16 yearsspanning 1986 to 2002.
         Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, you will findRoy and Jean Sewell, each at the fabulous age of 85 years,still dancing twice a week and round dancing three times aweek. This busy schedule along with other weeklyappointments, meetings, etc., are some secrets to theiractive lifestyle at 85 years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Happy Birthday to you .........Happy Birthday to you.......

         Sunrise Square Dance club held their first Honolulu Hoedown on Friday Mar 24,06 The MARC was decoratedHonolulu style and made the dancers think of the warm weather to come. The dancers got in the spirit by dressing withwarm weather in mind, we had grass skirts and a few brave dancers wore shorts.
         Five clubs were represented with over five squares, no break for lunch we danced and munched all evening. Itwas nice to see old friends and make new ones. The evening closed by caller Neil Dorey leading us in the Friendshipsong. Our closing dance will be May 12. 06. Good Squares and Happy Dancing. Sunrise Squares - Mainstream, Fridays, 8PM-10PM at the MARC, Dayspring. Caller Neil Dorey 644-2757Contact Neil Dorey or Contact Ralph & Valerie Brown 543-5278

         On April 8, Fundy Squares celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a dance at Wilmot Community Hall inWilmot. Caller was Tommy Collins with past Fundy Squares callers, Wilfred Burns, Cordell Levy and Jim Webber,taking a turn at the mike. The 7 plus squares were welcomed by Al Worthern, President. Besides members of localclubs, there were representatives from the Square Dance Federation and from Bridgewater. One couple fromVancouver Island, British Columbia, were presented with commemorative dangles. After dancing and prizes, dancersenjoyed sharing in the anniversary cake and lunch provided by the club. Fundy Squares was founded by Wilfred Burnsand Cordell Levy in 1986. Dancing took place at the Lions Hall in Nictaux. Fundy Squares have been at their presentlocation in Wilmot for 7 years. Wilfred Burns retired as caller approximately 5 years ago. Fundy Squares continues togrow. Caller of 3 years with the Fundy Squares, Tommy Collins, expects to graduate 8 new dancers on April 26th thisyear.
         The closing dance of Fundy Squares will be held May 10 at its regular hall in Wilmot with live music beingprovided by Wilfred Burns and friends.

         The longest surviving square dance club in the Central Region celebrated their annual Spring Fling fund raiser on8 April. The 6 squares of dancers enjoyed a great evening of dancing at the Sackville Heights Community Centre.The evening's events started with an hour of Round Dancing cued by Alex Ritchie. At 8pm. the main dance gotunderway with Caller Bruce Savage providing the excitement for the dancers. Between tips, Alex provided easyrounds for the round dancers. With visitors from ten different clubs in attendance, there was a lot of socializing and plenty oflaughter. The announcement of raffle prize winners brought woops of joy! The winners were: the Paper Tole -Milford Roy; the Quilt - Betty Chiasson; and the Old Orchard Overnight - Don Wyer.
         The evening wound up with the usual excess of food for lunch that makes the Scotia Dancers Spring Fling famous!

         The hall was from another world. Dancers were met at the door by kimono clad hosts, who looked and bowed likeJapanese, but were really the 26 Maritimers who were guests of clubs in Japan last year. Japanese decorations andsouvenirs were highlighted by a Meiji Shrine gate over the stage with Mount Fuji in the background. Twenty sevensquares learned the Japanese style of dancing from Stuart Brink and John Pinks. Japanese tapes were no problem. Thefood table was decorated Japanese style with flower arrangements and chopsticks for everyone. Nineteen differentJapanese dishes seemed to please everyone. One half bowl of one of the exotic dishes was left at the end! Like theMaritimers who didn't want to go home from Japan last year, no seemed to want to go home from this dance.
         This "different" night of dancing occurred on 1 October 1988 at Horton District High School in the AnnapolisValley.

         When everything goes right and no-on wants to come home, one can only suspect that we were on a perfectholiday. This was the experience of 26 square and round dancers from the Maritimes. The weather was perfect, no-onelost any luggage, all tours were on time at the right places, and the budget hotels requested turned out to be theequivalent of our four star. In addition, the tour agent surprised us with extra optional tours at no cost.
         A Tokyo club held a special welcoming dance on our arrival in Japan. It was also their 25th anniversary. Thewelcoming party was unbelievable. Everyone in the hall made sure that we did not have a moment's rest. We soonlearned that Japanese dancers do not normally dance with their spouses. The "snack" promised was more like a multi-course meal. We were presented with special welcoming badges.
         After a few days of taking in the sights of Tokyo, the group flew to Sapporo on the northern island of Haikkadofor the 26th Japanese National Square and Round Dance Convention.
         The Japanese style rooms in the hotel were out of a storybook. Again we were treated as guests of honour. TheHotel staff bowed on our arrival and departure from the dining room. The hot spring baths in a Japanese garden were afavourite spot at the end of each exciting day.
         At the Convention, "The Canadians" were the topic of most conversations. We presented a gift from theGovernment of the Province of Nova Scotia to their Royal Highnesses, Prince and Princess Mikasa. Prince Mikasa isthe brother of the Emperor of Japan. We also square danced with the Prince and Princess. They attend the NationalConvention each year in Japan.
         On return to the mainland, the cities of Kyoto and Nagoya and some smaller centres were explored. Toursincluded visits to temples, shrines, museums, crafts, and fabric centres. The tour buses were almost silent, with crystalchandeliers on the ceiling, and a special rear section which one could only enter by removing shoes and donningslippers. White gloved attendants welcomed us on and off the bus by bowing each time we approached. Hotelsincluded a night in a ryokan or Japanese style hotel, and many exotic Japanese meals. A further insight into theJapanese way of life was a visit and dinner in a Japanese home. Actually, the families were Japanese square or rounddancers so we could have something in common. Not many of the families could speak English; we could speak noJapanese, but our hosts went out of their way to help us feel at home.
         Another highlight of the tour was a farewell dinner-dance hosted by the eight Nagoya clubs. Our miniature clubbanners that we took with us from Canada were presented, one to each club. They gave each of our couples or singlesa carved wooden gift. The "buffet" dinner was actually attended by five white gloved waiters in formal dress.
         We did not meet anyone who didn't like their job. Everyone gave the appearance that what they were doing atthe moment was the most important thing in the world. No wonder the Japanese are passing us so rapidly! They workbetter than we do, enjoy life better than we do, and treat all foreigners as guests not tourists.
         The final phase came with a trip back to Tokyo on the famous "Bullet" train. On the final Sunday evening,most of us strolled along the Ginza, where the lighting is superb.
         Monday morning, we reluctantly took the plane to Chicago, via Alaska.

         This was sixteen days of making new square and round dance friends that we will never forget.